Vampires in Christian Fiction?

Eric Wilson is one of my favorite authors and this fall he is releasing the first book in a new series called The Jerusalem’s Undead Trilogy. Here’s the blurb for Field of Blood from Thomas Nelson’s website:

The suicide of Judas Iscariot in 30 A.D. left his blood seeping into the soil of the Field of Blood, in Aramaic the Akeldama. When this same field is disturbed by work crews outside Jerusalem in 1989, a clan of supernatural Collectors is released from the ancient burial chambers. Infused with Judas’s enmity, they seek to corrupt and destroy.

Gina Lazarescu has always felt like she didn’t quite belong. But a bizarre accident with a delivery van leaves her questioning if the differences aren’t more significant than she realized. When a man she met as a young girl in Romania reappears with a fantastic tale of immortality, Gina must decide whether to believe or to ignore what she’s seeing.

Regardless of what she decides, she’s headed for an unavoidable collision with the Akeldama.

This series is bound to be considered controversial since Eric is merging vampire lore with Christian themes. I am really excited about these books and I know Eric will handle the material well. I’m glad he is willing to go where other Christian writers won’t so that he can illuminate the Gospel message in a fresh and powerful way. Check out the video below and let me know what you think. Are you interested in a story from a Christian writer about the undead?

 

Cinderella

My little girl turns 1 in two days and I can’t believe it! She is growing up so fast and I just want to savor every moment. Awhile back I stumbled across a song by Stephen Curtis Chapman that really portrays the feelings us Dads go through as we watch our little girls grow up. It’s a tear jerker for sure, but also a beautiful song that reminds us to cherish every moment we have with them. Man, when did I become such a softy? Grab a tissue and enjoy:

 

The Gathering

I recently finalized my plans to attend Ted Dekker’s The Gathering in June in Nashville. Ted is an amazing writer and truly one of my favorite novelists. His books have been a huge influence on my decision to pursue writing. The Gathering is basically a one-day conference for his fans, but it’s a little more than that.

Ted’s going to be talking a lot about what it takes to get published, his thoughts on the Christian Fiction market, and answering questions about his books. Apparently there will be some big wig publishing folks there answering questions as well. There’s also going to be a panel of some other writers (I know Eric Wilson will be there…another one of my favorites. He is releasing a brand new trilogy this fall featuring vampires, which is really unheard of in the Christian Fiction world). Ted’s book, House, has been made into a film and it was scheduled to release in theaters last fall. For some reason it was held up and is now scheduled to open this fall. I’m really excited because at The Gathering they are showing a sneak preview of the movie! Currently it is rated R because of the violence and the intensity, so I’m real interested to see what that’s all about. All the participants will receive an advanced copy of his upcoming book, Sinner, as well.

This is a great opportunity for me and something I hope will give me some more inspiration and insight into being a novelist. I’m still very passionate about wanting to write, but I have really struggled with finding the time and motivation. I have really wanted to give up a few times, but something always happens to encourage me to keep going. Just last week Randy Singer emailed me to thank me for a review and to encourage me in my writing. I’ve never emailed him before so I was really blown away that he contacted me and took the time to give me some helpful advice. I’m also so thankful for Angie and how supportive she is. I was really hoping she could go to The Gathering with me, but we just couldn’t work that out. She’s been super great about encouraging me to go anyway. She is so understanding and so good to me. I am blessed!

After the trip I will try to give a little report here on what it was like. Hopefully I will have some cool pictures of me and Ted to share and some exciting Dekker news about his future books. Maybe I can even write about the movie. Stay tuned!

 

The Christian Manifesto

You may or may not know that I currently run my own book review website (www.BookshelfReview.com). I’m thrilled to announce that some of my reviews will now also be featured regularly at The Christian Manifesto. This is a great site that focuses on Christian entertainment and news in our culture. Check it out!

 

Short Story- Three Steps

I entered another short story for the FaithWriters.com Weekly Writing Challenge last week. I didn’t place this time around, but I thought I would share it anyway. My little girl is only 10 months old, but already I am amazed and a bit overwhelmed by how quickly it all seems to happen. I just want to freeze time even though I know I can’t. All parents go through these emotions and that’s where the idea for this story came from. For the challenge I had to illustrate the meaning of the phrase, “Every dark cloud has a silver lining”. Let me know what you think.

Three Steps

By Jake Chism

I watch through the viewfinder as she takes her first three steps. It’s an incredible feeling to know that my wife and I are both able to be here at this exact monumental moment. The tape is rolling and memories are being captured, yet my heart is breaking. Don’t get me wrong. Nothing thrills my soul more than to see my little girl discovering something new. What tears me up inside is the realization that my little girl isn’t quite as little as she was three steps ago. Slow and steady she is moving forward and I just can’t let her go.

***************************************

All too soon the big day is here. Kindergarten here we come. She is dressed to kill with her pigtails and bows and a lunchbox to boot. I’ve taken the day off to drive her myself and there is no where I would rather be. She’s my little charmer and no doubt she’ll do fine. As she hugs me goodbye I hold on a tad too long. If only I could freeze time and forever be in this moment. I hold back a sob as I release her and force myself to watch her go. She charges forward with a confidence I’ve never known. Three steps later she turns and smiles.

***************************************

The place is packed and it’s almost too much. My wife practically had to drag me here when it was all said and done. It has all happened so fast and I can’t believe this day is here. Excitement and hope fill the air, but all I can do is breathe deep and try not to let it get to me. One by one they cross the stage and accept the diploma they have all worked so hard for. Her name is next and I feel weak in my knees. Three steps across the stage and she is now moving on to a new chapter in her life. I’ve given her every reason to stay home a bit longer, but she is going away to the school she has set her sights on. As much as it kills me, I have to let her go.

***************************************

We stand arm in arm three steps from the altar. My heart is pounding through my chest and I’m sure the whole room can hear. She has never looked so radiant and the look on his face proves it. I know he loves her. He swore to me he did. But no one could ever love her like I do. She’s still my baby. The minister coughs and I realize it’s for me. I quickly manage to stutter out, “Her mother and I.” She smiles at me in tears and kisses me on the cheek. She moves forward toward her chosen and my hand won’t let go. I try and I try, but I cannot release. Suddenly, a voice whispers, “It’s time to let go.” With a sniffle and a smile I finally do. It’s time to let her go.

***************************************

On the other side of the glass she is beaming with joy. It’s been a long struggle but you wouldn’t know it from her smile. Never have I seen her happier or more alive. My little princess is holding her own little girl in her arms. Just three steps away.

 

Short Story- Sober

When I first started to get into writing I stumbled across a weekly writing challenge at FaithWriters.com. Each week a different topic for the challenge is given, and you never know what it’s going to be. All entries have to be between 150 and 750 words. There are four different levels of competition: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and Master. I have previously placed in both Beginner and Intermediate, so this past week I wrote my first Advanced entry. I was somewhat nervous about it because it has been quite awhile since I’ve entered the contest, but I figured I’d give it a shot.

This morning I was ecstatic to find out I won 3rd place in the Advanced level. I was a bit bummed though that I didn’t make the cut for Editor’s Choice. Each week the top 10 from all 4 levels are given the lofty Editor’s Choice award. Each quarter these entries are published in a new Faith Writers short story collection. I have to get Editor’s Choice three times before I can move up to the Master level, so I still have a ways to go. It gives me a goal to work towards at least.

I thought I would go ahead and post my story here for anyone who wants to check it out. For this challenge I had to illustrate the meaning of the phrase, “Actions Speak Louder Than Words” (without using the actual phrase or literal example). Please let me know what you think. Any feedback helps make me a better writer. (You can see all my Faith Writers short stories here).

Sober

by Jake Chism

You look down at the beer in one hand and your three month sobriety chip in the other. What a joke. Just two hours ago you played them all like fools as you discussed how hard the road to recovery has been. All the times you want to quit. The sleepless nights. The headaches. It was quite a performance.

As you glance around the bar you are reminded of why you chose this place. Not only is it half an hour from your house, but you like the way no one bothers you. You originally found this place on a whim, when you had taken a drive to clear your head. Two days without a drink had about killed you, and then suddenly this beautiful tavern beckoned to you like a glorious lighthouse through the fog. Here you could be someone and no one all at once. This is the kind of place where nobody knows your name, and that’s just the way you like it. For the last three months you have driven here straight from your AA meetings to drown yourself in anonymity and booze. What a life.

You look at the fateful tokens in you hands again and are startled by the polarity on display. One hand represents the miserable reality of who you are. A drunk to be sure, but oh so much more. You’re a hypocrite and a liar, too. Not to mention a quitter.

The other hand represents all you want to be even though you believe you can’t. Everyone in the group has come to believe that you are this mighty hero who is beating the disease. Who are you to disappoint them? You like that version of yourself so much better. If only you could be that guy. If only you could change.

The bartender glances down at your hands and gives you a disapproving glare before moving on. The kind of glare you are sure your sponsor would give you if he knew the truth. That same sponsor who has been so encouraging to you from the beginning. Your sponsor is a praying man, a believer in the true higher power. So he had said that first day.

Suddenly you are overwhelmed with the disparity of it all. Who are you kidding? You will never be who they think you are. You will never be who you want to be. At this moment you have never been more sober as you face the ugly truth. You cannot change. So why try? Why all the pretending? You should embrace who you are, even if that means you’re stuck with this mess. There is no way out, only a way to deal. To cope. To numb.

The demon of the drink is calling with ferocity. Just a taste to heal the pain. To make it all go away, if just for awhile. The others may not know you, but this is who you are. No more lies. No more games. It’s time to just be you.

You close your hand tightly over the cursed chip as if to crush it from existence. You grip the bottle with familiarity and ease. This is your favorite part. The moment before you surrender your will to the only higher power you’ve ever known. The calm before the storm.

As you bring the bottle to your lips you are suddenly thrown into the bar as someone crashes into you from behind. You are aware of the cursing and the apologies. You feel the pain where the bottle rammed into your face. But none of it means a thing to you because all you can do is anguish over the loss. The beautiful cure that you so desperately need is flowing down the side of the bar. The one thing you desire is now out of reach and all you want to do is cry.

You hang your head to wallow in your grief. A few minutes pass and you are suddenly brought back to awareness by the distant vibration of your phone. You check the display and roll your eyes. A text from your sponsor. What timing. How convenient. You reluctantly open the message:

I’M PRAYING FOR YOU

As the tears stream down your face you open your hand and stare at the chip. You place it in your wallet and walk to the door. No more lies. No more games. It’s time to be who you were meant to be.

 

Who Needs Writers Anyway? Not Conan!

Do you ever get the feeling you are watching greatness unfold before your very eyes? Have you ever witnessed an event, or read a book, or even seen a movie and felt like you were experiencing an instant classic? That’s exactly they way I’ve felt as I have watched Late Night With Conan O’Brien the past 2 weeks. No, I’m not kidding…

For those of you living under a rock, there is a dreadful writer’s strike under way (that I fully support) which has messed up coach potato paradise royally. All of my favorite shows have halted production during the strike, most notably Heroes and Lost (although since Season 4 of Lost premieres soon, we will at least get the first 8 or so pre-strike episodes). Even the late night talk shows took a long break trying to decide how to function without their writers. Conan (and several others included) decided they didn’t need no stinking writers! We’ll do it ourselves! And the result has been absolute, pure genius.

Now I haven’t paid much attention to the other talk shows, but if you haven’t tuned into Conan lately you are definitely missing out. Every night he comes out with no script and improvs the whole way through his monologue. He has also decided to grow out his beard until the strike is over. The shaggier that beard gets, the funnier he is. It makes me want to hope for a three year strike just to see how ridiculous he will look. He has also developed some great new bits that are just as funny, if not funnier, than anything the show’s writers ever thought up:

First, we have the wedding ring spin on the desk. Once or twice a week Conan will start the show off by spinning his ring on his desk to try and break his personal record of 41 seconds. If it sounds stupid, that’s because it is. That’s what makes it so funny. The audience absolutely loves it and I have no idea why and I guess that’s why it cracks me up. Next, we have the zip line Conan has installed in the studio. He keeps asking fans to send in ideas to make his zip line more exciting. First we’ve seen him soar through the air wearing a helmet that shoots smoke from the back. It was as lame as it sounds..and again very funny. The next time he zipped down wearing the smoke helmet and rocket boots and crashed through giant bowling pins. My favorite though was when he zipped down (with helmet and boots) and slammed into John Wilkes Booth right before he was about to assassinate President Lincoln. Afterwards, Conan and Lincoln celebrated by dancing a little jig together (See video below). Not only was this the funniest thing I’ve ever seen on his show, but quite possibly the weirdest. As fun as all of this sounds, there is more! Every Friday night Conan ends the first segment by strapping on a guitar and a hideous jacket and rocks out with the band. I had no idea he could sing or play the guitar, but he is shockingly good. Seriously…don’t take my word for it. Tune in and check it out…you will be amazed at his talent.

Of course there are other crazy things going on, but those are my favorites so far. If you haven’t seen Conan lately there is no better time to watch. I hope Conan seriously considers keeping this format even after the strike, because he has stumbled upon pure gold. I can’t wait until he takes over The Tonight Show. Who needs writers? Certainly not the great Conan O’Brien!

 

I Get it Now!!

I have long held the belief that parents are the craziest people on the planet, followed closely by grandparents (who are in fact parents..). I first stumbled upon this discovery during my days as a youth minister and when my wife began teaching in the public school system. Since then I have discovered what a genius I am. Let’s face it…parents are nuts.

I can’t tell you how many Senior Sundays at church I’ve been to where the strongest, toughest dad you’ve ever seen will get up in front of a crowd to brag about his graduating teenage daughter, only to break down in uncontrollable sobs. Crazy. I’ve had parents sit in my office overcome with tears and worry, not for themselves, but for the spiritual well-being of their children. Insane. And then there are those ball games. Oh boy. This is where my theory really proves to be true. Think about the craziest, loudest, most obnoxious person you’ve ever heard yelling at a referee, and I guarantee you that he or she is a parent of someone on the field. Moms and Dads who coach their kids are my favorite to watch. They always work real hard to remain level headed and even keel, giving balanced encouragement and criticism to all members of the team. Until suddenly their kid gets the ball. You know what I’m talking about. You’ve seen it, too. Dare I say that some of you might be guilty of it? “TAKE IT TO THE HOLE JOHNNY! GET IN THERE AND SCORE! WOOHOOOOO!!!! Man those are my favorites. Talk about some real psychos!!

Yeah for the longest time I didn’t get it. I would look from afar at this crazy group of people and wonder what made them tick. All the crying, and the over-worrying, and the insane cheering and whooping and hollering. What is wrong with these people? I just didn’t get it. And then I became a Daddy. I have seen the light and the scales have fallen from my eyes! I have officially joined the Crazy Club. I won’t have to wait for my daughter’s Senior Sunday to become a blubbering idiot. I’m already there. Every time she hurts, it kills me. Darn it all, I even tear up when she laughs at me. Man am I in trouble! There’s also that whole worry yourself sick about your kids thing. Guilty. I know worrying isn’t good for you and all, but man you just can’t help it you know? The scary part is that she’s not even crawling yet. Yeah go ahead…laugh. I know…I know….I don’t even know what worrying is yet. My daughter has obviously never played team sports, but I’ll tell you this. She’s a champ and she’s better than your kid. You’ll see. Oh man. I sound like a real wacko already.

There’s also one more thing that daddyhood has made clear to me. Now pay attention because I think this might be important. There have been several instances in my life where I have struggled to comprehend how God can love man. Yeah some people are more likable than others, more pleasant and fun to be around. Some are just genuinely good people. Some are nasty as can be. But even the best of us are prone to depravity, and if you hang around anyone long enough that monster undoubtedly rears its ugly head. At our best we are sinful, imperfect beings and left to our own devices we will always fail. How could He love us? Why would he send his only Son to die for such wretched creatures? I get it now! We are His children and there is nothing He wouldn’t do for us! He loves us no matter how good or how bad we are, just as us crazy parents love our own children unconditionally. Not only that, but He lets us choose. You see, as much as God loves us, we aren’t required to love Him back, unless of course we want to be with Him forever. If we choose to be with Him (and who in their right mind wouldn’t?) then we show Him our love by obeying His will. Not always easy for sure, but nothing worth while ever is. Being a Daddy is not easy and I know it won’t get easier, but the joy it brings is indescribable. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Now that would be crazy!

 

Writing Stuff

People often ask me how the writing is going and I never quite know what to say. Although I have been writing a lot, it hasn’t been what I envisioned. Several months back I wrote a post about how I was starting a novel, and honestly I haven’t done much with it since. I went back over what I originally wrote and ended up scrapping it all and started over. My original intent was to write it in the first person, but I felt limited by that so I started over in the third person with a new approach. I cranked out the first 5 pages and was extremely pleased, and then for some reason I quit. I thought announcing to the world that I was starting a novel would maybe light a fire under me, but I guess stage fright settled in instead. I think I am about over that at this point though and one of my goals for this year is to try and complete this book. I still love the story idea and I think it’s something people will enjoy reading….at least it’s the kind of story I enjoy reading. Hopefully within the next few weeks I will have enough written to be able to share with anyone who is interested in checking it out. I will need plenty of quality, unbiased feedback (except from you Mom….feel free to shower me with ridiculous amounts of praise and adoration). Stay tuned for updates on the book….I hope.

So what’s the writing I have been doing? Book reviewing…and tons of it. I started reviewing books on Amazon and for various review sites about a year and a half ago. I just started doing it for fun and for free books and I guess you can say I got hooked. I reviewed for a few different websites for awhile and then I started my own website that now even has it’s own official dot com address. (I’m so proud). I kept track of all the books I read in 2007 and the final count was 74. Most of those were books that I was sent for review, so you can imagine how that has kept me quite busy. I currently have a stack of about 10 novels I need to read and review…and the number keeps growing. The cool thing is that my reviews have started appearing on different websites and I have even been quoted in a few books. To date I have reviews quoted in Tosca Lee’s Demon: A Memoir, Robert Liparulo’s Deadfall, and Ted Dekker’s Chosen and Infidel. My name actually appears in the Tosca Lee book, but the others just say “Bookshelf Review”. (My mom is still upset about that). Nevertheless I am thrilled and I never thought my measly little reviews would ever be considered quotable. I do love reviewing though. Part of being a good writer is being familiar with various genres, what’s selling, what works, what doesn’t, etc. This gives me a great opportunity to do that. I am starting to realize however that if I really want to finish writing my novel, then I will probably have to cut back on the reviewing a bit.

How’s the writing going? Not too bad. Let’s just hope it gets better!

 

Time Sure is Flying…I Must be Getting Old!

Angie and I celebrated 8 years together yesterday. 8 years! I’ve heard people say that the older you get the faster time seems to go by. Man I must be getting old then. It’s been an incredible eight years though, I must admit. Why, you might ask? Well if you know my wife, then it’s a no brainer. She is quite simply an amazing woman. I honestly don’t know anyone who has as much heart or compassion for other people. Especially for me (it blows my mind too). I married way out of my league, but you won’t hear me complain. God has truly blessed me.

Angie and I would both agree that as fast as life has flown by before Madelyn came along, since May 14th, 2007,  it has gone into warp speed. I look at my 7 month old princess and all I can think is that she is growing too fast. I know what all you other parents are saying..”Just wait until she gets older. You haven’t seen anything yet”. I have no doubt that is true, but for now, for me, I am already overwhelmed with those feelings. It is so amazing how you actually see her growing and developing on a daily basis. She is now at the stage where she no doubt knows who Mommy and Daddy are, and that is so much fun. She loves to laugh now, and nothing warms my heart more than her giggle. She can now roll like a champ and she loves to sit (by herself now….sniff..sniff) in the floor and play. Almost every day now she gets up on her hands and knees and seems ready to take off. It hasn’t happened yet, but I know it’s coming soon. It’s so amazing, yet so bittersweet. I  love every minute of it, but I also know that these minutes will be gone before I can blink. I just pray that I will make every effort to cherish each second God gives me with my little girl.

Well enough of that for now…I’m starting to get choked up. Yeah, God has truly blessed me.