CSFF Tour: Residential Aliens

I haven't had too much time to look around Residential Aliens' website, but I read the first story in their free issue ("Petition" by L.S. King) and loved it. The navigation on the site seems a bit tricky - once you click on a page, the only obvious link to go anywhere else on the site is the "Home" button at the top of the screen. And when you read a blog entry, you have to scroll back up to the top to get to the next one.

Other than that, the site seems a great place to find science fiction written with a Christian worldview, and I know I'll enjoy exploring further!

Visit the blogs below for more:

Noah Arsenault
Brandon Barr
Thomas Clayton Booher
Grace Bridges
Beckie Burnham
Jeff Chapman
CSFF Blog Tour
Carol Bruce Collett
D. G. D. Davidson
Dean Hardy
Ryan Heart
Bruce Hennigan
Jason Joyner
Carol Keen
Shannon McDermott
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Lyn Perry
Sarah Sawyer
Jessica Thomas
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler

CSFF Tour: Darkness Follows

This month, the Christian Science Fiction Fantasy blog tour is featuring Darkness Follows by Mike Dellosso.

I've received so many books from publishers over the years that finding time to read them is a challenge, so I try to limit my requests to ones I plan to read. I'm not a fan of horror in general (except for certain TV shows that blend in a good dose of comedy to offset it), so I didn't request a copy of the book or read it. But I love promoting speculative authors, so I stayed on the tour.

Here's a brief synopsis of the novel:

Sam Travis lives in a Civil War era farmhouse in Gettysburg, PA, where he awakens one morning to find an old journal with an entry by a Union soldier, Capt. Whiting, written in Sam's own handwriting. When this happens several more times, both at night and during waking, Sam begins to question his own sanity while becoming obsessed with Capt. Whiting and his bone-chilling journal entries. As the entries begin to mimic Sam's own life, he is drawn into an evil plot that could cost many lives, including his own. Can the unconditional love of Sam's daughter, Eva, break through his hardened heart before a killer on the loose catches up with them and Sam's past spurs him to do the unthinkable?

Check out the blogs below for reviews and discussion:

Noah Arsenault
Red Bissell
Thomas Clayton Booher
Beckie Burnham
Melissa Carswell
Karri Compton
CSFF Blog Tour
Chris Deane
Cynthia Dyer
Nikole Hahn
Ryan Heart
Bruce Hennigan
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Inae Kyo
Shannon McDermott
Allen McGraw
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Joan Nienhuis
Sarah Sawyer
Kathleen Smith
Jessica Thomas
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler

CSFF Tour: The Ale Boy's Feast by Jeffrey Overstreet

This month, CSFF is featuring Jeffrey Overstreet and his latest novel, The Ale Boy's Feast. I interviewed Jeffrey several months back for an author profile in FamilyFiction's March/April issue (you can read the issue online here or download the PDF here).

Here are some excerpts from that interview that didn't make it into the article (or were paraphrased for space).

On becoming a writer:

I was so fond of books that I would actually copy down the entire text of books I was bringing home from the library, because I loved reading books and was just so fascinated by the whole experience of books that I wanted to make my own. Pretty soon I started making changes to the stories I was copying . . . by the time I was 6 or 7 years old I was writing original adventure stories, typing them out with one finger on an old Black Royal typewriter. I loved fairy tales especially, and that’s sort of the shape my stories have taken since then.

On the world of Auralia's Colors:

And the kingdom just becomes this gray, dull, sterile, somber place in the middle of an extravagantly beautiful landscape. Then I realized I was seeing this place over the shoulder of this character who was an artist who lived in the woods, who didn’t like what she was seeing and wanted to restore a sense of imagination and beauty to that place.

What he hopes readers take away from the story:

I hope they really enjoy their journey through this world, as dangerous as it becomes. I hope that they come away with some new questions about the role of imagination in our lives, what art does best, the many ways we try and exploit art for our own purposes, which really ends up hurting imagination.

Find out more about this book (and the entire series) on the blogs below:

Gillian Adams
Red Bissell
Grace Bridges
Beckie Burnham
Morgan L. Busse
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
Shane Deal
Chris Deane
Cynthia Dyer
Andrea Graham
Ryan Heart
Bruce Hennigan
Jason Joyner
Carol Keen
Dawn King
Inae Kyo
Shannon McDermott
Shannon McNear
Karen McSpadden
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
Sarah Sawyer
Kathleen Smith
Donna Swanson
Rachel Starr Thomson
Robert Treskillard
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Dona Watson
Phyllis Wheeler

CSFF Tour: The Strange Man by Greg Mitchell

I haven't had a chance to read The Strange Man, so I'd intended to opt out of this tour, but I forgot to in time. But here's a quick blurb about the book:

Dras Weldon is a 22-year-old unemployed washout who lives in a world of horror movies and comic books. But when a nameless demon threatens his friend Rosalyn Myers, things change! Putting his faith into action, Dras races against time to turn Ros---and a whole town---toward God and away from unspeakable evil.

And here's the book trailer for the next book:



Noah Arsenault
Red Bissell
Kathy Brasby
Grace Bridges
Beckie Burnham
CSFF Blog Tour
Amber French
Tori Greene
Bruce Hennigan
Timothy Hicks
Jason Joyner
Carol Keen
Inae Kyo
Emily LaVigne
Shannon McDermott
Matt Mikalatos
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Gavin Patchett
Andrea Schultz
Kathleen Smith
Donna Swanson
Jessica Thomas
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Dona Watson
Phyllis Wheeler

CSFF Tour: The Resurrection by Mike Duran

I've been reading Mike Duran's blog for years now, but I haven't gotten around to reading his debut novel, The Resurrection, yet (if you saw my to-be-read stack, you wouldn't be surprised). Here's a brief look at the storyline:

When Ruby Case, an unassuming crippled woman, inexplicably raises a boy from the dead, she creates uproar in the quiet coastal town of Stonetree. Some brand her a witch, others a miracle worker. Yet Reverend Ian Clark could care less. Dogged by demons and immersed in self-pity, Clark is being unwittingly drawn into a secret religious order--one that threatens his very life. But he's about to get a wake-up call.

Together, Ruby and Reverend Clark are thrust into a search for answers... and a collision with unspeakable darkness. For behind the quaint tourist shops and artist colonies lies a history of deceit. And a presence more malignant than anything they can imagine. Yet a battle is brewing, the resurrection is the first volley, and the unlikely duo are the only ones who can save them. But can they overcome their own brokenness in time to stop the evil, or will they be its next victim?

Check out the blogs below to find out more about the book:

Noah Arsenault
Brandon Barr
Red Bissell
Book Reviews By Molly
Keanan Brand
Kathy Brasby
Grace Bridges
Beckie Burnham
Melissa Carswell
Jeff Chapman
Christian Fiction Book Reviews
Carol Bruce Collett
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Wanda Costinak
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Janey DeMeo
Cynthia Dyer
Tori Greene
Nikole Hahn
Joleen Howell
Bruce Hennigan
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Carol Keen
Emily LaVigne
Shannon McNear
Matt Mikalatos
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika
Joan Nienhuis
Nissa
John W. Otte
Gavin Patchett
Sarah Sawyer
Andrea Schultz
Tammy Shelnut
Kathleen Smith
Donna Swanson
Jessica Thomas
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Dona Watson
Phyllis Wheeler
Nicole White
Dave Wilson

CSFF Tour: The God Hater by Bill Myers

While I have enjoyed Bill Myers' books in the past (starting out when I was young reading the McGee and Me novelizations), I must confess that I have not yet read The God Hater. One of the reasons I have shied away from reading it is simple: the back cover copy gives away too much.

Oh, I understand the publisher's logic for including a few critical plot points. After all, with a title like The God Hater you have to make sure your primary audience (for a Christian publisher, that generally means Christians) understands that this isn't a book that bashes God. There's a huge redeeming factor to this novel.

I just wish they hadn't spelled out exactly what that redeeming factor was.

No, I haven't read the book, but from what I can tell, the redeeming factor is part of the climax. And as someone who never skips to the back of the book, giving away the climax feels like the publisher forced me to do just that.

So if you want to read this book, don't read the back cover. Trust me, Bill Myers is an excellent writer. You don't need to know what the book's about to know that it's good.

And if any of the blogs below give away the climax (without spoiler warnings), feel free to give them a cyber Gibbs' slap:

Red Bissell
Thomas Clayton Booher
Keanan Brand
Kathy Brasby
Rachel Briard
Beckie Burnham
Morgan L. Busse
Melissa Carswell
Carol Bruce Collett
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
CSFF Blog Tour
Janey DeMeo
April Erwin
Amber French
Andrea Graham
Tori Greene
Ryan Heart
Joleen Howell
Bruce Hennigan
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Carol Keen
Emily LaVigne
Shannon McDermott
Matt Mikalatos
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika
MollyBuuklvr81
John W. Otte
Sarah Sawyer
Chawna Schroeder
Andrea Schultz
Tammy Shelnut
Kathleen Smith
Donna Swanson
Jessica Thomas
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Dona Watson
Nicole White
Dave Wilson

CSFF Tour: Dragons of the Valley

This week, CSFF is touring Donita K. Paul's Dragons of the Valley. I don't own the first book in the series, The Vanishing Sculptor (soon to be renamed The Dragons of Chiril), so I haven't read either book. However, my younger sister Lydia is a huge fan of Donita's books, and has this to say:

The characters in Dragons of the Valley captured my heart from the very first sentence – from the unpredictable Wizard Fenworth, to the adorable Rayn, and, of course, the absent-minded Lady Peg. Mrs. Paul writes in such a way, that at the end of each book, every character seems like an old friend. I look forward to reading these books again and again, and cannot wait to read Dragons of the Watch.

Twelve-year-old Lydia Hart loves fantasy, and is also a writer herself. She just had her first story published in the Winter 2010 issue of Starsongs magazine. The story is entitled "A Winter Melody."

For more about Dragons of the Valley, check out the blogs below:

Gillian Adams
Noah Arsenault
Amy Bissell
Red Bissell
Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand
Grace Bridges
Beckie Burnham
Keanan Brand
Morgan L. Busse
CSFF Blog Tour
Amy Cruson
D. G. D. Davidson
April Erwin
Amber French
Andrea Graham
Ryan Heart
Bruce Hennigan
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Dawn King
Emily LaVigne
Shannon McDermott
Matt Mikalatos
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Joan Nienhuis
John W. Otte
Donita K. Paul
Sarah Sawyer
Chawna Schroeder
Tammy Shelnut
Kathleen Smith
James Somers
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
Dave Wilson

CSFF Tour: The Wolf of Tebron

The CSFF Blog Tour is in full swing once again! This month, we're featuring C.S. Lakin's novel, The Wolf of Tebron.

I haven't yet read the book, but here's a quick description of this fairy-tale story:

All Joran wanted was to live a peaceful life in his forested village of Tebron. But when his wife, Charris, is captured by the Moon in a whisk of magic, he must go on a grueling journey to the four corners of the world to rescue her. On his way, he befriends a wolf named Ruyah who becomes a trusted companion while he solves riddles and eventually battles the Moon to save his wife.

On her website, Lakin shares reasons why fairy tales are still relevant today, and why she writes them:

Fairy tales have an uncanny staying power, and the need for the archetypes of myth has never been greater. Most traditional tales carry the message that blessings follow those choosing honorable principles and seeking heaven's will. Fairy tales inspire hope, while at the same time impart life lessons as a hero or heroine ventures out into the world on a classic "hero's journey." Those of us raised reading fairy tales have had these values inculcated in us from early on, but it seems no one has taken the path of reinventing traditional fairy tales and turning them into full-length, original novels.

For more about this book, visit the blogs below:

Noah Arsenault
Amy Bissell
Red Bissell
Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand
Grace Bridges
Beckie Burnham
Jeff Chapman
Christian Fiction Book Reviews
Carol Bruce Collett
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
D. G. D. Davidson
April Erwin
Andrea Graham
Nikole Hahn
Ryan Heart
Bruce Hennigan
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Dawn King
Shannon McDermott
Matt Mikalatos
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Joan Nienhuis
Nissa
John W. Otte
Chawna Schroeder
Tammy Shelnut
Kathleen Smith
James Somers
Rachel Starr Thomson
Robert Treskillard
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler