JOHN 3:16 MARKETING NETWORK GUEST POST: “Lorilyn Introduces New Christian Author Cheryl Rogers”

I (Lorilyn Roberts) would like to introduce a very talented Christian author, Cheryl Rogers; she is not only an author but an artist and musician.

My friend Cheryl likes to write for children because they usually are very open to God. “Children have a special place in my heart. They have so many years ahead of them ... so many years to enjoy getting things right,” she says.

Her latest children's ebook is I Can See Christian Storybook Treasury, a unique book that helps defeat doubts about God that develop as a child grows. It begins with I Can See God's ABCs, a story that should be read to the child as he or she is learning about the world. From there, the short stories become increasingly complex, dealing with questions like how can we find a God we cannot see, why did Jesus come to Earth and why did Jesus have to die.

I Can See Christian Storybook Treasury is meant to be used through the years with each child and grandchild in the family," Cheryl says. "It can be used with younger and older children at the same time."

Another one of her books includes Making Choices: Life is Like Acorns, a Bible study aimed at children 5 to 10 years old.  The story is about a baby squirrel named Peepsy who is learning how to hunt for acorns. His mother teaches him not all acorns are good to eat -- things are not always what they seem to be.

Just Like Jonah Wail Tales, a storybook aimed at preteens and teens, teaches there is a price to pay when you disobey. The modern-day Jonahs make bad choices and land in a whale of trouble, just like the prophet Jonah in the Bible. But when they return to God, He is faithful to change their circumstances.

Her devotions book aimed at new and young believers, Fast Track to Victory, A Christian Guidebook, contains 40 short lessons that enable us to live the victorious Christian life, helping us really love and forgive others, set aside pride, deal with tragedy, and death and lots more.

Cheryl knew she wanted to be a writer as a child. She earned a journalism degree in college and honed her skills as a newspaper reporter, but it took a devastating illness for Cheryl to realize what she was supposed to write about. In 1993, she succumbed to a severe immune disorder, Environmental Illness, to which there is no physical cure. After undergoing extensive treatment to no avail, she surrendered her life to Christ and he miraculously healed her.

"My life was in shambles, but God gave me my life back. I learned he was real and well able to handle my problems," Cheryl says.

A Miami native who lives in Tampa, Florida, with her family, Cheryl currently publishes New Christian Books, a magazine featuring announcements about new kingdom-building books as well as book excerpts, a Bible-based living column, author marketing tips, and other features. She has authored a number of Christian titles as well as a couple of ebooks about self-publishing.

In addition to her Christian books, Cheryl designs Christian posters, mugs, cards, tees, and other products using her nature photographs and Scriptures from the King James Authorized Version. She also has self-produced three Scripture song CDs.

"It never was my idea to write Scripture songs," says Cheryl, "but when the first song was sung into my spirit on the second anniversary of my father's death, well, it got my attention. My father wanted my sister and me to write a song as children, but I couldn't come up with a melody. All I could do was the lyrics. And here I was getting a complete melody. I couldn't ignore it."

She discovered a music studio two blocks from her house and was able to complete the CDs with expert help and the knowledge she gained through childhood piano lessons and college voice classes.

"I realized I had better use the talent I had been developing for His purposes," she says, "and so I began sharing the lessons he taught me through Bible columns. These become the basis of my devotions book, Fast Track to Victory, A Christian Guidebook.

To read more of Lorilyn Roberts’ blogposts, visit LorilynRoberts.com

CREATIVE WRITING INSIGHTS: “Confessions on The Brothers Karamazov, Am I My Brother’s Keeper?” by Lorilyn Roberts

Lorilyn:  I feel humbled and chastised – things that bothered me about The Brothers Karamazov make more sense now, as the meanings are so much deeper than my superficiality; i.e., I didn’t like the ending. There wasn’t the redemption I was looking for. Dmitri was found guilty; thus, the court system failed.

I wanted to know what was going to happen to him. I felt like Dostoevsky didn’t know what to do, so he just left it open for the reader to conjecture—a cop-out. I didn’t agree with the theme of the book, that we are responsible for other’s people’s sins in the sense that he was so emphatic.

I felt like there were a lot of extraneous people in the book that served no real purpose; i.e., why did the little boy have to die?  What did that add to the story – you get the picture. I did like the book, it’s just I wanted it to be nice and tidy, and it wasn’t.

So now I am confronting my own set of doubts – maybe I am my brother’s keeper.  But you know what? I don’t want to be my brother’s keeper. That means I have to love some people that are quite unlovable. So that means I am a fake. I apply my own beliefs to loving those I choose to love, and that means I am no different from Ivan or Dmitri. That is disturbing.

Ken (my professor), I think I am having a crisis – sure, I can write a nice little script for the course that will satisfy the powers that be for the school certification, but suppose I don’t want to? Suppose I want to risk being real? Maybe I am in search of something that doesn’t exist and I have just been kidding myself. I felt like Alyosha was weak and Zosima was a dreamer out of touch with reality.

And freedom – Christ set men free, the opposite of that is totalitarianism. Perhaps the fight is greater than we realize. Maybe we really are so enslaved to sin in our thought process that we don’t even realize it.

I shall have strange dreams tonight.

This was Professor Ken Kuhlken’s comments back, with some personal references omitted.

Ken:  This is wonderful. If Dostoyevski could wish that his readers would come away with one message, I would bet it would be that if we want to see the world as a tidy place, we had better buy into the Grand Inquisitor's theory (which would soon, in Russia, be essentially the theory of communism).

I'm awfully proud of you for confronting yourself and your beliefs. 

The world truly needs more writers who are willing to tell what they see as the truth whether or not it fits into a comfortable package. And it needs fewer writers who tell comforting lies. 

About being our brother's keeper, for the past year, I've been reading Soren Kierkegaard who argues convincingly that Jesus called us to love without distinction all whom he puts in our way....... I start to find that the resentments and all simply don't matter. I hope to gradually learn to treat everyone this way. Partly because it sets me free from my self-centered emotions.

The Brothers Karamazov is available from Amazon by clicking here.

LORILYN ROBERTS BOOK REVIEW: Analysis of “The Grand Inquisitor,” by Fydor Dostoevsky

Analysis of The Grand Inquisitor

by Fydor Dostoevsky

Lorilyn Roberts

 

The Grand Inquisitor by Fydor Dostoevsky is a parable in his novel, The Brothers Karamazov. The story takes place in Seville, Spain, during the time of the Inquisition, when heretics were routinely burned at the stake. The first time I read The Grand Inquisitor I found it disturbing. There had been, according to Dostoevsky, during the sixteenth century, chatter among the masses about the fact that Christ had not returned, and many questioned if His miracles were real.

 

According to the parable, Christ came back once again, briefly, and appeared quietly in the midst of the people, healing those who came to Him. The crowds recognized Him and clambered to be near Him. Christ healed the blind and the needy bowed down to Him. But Christ was too good, too powerful, and the guards came and took Him away. The Inquisitor came to The Prisoner and asked, "Why, then, art Thou come to hinder us?"

 

There followed a conversation between the Prisoner and the Inquisitor which was disturbing. Christ’s thirty-three years on earth was distorted. The Inquisitor implied that Christ had failed at His mission; that He didn’t set men free, for example, and therefore it fell on the church to set men free. According to the Inquisitor, freedom meant bondage. The Inquisitor believed that men couldn’t be free, that they needed to be told what to do, and the church saved the masses by forcing them to cower in submission.

 

The Inquisitor twisted the meaning of Christ's three temptations in the wilderness; speaking as if he (the Inquisitor) was Satan incarnate, using twisted logic with a kernel of truth when carried to its logical conclusion.

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The parable encompassed more than a spiritual meaning and made a political statement; i.e., referencing the notorious conquerors of Timours and Ghenghis-Khan, who subdued men in the name of unity. The Inquisitor valued submission.

 

When one contemplates the ideology and the two choices presented in the parable—freedom versus bondage—and the Bolshevik Revolution that followed a few decades after Dostoevsky’s death, I wonder what Dostoevsky had in mind—who was The Grand Inquisitor? And surely he gave the Russian people more credit than what he opined. Did Dostoevsky not believe they could live in unity and freedom? Was the great experiment of American democracy in the 1800s not sufficient to persuade him?

Or was he prophetic? Did he believe the populace would be unable to handle the same freedom if given it? Or was he equating the Inquisitor simply with the time of the Great Inquisition and the depravity of mankind; that even if Christ had returned again, He would have been rejected? Did he accuse men after sixteen centuries of being just as wicked, concluding that Christ had failed once again? Could one surmise that the Inquisitor was Satan himself?

 

I read The Brothers Karamazov to understand the context in which the parable was written. The parable was told by Ivan, an intellectual, to his Christian mystic brother, Alyosha. Alyosha, in my opinion, was too weak but represented a moderating influence on the otherwise dark story that covered much of the book.

 

Toward the end of the parable, Alyosha stated to Ivan, "You don't believe in God." Those who don't believe in God take the most loving aspects of Christ—His salvation and death on the cross—and belittle it. Perhaps Alyosha was comparing his brother to The Grand Inquisitor. Alyosha kissed his brother Ivan on the lips, reminiscent of Judas's betrayal of Jesus with a kiss. But representing the opposite meaning—a feeble attempt at best.

 

Dostoevsky referenced the Masons in a less than glamorous way, accusing them of possessing the same mystery, perhaps in conflict with the Catholics' pursuit of unity.  

 

Dostoyevsky raised more questions than he answered. I felt a sense of hopelessness in the parable. Perhaps if Alyosha was more assertive and less passive, he could have countered the progressive mindset of Ivan—who attempted to intellectually provide answers to questions that did not require belief in a higher being.  Ivan’s tone was over‑reaching and intolerant. The two brothers represented types‑‑the intellectual versus the mystic (I will include the third brother when I analyze the entire book).

 

The parable provides no easy answers to the accusations of The Grand Inquisitor. Did Dostoevsky have an answer? Perhaps that’s the point—to give the reader the freedom to ponder, unlike the accusations of The Grand Inquisitor, who didn't give people enough credit to even do that.

                                          

Perspective is everything. Having had more time to consider the book, The Brothers Karamazov, I wonder if my early thoughts were flawed. Upon further reflection, I don’t believe Alyosha was weak. He was humble. His responses were much like Jesus’ response to those who criticized Him. He never lashed back, except at the money changers. And perhaps Dostoevsky was making a broader statement about life. Communism followed in Russia shortly after his death. Is that what will happen here in America? Do people really want to think for themselves, or would they rather have the government or some other entity tell them what to do?

 

If you cherish your freedom, don’t be like the masses who expect the government to take care of them. Don’t take that government handout. Don’t expect the government to do for you what you can do for yourself.

 

God gave us freedom in Christ. He knew there would always be tyrannical governments, like the Romans, Alexander the Great, and Hitler. If each person takes a leap of faith, trusts God, and becomes his brother’s keeper, we can prevent our country from going the way of others.

 

As my mother says, our country is going to hell in a handbasket. Little by little, The Grand Inquisitor will have his way in America because as a nation, we have turned our eyes away from God. And because God is love, He has given us the freedom to be conquered—and I ask, what or who will conquer us?

To purchase The Grand Inquisitor from Amazon, click here

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JOHN 3:16 MARKETING NETWORK GUEST POST: Lorilyn Interviews Tom Blubaugh About His New Book, “Night of the Cossack”

I (Lorilyn Roberts) met Tom through the John 3:16 Marketing Network, and discovered a most unusual way to be prompted to write a book.  Enjoy this short interview and learn what (or who) a Cossack is.

Lorilyn:  What are your thoughts on self-publishing versus traditional publishing?

Tom:  I have self-published a book, but it was many years ago and was for use in my ministry, but not publically marketed. The Night of the Cossack was traditionally published by Bound by Faith Publishing, a new, small independent. I'm treating Night of the Cossack as a self-published novel. I thought I had a pretty good platform established but found out I was kidding myself. One has only so many friends and family members. Even with Facebook and Twitter, it has been a real challenge.

I will be talking to book clubs and writing groups about the tremendous importance of establishing a strong, deep platform well before a book is published. In my opinion, a well-developed platform is necessary regardless of the publisher, large or small, new or well-established, independent or not. The market has changed with the fast-developing ebook distribution, the economy, and the problems in the publishing arena. The only difference seems to be who finances the publication.

Lorilyn:  What have you found to be most effective in marketing your newest book?

Tom:  There isn't just one particular thing. It takes a lot of activities working together, interviews, Facebook, Twitter, book signings, talking to book clubs, writer groups, creative writing classes, press releases, websites, and the support of other authors.

Lorilyn:  Can you tell us a little bit about your book Night of the Cossack?

Tom:  Both of my grandfathers died before I was born. I had a big hole in my life that most of my friends didn't have. As I got older I felt a longing to have a grandfather so I took what little information I had about my mother's father and started writing a story--actually creating a grandfather for myself.

As the story developed I found myself writing it for my children and grandchildren. An author I met online thought it was worth pursuing publication. I joined a local critique group and they agreed. It wasn't until then that I realized I was actually writing a novel. Even the publisher came to me. It has been a phenomenal journey and I still have a ways to go to get it into the hands of readers. I've heard from readers 12 to 86 who have enjoyed my book.

Lorilyn:  As a homeschooling parent, is this a book my daughter would enjoy as well as learn a little bit about history? What is the historical setting of your book?

Tom:  This is an excellent book for a homeschooling parent. The story takes place in Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Italy, and France in the early 1900s. There is fear, separation, adjustment, relationship issues, violence, love, faith, and lots of decisions in the adventure. All of these are talking points for healthy conversations between parent/child and teacher/student regarding real-life and moral decisions. I have considered writing a workbook, but haven't had the time.

Lorilyn:  What is a Cossack?

Tom:  Cossacks were members of any of several groups of peasants, chiefly of Russian and Polish descent, that lived in autonomous communal settlements, especially in Ukraine, until the early 20th century. In return for special privileges, they served in the cavalry under the czars. They were well known for their horsemanship. They raided villages for supplies, women and young men to increase or replenish their ranks. Eventually, they became a part of the Russian army.

                                                        

      📕📕📕📕

Tom Blubaugh is a freelance writer living in Southwest Missouri with Barbara, his wife. They have six children and fourteen grandchildren. Tom has written non-fiction most of his adult life but has recently written a historical fiction titled Night of the Cossack, published by Bound by Faith Publishers.

This is Tom’s first novel. He co-wrote a devotional journal in 2009 for Barbour Publishing titled The Great Adventure. His other writings include articles for a denominational magazine and an insurance publication. He also self-published Behind the Scenes of the Bus Ministry in 1974.

Tom started writing poetry at the age of fourteen. His vision of turning them into lyrics for rock and roll songs for popular artists didn’t develop. He considers writing to be a God-given talent and feels led to develop it. His first novel was published at the age of 69. Tom says it’s never too late. He is now writing a sequel.

Tom spent twelve years as an insurance agent and eleven years as a financial planner. He is the past president of Jericho Commission, Inc., and still serves on the board of directors.


Kindle and print versions are available at Amazon by clicking here.

LORILYN INTERVIEWS Author Marcia Lee Laycock About Her New Book ”One Smooth Stone”

Marcia’s novel, One Smooth Stone, won the Best New Canadian Christian Author Award in 2006. Marcia is also a sought-after speaker. 


LORILYN: How did you come to be a writer?

MARCIA: I started writing short stories and poems for my dolls. They didn’t complain so I kept it up. Then my aunt gave me a copy of Emily of New Moon for my eleventh birthday. I discovered you could call yourself a writer and determined that someday that’s what I’d be. 

It took many years but I published my first short story in 1990 and began writing articles for a local paper about that same time. I self-published a compilation of my column in 2002 (a second edition has just been released), a second devotional book in 2005, and then my novel, One Smooth Stone won me the Best New Canadian Christian Author Award and was published in 2007. The sequel should be available sometime this spring.

LORILYN: Tell us how you come up with characters.

MARCIA: Characters often grow out of something I hear or see. For instance, the main character in One Smooth Stone developed after a woman asked me a profound question – “Can you imagine what it would be like for someone to discover that his mother had tried to abort him?” I did imagine and the character of Alex Donnelly emerged. He’s very much a composite of many people I knew while living in the Yukon, in Canada’s western Arctic.

LORILYN: Where do you write?

MARCIA: I share an office in our home with my husband who is a pastor. Our office chairs are literally back to back. When he shifts I feel it! We’re church planting right now, so we don’t have a church building where my husband would ordinarily go to work each day. It’s been an interesting adjustment and a challenge for us both!

LORILYN: What are you currently writing?

MARCIA: I just finished working on the sequel to One Smooth Stone and am hoping it will be published this fall, which means I'll be working on the final edit soon, if all goes well. At the end of One Smooth Stone the main character discovers he has a sister. The second book, A Tumbled Stone, deals with his struggles with faith as he searches for her. It is  his sister’s story.

I also just published two ebooks:  One, a devotional for writers called Abundant Rain, and the other a devotional for travelers called A Traveller’s Advisory. They are both at Smashwords along with a few short stories and devotionals that can be downloaded for free.

LORILYN: What accomplishment(s) are you most proud of, writing-related or not?

MARCIA: I’m probably most proud and humbled by the fact that my husband and I, in spite of all our flaws somehow managed to raise three wonderful daughters who are a joy to us in many ways. God’s grace is evident in their lives and I’m very thankful for them. There was a time when I believed I would never have children (see my website for the story) so to have three beautiful daughters continues to amaze me.

Also, I’m quite proud of the fact that I managed to complete the NaNoWriMo challenge – 50,000 words in one month - and I now have five books available to readers.

LORILYN: Your favorite scripture and/or quote?

MARCIA: Scripture - Hebrews 10:24 – Let us consider therefore how we may spur one another on to love and good deeds. I titled my weekly column The Spur – from this verse. It also seemed a good fit because I live in the heart of Alberta cowboy country.

Quote – “Writing is not a performance. It is generosity.” ~ Benda Ueland.

LORILYN: What kind of planning do you do before writing a novel?

MARCIA: Very little. My stories usually come to me in scenes. I outline a bit as I go, just a timeline of sorts, but when I sit down to write I usually have very little idea where the story will go. I find it exciting to see it unfold. I do research along the way as needed.

LORILYN: In your opinion, what is the greatest danger or pitfall in the life of a writer?

MARCIA: Believing that it’s your talent that changes lives. I’ve had many people tell me amazing stories about how something I wrote changed them in some way. It’s important to remember that only God can do that. He uses our words to affect His purposes. We’re just being obedient in putting the words on paper. It’s an incredible privilege and blessing to be used in that way.

LORILYN: Why did you choose to write this book?

MARCI: I’ve met many people like the main character. In fact, at one time I was a lot like him. I know the kind of prison people like Alex are trapped in – partly of their own making, and I also know the joy of being set free by the love of Christ. My prayer is that many more people will understand that no one is beyond the reach of God and no matter what you’ve done or where you’ve been or what’s been done to you, God loves you deeply and unconditionally God has already been faithful in honoring that prayer. The very first book I took out of the box I gave to a friend whose daughter was raped when she was a teenager. She called her mom in tears, after staying up all night reading it, and told her that now she does believe God loves her, in spite of everything. It’s that kind of response that makes it all worthwhile and that’s what keeps me going.

LORILYN: What one thing about writing do you wish other non-writers would understand?

MARCIA: That writing is a ministry. It’s a hidden ministry that takes hours of sitting in a room alone but the end result can be lives changed for Christ.

LORILYN: Can you give us one do and one don’t for those aspiring to be a writer?

MARCIA: Do you go to writers’ conferences and take courses to sharpen your skills. Find a good critique group where others will give constructive criticism. Don’t let the rejections stop you. Keep writing.


One Smooth Stone can be ordered from any Christian bookstore or online from Amazon or Barnes and Noble or the publisher, www.castlequaybooks.com

CREATIVE WRITING INSIGHTS: “Freedom of Chaos,” by Lorilyn Roberts

We want freedom in writing within a framework of orderliness. A house can have many different looks, but without a solid foundation, it won’t stand. I homeschool my younger daughter Joy and the first chapter in her English book is about how to construct a sentence. The topic is covered in detail, beginning with the definition of a subject and a predicate.

The foundation of a good story must have good sentence structure. The sentences need to be woven together to form a well-written paragraph with a main idea. The paragraphs build over a page, and eventually, the pages come together to make chapters. An entire book emerges from one sentence. But if you don’t have structure, usually built from the skeleton of good grammar and an outline, you will end up with chaos.

God is a God of order. But we don’t need to be legalistic or rigid. Once we understand the idea of structure, we have the freedom to build on that structure and create fabulous stories.

CREATIVE WRITING INSIGHTS: “The Art of Conflict in Writing Conflict,” by Lorilyn Roberts

 

I should be an expert in writing conflict. After all, I was on the debate team in high school, and a seventh grade boy wrote in my yearbook, "You would argue with a sign post if you could." I've had my share of personal conflict--family problems, ex-husband, relationship disappointments, and yes, my own report card of failures.

As if that wasn't enough, I've had a first-class seat to some of the most spectacular conflicts on the planet. I worked for twenty years as a court reporter. The adversarial nature of the job left me exhausted. I would sit at my stenograph machine for long hours each day, between attorneys and hostile witnesses, recording the barrage of questions about lost reputations, cheating husbands, financial ruin, and hearts broken--high-powered lawyers bent on winning at all cost.

Conflict raged within me as I hated being at the center of it all. The louder they argued, the more nervous I became. Please don't ask me to read this back. It's hard to write well when everyone is yelling at each other. If I could count the number of strokes hit on my stenograph machine, the amount would not be measurable. Conflict abounds and sometimes borders on murder in a courtroom, where truth isn't always the ultimate goal. Because experience and memories shape our worldview, to this day I cringe at the thought of going back to that life--please God, never again. I don't want that conflict.

Today I work as a broadcast captioner for television and write as little news as possible. Very few upbeat stories get reported and I have grown weary of captioning sensational beats about kidnapped children, victims of abuse, Washington bureaucracy, and a world at war--at the gas pump, in the Middle East, and a host of ideologies that scare me. I cherish my freedom and don't want it taken from me. (Yes, I do feel much of what I love about my country is eroding). But most of all, I hate captioning tragedies that could have been avoided. Life can be very depressing and steeped in conflict.

As much as I hate conflict, as an author, how do I use it in fiction? Or do I even want to create painful conflict for my protagonist? Do I shy away from building a story that needs high-stakes conflict to create a fabulous, climatic ending? Or can I use conflict to remind me of a nobler purpose in God's eternal plan?

Put into the context of life, is there a reason behind the conflict which we encounter every single waking moment of our lives? Is it not the result of the stinking sin in myself and others? How do I resolve this paradox in my writing?

Fortunately, as writers, we have the freedom to go where our heart and art takes us. Unless I write poetry, however, I won't have a story without conflict. Acknowledging that the dénouement is what makes a story remarkable, I can set the scene for redemption before I begin the first page.

In the 1990's, Hollywood released a lot of box-office films that had downer endings; the bad guy won, the problem wasn't resolved the way I wanted, or the main character died. I quit going to the movies.

My mantra now is I refuse to write, read, or see movies where there is no redemption. If I feel stuck without a good moral choice in life, I will search for it. God can bring redemption out of the worst possible circumstance. There is good in the world if we look for it.

In writing a great book, there should be something in the dénouement that causes the reader to grapple with the story's action-idea. The unraveling of the conflict must result in a satisfying conclusion.  I don't want the reader to feel as though he has been cheated by mediocre creativity or immorality that wins.

While our stories imitate life, the climax needs to reach a higher level of "being." When I read a story, give me more. Give me excitement worth remembering, knowledge extraordinaire, and thought-provoking ideas. I want to relate to a protagonist that overcomes incredible odds and wins. Beauty, love, peace--we are not sufficiently redeemed to appreciate this trilogy of goodness in all its meaning, but because writing imitates life, we can catch glimpses of it in a redemptive ending.

As an author, my passion is to bring a "taste of heaven" to this earthly kingdom inhabited by kings and peasants, and all of us in between. That means what I write must linger. I must create meaningful connections in the reader's mind after his eyes have read the last page. I wield incredible power--to bless or curse. As a Christian, I want to captivate the reader with words that are uplifting, powerful, thought-provoking, and life-changing. That might seem impossible, but the greatest stories ever written have those qualities; unique characters engaged in mortal conflict, either internal, physical, or both.

I write where my heart takes me, digging into my past, and seeing what God stirs up from within. I write for myself first and then for others. It's up to each of us to decide how we use the "rules of writing," acknowledging that those words will live on long after we are gone--for good or evil. History is replete with both.

I can't dilute the plot to avoid conflict. I want redemption to reign supreme in the last chapter. I must weave the nature of fallen man into the story through conflict, knowing that I have the answers that a sinful world craves. I can do it subtly or not so subtly, but if I compromise on either, I will weaken the story that God has given me. Great conflict deserves great redemption.

How does conflict work in writing? The conflict must propel the story forward and relate in some way to the protagonist's nearly unreachable goal. There must be clear turning points (three-act structure works well), and there should be a main goal and at least one minor goal. Often the minor goal relates to character development (so the protagonist can reach his main goal).

With "up" endings, the protagonist wildly succeeds and goes through a metamorphosis in the process. He is not the same at the end as he was in the beginning. Despite his character flaws and numerous obstacles, he overcomes the odds and achieves his dream or even something better. Surprise endings are always the best

I have wondered if there is a higher standard for writing novels than the Aristotle tradition of dealing with conflict, but for a different reason. I want to write great stories in heaven, and in heaven, there is no conflict. What shall I write? Maybe I will become a poet. If you are one of those saints, pursue your calling with passion; keep writing those beautiful sonnets and songs. When my world becomes steeped in shadows, I turn to the Psalms and relish those soothing words of comfort and security.

In the Bible, Jesus knew the evil tentacles of life would strangle his listeners if they succumbed to their base nature, so he told amazing, redemptive stories, steeped in conflict, to reveal profound truths. If I follow that example, perhaps I can conquer my inner conflict of wanting to avoid conflict and write a great redemptive story--which must abound in conflict to end in perfect redemption

WHERE HAVE I FELT CLOSEST TO GOD? MY ANSWER MIGHT SURPRISE YOU: Devotional by Lorilyn Roberts

Question: Where have you felt closest to God?

Lorilyn Roberts: I have scuba dived all over the world-the Red Sea, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Caribbean. Thirty minutes from my home in sunny Central Florida, dozens of cold, clear, springs bubble up and lure divers from all over the country to dive into the caves.

On many of these dives, particularly in the Red Sea, away from the noise and distractions of a busy life, I have been overcome with the immense beauty and vastness of the world beneath the ocean. On one particular night dive in the Florida Keys many years ago, my dive buddy and I were at about seventy-five feet, which is rather deep for a night dive.  We were diving off a shipwreck, and when I shone my underwater light on the rustic red side of a sunken boat, I discovered a brown caterpillar-like creature with tons of legs. He was edging his way along at a rather slow pace. I probably stunned him by the intrusion of my bright light in what was otherwise total blackness.

As I floated beside the ship and examined the peculiar worm, I wondered why, in the middle of the vast Atlanta Ocean, I would stumble upon this rather ugly creature.

Asking questions of seeming insignificance can lead to discussions with latent deeper meaning. Why did God create me? Are the things we stumble upon in life purely by chance?

I am convinced I am here for such a time as this (and so are you). The books we write bear witness to the lives God has given us, from comedy to romance to tragedy. We feel God's pleasure in the stories that touch us deeply, whether written by us or others. On that night dive way back long ago, when I was much younger and fitter, it is not surprising that God used a worm to reveal something about His nature-I have never forgotten it some twenty years later.

T

here is also a story in the Bible about a worm that God used in a powerful way. In the book of Jonah in the Old Testament, God sent Jonah to warn the people of the city of Nineveh to repent of their ways. After being eaten by the whale, Jonah traveled to the wicked city and did as God had asked him. But when God didn't destroy the city and spared the inhabitants, Jonah brooded over God's mercy to Israel's enemies. Then God supplied a plant to give Jonah shade as he sat angrily in the hot noonday sun. The next day, however, God provided a worm to eat the plant.

Sometimes life seems like that. I can't figure it out. But diving into the depths of the ocean for me is like diving into the depths of God's love. I see His creativity in the world of worms, garden eels, and sea urchins; manta rays that glide over the sea wall, nurse sharks that hide under rocky ledges, and barracuda that amass in the hundreds. God's underwater paradise gives me hope that harmony with the world through Him is possible. I may not understand it all, but I don't have to. Perhaps God just wants me to enjoy the journey more and channel His creativity that I so much love into my soul.

As my kids get older, I look forward to once again putting on the weight belt, BC, tank, and octopus. I always enjoyed spitting into my face mask to clean it (after all, how many times in life is that acceptable behavior); and, of course, getting that last strand of hair out of the mask so as not to burn my eyes with seeping saltwater. I can’t wait to push that regulator button and hear the compressed air spew out (pretty important down there to be able to breathe) and I will waddle like a duck in all my gear to the back of the boat and wait my turn (imagining I look better than I feel with the cumbersome tank on my back).

I will make sure I remember all those hand signals (the out-of-air one might come in handy) and, hopefully, heave off the back of the boat in a spectacular somersault. The rising bubbles as I sink and the sound of the regulator imitating my breathing will bring me back to my favorite pastime. I will be wooed once more to enjoy God's presence in a fabulous world of unparalleled beauty. And for a brief moment, nothing else will matter.

                                          

BOOK MARKETING: ROACHES THAT EAT YOUR BEST-SELLER BOOK MARKETING DREAMS, by Lorilyn Roberts

Many years ago my ex-husband and I drove to Gainesville, Florida, from Augusta, Georgia, when he was finishing medical school and applying to residency programs. We had brought along our dog, Shelley, and it was dusk after the long eight-hour drive before we arrived at the motel.

As I headed into the bathroom exhausted, I was aghast to discover the ugliest creepy crawler I had ever seen-a huge, brown roach with antlers (okay, they were feelers, but they looked like antlers), crawling around on spiny, hairy legs, and the worst part-he turned his head and stared at me with dark beady eyes.

I ran out of the hotel room screaming at my husband, "I saw a roach."  After calming me down, we went back in so he could murder the invader. But the roach had scampered away. Of course, I insisted that we find him. As we examined the room in minute detail, we started seeing roaches everywhere-on the walls, on the floor, in the bathroom, crawling on the bed-I stood there and cried, "I can't stay here."                               

It was a football weekend, and if you know anything about Florida Gator football, you know that means almost every motel is full. We went from motel to motel for hours after driving all day to find one that had a vacancy that would accept dogs.

While my husband was contemplating an important interview for his residency, I was facing the horror of sleeping in a roach-infested hotel room. It was many years after that experience before I could stay in a hotel and not do the standard "roach check" - inside the bed sheets, under the bed, the dark bathroom, the closet-I would turn out the lights after I got into bed and then five minutes later turn them back on again to make sure one hadn't come out of hiding.

As I learned later, because my husband did accept that position at the University of Florida, there are many species of roaches besides those big ones. There are little ones, ones that fly, ones that hide in dark places, and ones that fall into the water while you take a bath (I would know).

What does a roach-infested hotel have to do with book marketing? When my husband finished medical school, I had huge hopes and dreams. I had spent the first five years of our marriage supporting him while he was in medical school in a job which was less than satisfying. I couldn't wait to take the next step toward my dream of earning that elusive college degree, which didn't include meeting a roach upon arrival.

The roaches of life have a way of catching us off-guard. They appear out of nowhere when we least expect them, and usually at the worst opportune time. Recently I had my one-another group over for prayer and put out a nice spread of food. While enjoying the sweet fellowship of Christian believers, one of my guests pointed out a large handsome roach crawling across the floor toward the table of food. That pang of embarrassment at an unexpected moment, we have all been there. I ran and fetched the roach spray. Such is life in Florida for those folks who live in Canada and the hinterlands.

As authors, we hope that story we have been mulling around in our heads becomes the next best-seller. But what about those marketing roaches? Have you met one? They are those "horrid things" that threaten to make an even bigger mess of your best-seller dreams. They rob you of sleep, steal your money, destroy relationships, and take away your peace of mind, filling you with worry, apprehension, and doubt.

I encountered my first roach in marketing when I went to a writer's conference in the Southeast. "No one reads memoirs" several people commented. Many attendees ignored me when they found I wasn't a VIP-an editor, agent, or well-known author. Others sounded judgmental with comments like, "Did anyone edit your book?

I came home and wanted to crawl back into my little cubbyhole and forget all about marketing. The experience squelched my creativity and motivation in one fell swoop. Even the proposal that I spent several days working on that an agent asked me to send him following the conference was never looked at.

I've learned there are a lot of roaches in the publishing business, and I have by no means met them all. On the book marketing forum, some of my fellow authors have shared some of their experiences with other kinds of roaches that I didn't even know existed.  

My first step to a healthier mindset was to quit focusing on all the things I couldn't do or control and figure out what I could do. I found I could do a lot more than I thought if I just took the time to learn how and wasn't so impatient. Your roaches are probably different from mine, but whatever they are, they will handicap you more than you realize unless you deal with them. You will be able to do more than you think if you have a teachable spirit, a positive attitude, and invest some time in helping others. When you help others, you are really helping yourself.  How? I don't know how, except it's one of the laws of nature that seems to work itself into equations that have eternal value. God sees it all and rewards us in ways we least expect it.

I had to go back to my faith and recommit my dreams. There is nothing anybody can do to prevent God's perfect will from being accomplished. No one has any power over my mental state except if I willingly relinquish that power to them. In the process of adversity and difficulties, God makes us strong. Nothing is ever wasted without serving a useful purpose.

Nevertheless, it's important to be aware of the more common kinds of roaches in marketing. A couple of months after my book was published, I bought two pricey email blast services-the kind where companies send out book announcements to their email lists, including subscribers, libraries and bookstores. Beware-these pricey roaches in the end were worthless. I sure wish I had that $600 back.

There are some other not-so-subtle roaches in marketing-laziness. If you are not willing or you don't want to work hard at marketing, I hope you have some influential contacts. You've probably heard this before but it's worth repeating: Nobody cares about your book. Your job is to make other people care. How do you do that? Through building relationships (I won't say anymore about this for now, but will address this again in the sixth article).

For those who have day jobs, kids, school, and major commitments outside of writing, I feel your pain. And this is where my concept of "process" comes in. I must focus on what I can do and leave the outcome in God's hands.  

The roach of discouragement: Quit complaining and ask God to help you. The John 3:16 Marketing Network is all about encouragement and lifting each other up. If you are hoping that "best-seller" status will bring you happiness, it won't. There is truly nothing "out there" that will fulfill you. Only your relationship with God, family, and friends can bring you happiness. 

Now that we have dealt with some major roaches in marketing, let's look at some things you can do to start marketing effectively. Before we begin a best-seller program, we need to look at what goes into launching a book, focusing on Amazon.

What you must do-long before you approach anyone to help you. We've had authors come into the network who did not have these things in place. Without fixing them, their book launch was doomed to failure.

1. Make sure your book has been edited completely-no ifs, ands, or buts. In addition to a professional editor, ask twenty people to read your book and look for things that are wrong, unclear, or misleading-from grammatical errors to content issues to structural problems. I guarantee you, honest people will find the problems-even though your mother will tell you it's wonderful the way it is. All the networking and promoting in the world won't salvage a poorly written book.
2. Make sure your book is not overpriced. Nobody will buy a book that is too expensive. There are unscrupulous companies out there that will overprice your book-roaches feeding on your desire to get published that care nothing about making your book salable. They will take your money up front and offer empty promises. Don't fall for it. Be wise. Remember the Proverb, "A fool and his money are soon parted." Go to Amazon and compare your book with others of similar content and length. Make your book cheaper if it's possible (and some publishing companies do listen. I asked that the price of one of my books be reduced and they did it).
3. In my opinion, e-books are the wave of the future. Price e-books lower and you will sell more copies. Remember, you must be competitive to sell books. Not only publish your book on Kindle, but in other e-formats as well, including Nook and Sony. Smashwords is an excellent service for publishing all types of e-books.
4. Get as many reviews of your book as possible. If you are an unknown author, you should have at least 5 four/five-star reviews before asking others to help you. We ask for two reviews on the John 3:16 Marketing Network now, but we will probably increase it to five soon.  
5. Here is a screen shot of my reviews for Children of Dreams. Reviews are important-both good ones and bad ones. My worst review was one three-star review. Why?  The reviewer thought I had too much Bible content. I thought it was actually a good review-after all, it’s an accurate assessment of my book for someone who is thinking about reading it. The reader will know what he is getting before he buys it. That’s what reviews are for.

 

1. Take advantage of all the functionalities of Amazon to market your book; i.e., the inside-the-book program. It allows others to sample your writing before buying your book.
2. Upload a nice photograph of yourself for your Avatar. While I love those goofy animal shots, I am not so sure if they pass the screen test for promoting oneself as a professional.
3. You will notice on Amazon all of the author names are hyperlinked to something called an Author Page. These are set up through the Amazon Author Central portion of Amazon. The Author Page will show your profile, bibliography, published books, a book trailer if you upload one, and a link to the Amazon Associates Program. The Amazon Associates Program will allow you to sell Amazon books on your website or blog.  All these things can sound very intimidating at first and overwhelming, but if you take it one step at a time, anyone can learn how to use these tools effortlessly. Because they are technical in nature rather than creative, all an author has to do is switch to the other side of his brain, which is where most adults spend their life anyway. Again, I repeat, anybody can do these things.   

Make sure you list your book correctly in the subcategories on Amazon, going from the largest category to the smallest. It is more difficult to reach best-seller status in a huge category like fiction than in the subcategory Christian Romance Fiction. The biggest roach-killer for the John 3:16 Marketing Network authors has been not optimizing the best-seller categories to enhance the probability of reaching best-seller status on book launches. 

1. Again, don't let the laziness roach eat at you. Persistence pays off.
2. Don't let the discouragement roach take away your dreams. As long as there is life in you, give it your best shot. Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you will land among the stars.
3. Start a blog and post to it as often as you can. To be a member of the John 3:16 Marketing Network, you must have an active blog. Write about what stirs you, interview other authors on your blog, review books, and post your reviews on your blog, Good Reads, Amazon, and other social networking sites.
4. Build up your Facebook contacts, Twitter followers, and create a Fan Page on Facebook.
5. Seek out positive people to interact with on the Internet. Avoid roach people-those who are self-centered, negative, bitter, or judgmental. They will pull you down into a funk you may never get out of.
6. Enjoy the journey. If you feel overwhelmed, pull out the roach spray. What do you need to kill? Examine what you are doing and consider what isn't working. Know yourself, your limitations, and your strengths. Focus on process, not on outcome, and ask God to give you wisdom.
7. Finally, don’t give up. Join with like-minded authors  experience the blessing of sharing your marketing journey with others.

BOOK MARKETING: ”What It Takes to Have a Winning Team,” by Lorilyn Roberts

Everyone knows who Lebron James is—at least they should know. Many consider him the best basketball player currently playing the game. He can do it all—shoot from the perimeter, make free throws from the foul line, dunk the ball with great charisma, pass it through arms and legs, muscle his way through guards, and practically defy the laws of probability on a good night.

He didn’t just start doing that. He’s been doing it since he was young. In fact, he entered the NBA at eighteen, right out of high school, bypassing a college career completely.

I remember the naysayers—he’s not good enough, he’s not old enough, he doesn’t have enough experience, in the NBA he will have lots more competition, he’s not that good. I remember all those comments because I wrote them. I do closed-captioning for television, and commentators love to beat up on famous people. Actually, maybe it’s not so much beating up on people, but I cringe at times when I hear what ruthless so-called experts say, thinking how I would feel if they were saying that about me.

Marketing is really a game. It’s a big game made up of players, managers, owners, referees, commentators, and the “crowds” that watch, whether it’s in a stadium, in the galley, in the stands, or in a gymnasium. Somewhere everybody fits. Those that don’t enjoy sports, well, I guess you just miss the game.

But let’s pretend you are a sports fan even if you aren’t. I use Lebron James as an example because he is a marvelously successful basketball player. He has done it all—except one thing that he wants more than anything else. He wants to win an NBA championship.

Why hasn’t he done that yet?  After all, he’s been a professional basketball player now for years. Were all the naysayers right? 

Even the best basketball player in the world can’t win a championship all on his own shoulders. When Lebron James was with the Cleveland Cavaliers, he tried. He did everything in his power to make it happen. He came close, but in the end he failed.

As I am writing this, the Miami Heat is playing the Chicago Bulls for a bid at the championship. I don’t know who will win—I am pulling for Miami for Lebron’s sake, even though I really like Joakim Noah for the Bulls (He showed up at my daughter’s nine-year-old birthday party and surprised us all.

Games are not meant in large part to be solitary sports (except for a few like tennis). To win, it takes cooperation, commitment, hard work, perseverance, and team participation by everyone.

I have captioned hundreds of games in various sports, and afterwards, the reporter usually interviews the most valuable player and the coach. He will also interview the losing coach and one of the best-losing players if time permits. It’s always interesting to hear what each coach says, and I especially love to hear the players’ thoughts.

After the game, all the reporters from the various sports news agencies will gather in a press room, and the star players and coaches will sit at a long table. The press conference often includes a bunch of “stupid” questions. Usually, with grace, the players and coaches will endure the battery, probably remembering that paycheck (in the pros), and those in college get a taste of the limelight.

But for those teams who are successful, it goes so much deeper than that final winning shot. It goes back to hours of practice and sacrifice; learning to play together as a team, the quirks of fellow teammates, what makes them tick and what ticks them off; and encouraging each other on how to make the other person’s game better. It’s about “dying to self” and embracing the concept deep down that it’s not “all about me.” And sometimes you have those phenomenal athletes like Tim Tebow who openly give the glory to God for their success.

How does this tie into the John 3:16 Marketing Network? Each author who has joined the network will admit to the dream of wanting to be a best-selling author. And in the John 3:16 Marketing Network, this is achievable for an unknown author in subcategories. It has happened on Amazon several times in the eight months we have been in existence.

But I want to remind the reader that the ultimate goal of the network is to bring glory to God through promoting a Christian worldview in the best-seller categories on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or the New York Times. If we remember the ultimate goal is to glorify God, we can have a “winning team.”

That means we rejoice when someone else wins an award, snags a contract, receives a glowing review, or achieves something for the first time he or she never thought possible. We die to ourselves, not wishing it was us instead. God has a path for each one of us.

As a Body of Authors, we can help each other to achieve success on whatever path God sets before us. For some, that might mean selling only a few hundred books. For others, that might mean selling thousands. The outcome is not ours to control. We unselfishly commit our way to being part of a winning team, not counting the costs in personal sacrifice, but the ultimate cost of winning souls. That is the real game in Christian marketing.

It’s not always the outcome that matters, but the process through which we achieve it. If we focus on the outcome and disregard relationships as we strive for that elusive finish line, we probably won’t succeed. It’s just too hard. Winners have learned they need others’ help to succeed. This is the philosophy behind the John 3:16 Network.

Recently, an author complained to me, “I feel like I have given out so much and gotten so little in return.” She cited some examples and I could relate to her sentiments about being slighted. We have all experienced it. None of us are immune because it’s not in our nature to ignore the hurtful things people do to us—even when it’s unintentional.

My email back to her was this:

God will return tenfold what you give out if you don’t keep score. He doesn’t forget. Think about all the people who have helped you and you weren’t in a position to return the favor.

Believe me, you will receive it back in miraculous ways, and it’s always better than what you expected, perhaps from a different source. But you need to have a short memory to allow God to have a long one.

The John 3:16 Marketing Network is about a lot more than selling books. It’s about being a winner - dying to self, caring about others, and encouraging each other in the journey. With the right attitude and the gifts God has given us, I have no doubt that many in the John 3:16 Marketing Network will achieve great success as far as book sales.

But there are also other kinds of success not measured in dollars and cents—in relationships, networking, and gaining knowledge and skills.

I don’t want to walk away from the marketing game because it’s too hard. I don’t want to sit in the stands watching others sell their books while I languish because I don’t know how. I don’t want to be stuck on the bench because I am injured—whether it’s my hurt feelings or pride that has tainted my attitude and made me selfish. And I don’t want to be a commentator finding fault with everything someone else has done wrong. I don’t want to be a referee—I just want to play. And those commentators out there—I can hear it from the naysayers. They probably think I am just a little crazy. Well, guess what? My kids would probably agree with you (but they love me anyway).  

Here we are all winners. We have taken that first step in successful marketing—networking. 

Author’s Note: Although the John 3:16 Marketing Network is no longer active, the steps we took and the strategies we implemented still apply today in 2022. Create your own networking with other like-minded authors, help each other on book launches, and you can achieve great things; but remember, it is God who we serve. Give Him all the glory for your success and learn from your mistakes. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Happy Marketing!