Friday, November 06, 2009

Do you want to get lost in a book?


Just before I turned 9, my Uncle Peter asked me what I wanted for my birthday. It was an easy question. All I wanted was a book. I knew, just like the girl reading by the window, that stories could take me anywhere in the world, while I was safely tucked in my own bed. Uncle Peter generously gave me about 10 books that year, all Enid Blyton titles including the Famous Five and the Secret Seven. Adventures in England with well known fictional friends darting among the hedgerows and eating peaches from tins, became mine to savor during winter evenings and "Just one more chapter?" became my nightly plea before lights out. Opening the first few pages of a new book and knowing there were nine more waiting for me was such a delicious feeling. I still experience this same delight when I read today. I never come home from the bookshop or library with a single book and orders from Amazon always arrive in bundles.


If you're wondering what to read while you wait for my novel to be released (just kidding there. sort of), I've come across a great new blog which will inspire you, no matter what fiction genre you're interested in.
The International Christian Fiction Writers have launched their new blog to promote Christian fiction with a global flavor. They shine the spotlight on more than twenty international  authors who take the reader to a world beyond our respective borders. 
You may be looking for an Australian outback romance, or an African suspense, or even the recent release from Nick Daniels, set in nineteenth century London, The Gentleman's Conspiracy. 
Who is Nick Daniels you ask? A great interview with him and review of his work can be found on the blog.
While these writers represent global settings which are miles apart, they are bound by one unifying goal;

Writing fiction with a foreign flair, for His glory.


As author bios begin to appear, I can tell there is a wealth of amazing writers to be featured in the weeks to come, whose desire is to be used by God through their writing. 
 If you're lucky you may even win one of the titles being reviewed in the month of November. Your input is valued too. What are you reading and what do you want to see more of? The good people at the International Christian Fiction Writers want to know what you're thinking when you look for Christian fiction. 

What I want is an experience like the girl in the picture. I want to forget where I am and be totally immersed in a story which transports me far away from my reality. If it's set in the 1800s, even better. I also want to see how people grow and learn through the life lessons God brings their way. I want to see people fall in love with each other and with God. And I want a happy ending. 
You may have different preferences. 
I'm sure you will find something which you won't be able to resist when you explore what the International Christian Fiction Writers have to offer.