This is old news since my agent has posted it to Publishers Lunch, but I thought I’d let you know anyway.

Angela Benson’s SHOWERS OF BLESSINGS, in which an assistant pastor becomes a compulsive gambler and after winning a large sum, uses it to seed a church — but soon falls into temptation to gamble again, loses the money and everything else, ending up back where he started to Selena James at Dafina, by Natasha Kern at Natasha Kern Literary Agency (World).

Marilynn Griffith and Tia McCollors are the other two authors in the anthology. It’ll be out sometime next Spring. I’ll keep you posted.

While I’m excited about this opportunity, I’m also challenged. This is the first anthology I’ve been in since Holiday Cheer (Arabesque) was published in 1995! That’s a long time ago. Thanks to author Farrah Rochon and her tips on writing the novella, I was able to come up with a story idea that’s perfect for the short format.

The news behind the news. . .My agent approached Selena a couple of years ago when we were looking for a home for Up Pops the Devil, but the deal didn’t happen. At the time, Selena expressed interest in working with me in the future. True to her word, she contacted my agent about a month ago and asked if I was interested in doing an anthology with her. The takeaways from this story: 1) good agents keep the lines of communication open with editors, and 2) making a good impression on an editor on one submission can lead to a future sale even if the initial submission doesn’t pan out.

Do you like reading anthologies? What are your favorites? What about writing anthologies? Do you think they’re easier or more difficult than writing a full-length novel?

Now this is the kind of heading I expect from a Christian news organization.  Check it out!

Faith Group Implores McCain, Obama to not bear “False Witness”

You should also check out the group, Faithful America.  Does anyone know anything about this group?

I must say that when it comes to making fun of Christians it’s open season. It has been that way for a long time. Why are people allowed to get away with making fun of the Christian faith?

I found this quote on another blog. I won’t bother to link to it because it has to do with politics and I don’t want this to be a political discussion. Can you answer the question?

I think the answer is that people aren’t really making fun of the Christian faith. They’re making fun of folks who call themselves Christians. Unfortunately, all some folks know of the Christian faith is what they see in our lives, and let’s be frank here, sometimes it ain’t pretty.

I also think outsiders like to pounce on us because we pounce on them. It’s like we’ve drawn this line that makes sin among sinners REALLY bad while sin among saints is “well, nobody’s perfect.” Then we want to come back at folks with “sin ain’t what you do, it’s about the relationship.” Yeah, right. I’m sure they get that and the word they use to describe it is “hypocrite.”

At the core of the issue, I think, is the way Christians dole out compassion. I sometimes feel that our compassion is reserved for other Christians, usually Christians we know personally, and we have very little for the world-at-large.

So I don’t really get bummed out when people mock Christians because sometimes we deserve to be mocked. Many times it’s not them defaming the name of Christ, it’s them calling us out because we’re defaming His name.

I think this relates to our writing as well. How we draw our characters, the situations we put them in, and the way they resolve their issues all speak to how perceive Christian life. I think that’s why there’s such a diversity is what folks call “Christian fiction.” If I call myself a Christian and a book speaks to me where I am in my faith, then to me it’s Christian fiction. You’ll notice the definition is built around the person, not the book.

Anyway. That’s my nickel. What’s yours?

I’ve been doing a few booksignings. This past weekend I had a couple.  I want to thank all the readers of this blog who showed up to spend some time with me–Sherri and Rhonda, especially folks I had only met online.   That’s you, Jennifer! 

I’ll blog later about the booksignings (and give more shout-outs) but I wanted to share something with you that was made clear to me again this weekend.

Booksignings are about people, not about books. 

If you know what I mean, give me a shout-out.  If you think I’m wrong, let me know why.