Writing Christian Fiction

Note: This was first posted as a guest post during Untitled's release. However, it deals with something very near and dear to my heart and I wanted to share it here as well. <3 

The genre “Christian fiction” covers a wide range of books. From romance to action to YA, Christian fiction has expanded to include quite a few sub-genres. 

I was curious what the definition for CF was, so I did a quick google search. 

“A Christian novel is any novel that expounds and illustrates a Christian world view in its plot, its characters, or both. Or which deals with Christian themes in a positive way.” 

However, I feel like so many of the more recent Christian fiction books have become simply clean fiction books, where the characters pray over a meal or say they believe in God. But believing in God doesn’t make someone a Christian. And I don’t believe just including the vague theme of “trusting in God” should make a book Christian. I know many people who say they believe in and trust God and yet they’re not Christians. 

So what should Christian fiction look like? 

I believe it should be a reflection of Christ. I believe it should deal with harsh topics that most of us would generally shy away from talking about. I believe it should challenge others in their walk with Christ. If we’re going to take up the pen and write a book we want to be labeled as Christian, than we’d better take care to be sure our words are not lukewarm. 

As writers, we have the incredible responsibility of being able to reach others through our words. People who we otherwise would never have had the chance of speaking to. I want to make that count. 

Most of my books deal with difficult situations. Whether it be the death of a friend, trusting God when we don’t understand, family conflict, PTSD, etc. Most of them are also set during WWII, so they deal with issues specific to that time period. My latest book, Untitled, touches on the horrors of war, PTSD, and homosexuality. And to be honest, I was terrified of including the last in there at all. Because what I believe and what the Bible teaches goes against everything the world is teaching today. 

But we can’t stay quiet about real-world issues. Divorce, abortion, homosexuality, PTSD, depression, suicide, racial issues, these are all subjects I see so many authors shying away from. But don’t. Please don’t. We need Christian authors who are willing to rise up and take a firm stance on these issues. We need Christian fiction that portrays a better view of how God wants these things handled. If we want our books to reach those around us then we need to write about the issues our world is struggling with. 

Now I’m going to pause for a second and say there’s nothing wrong with a lighter book. Sometimes we all just need a happy, feel good story. But even then, those characters should reflect Christ in the way they act and respond to the situations they encounter. If I’m reading a Christian book I want to see more of their faith than the fact that they pray before they eat. 

Not everyone is called to write the same thing. But as Christians we’re all told that Whatsoever therefore yet eat, or drink, or whatsoever yet do, so all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31) We’re all called to bring glory to God. So let's do that in our writing as well. 

Untitled Blog Tour - Wrap up

 Andddd ... just like that, the blog tour is over. It hardly seems possible; this week has flow by in a whirlwind of craziness. (I just realized thanksgiving is less then two weeks away sooo... yeah.) Be sure and get all your giveaway entries in! The giveaway ends today and the winner will be announced tomorrow. 

Today I wanted to take the time and talk a little bit about Untitled and what it means to me. Any author will tell you that it's impossible to pick a favorite book they've written. And it's true. Each one has its own feelings and experiences and memories and there really isn't any way you can compare them all. And each and every author will tell you that each story has a little bit of them in it. 

Untitled has more of me in it then I'd care to admit. Probably more so then my other books combined. (Yes, I'm aware it's an all-male cast. For whatever reason I've always had a much easier time relating to guys then girls when it comes to how I deal with things. I'm weird. xD) Jess and Clay, the struggles they have, the way they deal with things —  it's as close as I've come to writing a character that's me. Which, combined with the fact that I was dealing with difficult subjects, made this a book I was hesitant to release. 

But it was also the book God gave me to write a release so I didn't have much of a choice. It's a book that's close to my heart. And if you asked me ... yes. This is my favorite of any book I've ever written. I wrote what I wanted to. I wrote what I felt I had to. I wrote what God gave me to write. And I didn't change anything for anyone. 

Five years ago I couldn't have written it. Two years ago I couldn't have written it. The situations and experiences that shaped the book had to first be taught to me in my life before I could use it in a story. But I've written it now. And I hope and pray it encourages and blesses you in some way. 

To finish off the week I wanted to just post some of my favorite pins from my pinterest board that I think sum up the story well. 

There are two stops on the blog tour today. Be sure and check them out and leave a comment. Angela has been amazing in organizing all this, so be sure and stop by her blog and show her some love. ;) 

NOVEMBER 14th

Natalie Claire | Book Review

Angela Watts | Blog Tour Wrap Up

Untitled Blog Tour - Day #7

 Only two days left of the blog tour! The Winner of the giveaway will be announced on Sunday so be sure and get your entries it! 

Today I wanted to talk about some of my favorite research books that I used for Untitled. I have a ton of WWII research books, but a couple years ago I realized most of them involved the war in Europe, not the pacific theatre. So I set about to remedy that. I now have a decent collection of WWII books and these are some of my favorites. 

D-days in the Pacific: 

Although most people associate the term D-Day with the Normandy invasion on June 6, 1944, it is military code for the beginning of any offensive operation. In the Pacific theater during World War II there were more than one hundred D-Days. The largest—and last—was the invasion of Okinawa on April 1, 1945, which brought together the biggest invasion fleet ever assembled, far larger than that engaged in the Normandy invasion.

D-Days in the Pacific tells the epic story of the campaign waged by American forces to win back the Pacific islands from Japan. Based on eyewitness accounts by the combatants, it covers the entire Pacific struggle from the attack on Pearl Harbor to the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Pacific war was largely a seaborne offensive fought over immense distances. Many of the amphibious assaults on Japanese-held islands were among the most savagely fought battles in American history: Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, New Guinea, Peleliu, Leyte Gulf, Iwo Jima, Okinawa.

Generously illustrated with photographs and maps, D-Days in the Pacific is the finest one-volume account of this titanic struggle.

Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge: 

"When we go into combat, Doss, you're not comin' back alive. I'm gonna shoot you myself!"

The men of the 77th Infantry Division couldn't fathom why Private Desmond T. Doss would venture into the horrors of World War II without a single weapon to defend himself.

"You're nothing but a coward!" they said. But the soft–spoken medic insisted that his mission was to heal, not kill.

This page–turner will keep you riveted to your seat as you discover how Desmond Doss became the first conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor.

Desmond's dramatic true story of integrity, redemption, and heroism will inspire you to live by the courage of your convictions.

War Letters:

(This one includes not only the pacific and WWII, but the Civil war - Bosnia.) 

Here are letters from the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea, the Cold War, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf war, Somalia, and Bosnia -- dramatic eyewitness accounts from the front lines, poignant expressions of love for family and country, insightful reflections on the nature of warfare. Amid the voices of common soldiers, marines, airmen, sailors, nurses, journalists, spies, and chaplains are letters by such legendary figures as Gen. William T. Sherman, Clara Barton, Theodore Roosevelt, Ernie Pyle, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Julia Child, Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, and Gen. Benjamin O. Davis Sr. Collected in War Letters, they are an astonishing historical record, a powerful tribute to those who fought, and a celebration of the enduring power of letters.

Time Life series - WWII: 

World War II is a series of books published by Time-Life that chronicles the Second World War. Each book focused on a different topic, such as the resistance, spies, the home front but mainly the battles and campaigns of the conflict.

They are each 208 pages in length, heavily illustrated and with pictorial essays on specific topics within the volume. 

(Honestly y'all this is my favorite series to get started no matter where I'm writing during WWII. It gives you enough information to begin working on things, and also points you in the right direction for further research.) 

Stops on the Tour: 

NOVEMBER 13th

Joshua Reid | Guest Post

And be sure and Enter the giveaway! 

Untitled Blog Tour - Day #6

 Hey guys! So today to celebrate our books that both released yesterday, Kassie and I are swapping reviews! I’ll be reviewing her book Stop the Rain and she’ll be reviewing Untitled over on her blog! 

It made me so happy that we were able to share a release day, and you should really check out her blog. She writes contemporary war fiction without romance, which just makes me really happy. 

Stop the Rain - About the book

He left his entire world in Iraq. So why did the war follow him home?

Harley Keane and his best friend Nigel were just kids when 9/11 rocked their world and changed their lives forever. When they're finally old enough to join the Army, all their childhood dreams seem about to come true. But war wasn't supposed to be like this. A kid's dream isn't supposed to become a living nightmare. Fellow soldiers aren't supposed to bleed out in front of your eyes.

Back home, safe and unwounded, Harley feels anything but. Why would God spare him when so many others were taken? Why won't the nightmares stop, even when he's awake? And how long can he hide the truth that threatens everything he has left? When Harley's invisible scars refuse to stay hidden, will he let anyone close enough to help? And how do you go on with life when "okay" isn't okay at all?

About the author:

Kassie Angle is a teenaged Christian author, cowgirl, therapy dog trainer, stereotypical INFJ, and Army girl to the core. Her first love, i.e. debut novel, O to be Like Thee, swept her unexpectedly into the world of indie authors. She tries to use her stories to fill the silences in literature, helping more people understand the world of the Army and showing how God heals the broken-hearted. You can find her and more of her writing at SoldierGirlStories.com.

My review:

When I heard Kassie was releasing a book about PTSD I was excited for the chance to be able to read and review it! “Stop the Rain” is a book that isn’t for the faint of heart. Reading about Harley’s struggle was heartbreaking, yet so well done. I absolutely loved the cast of characters. Dallas is my absolute favorite and I need him to be real so I can meet him. Paul and Nigel and Savannah and the rest were awesome, but Dallas ... that man has my heart. I need a book about him. 

The plot line was very well done and I so appreciated how it showed that PTSD isn’t just something you can “get over”. It’s a real and horrific struggle that so many go through every day. And it can feel so hopeless. But there’s always hope. Because every storm runs out of rain. 

It’s a bit of a slower book, but I think it worked well that way to tell the story. And the look at the future we get at the end of the book made me smile. 

This book showed PTSD for what it is. An hourly struggle that is fought by those who made it home, but are forever changed. It does an amazing job at opening your eyes to the reality behind the many preconceived notions of PTSD that are out there. 

Also a final note on just how much I loved Dallas. I need more of him in my life. 

Author interview:

1| What was the easiest part about writing the book? 

My theme this week has lowkey been, the writing itself was easy, so I’m gonna make that more specific and say I will never get tired of writing banter between characters. Stop the Rain doesn’t have the comic relief the other two have, but it still has its fair share of craziness, and I adore it.

2| What was the most difficult part of writing the book?

I feel like I’ve said this a million times this week, but I’m gonna keep saying it because apparently it needs to be said. I was terrified of messing my story up. Writing it wasn’t hard; trusting I was doing the best I could was. I didn’t want it to be just another poorly-written portrayal of PTSD.

3| What was one thing you learned during the writing of this book? 

PTSD wasn’t recognized a “thing” as we know it now until 1980. I looked that up on a whim one day to back up what I had a character saying, and then I just kinda sat there staring at that date. Yeah, of course it existed before that. Yeah, there were efforts to treat it before that. But it’s still badly misunderstood; imagine what it was like beforehand. I guess I’d always thought that kind of research was done on it closer to Vietnam… it’s kind of heartbreaking when you think about it.

4| What was one of the most surprising things you learned once you started writing? 

That it wasn’t so hard to just come out and say what I felt I needed to say. Like I said, I was terrified of messing this story up. There’s so many misconceptions about PTSD out there, and I was messing up a ton of them. But there’s one scene where Harley snaps at Trey—“haven’t you ever heard of soldiers coming back with PTSD?!”—and somehow as soon as I wrote that, I realized I could write his PTSD exactly as I felt best. I was still worried till long after I finished the story, but after that chapter, I knew I could say what I needed to, even if I was worried.

5| How do you research? 

(I appreciate the assumption I’m not a typical researcher 😅) I read books and watch movies pertaining to what I’m writing and totally lose myself in their stories so it feels more natural to picture my own, if that makes any sense. I’ll specifically research something if I realize I have gaps in my story (like, say, the weather in Iraq…), but as a general rule, I stick to “write what you know” in a weird way. I’ve grown up around the Army. It didn’t take any research for me to know some of this stuff.

6| If you could only pick one of your books for someone to remember you by, which would it be? 

This makes me sound so disloyal to the other two, I promise I’m not… O to be Like Thee. Yeah, Tattered Wings is really special, and in some ways I feel like Stop the Rain is the most important of the three. But O to be Like Thee is *mine* in a way none other will ever be. I feel like, somehow, it still covers the messages of the other two in only one book. If I only get one chance to make a difference, I’d want to do it through O to be Like Thee. 

Stops on Today's Tour: 

NOVEMBER 12th:

Kassie Angle | Book Review

Abigail Harris | Book Review

Untitled Blog Tour - Day #5 - Veterans/Release Day

Guys, today is Veterans Day. Before you read anymore of this post, before you buy a book, before any of that, I want you to go and thank a veteran or active duty service member. They’re the reason we have the freedom to write and publish books, they’re the reason we have the freedom to worship, they’re the reason we have freedom to enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I cannot emphasize enough how much we owe these brave men and women. Too often in our culture today they’re not show the respect they deserve. Let’s change that today, if only in a small way. 

 Okay, now that you’ve done that … It’s release day! I wanted to release Untitled on a day where it would mean something. And I could think of no better day then Veteran’s day. The book doesn’t just end with a happy homecoming. No, it hopes to show, in some small way, what our Veterans face when they come back home. Because no one comes home the same. Just because you can’t see what they’re going through doesn’t mean the struggle isn’t there. 

the world will never know

just how much they gave

as overseas they served

our freedoms dear to save 

they didn't ask for glory

they didn't seek any fame 

they simply gave their service

freedom their only aim

but we seem to forget

the sacrifice they made 

we go on with our lives 

we forget the price they paid 

let's take a moment and remember

what they gave for you and me

 each one who made it home 

remembers freedom isn't free

Today also marks 102 years since WWI ended. Fun fact, WWI was the beginning of realization that PTSD as an actual mental illness and not simply something caused by trauma. Extensive research was done between WWI and WWII, but PTSD didn't start being widely recognized and diagnosed as such until after the Vietnam War.

Untitled — E-book

Untitled — Paperback 

We've got a number of stops on the blog tour today, so be sure and check out all the awesome posts!

NOVEMBER 11th

Libby May | Book Review + Author Interview

Abigail Harris | Book Review

Faith Potts | Book Review

Esther Jackson | Book Review

Also, Kassie Angle is also releasing a book today that deals with PTSD (My review for it will be up tomorrow!) So be sure and check out her blog here!

And of course, enter the giveaway!

Untitled Blog Tour - Day #4

 Welcome to day #4! We’re over halfway through the tour and Untitled releases tomorrow! 

Today I thought I’d share some of my favorite songs that go along with Untitled. These are either songs that remind me of the book, or songs I listened to while I was writing. 

Airborne Ranger Infantry

I Just Came Back from a War

Till the Last Shots Fired 

Mr. Soldier 

In Color 

Freedom Sure Ain't free

 

I tend to adopt movie soundtracks for my books. Band of Brothers was 

100% this book. And no matter how many times I listen to the songs I still 

get the same feelings. <3 

So that do y'all think? Do these songs fit the book? What's one song that reminds you of Untitled? 

Today we have a book review! Be sure to swing by Katja's blog and read it! 

NOVEMBER 10th

Katja Labonté | Book Review

And of course, be sure to enter the giveaway! 

Untitled Bog Tour - Day #3

Thank a veteran. Stand for the flag. Take up the fight for freedom. 

If there’s one thing that I’m pretty outspoken about, it’s the fact that I love my country and freedom. And I want to do everything in my power to show our veterans just how incredibly grateful we are for what they’ve done. They’ve faced things we never will. They’ve seen things we can only try and imagine. Some didn’t make it back. And those who did aren’t the same as before they left. They deserve our gratitude and respect. But instead of honoring them, it seems we’re more willing to honor football players who refuse to stand for the flag so many have died for. 

If there’s one thing I hope readers get from Untitled, it’s a new understanding of what our men and women in uniform have gone through. I know I’ve not done it justice, but I hope that in some small way I’m able to open the eyes of this generation. We’re far too apt to forget what has been sacrificed for the freedoms we enjoy.

Today Angela, the amazing gal who's hosting this blog tour, is posting a review for Untitled

NOVEMBER 9th

Angela Watts | Book Review

And be sure to enter the giveaway! Some of the options are daily, so there's always another chance to get more entries! 

Giveaway

Untitled Blog Tour - Day #2

 Welcome to day #2! I hope y'all are having a quiet, relaxing Sunday. I'm going to spend the afternoon finishing up last minute things for the release. Can you believe it's only three days away?! 

Today I thought I'd share some trivia about the book.  I always find it fun to learn new things about my favorite books and I thought you guys might as well!

-In the first scene of chapter 1, a character takes a drink of coffee from a disposable cup. It took me nearly three hours of research to make sure disposable cups were actually used during the time period.

-This is the first book I've written where I've included an interaction with a real-life person. 

-While it's one of the shorter books I've written, it's the one that's taken me the longest to write. 

-Clay Walker is one of my favorite country artists, and while I didn't originally intend for a character to share his name ... I can't say I'm mad about it. XD

-Flying and medical are my two favorite things ever. (Big surprise there, ehh?) But while it's fairly easy for me to write medical characters, pilots are difficult because I have no experience flying a plane. And in Clay's case there's not much info on Marine aviators during WWII, so that made research extra difficult. 

Also, remember to check today's post! As a part of the tour, Kate is posting her review of Untitled. 

NOVEMBER 8th

Kaitlyn Krispense | Book Review

And the giveaway! Be sure and enter it here! 

Untitled blog tour - Day #1!

 Guys, it's here! *squeals* I'm so, so excited for the next week! Angela has done a fabulous job with the tour and eleven, wonderful people have signed up to help spread the word. 

I don't have the kindle up for pre-order quite yet (hopefully by this evening!) And I'm working on getting the final copy of the book submitted to KDP and published. I can't believe it releases this week. Like ... wow. It's always felt like so far away and now its here. Anyhow. Be sure and check out the posts that are happening today! Angela is hosting the blog tour and she has the Intro post, and Michaela interviewed me over on her blog! 

NOVEMBER 7th

Angela Watts | Blog Tour Introduction

Michaela Bush | Author Interview 

And there's a giveaway! Due to shipping costs, it is U.S. only. (So sorry to my international friends!) I had a lot of fun picking out goodies and making the whole thing very Untitled themed.

One winner of the giveaway will receive…

• Paperback copy of Untitled 

• Box of compass cards

• God Bless America Wooden Sign

• Bookmark 

• USMC keychain 

• U.S. Navy Medallion

And you can enter the giveaway here!

Are y'all excited? I know I am!