Cliff Graham's Blog, page 3

In the meantime, where can I get Day of War?

With the change in publishers, it means that Day of War will go back into development for the next year. Yep, that's right, the next year. It is currently still available from Amazon and other places, but that is only because there is still some stock with the old publisher. You can try to get it through those outlets for a short time.

However, I recommend that you wait until you can get the new version. It has been significantly overhauled and improved. I'm actually personally very anxious fo...

New directions and opportunities

Change is coming to the LION OF WAR series. All good, but not necessarily easy.

I will be signing with a new publisher soon for the series. The current publisher, Tate, has been fantastic and there are no bad feelings of any kind. I wish them all the best and look forward to future collaborations.

However, due to the nature of this project, both it's size and it's scope, it was better to go elsewhere. It was a difficult decision, but I have peace that it was the right one.

So here is what it mea...

Romantic pursuits

This article over at Relevant Magazine made some very powerful points, and since it has something to do with what I am working on, I thought I would give it some time.

In short, the writer describes the destructive influences of "emotional pornography," as opposed to "visual pornography." Visual pornography is an easy villain and its destructive effects are well-known. However, equally destructive is this new wave of emotional pornography, where people build up completely unrealistic expectati...

Clarifying

I can see how my last post might have been a bit confusing. COVENANT is not available to the general public yet. The feedback I am referring to is the small number of advance reader prints in circulation to various studio executives, reviewers, and test readers. If you are awaiting your copy of the book, you will still get it when it officially releases.

The new and improved DAY OF WAR

I am doing a general rewrite of the first LION OF WAR book. Nothing dramatic as far as the plot and characters, but polishing and cleaning it up a good bit. In the years since I first wrote that manuscript I have improved as a writer and really wanted to go back and give it another crack. I also wanted to incorporate the story elements that surfaced in book 2, as well as incorporating some of the collaborative feedback from the filmmakers.

I look at the original text (what's in your book if yo...

Big changes coming soon

I apologize for the lack of frequent updates and general silence the past few weeks. The reason for this is because all aspects of the LION series are in the incubator stage, which means that both on the film side and the book side, progress is going well enough that we are trying to keep it all under wraps until the time is right.

I have been looking a great deal of conceptual artwork, character designs, etc from the movie side, as well as some sample video that is truly mind blowing, and as ...

For the male writers out there

This particular post is directed at the male readers of this blog, but ladies, you are welcome to hang around.
Guys, it is brutally tough out there in the Christian fiction market. I for one hate the phrase "Christian fiction," but since it is a fully established norm, I won't fight it. The point is, here is what is selling in the CBA (Christian Book Association), straight from my sources.
1) A book with a woman on the cover who is wearing a bonnet.
2) A book with a woman on the cover who is...

Why are they so flawed?

I get interesting feedback on my "take" on the Mighty Men. Some people can't figure out why I would portray these men as troubled. That really isn't my take; it's the description of them given in the Bible.

I think part of why this resonates with folks is because for too long we have been given portrayals of Biblical heroes who are not accurate depictions of humanity. As heroic as David is, he also had dramatic flaws. The same goes for his men.

That does not make them any less heroic at all. In...

Global Virtual Studio

I am excited to unveil a glimpse into the DAY OF WAR movie. One of the groups working on the project is Global Virtual Studio, a highly innovative new approach to movie making. They are going to be involved with a lot of the 3D work and pre and post production work.

Watch the intro video on this site and see if you recognize the movie they are working on.

http://site.globalvirtualstudio.com/

The brand

I'm in the middle of "branding" right now. That's a publishing word for defining what you are all about. It's a requirement nowadays when trying to differentiate yourself from the hundreds of thousands of new authors every year.

So what is the Lion of War "brand?"

It's an attempt to paint a picture, in a stylistic and brutal way, of what it might have been like to be with King David and his warriors on the ancient biblical battlefields, in order to bring glory to God and provide a spark of...