Simonetta Carr's Blog, page 3

Changing of the Guard

Good-bye (at least for some time) to Matt Abraxas, the talented illustrator of seven titles in our series: John Owen, Athanasius, Lady Jane Grey, Anselm, John Knox, Jonathan Edwards, and Marie Durand. John Owen and Lady Jane Grey have both come finalists in the annual San Diego Book Awards, and Anselm of Canterbury has won first price. Much of the credit for these awards goes to Matt for his highly acclaimed illustrations.

Matt has left the series to work on a new line of work (film director). When his new business becomes stable, he plans to return to  painting and (hopefully) illustrating.

Great artists have several distinguishing marks. One is a passion for excellency. There were times when Matt was especially busy  juggling family duties, seasonal illnesses, and various occupations. It would have been easy for him to cut corners, but in the end I  could see that his passion had the best of him. He couldn’t resist getting things just right.

I should also thank his lovely wife Rebecca for allowing him to spend much time on these illustrations and for posing for some (yes,  she is even Queen Mary I of England in the illustration on the right). And thanks to  his children Zorba and Rainer for contributing with their opinions and ideas.

I keep encouraging Matt to sell his original illustrations at affordable prices. If you are interested in buying anyone in particular, let me know.

And if you miss Matt, just glance through some of our books. He is there almost in every picture, ha! (see picture on left).

 

We now welcome our new illustrator Troy Howell, an acclaimed award-winning artist and illustrator as well as author of several books (including the delightful YA novel, The Dragon of Cripple Creek). Yes, it’s the same Troy Howell who illustrated the covers for the well-known Redwall series. My children loved to read those books and gaze at the covers. I certainly didn’t expect Troy would be working with me today! You can find more about him on this website http://troyhowelletc.com/ You can also check his Linkedin profile to see a list of his awards https://www.linkedin.com/pub/troy-how....

I “met” Troy online some years ago when I was looking for an illustrator (before Matt came along). What drew me to his artwork was its energy, intensity of expressions, and whimsy. I  still remember a picture of a girl looking back, staring at the viewers. She absolutely charmed me. I don’t know where this picture is now.

At that time, Troy was not available but was extremely kind and accommodating. We have since remained friends and he has offered me his writing advice on several occasions. I am glad  he found “the subject of such an influential figure as Luther” “inspiring” enough to accept this assignment. I am definitely looking forward to this new and exciting artistic collaboration!

 

 

 

Latest News

I haven’t been posting for a while, and there are many news regarding this series and more.

1. The next title in the series is Marie Durand – yes, finally another woman. It should be out in June 2015. As you know, my series is mostly about people who have influenced the way we believe as Christians. Women had less of an impact in this sense, but Marie lived at a time when Christianity in France was undergoing many challenges, and she stood firm. The French government forced many pastors to leave the country and a lack of pastoral care caused an increase in private prophecy and revelation. As it often happens, violence and prophesying went hand in hand. Marie’s family stayed true to the confessional teachings of the historical church, and her brother worked actively with other pastors to reorganize French churches. Once the government stopped persecuting the church, however, a new challenge arose – the philosophy of the Enlightenment, emphasizing morality over biblical truth and dismissing the miraculous and supernatural. Since the French philosophers had worked with the church on behalf of religious tolerance, many Christians felt attracted by their views. Even if Marie was mostly an “ordinary” believer, stuck in a prison for 38 years, her stand for the truth is still remembered and has influenced many Christians for centuries. For example, her resistance inspired French Christians to risk their lives to protect persecuted Jews during the Nazi regime.  The book is actually finished and is waiting for a final revision by the publisher. Matt Abraxas is completing the illustrations.

2. In 2016, we should be able to publish a book on Martin Luther – just in time for the 500th anniversary of the 95 theses in 2017. The manuscript is done and is waiting for revision. Sadly, Matt decided to take some time off as illustrator for this series. God, however, has provided another wonderful artist and illustrator. We will disclose his name shortly.

3. God willing, after Luther we will publish a book on Irenaeus of Lyons. This is a very challenging task because we only know about four or five facts about his life. Irenaeus’s writings, however, are very important for our Christian theology and I am determined to make it work. Rev. Dr. John Behr, author of Irenaeus of Lyons, has already provided some helpful advice and has generously offered to assist me in my research. Watch for the book in the fall of 2016.

4. Outside of this series, I am working on a biography of Michelangelo Buonarroti for Chicago Press for Kids. The offer practically fell on my lap, and I accepted after much time of prayer and counsel. The manuscript is due on June 1, 2015, and I believe the book will be published in 2017. I have received some help and advice from John T. Spike (author of Young Michelangelo) and Antonio Forcellino (author of Michelangelo, a Tormented Life).

5. Other titles I am considering are a book on my struggle with my son’s schizophrenia. I am planning to include my experience, and also a section of questions and answers where I interview experts, parents, pastors, etc. on this puzzling and destructive disease. I am also considering a book for children on church history. And a few more are still in embryonic stage…

Thank you for your prayers!

How Critical is a Critical Perspective?

OK, I admit it, the title is an attempt to sound clever. Ideally, yes, a critical perspective of history is important. How to maintain it in a short biography for relatively young children (ages 7-10) is another story.

This reflection was prompted by a great review by Daniel Cooley (Jonathan Edwards Center at TEDS) of my book Jonathan Edwards. At the end of his very positive review, Cooley foresees a problem. “People who don’t like Calvinism may not like this book (for it presents Edwards’ Calvinist perspective uncritically), but Reformed Christian families will likely treasure it for generations to come,” he says.

Although it’s impossible to write truly neutral history, I have certainly learned a lot on this subject – from my first book in 2008 (John Calvin) until now. With each book, I have I tried harder to consider the subject in a critical manner and to strive for objectivity. At the same time, the limitation in space (number of pages) and level of comprehension demand that I make more choices than the author of a biography for adult readers would have to make. If I want to keep the text interesting to young readers without resorting to simplistic answers, I have to focus on one or two issues. For example, I gave only a brief overview of Jonathan Edwards’s theology, highlighting its relation to his life. I have always wanted to help children to understand that ideas are not born in a vacuum. The conclusions theologians have drawn are usually the result of years of study, reflection, and discussion with others, and are often propelled by a struggle – either with oneself (as in Augustine or Luther) or with contrasting doctrines (as with Athanasius vs. Arius, or Augustine vs. Pelagius) – or by pastoral concerns, or both.

Authors of biographies for adult readers can – and should – devote more time to opposing arguments. I need to pick and choose. In Jonathan Edwards, I limited my critical perspective to the Great Awakening, as a knowledge of this time period is important in order to understand the church today. I tried (whether successfully or not) to help children to understand the history of the awakening and why some people favored it and some opposed it. It’s a huge subject which I have tried to condense in a couple of pages. With everything else, I have just let Edwards speak. About his views on predestination, for example, I simply explained it was a doctrine he had learned as a child, struggled with it as a young man, and finally recognized as biblical, mostly thanks to one Bible verse (1 Timothy 1:17) that came to life in his mind. Then I included his description of the experience.

This is what I normally try to do. In Anselm of Canterbury, I have not spent time discussing Roman Catholic practices most Protestants oppose, such as obedience to the pope or the great estimation of monastic life. I focused on the main point of my book, which was Anselm’s explanation of the atonement.

I also found it essential to send my manuscripts to a variety of scholars. For Athanasius, for example, I sent it to a Protestant, a Roman Catholic, and an Easter Orthodox. For Jonathan Edwards, consulting with D. G. Hart and Scott Clark helped me to keep a good balance in covering the Great Awakening.

It is my hope that parents will take the time to read these books with their children and use them as a springboard for further discussion of the issues I was forced to mention in a limited fashion. If so, the books can be used by all families – Reformed, mainstream evangelical, Roman Catholic, etc. One Roman Catholic school in San Diego has purchased all my books and their history teacher is using them to supplement their curriculum.

In the meantime, I hope to continue to learn and improve. I am presently writing a biography of Michelangelo for Chicago Press for Kids and I am sure I will learn much in working with my editor, as each new editor or reviewer brings fresh perspectives and helps me to grow.

 

Second Mini-Contest

Here is another short contest. It might be easier for those who already have these books.

In each of the first seven books in the series (John Calvin, Augustine, John Owen, Athanasius, Jane Grey, Anselm, and John Knox) there is a (truly!) unintentional mention of Italy or of Italians. Once again, Jonathan Edwards breaks this habit (except for a small illustration which is done by an Italian artist, but the word Italy doesn’t actually appear in the book).

Comment on this blog by listing the seven mentions of Italy. Some books will have more than others, but one per book is sufficient. You will be entered in a contest to win a copy of Jonathan Edwards. The contest runs from today, 10/10/2014, to Friday 10/17/2014.

If you don’t have all the books, you can probably guess. Some are obvious!

Have fun!

Mini_Contest Winner

The first contest is over. The pattern was J-A-J-A-J-A-J (following the first name of each character). Edwards breaks the pattern with another J.

I have received other interesting answers.

Anyhow, the winner for this contest is Marguerite Harrell.

Don’t despair. I have another contest coming up!

Mini-Contest

The last attempt to run this mini-contest failed. For some reason, I didn’t get any entries even if people told me they sent them. So here are some new rules:

1.  Look at the titles of the first seven books in the series as they are listed in the CBFYR tab on the website and see if you can detect a pattern in the names of the characters. The eighth book breaks the pattern.

2. Then simply comment to this post. I will not publish the comments until the deadline so you can’t see what other people wrote.

The contest will run until October 8. You will be entered into a drawing for a free copy of our book on Jonathan Edwards.

 

Anselm of Canterbury Wins Best Biography

I was caught by surprise when Anselm of Canterbury won the San Diego Book Award for Best Published Biography. It’s a great honor, especially considering the other finalists in the same category have presented very valuable books. Winners were announced at the Twentieth Annual San Diego Book Awards Ceremony (2014) in San Diego, California.

Anselm of Canterbury has already won the Athanatos Ministry Award for Best Children’s Book.

A description of the book and various endorsements and review can be found here.

A large share of the credit belongs to my main illustrator, Matt Abraxas, for his masterful oil paintings. Artist and illustrator Joel Spector has also contributed with some lively illustrations of Anselm’s analogies and parables.  I would like to take this chance to thank once more Dr. Samu Niskanen, research fellow in history at Helsinki University and author of a new critical edition of Anselm’s correspondence, for reading my manuscript and patiently answering countless questions. More thanks belong to Paolo Golinelli, professor of Medieval History, University of Verona, Italy; Felix B. A. Asiedu, visiting scholar at Emory University, Atlanta; the managers of the Saint Anselm of Canterbury Facebook page; and many dear friends for their advice and counsel; as well as many photographers and museums for their photo contributions. The book of course could not have been produced without the invaluable work of the staff at Reformation Heritage Books.

 

An interview with East County Magazine can be heard here.

 

Winners of the 32-Author Giveaway

First of all, thank you for participating to the 32 Author Scavenger Hunt! I was happy to “meet” so many new people. I hope you will stay tuned to this blog or our social media accounts.

I am sure most of you have already found out, but here are the results of the 32-Author Giveaway.

The Grand Prize winner of the iPad Mini and a copy of each author’s book is:

RENÉE MANNING!!!!

Second Prize Winner of a copy of each author’s book is:

Chris Morcom

Third Prize Winner of a copy of each author’s book is:

Christa Scott

 

I hope you will all enjoy your prices. See you back soon!

Three-Ladies Giveaway Winners

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Three-Ladies (Lady Jane Grey, Renée of France, and Olympia Morata) Giveaway has come to a close. The winners of the set of three books were chosen randomly (I used Random.org with my 16-year old son as a witness) among the names of those who left a comment on this blog or who liked my FB page and left a comment there (according to the terms of the giveaway). I really wish I could have given everyone a prize! I appreciated all your comments so much and was touched by your kind words. But I had to choose three, so the winners are…

1. C. Marie

2. Nancy Porter

3. Bonnie Thompson

I will notify the winners by email or FB message.

For the others, please don’t give up. Check this blog or my FB and Twitter pages for new giveaways. We will definitely have a very fun one in February or late January, just before my new book comes out. Also, if you are a reviewer, you may be able to get free copies from my publishers (Reformation Heritage Books, P&R, and Evangelical Press). Of course you can always buy my books from the publishers, Amazon, WTS, Grace and Truth, Christianbook, or any other good online bookstore. In fact, Reformation Heritage Books is having a huge sale of my books right now.

32 Author Scavenger Hunt Stop #5

Hello Scavengers!

 

I am glad to see you have made it to the fifth stop on the 31 Author Scavenger Hunt! By now you have learned how this works, so relax and enjoy this interesting article by Donita K. Paul on what makes a classic.

For those who have just discovered the hunt by opening this page, still enjoy the article, but then go back to the beginning to get all the clues – Stop one is here.

You will find the fifth clue somewhere on this page.  But now…

 

Meet Donita K. Paul

I have the privilege to host Donita K. Paul, a retired teacher and award-winning author of several novels, including the Chiril Chronicles and the DragonKeeper Chronicles. She has also co-authored some books (still about dragons) with her daughter, Evangeline Denmark. I am wearing my dragon shirt (yes, I have one and love it) for the occasion, but I will not post a picture to distract you from our guest and her very interesting article. Enjoy!

THREE THINGS THAT MAKE A CLASSIC
by Donita K. Paul

I have a lesson I teach at workshops that captivates me. I love to teach it because it excites me, and I love watching people’s faces when the simplicity of this lesson dawns on them. Oddly, I don’t remember where the concept came from. Perhaps it was presented whole to me in some mostly forgotten class in college or even high school. Perhaps I pieced it together from lectures and textbooks over the years. Maybe I made the whole thing up. I’m good at making things up.

I connected with this concept when a student asked, “What makes a piece of literature a classic?”

I knew the answer! I’m sharing it with you in the hope that it will impact your enjoyment of what you’re reading.

Why do we read some books over and over? Why do some books end up in curriculum, and each generation forced to savor the story of an author long dead?

Three things make a book a classic:

1. The work must identify the condition of man.

2. The work must shed light on a universal truth.

3. The work must inspire the reader to seek a higher plane.

This applies to the greatest story ever told.

The Gospel identifies humankind as sinners separated from God.

Universally, people struggle with the emptiness that living without God generates.

Believing in Christ and the resurrection after the punishment for an individual’s sin motivates people to accept salvation, read the Bible, and follow God’s Word.

When DragonSpell first came out, my editor said, “This is destined to become a classic.”

You can bet I wrapped that little sentence in fine cloth and treasured it in my heart. I revisit it when I feel like I’m not of much use.

The theme of DragonSpell is moving from a state of slavery to a servant attitude. Assessing the story through the lens of a classic might look something like this.

Condition of man: Kale has been given gifts that she doesn’t recognize.

Universal truth: To develop and utilize one’s gifts takes effort, courage, and guidance.

The higher plane: To use one’s gifts for the benefit of others without regard to fame or fortune.

Sometimes the higher plane can be identified as a moral warning.

In Little Boy Blue, the boy neglects his duty and loses his sheep. So the higher plane is choosing to honor commitments.

In Goldilocks, the little girl learns to use some discretion when entering into unknown territory and pillaging things belonging to others. The higher plane is to aim to be a wise explorer and therefore safe from bears. And the bears learn to lock their doors.

But classics are enjoyable whether you’ve identified them as such or not. So, please don’t start reading all your fiction books as if there’s a test at the end. Enjoy the story. But also be aware that a classic might change your attitude. In fact, some books have changed the attitude of a multitude of readers. Uncle Tom’s Cabin and To Kill a Mockingbird are two that come to mind.

I confess that I generally liked the classics I was forced to read in school. Many of the messages stayed with me. Some of them I even read again when I didn’t have to. They read so much better when you don’t have to write a report afterwards.

But another thought rears a venomous snake-like head: Story impacts our minds and hearts. Wonderful, when the tale brings truth to a searching individual. Devastating, when the words lead a fragile personality down a path of deception, destruction, and distance from our loving Father.

Be careful what you read.

Be careful what you write.

 

     Recommended books:

     God of the Fairy Tale by Jim Ware

     Finding God in the Lord of the Rings by Kurt Bruner and Jim Ware

 

Here is a sneak preview of Donita’s latest book, One Realm Beyond.

You can also find Donita on Facebook, Pinterest, Goodreads, and Twitter

Her website is the next stop in this Hunt, so you can visit her there.

But first you need your clue, don’t you? Well, it’s “to celebrate“! Now you are on your way…

But WAIT, just one more minute! There is still a…

BONUS GIVEAWAY!!

Before you rush on, there is a giveaway on this website too! A package of three autographed books for three winners – about three women in church history – Lady Jane Grey, Renée of France, and Olympia Morata. The books were written for different age groups, so they may be used as presents for your loved ones this Christmas. Click on each cover to find more.

Lady Jane Grey is a biography for children 6-12

Renée of France is a biography for adults.

Weight of a Flame – The Passion of Olympia Morata is a semi-fictional biography for young adults.

The winners can also choose to contact me personally to get a special dedication along with my signature. And… this giveaway is open to readers all over the world!

You can enter this giveaway in two ways:

1. Like CBYR on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CBFYR AND leave a comment to the Scavenger post there 

post di Christian Biographies for Young Readers.

OR

2. Leave a comment here.

I will use random.org to choose three winners from all the participants.  Pass on the word to your friends!!