The Charlatan's Boy

For the article I mentioned last week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jonathan about his journey towards writing and his latest novel, The Charlatan's Boy.

Jonathan shared how he got started with novel writing. "I knew I wanted to make a living writing, I just figured it would be more like technical writing or writing ads and brochures and stuff. While I was looking for that sort of work, I sort of dashed off a chapter of what became The Bark of the Bog Owl. I showed it to an agent, and the agent said he thought he could sell it, if I wrote that book, so I went ahead and wrote it. And it sold, and I’ve been writing books ever since."

I also talked to him about leaving the Biblical parameters that shaped The Wilderking series, especially the first novel. He said he actually enjoyed the freedom that came from drifting away from an already established plotline. "If there's any Biblical story that shapes these books, that shape The Charlatan’s Boy, it's really those passages in the prophets, where God is communicating to His people that they really are beautiful, even though they don't seem very beautiful."

To find out more about Jonathan and his novels, visit the blogs below:

Sally Apokedak
Amy Bissell
Red Bissell
Jennifer Bogart
Thomas Clayton Booher
Keanan Brand
Beckie Burnham
Jeff Chapman
Christian Fiction Book Reviews
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
D. G. D. Davidson
April Erwin
Andrea Graham
Tori Greene
Bruce Hennigan
Christopher Hopper
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Shannon McDermott
Allen McGraw
Matt Mikalatos
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Nissa
Donita K. Paul
SarahFlan
Sarah Sawyer
Chawna Schroeder
Tammy Shelnut
Kathleen Smith
James Somers
Donna Swanson
Robert Treskillard
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
Nicole White
Elizabeth Williams
Dave Wilson

Intro to Jonathan Rogers

This week, the Christian Science Fiction Fantasy blog tour is featuring Jonathan Rogers' The Charlatan's Boy. I will be sharing more about this wonderful book in the days to come, but first, let me direct your attention to my introduction to the author and the book in FamilyFiction:

November/December issue of FamilyFiction
(click the book cover on the front page of the magazine to go directly to it)

In the meantime, please visit the other stops on the tour:

Sally Apokedak
Amy Bissell
Red Bissell
Jennifer Bogart
Thomas Clayton Booher
Keanan Brand
Beckie Burnham
Jeff Chapman
Christian Fiction Book Reviews
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
D. G. D. Davidson
April Erwin
Andrea Graham
Tori Greene
Bruce Hennigan
Christopher Hopper
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Shannon McDermott
Allen McGraw
Matt Mikalatos
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Nissa
Donita K. Paul
SarahFlan
Sarah Sawyer
Chawna Schroeder
Tammy Shelnut
Kathleen Smith
James Somers
Donna Swanson
Robert Treskillard
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
Nicole White
Elizabeth Williams
Dave Wilson

The Vanishing Sculptor by Donita K. Paul

Donita K. Paul visits the wonderful land she created in the DragonKeeper Chronicles once again in The Vanishing Sculptor. A brief intro:

Donita K. Paul’s 250,000-plus-selling DragonKeeper Chronicles series has attracted a wide spectrum of dedicated fans–and they’re sure to fall in love with the new characters and adventures in her latest superbly-crafted novel for all ages. It’s a mind-boggling fantasy that inhabits the same world as the DragonKeeper Chronicles, but in a different country and an earlier time, where the people know little of Wulder and nothing of Paladin.

In The Vanishing Sculptor, readers will meet Tipper, a young emerlindian who’s responsible for the upkeep of her family’s estate during her sculptor father’s absence. Tipper soon discovers that her actions have unbalanced the whole foundation of her world, and she must act quickly to undo the calamitous threat. But how can she save her father and her world on her own? The task is too huge for one person, so she gathers the help of some unlikely companions–including the nearly five-foot tall parrot Beccaroon–and eventually witnesses the loving care and miraculous resources of Wulder. Through Tipper’s breathtaking story, readers will discover the beauty of knowing and serving God.


I've just read the first chapter so far (though I've read all of Paul's previous fantasy novels and loved them), and already I'm excited about diving into the world of Tipper. To find out more, visit these blogs:

Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Rachel Briard
Karri Compton
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Linda Gilmore
Todd Michael Greene
Ryan Heart
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika
Eve Nielsen (posting later in the week)
Nissa
John W. Otte
Lyn Perry
Crista Richey
Cheryl Russell
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Speculative Faith
Rachel Starr Thomson
Robert Treskillard
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Dona Watson
Phyllis Wheeler
Elizabeth Williams
KM Wilsher

Realm of Empires

I'm a fantasy geek, right? So it's only natural that when I find an awesome fantasy game online I want to share about it. No, it's not World of Warcraft or any of those other MMORPGs that make you bleary-eyed from staring at the computer too long (and then people laugh over your obsession until you make a successful web show about people like you, a la The Guild). This game is designed to only take a few minutes a day, yet still be wonderfully complex and strategic.

The game is called Realm of Empires (aha - you guessed that from the post title, right?). It has villages and palaces and knights and clans and wars and royalty - you name it! No wizards or magicians as of yet, but the servants do a wonderful job of making amazing things happen. There's a tutorial to get you started, some quests to help you improve more quickly, and I've even written a nice long how-to article to make you the best newbie ever!

It is a Facebook game, so you'll need an account there to get started. Don't wait, start growing your empire today!

I Just Sold Caspian and Bought Aragorn

Am I the only one strange enough to name my electronics after fantasy and science fiction characters? I think I'm a bit obsessed.

It wasn't always that way. My first computer, an ancient hand-me-down from my dad's job (it died because the battery ran out. I didn't even know desktops had batteries!), was named Humphrey. Named after the little snake Jack found in Derwood, Inc. It also sounded wheezy and old, which fit my computer perfectly.

Then I discovered Woot.com and bought my first MP3 player. Windows Media Player told me to name it, so I did. Samwise. A plain, dependable little player. My next upgrade was a bit more techy, so it was dubbed R2D2.

After that, I bought a used laptop off eBay. It was large, a bit mysterious (all the stuff left from the previous owner), and had several deep scratches on the lid. I called it Strider. The PDA that came free with it was dubbed my DLF (Dear Little Friend, aka Trumpkin).

I then bought an MP3 I could actually watch video on, and named it Caspian.

I got a bronze finish on my next laptop and thought of calling it C3PO, but the color and personality were entirely wrong. I went with Tirian instead.

And that brings me to my latest purchase, an MP3 player exactly like Caspian, but with twice the room. I've named it Aragorn, and just sold Caspian to my sister.

Not much point in all that, except to show my weirdness. At least I haven't named my cell phone or my camera . . . yet.

Do you name any of your gadgets, cars, pieces of furniture? Do tell!

Offworld by Robin Parrish

I've been a fan of Robin Parrish's writing since Infuze Magazine was Fuse Magazine - probably 2004 or a little earlier. It was right around that time I started joining writers' forums and began my own blog. Infuze was a big part of my falling in love with speculative fiction. Sure, I loved Narnia for many years before that, and had also discovered Kathy Tyers' and Karen Hancock's science fiction, published by Bethany House. But Infuze opened the doors wide to the entire genre.

And now it comes full circle in his latest speculative thriller, Offworld, published by Bethany House. The first manned Mars mission loses contact with Earth two months before they crash-land into a silent planet. What's next? I'll get back to the book once I finish this post. But something seems a bit familiar. I'm wondering if this is Vanished - the serial story that only had a few installments on Infuze. It's been years since that was taken down, so my memory may be wrong.

Visit the blogs below for more. You can also follow Robin on Twitter.

Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand
Gina Burgess
Canadianladybug
Melissa Carswell
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Linda Gilmore
Beth Goddard
Todd Michael Greene
Ryan Heart
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika
Eve Nielsen (posting later in the week)
Nissa
John W. Otte
Lyn Perry
Steve Rice
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Speculative Faith
Stephanie
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Dona Watson
Elizabeth Williams

The Enclave by Karen Hancock

When I first read Karen Hancock's debut novel Arena, I loved it. It still ranks as one of my most favorite speculative fiction works.

The Enclave is Hancock's latest novel. Amazon's product description reads:

When Lacey McHenry accepts a prestigious research fellowship at the world-renowned Kendell-Jakes Longevity Institute, she sees it as a new start on life. But a disturbing late-night encounter with an intruder leads to an unexpected cover-up by Institute authorities, and she soon realizes there's more going on than she ever imagined.

She finds a supporter in genetics researcher Cameron Reinhardt. However, Reinhardt is a favorite of the Institute's director, and she can't help wondering if he, too, is in on the cover-up. The brilliant but absentminded researcher turns out to have his own secrets, some of them dark and deadly.

So far this sounds like a typical suspense novel, with one word hinting there may be something more. Can you find it?

The description continues:

The Enclave is characterized by adventure, intrigue, spiritual analogy, and romance, all set in an unusual but fully realized world--one that may have its foundations on earth but which, the more one learns of it, doesn't seem much like the earth we know at all.

Well!

That sentence alone (especially the last phrase) would make me want to read this novel. And you can read it too!

While I forgot to opt in for the CSFF book tour, I did request a review copy, so I am hosting a giveaway! Post a comment below with the one word that hints to something more from the first part of this book's description (it's okay if it's not the word I was thinking of!). I'll draw a name from the entries I receive by the end of August 15, 2009, and send the book to the US address you specify. If I receive more than 10 entries, I'll give away TWO copies of The Enclave!