Like most of you, I’ve always loved books. I wanted to write as well as read them. But I didn’t always want to write Christian Fiction, didn’t even know what it was for much of my life.
Now I realize how much more depth there is to Christian Fiction. Even when a story doesn’t contain a specific “salvation scene” there is a spiritual thread, however subtle, that elevates Christian Fiction. The character experiences universal challenges but faces them from a Christian worldview. Some readers may never have experienced the spiritually-based ideas they will find in our writing.
In my Bible reading this week, 2 Corinthians 5:11-21 spoke to me as a Christian writer, especially verse 20. “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”
Such pathos from Paul and Timothy! “We implore you …” Isn’t that what our themes can do? Implore our reader to be reconciled to God?
Don’t get me wrong. We write a story to entertain our readers. And we also write to bring hope and light into their lives. In “RAIN” a character apprentices in a pagan temple, hoping to learn the deep truths about his god. Instead, he meets the prophet of the Living God. And, I hope, others who follow his adventures might find the answers he did.
Dear Father, thank you for the gift of writing. We’re grateful You called us to write for You and made us Your ambassadors. Help us to get this job right. We feel the responsibility deeply. We know we can’t do it without Your help. Please guide our words. You are the One from whom creativity flows.
In the name of your Son Jesus,
Amen
Inspired by the Bible story of Elijah raising the widow’s son from the dead, author Dana McNeely wondered what became of the boy. She began research for her novel, “Rain,” which tells the story of the three-and-a-half-year drought from his perspective. No stranger to drought, Dana lives in an Arizona oasis with her hubby the constant gardener, two good dogs, an antisocial cat, and migrating butterflies.
In 2021 RAIN became a finalist in The Christy Award (use the registered mark) and was also a finalist in the 2022 ACFW Carol Award® and was also a finalist in the 2022 ACFW Carol Award.
WHIRLWIND, the second novel in the “Whispers on the Wind” series, tells the story of a king’s downfall and a love that transcends war.
Sign up for Dana’s newsletter HERE to get book updates, garden exploits, butterfly effusions, and writerly fiascos.
