How Do You Serve?

There was a time when I could have cared less about politics and politicians. My attitude was they were elected they must know what they are doing so let them do their jobs. I turned 14 (rough estimate) and my attitude changed. My opinion on them was they are all liars, cheats, scum willing to sell their mother for a vote, and impotent (not in a way which can be solved by Viagra) although more than a few are creepy.

My opinion hasn’t changed much since I was 14. I believe now more than ever our elected officials are destroying the sandbox they are playing in. The problem is the sandbox they are playing in is my country. They are messing with the United States of America. Although we’ve really shortened it to America as we haven’t been united in a long time.

News channels run programming 24 hours a day and it is enough to make Pollyanna need anti-depressants. While every country has its ups and downs, we seem to be sliding down a steep slope of destruction. Some might say things could definitely be worse. We could be bombing our neighbors in retaliation for the bombs they dropped on us. I believe it is worse. We are destroying ourselves like a deadly disease from the inside and sometimes there is just stupidity among us.

I don’t believe we should introduce anarchy. We need laws, those who enforce the laws, and someone to guide us in the right direction. Although I still strongly believe it begins when we are taught respect as children. There needs to be an authoritative figure, but I also believe as citizens we have the right to question authority. I’d go so far as to say we have a responsibility to keep them in check. 

Right now America is spinning out of control. We don't know who to believe because we want to believe the best of our nation's leaders yet our citizens are dying on foreign soil as well as in our own country. Two sides blame each other instead of working together. If you have a different opinion than others, you will be discriminated against. Acceptance is taught but not offered. You can't take anything at face value because lies are spoken more frequently than the truth.

In the middle of it all a group of citizens is serving, fighting, and dying to preserve the integrity of this great nation. They believe in our country regardless of its current state and will give anything and everything to see it continue on. We are repaying them by laying them off and allowing them to die while waiting for medical treatment. It sickens me to think of how we are showing our gratitude. Politics creates chaos which in turn is harmful to all. 

Family folklore says my uncle enlisted and arrived three days before he was supposed to. They gave him a shovel and told him to move the pile of dirt from one spot to another. He did. They then told him to return the dirt to the original spot. He did. He went on to serve our country. They only needed to keep him busy until the rest of his group arrived. There was no rhyme or reason to what they'd asked him to do. I wouldn't have made it the three days. I'm opposed to wasted efforts and expending useless energy. I'd have never survived military life or I might have become the first person to break the drill instructors. However, it doesn't mean I can't serve my country.

I believe now more than ever citizens need to make a concentrated effort to educate themselves. I've heard ridiculous reasoning for why people vote (he had the cooler name, color of skin, he's from a particular state, the other guy talks funny) and reasons why people don't vote (couldn't find my polling place, didn't know what day it happened, my one vote doesn't matter). I wasn't wired to serve in the military. Ask anyone who knows me. I don't take orders well. I don't quietly perform superfluous duties. I question. I demand more. I want to dig deeper. Because I said so isn't an acceptable reason to me. 

My method of serving looks different. I don't salute or wear a uniform; good thing because I hate ironing and I can't imagine those military corners on bed sheets. I've adopted multiple soldiers over the years and subject them to my ramblings. I guess in the desert any letters regardless of how random they appear are welcome. I vote. I honor those who died and take inspiration from how they lived.

My service is I won't just ignore politics because I hate the players and the game. I won't blindly trust. I won't watch a rom-com instead of the news. Today's actions affect tomorrow and the days following. Opening our borders or closing our borders will have lasting effects. Trading terrorists for soldiers will impact our future. Allowing politicians to stranglehold our country while its citizens burn in others won't be tolerated. A government flexing its muscles like a frat boy trying to impress the sorority girl will be frowned on. 

I'll keep writing to soldiers deployed to deserts too. They make for a captive audience.  ;)

Like a dog with a bone

I'm not letting this go. Maybe I need to stop trying to improve my writing and just write. It wasn't long ago I was complaining about how books by Christian writers should be easily identifiable from works by authors without an element of faith. It went something like this.

Tonight I attended another webinar. i attempted to attend would be the correct statement. I may have missed some key information because my internet was spotty. I may need to retract everything I'm about to opine on. However, I don't think this will be the case.

There are too many statistics which prove the romance genre is what readers are choosing to argue against its merits. They are the best-sellers. Women purchase more books than men. Women read romance. Regardless of the genre they are reading, the stats tell us an element of romance is/should be included if you want to sell.

My question is should a Christian fiction writer include romance (outside the genre) in order to increase marketability?  I've never fit in as the target demographic. A good story doesn't have to be 25% romance to keep me intrigued.

Honestly, I think a lot of writers suck at writing romance. I've said it. There romances are cliched and recycled from other books/series. Writers use the same terms of endearments and it becomes cringe-inducing. Some writers use the same outline for their series. Each epilogue consists of a proposal/wedding/five years in the future with a house, white picket fence, 2.5 kids, and dog which follows 35+ chapters of intriguing action. While this is a great escape from real life, I find reading the same book with different characters to be a waste of time.

I'm more than halfway through a book which is a great read. The romance element is present. I think it detracts from the story. It isn't overabundant right now so if it doesn't get too heavy-handed it might not ruin the book. I'll give my opinion when I reach the end. However, the circumstances surrounding this "attraction" really isn't conducive to a blooming love. If this book's epilogue had a "six months later" and the main male character showed up to ask the female to dinner, I might buy that. However, I don't think this author can refrain from their love story beginning in the middle of manhunt.

I can see "attraction" beginning at inopportune times, but I do believe most adults are possible of realizing while people are shooting at you it isn't the time to trade favorites lists. I don't buy into the theory of you can't help who you fall in love with. I also don't believe you can't shut it down if the timing isn't right. A good story should be able to stand on its own without tonsil hockey and breathtaking beauty.

This will take more research. The Bible doesn't say "man will not be attracted to woman while their lives are threatened." However, I do believe our actions should glorify God. Therefore I would expect a Christian character in fiction to not be attracted to someone who is married. I would expect a Christian character to pursue God's will for their life in all aspects. Often the romantic aspect is overlooked because the guy is just that hot and the girl is just that intriguing.

I'm annoyed. It's ruining my appreciation of books. I'm disturbed by the counsel given by industry leaders which don't set themselves farther apart from books meant to titillate the world.

Firewall

Firewall by DiAnn Mills

Taryn Young has landed the perfect guy. Francis Shepherd fell into Taryn's life like a gift from God. He was everything she dreamed of and he swept her off her feet. The only thing standing between her and happily ever after is a dream honeymoon  until terrorists blow up the Houston airport. Now Mrs. Shepherd is 1/2 of a suspected terrorist duo who have killed American citizens.

Waking up in the Houston hospital, Taryn goes head-to-head with FBI Special Agent Grayson Hall. He's not convinced she knew nothing about her husband's plans nor how he left the airport just minutes before the bomb went off. Desperate Taryn escapes her hospital room to seek answers of her own. The next time she sees her husband he isn't the Prince Charming she dreamed of. He's the man who killed her best friend, kidnapped a child, and is using a gun to threaten Taryn.

Mills is the master of crafting a suspense, action-adventure. She weaved enough red herrings into this plot to keep the mastermind hidden from view until the last minute. Mills always writes must-reads.

My only nitpick is the "mastermind" appeared in chapters in the first person. This has become a new fad in writing and it irritates the appreciation right out of me. I tend to skip those chapters. Which means maybe I could have figured out who did it if I had read those pesky switched POV chapters. Skipping them didn't detract from my appreciation of the story so I 'm not factoring it into my rating.

Critical Pursuit

Critical Pursuit by Janica Cantore

Cantore brings another intense police adventure. Brinna Caruso was abducted as a child. The cop who found her, Milo, never rested until she was back home. Taking a page from his book, Brinna dedicates her life to finding missing children with her K-9 partner, Hero. An incident while on duty sidelines Hero and puts Brinna back on patrol with Jack O'Reilly. Jack is grieving his wife and unborn child killed by a drunk driver. Unable to go back to Homicide, O'Reilly took desk duty until he was told to return to Homicide or patrol.

Neither wants to be in a squad car with each other. Suddenly though their pasts catch up with them. Young girls are being abducted and Brinna is being taunted by the abductor. The driver who killed Jack's wife will be sentenced in two weeks. Brinna's mentor, Milo, passes away and her father is dying of cancer. There isn't time to face the past though when two young girls close to Brinna are abducted by the person who abducted her twenty years before.

Cantore delivers with real-life police situations and the application of where God fits in amidst tragedy.

When I Fall In Love

When I  Fall In Love by Susan May Warren

Warren has a way of telling a story which will completely gut you and fill you with hope simultaneously.  Grace Christiansen has a gift, but fear has sidelined her from experiencing the potential she possess. Max Sharpe lives life fearlessly on the hockey ice and off except when it comes to love. Their lives intertwined through Max’s former teammate and Grace’s brother, Owen, is about to clash. Max has no time for fear and Grace has no time for anything she fears. Until a vacation in Hawaii has them learning about more than just mixing ingredients which shouldn’t complement each other into gourmet meals.

While Grace and Max learn to overcome their fears, we are introduced to Casper Christiansen and Raina. I’m hoping a story for Casper is on the horizon although depending on what Warren does with Raina, we might be visiting Owen first. Either way I’m interested to see the next saga of the Christiansen family. Warren has a way of surprising you.

I don’t want to spend too much time on the story because if you enjoy a good novel, you don’t want to miss out on When I Fall In Love. However, I need to take a moment and recognize the gifting Warren has for intertwining story with lessons. Each of Warren’s novels has caused me to pause and reflect. When I Fall In Love resonated with me. Ten years ago I was Max, concerned less with the future and more with this present moment. These days I’m Grace, bogged down with responsibility of being dependable to those in my life. It isn’t just “falling in love” where Warren will challenge how you view life. The truth is there needs to be a balance. It is about marrying Max and Grace in our own lives so we glorify Christ with our eyes on eternity while not worrying about tomorrow.

A good story is a wonderful escape. You might find yourself in another country or falling for a man you wouldn’t in real life. A great story will do the same, but also challenge your way of thinking. Warren proves to be consistent with each novel.

Beauty - in all shapes and sizes

In argument of my last post concerning physical attractiveness, I give you Kyle Carpenter. Who was a good-looking guy when he entered the Marines. He's an amazing man after all he's been through.

Then we have a movement of beauty.

Visit help-portrait.

282,295 PORTRAITS GIVEN

HELP-PORTRAIT IS A GLOBAL MOVEMENT OF PHOTOGRAPHERS, HAIRSTYLISTS AND MAKEUP ARTISTS USING THEIR TIME, TOOLS AND EXPERTISE TO GIVE BACK TO THOSE IN NEED.

Writing for the soul? Writing for entertainment? Writing for the PG crowd?

Twice a month I attend a webinar on writing. Which is awesome. Tonight's was great. I found it very informative.

However, I also found it incredibly disappointing. I won't lie. I asked a question of the presenter which was answered at the end. As you can see from a post in April it is a topic which has been on my mind for a while.

I wanted to know what a Christian author could rely on besides overstating a character's physical attraction to make a "despicable" character likeable to their love interest. The answer in a nutshell was "it's risky to try making your character anything less than physically attractive because readers don't want unattractive characters."

We'll leave aside the fact this webinar was geared towards the Christian fiction writer which means the Christian fiction reader should be unique from the non-Christian reader.

The beauty of books is you can't "see" the characters. I can name attractive actors. I've gone to see movies just because an actor is in who I appreciate. Some actors I see their movies because of their talent. Some actors I see their movies because of their looks. Some actors I see their movies because of a balance of looks and talents. Let's be honest though not every good-looking person is a talented actor; not every talented actor is a good-looking person. I've found a good balance of both is rare. You don't really have to be a good actor to fight machine aliens shirtless though. You just need to clock decent time at the gym.

Beyond the fact you can't see a book character though, why does one have to be physically attractive for us to relate to them? I can't root for the slightly pudgy girl to get the guy? I can't hope the balding guy won't be turned down by the girl he's crushed on forever? If a writer has to rely on a strong jawline, perfectly ruffled hair, deep blue eyes, and a six pack to make the character our hero, I'd suggest they find a new line of work.

Why support Hollywood's presentation of a love story? We all can't wait for our Noah (Ryan Gosling) to sweep us off our feet. We all aren't Allie Calhoun (Rachel McAdams) choosing between Noah and Lon Hammond (James Marsden). Most of us will find our Fin (Kevin Connolly), a guy who next to Noah appears plain. It doesn't make him any less the right man for us.

I read Nicholas Sparks. More than a few of his books are on my shelf. However, when I read his books I can cast the inevitable movie. In the end his books are just longer versions of the movie script. His books are like eating rice cakes. They are an easy hour and a half away from daily life, but they don't satisfy the hunger.

The reality is we are all beautiful. The truth is we are all ugly. There are beautiful people with ugly souls.  There are unattractive people with beautiful souls.

I guess it isn't really writing for the soul. It is writing PG-rated love stories for the Christian reader.

There are so many thoughts running through my head, I'm losing coherency. I'm sure we'll revisit this topic. In the meantime...

"Excellence matters." Brandon Webb

FWIW the last guy I found ridiculously attractive, let's just say his character caught my attention first. My eyes eventually caught up but it was the person he is which I first noticed.