1000th Blog Post Contest WINNER! & What do you think about . . . ?
Thursday, July 29, 2010
LOL–I’d forgotten I pre-posted something for today last weekend. That’s what I get for planning ahead. I’ve now combined the two posts making this officially . . .
My 1,000th blog post!!!!!
The winner of the Big Ol’ Box o’ Books, as chosen by a random generator, is . . .
Congratulations, Regina!
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What do you think about . . . ?
These are some topics we discussed last year, and I’m curious to see answers to them again—from new blog readers as well as those of you who’ve been around for a while. And I’m purposely not linking you to that post so that you can answer off the top of your head and not try to update an answer you gave before.
- Much of the feedback that publishers are getting right now is that with the economy, job market, and heated political environment we’re experiencing right now, readers are looking for escapist fiction—something to sweep them away from the realities of life and into something more “shallow,” more entertaining than thought provoking. Would you agree with this? What kind of book do you want to read when life has you totally stressed out?
- In the romance genre, it seems like there are lots of books on either end of the “extremes” spectrum—either they’re very evangelical/hit-you-in-the-face-with-a-Bible “Christian” romance or they’re totally on the other side with explicit s*xual content. Is there a need for something closer to the middle—“sweet” romance that doesn’t necessarily have a spiritual content (or maybe the characters are Christians but there’s no real “spiritual message” in the story) but is also clean, with the couples waiting to consummate until marriage, and then not on the page? Have you found any authors who are writing these kinds of stories?
- There are some historical eras that seem to be written about all the time, while others never get any coverage. If you’re a lover of historical fiction/romance, what time periods/locations would you like to see more books set in?
- What’s your favorite new book you’ve read this year (i.e., one you’d never read before—it didn’t have to be published this year)?
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KayeDacus.com 
Congrats to the winner and congrats on your 1000th post!
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In Hawai’i, more book clubs starting up and more members attending old ones. They are reading mysteries, historical novels, and romance. These readers read “around” and they have morphed from the days when Oprah’s book club was a novel thing–discussions are much more invigorating and deep.
I wrote my first book in 19th century Hawaii because the woman I wanted to write about lived then. It was only romantic because the woman I wrote about ( a real chiefess) had five husbands. While she ultimately came to Christ, I took great care to create her pagan beginnings, and her discovery of the creator god, ‘Io before chronicling her conversion to Christianity under tutelage of a native missionary. Best of both worlds — passion and piety.
My next book is in the era I want to write about, before western contact, in the 18th. But I see historical writers going to much more depth and detail, and creating story worlds even in deep prehistory. FUN!!
This year I loved “The Last Aloha” by Gaellen Quinn. Beautiful story about Princess Ka’iulani.
Blessings
Katherine Kama’ema’e Smith
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I always love it when writers write stories that are “local” for them, especially historicals. And Hawaiian history doesn’t get any attention—yet. Hopefully you can change that!
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First of all – YIPPEEE! Thanks, Kaye, and bless you today! I’m so excited!! My husband is just shaking his head… 😉
And congratulations on 1,000 blog posts! How cool is THAT? Since, on Inkspirational Messages, the ten of us only post every second week, it’ll take FOREVER to get to that point. I think I’ve done 25-30? LOL
What kind of books do I read when I’m stressed? I’ve been doing a LOT of stress-reading lately. I love romance, be it historical or contemporary. It must have humor involved at SOME point. If I can’t smile or laugh between conflicts, I start skimming. I prefer it to not have explicit love scenes. A few that I’ve read that DO, actually bothered me a little. And it doesn’t have to hit you in the face with religion. I like to read about people who take their spirituality as a simple fact of life, like I do.
Historical eras – your “Ransome” books are the first I’ve read of that era, and I LOVE them. Also love, love, love Laura Frantz’s books set in colonial Kentucky. I really got tired of bonnet romances. I read them avidly when that was the only thing out there, but now I find myself looking for different times in history. I like to read about something I don’t feel that I already know!
Favorite new book this year? Oh my. That’s a tough one. I would probably say “Courting Morrow Little” by Laura Frantz. Between you and Laura, I love historicals again. 🙂
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One of the things I’m really looking forward to after I finish THE ART OF ROMANCE in October is settling down to read Laura’s books. Can’t wait!
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I’m in the middle of Courting Morrow Little right now, and Laura has blown me away with this story. I’m loving every page!
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Wow lots of questions which I haven’t answered here before — at least not here.
When I ‘stress-read’ I just want to be swept away to somewhere else. I love escape reads — light romance, comedy but I find wallowing in a fictional character’s angst theraputic as well — so as long as I’m swept out of my life for a while I’m good with either ‘light’ or ‘heavy’.
I think there’s room for more middle of the road romance rather than just the extremes you mentioned. And like Regina said, I also like books about characters who just conduct themselves like they have a spiritual life they are working at perfecting. I don’t mind reading about spiritual struggles or a book involving a theme — like forgiveness for example — but I don’t want to be hit over the head with the message. I want to grow into along with the character.
I do love historical (but I love contemporary too) and while I love the western historicals that are so popular in Christian fiction, I’d also like to read about other places and other time periods. Really enjoyed some Scottish highland novels lately. They were set in the 1400s. I’m fascinated with the Underground railroad and yet I can only seem to find children’s fiction books on the subject.
Favourite new book? Ugh. I can’t answer that. It’s like asking a mother to name her favourite child. I’ve a dopted 82 into my home so far this year and I’m not about to pick a favourite and cause jealousy on the shelves!!!!!!!
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Yes–don’t cause jealousy amongst the books! I have so many tall piles of them around that if I offended one of them, the resulting mutiny wouldn’t be pretty. 😉
It’s rare that I’ll read something “deep” (angsty, dark, melancholy, tragic, bittersweet, whatever adjective fits). I’m fortunate that all of the editing I do is either YA fiction (in which the angst/problems aren’t all that deep) and a Guideposts Book Club series (light hearted, problems easily solved).
In trying to come up with a story idea for the first book of my next contemporary series, I couldn’t get it to move at all . . . mostly because I’d created a situation, by giving one of the secondary characters a rare form of cancer, in which the tone of the story started getting far too serious. It isn’t that I am in denial that these types of situations are out there and people must deal with them—but that kind of story just wasn’t me, just wasn’t my voice. And if I was having trouble coming up with a storyline I was interested in just in a synopsis, there was no way I’d be able to parlay that into a 100,000-word novel. So I’ll probably be sticking with “hope and humor” for the foreseeable future.
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I don’t remember the Underground Railroad figuring specifically in these books, but if you’re at all interested in Civil War-era fiction I have to recommend Lynn Austin’s Refiner’s Fire series. They are excellent!
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Congratulations on your 1000th post! What an awesome milestone to reach.
And congrats to Regina for winning the box o’ books.
Let’s see, generally, I don’t read to escape. I’m a full-time mom so I need “meat” when I read. I need something that’ll make me think, not whisk me away. As for stress-reading, I love a good mystery/suspense/thriller. Give me something with lots of twists and dark alleys – anything Steven James or Tim Downs. I recently read “Back on Murder” by Mark J. Bertrand and “Blaze of Glory” by Major Jeff Struecker and Alton Gansky and both were phenomenal. Or give me something with beautiful prose, like anything Charles Martin. Sibella Giorello does an awesome job of combining the suspense & prose.
Favorite era? I typically don’t read historical. I love contemporaries that dig into today’s problems. But, I loved Laura Frantz’s “The Frontiersman’s Daughter” and “Courting Morrow Little” is on my TBR shelf.
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Interesting dichotomy. You’re a full-time mom but you don’t read to escape. I would think that full-time moms would be the first ones to say they need a light, fluffy escape! But maybe those aren’t as easy to lose yourself in as something that requires your full attention?
If you enjoy suspense, and don’t mind the romance so much, Summerside Press is putting out a new line of historical romantic suspense, set mostly in the early 20th century (WWI and WWII): http://summersidepress.com/Products/HistoricalbrRomance/tabid/141/Default.aspx
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When I stress read it’s usually the little Heartsong Presents or Love Inspired novels. Short and sweet. Even when I’m not stress reading, I prefer lighter books. I read for entertainment so I don’t like getting bogged down by my reading material (same for movies too). The darkest/serious stuff I gravitate to is WWII-Holocaust nonfiction and fiction.
I think there can be middle of the road romances. Debbie Macomber comes to mind. I’ve only read a couple of her novels, but from what I know, her books leave out the sex because she is a Christian. Since they’re for the secular market, though, they don’t contain spiritual messages (the ones I’ve read anyway).
I love historical fiction and my favorites just happen to be what there is a lot of out there. The pioneer, settling the west stories. I figure that has to do with being obsessed with Little House on the Prairie and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers from a young age.
Wow, I don’t know if I can pick just one book this year. I’ve read 34 this year and have a list of 31 of them (I forgot 3!). My top 4 in no particular order: Maid to Match by Deeanne Gist, Menu for Romance, A Claim of Her Own by Stephanie Grace Whitson, Confessions of a Prairie B*tch by Alison Arngrim.
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Not to harp on about Summerside Press, but have you looked into their WWII titles? They have Bodie & Brock Thoene’s new series—and that Susan May Warren is also writing WWII fiction for them.
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Well done Kaye! Congrats Regina!
Hard to answer all of those questions in one post! Yes, I would like to see more fiction that is not super-evangelic, but that is not filling my mind with super sensual images. As to historicals, I would like to see more roman empire or medeival fiction. And I don’t mean retelling Bible stories or enhancing the stories of lesser known biblical characters…
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I wrote a synopsis of a story idea last night (no, I didn’t need to take the time away from writing Ransome’s Quest, but if I hadn’t witten it down, I would have forgotten most of it) and when I reached the end of the summary, I realized that I was going to have to build in a spiritual thread, or at least mention that the characters believe in God, if I expect any of the CBA publishers to look at it. Of course, my books have never been evangelical in nature, but a lot of times, I feel like I’m having to put a veneer of Christianity/spiritual message on the story when it might not actually be necessary. I’d love to see an upsurge of interest in sweet romances (i.e., increased sales) so that if I’m writing a story that doesn’t call for a spiritual thread, I don’t have to force it.
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I’m with you. While I love Christian Fiction, I think I could write “sweet” contemporary romances, because that’s what I like to read. Remember, I cut my teeth on Essie Summers’ Harlequins! So many in the “clean reads” type books that aren’t necessarily Inspy, are women’s fiction, and while some of that is OK, if it doesn’t have as the main thrust a romance, I lose interest.
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Congrats to Regina & to Kaye on the 1000 post! What an accomplishment!
I love to get swept away into another world. I love to not have to “think” hard in a book. I like happy. I like funny. I like anything that lets me in and forget all else. I think that is one of the reasons I like medieval so much. It is so far removed from real life, yet can have the humor, the great hunky heroes, and great settings. (I LOVE CASTLES!). I would love to see more medievals in CBA. Having said that, I would love to see more “sweet” romances in ABA in that setting. I have found one author who writes medieval (and some time travel) that has a closed door policy. She writes with humor, but does romance GREAT! Love the tension.
This is sad, but I read so much that often times I forget about the books I’ve read. But there has been one that I’ve thought about alot…and that is A Case for Love. The characters were so good in that and I loved the tension between the two. A great book, Kaye.
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When the editorial staff at Harvest House asked me what historical eras I like, medievals was the first one I mentioned—but I added that I love reading that era but would probably never try my hand at writing it, simply because of the amount of research involved. If I only had to write one book a year, that might not be a problem. But with only three to four months to write each book, the less time I have to spend doing research, the better!
Of course, I’d love to see the medieval era replace something else (like Amish fiction?) as a major seller in Christian fiction.
Have you ever read Carol Umburger’s series—set in Scotland during the time of Robert the Bruce.
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I LOVED Carol Umburger’s Scottish series…those were so good! Also Kathleen Morgan’s…
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Congrats Regina! And Congrats on your 1000th post, Kaye!
When I’m stressed, I tend to go for what I call “comfort books.” For me those are generally books I’ve already read. The Zion Covenant series by Bodie Thoene, The Russians series by Michael Phillips and Judith Pella, Gone With the Wind, and several Victoria Holt novels fit that criteria for me.
I love both historicals and contemporaries. I would love to see books with foreign settings. I like books that are set in Europe, and it seems there aren’t a lot of those, at least for Christian contemporaries. Historically, I’m not a fan of the Old West. So I’d love to see books in other locations and times.
I can’t chose just one book, but some of the ones I’ve loved this year were; “Courting Morrow Little,” by Laura Frantz, “Ransomed Dreams” by Sally John, “The Outsider” by Ann Gabhart, and Ransome’s Crossing.
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Like just about everyone else, I cut my teeth on the prairie romances of the 1980s/1990s. But now I’m desperate for something else. So it’s good to see movement in the market toward other eras—though most are still American settings. It looks like the Gilded Age and the early 20th century are the new areas of popularity—I have several books sitting on the table in my office set during those eras.
Even though my initial proposal for my next historical series, a sequel-series to the Ransome Trilogy, has been turned down by my publisher :-(, I’m already part-way into a proposal for another series set during the same time—the early Victorian era in England around the time of Prince Albert’s Great Exhibition.
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A fan of Phillips & Pella’s Russians series?! AWESOME! I love those novels!
And Kaye – sad face on the proposal…but I’m really excited about the ideas you were throwing out when we yakked yesterday! 🙂
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See–y’all just wish you were Ruth, who gets to hear most of my story ideas first!
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Ruth, those were the first Christian novels I read. I wasn’t even a Christian back then, and bought them because they were set in Russia.
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Michelle, that’s very cool! They are just good stories, period, in my book. I need to re-read them but who knows when I’ll find the time?!
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When i’m stressed I read the Beauty and the Beast book my mom got me for my 8th birthday. It sounds weird, I know, but it helps. (Belle, being my favorite Disney character, is the reason that I love to read, she made it seem so exciting when I was young, and my thought process back then was “if a princess loves to read, then it must be good!”)
For historical eras, I would say late 1700’s to mid 1800’s are my favorite. I like them being set either in the east ,with the parties and ball gowns being described or in the developing west, with a nation getting bigger every day and the wide open areas, just waiting to be explored.
I love romance books and Ialso love christian fiction romances (historical being the best), but some get a little of what I call “preachy” for my taste, where every other word and thought is about God and being “born again”, I don’t mind it being part of the storyline, but not so much that it takes away from the main plot line. I also prefer a romance book I read to be clean romances, which are hard to find.
Authors like Tracie Peterson, I have found are the perfect mix of both, Christian, but not too much and historical romance that really draws you into that time and place.
Best book i’ve read this year? Hard to say. I looooved “Surrender The Heart” by ML Tyndall and “Sizzling Sixteen” by Janet Evanovich. I also liked “Insatiable” by Meg Cabot. I promised myself no more vampire books other than Twilight saga, because that’s hard to top, but I found myself drawn into that book for some reason.
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MaryLu’s new series is another that I’m looking forward to reading after I finish ART. Of course how much time I have for reading depends on whether or not I can get contracted for another historical series. I might (hopefully) be spending the extra time I have between ART and TURNABOUT’s deadlines researching the early Victorian era.
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What time periods/locations would you like to see more books set in?
Civil War era would be something I would love ~ especially when they are books that I actually learn more about the time period, etc….
And NUTS on the book proposal…but I sincerely hope that it gets snatched up somewhere!!
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That proposal is going to be set aside. While it would have been fun to explore the lives of William and Julia’s children (and Sir Drake’s and Collin & Susan’s), I’m really starting to get excited about the idea of writing historicals that are more similar to my contemporaries—stand-alones with a few recurring characters but having the a major historical event/era be the thread that ties them together.
::Sigh:: If only RQ would finish writing itself so I can get that new proposal written!
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