Yeah for the Good Guys

Reviewed by Phee Paradise
The Swiss Courier by Tricia Goyer & Mike Yorkey

Adventure, intrigue, romance, faith, evil men…The Swiss Courier has them all. Near the end of World War II, a group of German resisters and a group of Swiss supporters of the Allies pull off a coup that will change the course of the war. Young Gabi is in the middle of the action. Her native Switzerland is neutral in the war, but her father is American and she is horrified by the German atrocities, so she volunteers for some undercover missions.

Her story is so good, I’m afraid to spoil it for you, so I’m not going to say much more. But it’s not just Gabi’s story and Goyer and Yorkey construct it like an ancient stone castle. Each stone is placed on the next, building to a solid finish. Throughout the story we see different characters, in both Germany and Switzerland; some with allegiances to the Fatherland and some to God the Father. They clash in expected ways, but we also see God intervene through the bravery of His people. There is one big surprise at the end that I loved, but didn’t anticipate.

The book doesn’t have a lot of layers or deep themes, just Good triumphing over Evil. The authors give us a glimpse of the horrors of the Gestapo and the complicity of the people. Even though I was sure Good would triumph, knowing the reality of Nazi Germany made the suspense stronger. If the resisters were caught, they would face torture and death. There is some necessary violence, but it is not graphic, and, well, the bad guys are Nazis. They deserve what they get.

What I loved most about the book is that it’s a great story. Some of it had me on the edge of my seat, whicle other parts had me cheering for the good guys. When I finished, I just wanted sit for a while and savor it.

Pros: Well told historical spy novel, with great characters, good suspense and action, and a satisfying ending.


Cons: Uses a lot of German words that slow the story down a bit.

What is Your Responsibility as a Writer?

Something's been bugging me for several weeks now, and today, I'm going to toss it up for discussion here.

Awhile back, a discussion started in one of my writer groups about our qualifications as writers, and in particular as Christian writers.

That raised some questions in my own mind, but I dismissed them for a time. Then, within a short time, Phee and I have had to review two different books that left me confused, angry, and actually embarrassed that they presented themselves as "Christian" books. So, I decided it was time to address this issue here at Pix-N-Pens.

As Christians who happen to be writers, I think it's vitally important that we know who we are, and know what our calling is. To do that, we need to identify whether we are:

a Christian writer

OR

a writer of Christian material (be it fiction or nonfiction, any length).

There IS a difference.

As Christians, we can be a Christian gardener, a Christian photographer, Christian neighbor, Christian baker, Christian barber, Christian butcher, Christian parent, Christian voter, Christian bowler, Christian whatever. But we may also be a writer for ABA - so that would make us, by this definition, a Christian writer. We can write nonfiction magazine articles that don't have a hint of Christianity in them, for general market publications, but by this definition, we are still Christian writers.

BUT, when we take on the RESPONSIBILITY (and it truly is one) of being a writer of Christian materials (fiction or nonfiction), presenting a Christian message through CBA or even ABA, we take on a RESPONSIBILITY to not be a stumbling block to our readers. If the words we write, the images we convey, the thoughts we cause the reader to develop, cause the reader to stumble, put bad images, words, or thoughts into their minds, then *WE* are responsible for that. We are accountable to our readers AND to God.

As a writer of Christian material, it is my job to shine Christ's light to the world, not spread darkness into an already dark world. How can I shine Christ's light if I use the f-word, or write such horrid gore that readers have those images put into their heads forever?

As writers of Christian materials, we need to look HIGHER and be BIGGER than the world. And yes, I realize that REALITY is messy and dirty - most of our lives testify to that. But we can write about life, write about evil, write about the darkness in such a way that the reader will look to Christ and will find Hope in the midst of the darkness.

One question I've asked myself since we received this latest book to review (Phee's earlier post today) is, "What has happened to COMMON DECENCY?" If I pick up a book published OR promoted by a Christian publisher or Christian organization, I want to know that it's a decent book. When it contains curse words or graphic descriptions of pure evil, the decency is gone. And so is my respect for that publisher, author, and promoter.

Many will question this - say that if we "clean" up our writing, then we're not writing realistically. I don't agree with that. I LIKE to pick up a clean novel. I LIKE to read a compelling story (most any genre) that is REAL, without have to block images of gore, or skip over pages of curse words.

I'll toss out three examples here, all from the ABA. Have you ever read any books by M.C. Beaton, Diane Mott Davidson, or Debbie Macomber? The first two MIGHT have an occasional curse word, but nothing major or overdone. The first two write books in the crime genre, yet their books aren't dark. All three authors write books that, in my opinion, are clean and "safe." Yet, at the same time, they are realistic.

So if these writers, spiritual condition unknown by me, can turn out clean books bought by millions, through the general market, why can't we as writers of Christian books do the same? Why do we have to push the envelope? Why do we have to be edgy just for the sake of being edgy?

Why do some writers of Christian books WANT to share the darkness, rather than the Light? Why can't publishers take a firm stance and draw a firm line? What are they thinking?

As a reader of Christian books, should we support the publishers and authors who publish this questionable material?

What do you think?

Not a Christian Novel

Reviewed by Phee Paradise
One Fine Season by Michael Sheehan

If you like baseball, you might enjoy this story about a major league rookie who has an amazing season. But, unfortunately, that is the only thing I can recommend about One Fine Season. The writing is amateurish and the dialogue is unnatural. It also has some crude language and pre-marital sex is celebrated as an expression of love. Even without that I would not recommend this book.

The problem lies in the New Age worldview. The real story is not Danny’s rise to the top of the majors, but his journey through grief after the death of two close friends. Several of his teammates help him come to grips with it through many deep philosophical conversations. They teach him that “Everything is one. Separation from those who have passed over is nothing more than an illusion.” At first I thought that maybe Sheehan was asking us to suspend disbelief and move into a world with a different set of spiritual rules. I like reading fantasy and find this easy to do, although Christian fantasy always maintains a Christian worldview.

I also wondered if Sheehan is a non-Christian trying to reach the Christian market without really understanding our theology. But at the beginning of the book Danny, who considers himself a Christian, summarizes the doctrines of sin, justification and redemption pretty well. His friends immediately correct him with their truths, including the belief that all people have come from “the Divine” in search of something which turns out to be what they left behind. They also tell him that Jesus’ purpose on earth was to show people the way back to the Divine. These are only a few of the concepts that Danny comes to accept as truth. There is no one to argue against them or to say that they are not Christian beliefs.

Pixels, I assume you read this blog because you enjoy reading Christian fiction. If that is what you are looking for, you won't want to read this book. I don’t see how anyone can claim it is Christian. If you are just looking for a good read, you won’t find that either, although Sheehan is a promising writer and experience will probably correct the flaws in dialogue and descriptions I found in this book.

One Fine Season is self-published and Sheehan doesn’t offer acknowledgement or thanks to anyone. Many of the problems I saw in the book may be because he didn’t benefit from professional editing and strong Christian feedback. This is the first time we’ve received a self-published book from the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance and we’re wondering why they accepted it.

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
One Fine Season
AuthorHouse (November 25, 2008)
by
Michael Sheehan


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Michael Sheehan is CEO and founder of BioResource, a company that distributes natural remedies including the popular INFLAMYAR ointment for sports injuries. He wrote One Fine Season to honor the memories of two childhood friends who died young, before they could realize their dreams.

One Fine Season is true to life. It draws on Sheehan’s religious education at a Catholic seminary and his experience as a high school baseball and collegiate soccer player. A graduate of Santa Clara University, Sheehan also earned a master’s degree in science journalism from Boston University. He lives in Northern California.


ABOUT THE BOOK

ONE FINE SEASON tells the story of a promising young athlete who must rise from the ashes of devastating personal loss to fulfill a pact made years earlier with his best friend.

Best friends Pete O’Brien and Danny Grace are gifted college athletes, both hoping for careers as professional baseball players. When tragedy strikes, Danny struggles to cope with his overwhelming grief and fulfill a pact the young men made years earlier: to play in the World Series.

Events unexpectedly thrust Danny into the spotlight with the new expansion team in Sacramento. Three guides – an aging catcher, spiritual centerfielder and wise manager – plus a beautiful woman lead him on a healing journey, revealing that even death cannot break the bonds of true friendship.

To read an excerpt from the first chapter of One Fine Season, click HERE

Want to Work at Home but Need Health Insurance? Please read...

We've offered some home-based business opportunities here in the past from our friends over at Christian Work-At-Home Moms, so I thought some of you might be interested in another opportunity - this time with me!

Many of you know my husband was forced into early retirement back in April. Things have been tight for us financially, like I know they have been for so many. My businesses provide an income for us, but not health insurance, so we've been considering whether I should take a job outside the home to meet that need. But I've been seeking other alternatives, and this week I finally found one.

A friend recently called me the "Idea Queen" - because my brain is like a wildfire of ideas. When one idea presents itself, it's not long before it has spread into a raging inferno of other ideas. So after I found the alternative to working outside the home, I had an idea.

I am going to build another blog team, similar to what we have here at Pix-N-Pens, except with a different focus. I'm looking for a team of four women who want to work at home, who like the idea of making some money, and who are open to trying something a bit different. I'd love for some of our Pixels to join me on this new team.

If you are interested, or if you know someone else who might be interested, please e-mail me ASAP at tracyruckman[at]yahoo[dot]com (replace the words in brackets with symbols) for more details.

This could be the start of something big for all of us, or as it was for me, it could be an answered prayer.

Inspiration

BY SUZANNE WILLIAMS

I admit it. There are times when I have lost all inspiration to take photographs. I pick up my camera only to feel like pitching it through the nearest window. I go outdoors and can't see anything I'd like to capture.

Every photographer goes through dry places, and lately, that is where I have been. The glories of spring have faded - vivacious flowers tumbling over each other in their search for the sun, multitudes of insects scrambling side by side for that sweet bit of nectar, the fluttering wings of handfuls of butterflies sweeping through the air.

White Peacock Butterfly

Instead, my garden looks rather natty. Faded and tattered Mexican sunflowers are holding up the last of their heads. The lantana and verbena have outstretched their boundaries. Summer vegetables - ripe red tomatoes, fuzzy green okra, and crisp green beans - are long gone.

Faded, Mexican Sunflower

It doesn't help that the weather is unseasonably hot for October. Oh, I know it IS Florida, and I DO love warm weather. But October is supposed to be fresh with crisp air swept in on an early cold front, comfortable breezes, and clear blue skies. Well, okay, so we do have the clear blue skies, at least it seems so today as I gaze out my window.

I know that the inspiration will come again. It always does. And I have learned when I find these dry places, just to ride them out. If I don't pick up my lens today, that is okay.

For me there will always be photographs. They press in from my past. They hold themselves in my future. In the present though, I will just forgive myself this lapse in time and wait.

Carolina Saddlebags Dragonfly

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Suzanne Williams Photography
My Blogger
Florida, USA

Suzanne Williams is a native Floridian, wife, and mother, with a penchant for spelling anything, who happens to love photography.