by Jason Joyner | Sep 24, 2012 | Biblical worldview, Blog, books, critical thinking, CSFF, Mike Duran, speculative fiction, The Telling
It’s time to “Tell” you about the September Christian Sci-fi and Fantasy Tour.
This one is a pleasure for me because the CSFF is featuring Mike Duran and his latest novel, The Telling.
Mike Duran is an author and prolific blogger. His blog Decompose is a fertile ground of ideas that make you think. Not only does Mike post provocative thoughts on faith, fiction, and culture, but the community of commenters he has following him often expand the posts into very interesting realms.
Mike is not afraid to ask the hard questions or probe issues regarding Christian fiction and speculative ideas. However, he has a deep love for the Church and regularly pokes at the foibles of atheist and relativistic thinking.
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| Mike and I chatting it up |
The best part about Mike is that he is real and he is interested in people and exploring these issues. I know this because I had the great pleasure of meeting him this last weekend at the ACFW Conference in Dallas.
If this post sounds gushing because I just met the guy and I’m talking him up, you can forget that idea. The web does not allow for really knowing people, no matter how much you think it does. The face-to-face with Mike and bouncing ideas off him and other like thinkers (here’s a shout to fellow CSFF tour member Morgan Busse) over meals was a highlight of the conference to me.
Over the next few days we’ll be talking about Mike and The Telling. I’m sure it will be a tour with a lot of discussion. I invite you to check out my fellow tourmates below for more information.
Jim Armstrong
Noah Arsenault
Keanan Brand
Beckie Burnham
Brenda Castro
Jeff Chapman
Christine
Theresa Dunlap
Victor Gentile
Nikole Hahn
Bruce Hennigan
Julie
Carol Keen
Emileigh Latham
Meagan @ Blooming with Books
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Anna Mittower
Kathleen Smith
Donna Swanson
Jessica Thomas
Steve Trower
Dona Watson
Shane Werlinger
Phyllis Wheeler
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by Jason Joyner | Sep 23, 2012 | Blog, fun, links, miscellaneous, stuck in an airport again
I posted a handy guide to passing time in an airport last year. But after so much time has passed, the old list may be passe.
The internet needs a NEW list of things to do in an airport.
Without further ado:
5. Jockey for the best place to park. The ideal spot? Comfy chairs, plug-ins for your laptops and other electronic necessities, and a TV playing something better than CNN Financial. I’m parked in front of a football game, in a black lounge chair, with multiple plug-ins. I win.
4. See if you can find someone watching a movie on their laptop and find a way to get close enough for the free entertainment. Disclaimer: if you get in trouble with people for peeping – you didn’t have to take my advice.
3. Get your exercise. Power walk up and down the concourse. You may want to find deodorant for this option.
2. Bonus points for this one – get your fellow passengers to join you in doing the Gangnam Style dance. Seriously, if you post a video link here doing it, I’ll send you a pack of gum or something.
1. Write a blog post. You can give people hints on how the pass the time… (Recycled from last year, but classics never go out of style)
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by Jason Joyner | Sep 19, 2012 | ACFW, Blog, conference, writing, Writing Wednesday
Here we go.
I’ve been on this writing adventure for a long time now. I started back into it as an adult writing fan fiction (shout out to KFF, yo!). I had forgotten how much I liked telling the stories that popped into my head.
I came up with an idea for a novel. My writing friend Athena Grayson helpfully shot the sick goose dead before it got very far off the ground.
Then I had another idea. This one had some promise.
I started writing.
That was…a while ago.
We won’t go into detail how long ago *cough*2005*cough*.
I followed writers, read blogs, hung out at writing forums, and started writing about writing myself. I read a lot of books. Read books on craft. Read suspense, mystery, crime, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, contemporary, YA, and even a romance or two.
Very slowly, I wrote.
I kept waiting for the muse to hit to really write. I learned the muse sucks.
Then something changed. I learned to write no matter what. I set my mind to it and plugged away at it. In the last year I wrote twice as much as I had the previous six years.
Suddenly I had a first draft of a novel done.
Well shoot, now what do I do with it?
So here I sit in the airport terminal. Ready to fly off to Dallas to meet with a few other writers (about 700 or so, not many). I’ve made the commitment. I’m not doing this lightly. It is time to go for it.
Here I go. And if I have any advice to give, it would be this: go for it.
See you on the other side.
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by Jason Joyner | Sep 19, 2012 | ACFW, Blog, conference, writing, Writing Wednesday
Here we go.
I’ve been on this writing adventure for a long time now. I started back into it as an adult writing fan fiction (shout out to KFF, yo!). I had forgotten how much I liked telling the stories that popped into my head.
I came up with an idea for a novel. My writing friend Athena Grayson helpfully shot the sick goose dead before it got very far off the ground.
Then I had another idea. This one had some promise.
I started writing.
That was…a while ago.
We won’t go into detail how long ago *cough*2005*cough*.
I followed writers, read blogs, hung out at writing forums, and started writing about writing myself. I read a lot of books. Read books on craft. Read suspense, mystery, crime, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, contemporary, YA, and even a romance or two.
Very slowly, I wrote.
I kept waiting for the muse to hit to really write. I learned the muse sucks.
Then something changed. I learned to write no matter what. I set my mind to it and plugged away at it. In the last year I wrote twice as much as I had the previous six years.
Suddenly I had a first draft of a novel done.
Well shoot, now what do I do with it?
So here I sit in the airport terminal. Ready to fly off to Dallas to meet with a few other writers (about 700 or so, not many). I’ve made the commitment. I’m not doing this lightly. It is time to go for it.
Here I go. And if I have any advice to give, it would be this: go for it.
See you on the other side.
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by Jason Joyner | Sep 14, 2012 | Blog, Free Friday, links, pirates, Talk Like a Pirate Day
Welcome aboard mateys, as this blog’s flagship holiday approaches.
International Talk Like A Pirate Day
As this intrepid explorer will be working and flying off to Dallas (a shame, as there are no oceans nearby), it seemed prudent to offer up the traditional pirate resources. Although piracy is not usually associated with prudence.
Every pirate needs a good source of navigation. How else do they find rum?
The age old question: pirates or ninjas. This landlubber writer makes his choice, and he’ll be paying Davy Jones a visit real soon.
Or, ye can settle the dispute yerself. Heave ho with the dodgeballs!
If ye are not proficient in yer pirate lingo, here be a handy translator.
There even be some food merchants who are forthcoming with plunder if ye speak to them winsomely.
Here some photographic evidence of piracy and plunder be revealing the buccaneer among ye.
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| Cutlass versus rum…cake |
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