by Jason Joyner | Sep 24, 2008 | Blog, CSFF, fantasy, sci-fi, speculative fiction
The Marcher Lords of England were knights given land at the edge of the kingdom. These brave, devoted warriors were set as the first line of defense against menace from raiding tribes in Scotland and Wales. They were placed in the frontier, without an easy life of a regular noble, charged with clearing the way and establishing their hold on new land.
This is according to Jeff Gerke’s website, Marcher Lord Press, a new Christian publisher for speculative fiction. This is the stand that Jeff is taking in his love for exciting stories that aren’t your typical Christian worldview title.
From the site:
What is Christian speculative fiction, you ask? It’s the “weird” stuff: fantasy, science fiction, time travel, spiritual warfare, alternate history, chillers, superhero fiction, near-future technothrillers, and supernatural thrillers. All the Christian stories that are off the edge of the map.
This is a unique, daring venture his part. Marcher Lord Press is purposely smaller in order to have a lower overhead to be able to support the speculative fiction genre that is often short-changed in Christian book stores. It is a print on demand publisher, meaning that it will be printed when you order it. It is not a vanity press (the type of publisher that an author PAYS in order to see their book in print). The authors are truly solicited and paid.
Jeff Gerke is a visionary and a risk-taker. He sees the great potential in well-crafted stories that dare to go into realms that don’t include prairie and Amish romances. I am hopeful to see more speculative fiction (such as Robin Parrish, Jeff Overstreet, and George Bryan Polivka) picked up in the regular CBA/Christian fiction market. However, I am very excited to see someone like Jeff stand up and make a way for some intriguing tales to find readers who like something a little outside of the ordinary. I am convinced that the realms of sci-fi and fantasy offer great opportunity to share powerful spiritual truth in a way that flows from the story, not forced upon it. I hope you will take some time to check out Marcher Lord.
Tomorrow, I’ll share about the launch books for Marcher Lord Press, why you need to mark October 1st on your calendar, and the joy of PRIZES!!! Don’t miss out!
Also, see my fellow tourmates for more.
by Jason Joyner | Sep 23, 2008 | Blog, CSFF, fantasy, sci-fi, speculative fiction
In the 2+ years I’ve been blogging, I’ve read a lot of fiction. A good chunk of that has been speculative (an encompassing term for science fiction and fantasy). I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed this genre, and I’ve become a real fan. Unfortunately, the CBA market of Christian fiction doesn’t yet supply a lot of choice in this area. Sure, there’s more than 15 years ago. But if you look at a section of Christian fiction, it is still dominated by romance and historical fiction.
Becky Miller continues to argue for a larger potential audience for Christian speculative fiction based on properties such as Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and the Chronicles of Narnia. On the other side, publishers cite low sales for speculative titles. In a free market system, demand will drive supply. So where does that leave fans of spec fic?
Somtimes an enterprising person sees an opportunity and runs with it, meeting a niche that is currently under-supported. That person, the focus of this month’s CSFF tour, is Jeff Gerke.
Marcher Lord Press is an independent publisher for Christian speculative fiction. Jeff’s goal is to provide an outlet for authors and readers of this genre. He has the credentials to pull it off. He is a published author, under the name Jefferson Scott. He has also been a fiction acquisition editor (meaning he has an eye for what works). He also founded the site WheretheMapEnds, a good creative resource for aspiring writers.
I encourage you to look into Marcher Lord Press today, and check back over the next two days for more about this new outlet. Also check out my fellow tourmates, listed below.
Brandon Barr
Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand
Kathy Brasby
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Courtney
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Janey DeMeo
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Kameron M. Franklin
Andrea Graham
Todd Michael Greene
Katie Hart
Timothy Hicks
Joleen Howell
Kait
Mike Lynch
Terri Main
Margaret
Shannon McNear
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Nissa
John W. Otte
Steve Rice
Ashley Rutherford
Hanna Sandvig
Mirtika or Mir’s Here
Greg Slade
James Somers
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise
Tina Kulesa
Jason Waguespac
by Jason Joyner | Sep 23, 2008 | Blog, CSFF, fantasy, sci-fi, speculative fiction
In the 2+ years I’ve been blogging, I’ve read a lot of fiction. A good chunk of that has been speculative (an encompassing term for science fiction and fantasy). I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed this genre, and I’ve become a real fan. Unfortunately, the CBA market of Christian fiction doesn’t yet supply a lot of choice in this area. Sure, there’s more than 15 years ago. But if you look at a section of Christian fiction, it is still dominated by romance and historical fiction.
Becky Miller continues to argue for a larger potential audience for Christian speculative fiction based on properties such as Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and the Chronicles of Narnia. On the other side, publishers cite low sales for speculative titles. In a free market system, demand will drive supply. So where does that leave fans of spec fic?
Somtimes an enterprising person sees an opportunity and runs with it, meeting a niche that is currently under-supported. That person, the focus of this month’s CSFF tour, is Jeff Gerke.
Marcher Lord Press is an independent publisher for Christian speculative fiction. Jeff’s goal is to provide an outlet for authors and readers of this genre. He has the credentials to pull it off. He is a published author, under the name Jefferson Scott. He has also been a fiction acquisition editor (meaning he has an eye for what works). He also founded the site WheretheMapEnds, a good creative resource for aspiring writers.
I encourage you to look into Marcher Lord Press today, and check back over the next two days for more about this new outlet. Also check out my fellow tourmates, listed below.
Brandon Barr
Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand
Kathy Brasby
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Courtney
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Janey DeMeo
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Kameron M. Franklin
Andrea Graham
Todd Michael Greene
Katie Hart
Timothy Hicks
Joleen Howell
Kait
Mike Lynch
Terri Main
Margaret
Shannon McNear
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Nissa
John W. Otte
Steve Rice
Ashley Rutherford
Hanna Sandvig
Mirtika or Mir’s Here
Greg Slade
James Somers
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise
Tina Kulesa
Jason Waguespac
by Jason Joyner | Sep 19, 2008 | Blog, goofiness, pirates, Talk Like a Pirate Day
ARRRR! This year’s Talk Like a Pirate Day is brought to you today by Black-Eye Nate. If ye be darin’ the edge o’his cutlass, then enter.
Black-Eye Nate commandeered our backyard playhouse, and I barely survived walkin’ the plank. All be well now. All kinds of booty ere accepted, but plastic pirate men be exceptional treasure!
Yer pirate resources for 2008:
Gráinne Ní Mháille, better known as Grace O’Malley, a famous female pirate in the time of Queen Elizabeth I.
This be an excellent pirate game fer the Xbox!
Shiver yer timbers with this pirate radio show.
A reason to plunder an iPhone, finally. Yarr!
Lego Relient K, starring in the video for The Pirates who Don’t Do Anything.
Piracy in the Bible? The evidence be here.
by Jason Joyner | Sep 19, 2008 | Blog, goofiness, pirates, Talk Like a Pirate Day
ARRRR! This year’s Talk Like a Pirate Day is brought to you today by Black-Eye Nate. If ye be darin’ the edge o’his cutlass, then enter.
Black-Eye Nate commandeered our backyard playhouse, and I barely survived walkin’ the plank. All be well now. All kinds of booty ere accepted, but plastic pirate men be exceptional treasure!
Yer pirate resources for 2008:
Gráinne Ní Mháille, better known as Grace O’Malley, a famous female pirate in the time of Queen Elizabeth I.
This be an excellent pirate game fer the Xbox!
Shiver yer timbers with this pirate radio show.
A reason to plunder an iPhone, finally. Yarr!
Lego Relient K, starring in the video for The Pirates who Don’t Do Anything.
Piracy in the Bible? The evidence be here.
by Jason Joyner | Sep 18, 2008 | Blog, CFBA, fiction, reviews
Don’t turn the lights off with this one…
This week’s featured book for the CFBA tour is Isolation by Travis Thrasher.
The Millers need a retreat after being burnt out by bad experiences as missionaries in Papau New Guinea. Jim struggles with doubts about his faith. Stephanie is sleepwalking and having visions of blood and death.
Jim takes Steph and their kids Zachary and Ashley to an isolated house up on a beautiful hill in North Carolina as a getaway to reconnect with God and each other. The mysterious mansion, built by an eccentric millionaire, strikes them all as eerie as soon as they arrive and meet up with Stephanie’s brother Paul.
Before they can leave, a winter storm traps them in the house, as it slowly reveals its dark secrets. Will they survive with their faith, or will they survive at all?
The idea of a Christian horror novel may seem counter-intuitive, but it really is a genre that is ripe for the exploration of good and evil. The concept of spiritual warfare lends itself well to a very suspenseful book.
Thrasher’s novel keeps the suspense level high from the start, with an attention-grabbing opening chapter to the deadly finale. He notes Stephen King as an influence, and though I’ve only managed to read one of King’s books, Isolation does cause white knuckles and short, gasping breaths in abundance.
The main characters are fleshed out rather well, but secondary characters don’t come across as interesting or more than placeholders. There’s some backstory that isn’t explored enough for my taste, leaving me wondering too much.
It is an easy read, and the tension is intense. I didn’t want to be interrupted during the last quarter of the book. He makes good use of the characters’ thoughts to add to the mystery and creates a strong feel of turmoil and confusion.
The book is not for the faint of heart (or big honkin‘ chickens either). I found it a little disturbing, only in that kids are threatened, and I’m not a fan of that. Still, the spiritual themes are powerfully presented throughout the book.
Overall it was a good read and should be considered by fans of intense suspense or horror. The squeamish would want to give it to their non-squeamish friends!
If you would like to read the first chapter of Isolation, go HERE
