Celebration of New Christian Fiction III

“And the Lord did grin. And the people did feast upon the lambs and sloths and carp and anchovies and orangutans and breakfast cereals and fruit bats . . .”

Hey, gang! It’s that time again.

What time, you ask?

Time to celebrate! And to feast–not upon lambs, sloths, carp, etc.–but upon words. As host of this month’s Celebration of New Christian Fiction, it is with honor and delight I spread before you a delicious banquet. For your pleasure, gourmet bloggers have provided today’s smorgasbord, each dish adding its own unique flavor and guaranteed to enhance our main course.

The centerpiece of today’s feast? That spicy little figure of speech that can be served in so many fascinating ways: Metaphor!

The chef recommends the following specials:

Mary E. DeMuth, my dear friend and a true wonder in the word kitchen, discusses the power of metaphor in short fiction in a piece aptly named, “The Power of Metaphor in Short Fiction.” Whet your appetite with Mary’s powerful prose at her relevantblog.

Mick Silva, a man of many talents and more than a few metaphors, discusses communion, the Matrix, heightened senses, and the symbolic difference between Welch’s and wine in “The Meaning of Food.” Sample Mick’s delicacies at his blog, My Writers Group. (By the way, Mick mentions and links to a post I wrote for The Master’s Artist. If you follow the link, you’ll have to click on the April, 2005, archives and scroll down to find it. Look for Welch’s or Wine? Thanks, again, Mick.)

In his blog, Learning Curve, Chris Well of CCM Magazine interviews Eric Wilson, author of Dark to Mortal Eyes (WaterBrook Press), the first in a series of suspense novels exploring the five senses. Eric’s title alone has more layers than deep-dish lasagna! Learn why Lord of the Flies rocked Eric’s world, why he hates when people ask whether he is an “entertainer” or a “minister,” and how he got scars on his knuckles.

Pull up a chair at Paula Moldenhauer’s blog, GraceReign, and savor A Story, a parable for those who finally realize, no matter how much they do, it will never be enough.

In her blog, Deep POV, Pat Loomis considers Susan Howatch’s successful recipe for revealing Christian concepts without preaching in The Heartbreaker. To learn Susan’s secrets, read A Beautiful Approach.

In her blog, My Little World, Valerie Comer shares her subtle approach to spicing her fiction with faith. In Blogging and Real Life, she discusses her use of science fiction and fantasy to explore elements of faith.

Chris Mikesell’s “Revival” Blog gets to the meat of the preachiness issue in On Motivating vs. Preaching. Chris compares motivating to metaphor, relationships, and fast BMWs.

In Staci Wilder’s blog, Glimpses, we can almost taste her fear as we heed a call to the deep. Dive in!

Anyone up for a little grog? Avast, me mateys. Before ye raise yer mugs fer a refill, check out Marcia Laycock’s look at a different kind of grog. In her blog, Writer-lee, Marcia spins a powerful pottery metaphor that packs a stronger punch than a bottle of rum. This story is not for the weak in heart. Venture, if you dare, to Bold and Courageous.

If you’re still hungry, you’re always welcome to sample the offerings here! Glimpses of the symphony looks at life as story and music, the works of a divine artist.

Thanks for stopping by today’s celebration! I hope you leave satisfied.