Tag: Christian fantasy

Want to Win an Autographed Book?

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I’m doing another Rafflecopter giveaway for my newsletter subscribers. This time I’m giving away an autographed copy of Into the Shadow Wood, a companion book to Journey to Aviad.

Not subscribed yet? Feel free to take a look at my last newsletter.  In this edition there is a character spotlight on Alaric from Into the Shadow Wood, along with some author updates and links to a couple of giveaways for LOTS of free books. When you  sign up for my newsletter, you’ll also get a free e-copy of Book 2 in my series, Ancient Voices: Into the Depths. You can unsubscribe at any time, so really you’ve got nothing to lose!

So, back to my original question:
Want the chance to win an autographed book?

Step 1: Subscribe to my newsletter and download your free ebook
Step 2: Enter the giveaway

That’s it! The winner will be announced in my September newsletter. Good luck!

Into the Shadow Wood

Once a proud member of the Sovereign’s prestigious personal guard, Einar has lost everything: his home, his Sovereign, and his purpose. Most of his closest friends have either been killed in battle or executed. His friend Nevon died trying to fulfill a dangerous oath…one that Einar disagreed with, but now feels honor-bound to take up in his stead. The quest plunges Einar into the depths of the dark and twisted Shadow Wood, testing the limits of his strength, his beliefs, and his sanity. What he finds in the Wood is far more ominous than anything he’d expected. If he’s not careful, Nevon’s fate might end up being his own.

 

How to Write a Fantasy Novel by Lee Duigon

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How to Write a Fantasy Novel

By leeduigon
In reclaiming cultural ground for Christ’s Kingdom, even small gains count. Besides, one never knows what even the smallest victories might lead to.Fantasy literature has long been popular, especially among young readers, twelve years old and up. When J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series made publishing history, it gave birth to a boom in fantasy. Here, at last, was something that young people really wanted to read!But an examination of the shelves in any bookstore will show that fantasy, for all its popularity, has a major downside for Christian readers. The market is dominated by unwholesome content—books glamorizing witchcraft, vampirism, zombies, etc.

C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien have long held the fort for Christianity in the realm of fantasy. It’s time they received some reinforcements.

A Darker Message

Why write Christian fantasy? The reasons are simple enough.

*Fantasy, like poetry, appeals to a region of the mind not easily reached by other types of fiction. Would it not be good ministry to sow some seeds there?
*Why let the field be monopolized by work that is anything but Christian?
*An effective use of fantasy in Christ’s service will make some readers more receptive to the gospel.

Finally, much fantasy is being used today to deliver a darker message…

Click to continue reading: How to Write a Fantasy Novel

Book Review: Into the Shadow Wood

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Thanks to Andrea Lundgren for providing a thorough review of my novella, Into the Shadow Wood. She is a fantastic reviewer, book coach, writer, and blogger. Read the entire review and find out more about Andrea on her blog.

Title: Into the Shadow Wood by Allison D. Reid

Genre: Fantasy/Short Story

Book Description from Goodreads: Once a proud member of the Sovereign’s prestigious personal guard, Einar has lost everything: his home, his Sovereign, and his purpose. Most of his closest friends have either been killed in battle or executed. His friend Nevon died trying to fulfill a dangerous oath…one that Einar disagreed with, but now feels honor-bound to take up in his stead. The quest plunges Einar into the depths of the dark and twisted Shadow Wood, testing the limits of his strength, his beliefs, and his sanity. What he finds in the Wood is far more ominous than anything he’d expected. If he’s not careful, Nevon’s fate might end up being his own.

Book Review: Having read the two novels that are out of The Wind Rider Chronicles, I was quite excited when Allison announced that there’d be a short story continuing Einar’s journey, and even more delighted when she asked me to review the novella. Einar was my favorite character from Journey to Aviad, and this story takes up where that novel left off. So here’s a closer look…

Source: Book Review: Into the Shadow Wood

Join my Faith-Filled, Fantastical Journey!

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newsletter-banner-bookI’m very excited to announce that I have started a brand new newsletter.

For those of you already getting the Weekly Fantasy Fix, no worries–I’ll still be contributing to that as usual. But some of my fans have requested a more personal, in-depth look into my world views, inspirations, and writing. And since I’m doing my own marketing, I’ll also be using it to help broaden my reach to find new readers.

My personal author newsletter is going to include things like behind-the-scenes glimpses into my world building, character spotlights, how my faith ties into my fiction, and much more. It’s going to be more interactive as well, so I can get to know my readers better. I think you’ll really like it, and I’m already enjoying putting it together!

If you don’t have a copy of Ancient Voices: Into the Depths yet, you can get it free when you subscribe. Ready to sign up? Here’s the link:
http://www.subscribepage.com/AllisonDReid

 

What Kind of God is in Your Christian Fiction? by Andrea Lundgren

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For most authors, this may sound like a silly question. If they’re Christian, then of course they’re featuring the God of the Bible, the Father who sent His Son into the world. There is only one God they could possibly feature in their writing…right?

Well, not exactly. I just read three different novels that I would consider to be “Christian”–insofar as they all had God of the Bible or His fantasy equivalent somewhere in there–yet all three handled God’s part in the story very differently…

Source: What Kind of God is in Your Christian Fiction?

Book Review: ‘Into the Shadow Wood’ by Allison Reid

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Thanks to Lee Duigon for writing such a wonderful review of my companion novella to the Wind Rider Chronicles. Lee is an amazing author in his own right, and I’ve been thoroughly enjoying his Bell Mountain series (YA Christian Fantasy). For him to read and review my writing is a real honor! (Click the source link at the bottom to read the entire review.)

isw-cover-medThis is Book 3 of the “Wind Rider Chronicles” by Allison Reid, also known here as our esteemed colleague, “Weavingword”–and it’s a corker.

When I reviewed Book 2, Ancient Voices, last winter, I predicted that these books, already quite good, would get better as the series went on–and how about that, I was right.

To get the most out of this book, you ought to read Book 1, Journey to Aviad. That’s because Into the Shadow Wood is sort of a mini-book, a little over 40,000 words long, written to tie up some loose ends left over from Book 1. But this little book is anything but an afterthought.

These are solidly Christian books, suitable for readers 12 and up, based on a fully Trinitarian theology, and increasingly well-written. More than that, they are important books…

Source: Book Review: ‘Into the Shadow Wood’ by Allison Reid

 

The Writer Friend Job Description #AmWriting #Writer (by Lucy Mitchell)

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Do you have a writer friend, or are you one yourself?

The job description for a writer friend might go something like this…

About The Role

Writer friend needed to provide long-term creative and emotional support to a fellow writer.

Hours: Can vary each week. Dependent upon a number of factors:

  • The mental state of the writer
  • The stage the writer is at with their latest project.
  • The writer’s view of their current project.
  • The writer’s view of their own creative abilities

Location: Can be based anywhere in the world as long as there is Wi-Fi access.

Key Duties / Responsibilities:

  • Must be on hand to provide email, text or phone support to the writer. This will include evening, late night and weekend shifts.
  • Must be able to provide a quick literary assessment of the writer’s new story idea which might be written in the form of a brief text or a photo of a diagram involving arrows, stick people and some key words.
  • Must provide the writer with a much-needed confidence boost when necessary.
  • Must possess a good sense of humour…

Read the rest at… The Writer Friend Job Description #AmWriting #Writer