Donald and I decided that our marriage doesn’t have enough conflict and\u00c2\u00a0neither of us has\u00c2\u00a0enough distractions from writing fiction.\u00c2\u00a0 In\u00c2\u00a0a perhaps-foolhardy\u00c2\u00a0attempt to solve both issues at once, we’re going to edit and independently publish an anthology together.<\/p>\n
For those of you who might be less familiar with publishing lingo, an anthology is a book of short stories by different authors,\u00c2\u00a0often\u00c2\u00a0on one\u00c2\u00a0particular theme or topic.\u00c2\u00a0 (A book of short stories by\u00c2\u00a0a single author is usually referred to as a collection.)\u00c2\u00a0 We’ll be inviting authors (including you, if you’re an author!) to submit speculative fiction stories (science fiction, fantasy,\u00c2\u00a0or horror) that engage meaningfully with Christianity:\u00c2\u00a0 Christian characters, themes, or cosmology.\u00c2\u00a0 Stories we select will be published in an anthology\u00c2\u00a0called Mysterion: Rediscovering the Mysteries of the Christian Faith<\/em>.\u00c2\u00a0 You can read more about it at www.mysterionanthology.com,<\/a> and you can even sign up for our newsletter<\/a> (for authors, Submission Guidelines<\/a> and Theme Guidelines<\/a> provide more information about the kinds of stories we’re looking for)!\u00c2\u00a0 We pay 6 cents per word for stories of up to 10,000 words.<\/p>\n We’re open to submissions from October 15th to December 25th, and the anthology will be published sometime in 2016 in both paperback (print-on-demand) and e-book formats.\u00c2\u00a0 (If you’re not sure what print-on-demand means, the short answer is that you’ll be able to order it from Amazon and possibly other online booksellers, and we won’t have to find room for 1000 books in our small apartment.)<\/p>\n Why are we doing this?\u00c2\u00a0 Well, we’re both Christians.\u00c2\u00a0 And, while we enjoy reading\u00c2\u00a0fiction written from a wide variety of perspectives, we often wish that we encountered more stories\u00c2\u00a0dealing with Christian beliefs and life in a way that\u00c2\u00a0feels authentic to our own lived experience.\u00c2\u00a0 I don’t necessarily mean pro-Christian here.\u00c2\u00a0 There are things that bother me about my own religious tradition, things that I’m skeptical of or uncertain about.\u00c2\u00a0 That’s part of my authentic lived experience of Christianity, too.\u00c2\u00a0 What I mean is, portrayals of Christians and Christian beliefs are often too much on one side or the other.\u00c2\u00a0 Either Christians are the good guys, standing up against obviously wrong and stupid antagonists, or Christians are the bad guys from whose wrongness and stupidity everyone else needs rescuing.\u00c2\u00a0 Neither side resonates with me.\u00c2\u00a0 I like stories where no one’s really the villain, where it isn’t clear who’s right or wrong.\u00c2\u00a0 And when there are Christian characters, if I squint a little and look at\u00c2\u00a0them in the right kind of light, I should be able to\u00c2\u00a0see a resemblance to\u00c2\u00a0myself or my friends or family members.\u00c2\u00a0 Even when the likeness makes me cringe.\u00c2\u00a0 Perhaps especially then.<\/p>\n That’s my answer, at least.\u00c2\u00a0 Donald may have a different one, if you ask him.<\/p>\n Are we a Christian publisher?\u00c2\u00a0 We’ll probably never get onto the American Christian Fiction Writers Recognized Publisher List<\/a>, even if we become successful enough (and publish novels).\u00c2\u00a0 Apparently, Christian fiction has to be written from a Christian worldview and must not contain “profanity, graphic sex, gratuitous violence or other objectionable material, and must otherwise conform to generally accepted standards of the CBA [Christian Booksellers Association]”.\u00c2\u00a0 We’re not necessarily looking for profanity, graphic sex, or gratuitous violence, but we’re also not publishing a book for readers who don’t want to encounter anything offensive or disturbing.\u00c2\u00a0 We believe authors should use whatever words and situations they consider necessary and appropriate to tell\u00c2\u00a0a particular\u00c2\u00a0story.\u00c2\u00a0 Besides, I’m not sure the Bible itself would meet these content guidelines.\u00c2\u00a0 And, while we do want\u00c2\u00a0authentic portrayals of\u00c2\u00a0the Christian experience, and cosmology that fits into a Christian framework,\u00c2\u00a0we’re\u00c2\u00a0eager to\u00c2\u00a0consider stories from any author of any faith (or none).<\/p>\n So, if you’re a science fiction & fantasy reader and enjoy stories where faith and\/or religion figure prominently, check out our website and subscribe to our newsletter!\u00c2\u00a0 And if you’re a writer, send us a story (but only after October 15th).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Donald and I decided that our marriage doesn’t have enough conflict and\u00c2\u00a0neither of us has\u00c2\u00a0enough distractions from writing fiction.\u00c2\u00a0 In\u00c2\u00a0a perhaps-foolhardy\u00c2\u00a0attempt to solve both issues at once, we’re going to edit and independently publish an anthology together. For those of … Continue reading