Christian Speculative Fiction v. 2.0
Realm Makers 2016 Costume Gala
I spent this weekend in Villanova, PA, at Realm Makers 2016, and had a total blast! So much to process. And as I arrived home less than 24 hours (and multiple time zones) ago, I doubt that my thoughts here will have the needed distance to be able to accurately address the subject I’m about to. But here I go.
I began blogging in 2005, which is about the time I “officially” began pursuing writing. Signed with a CBA (Christian Booksellers Association) literary agent in 2007. Completed my first novel about then, it was shopped but couldn’t find any takers in the CBA and, being that my then-agent had few general market connections, we agreed to part ways. That same book was contracted in 2010, I signed with another agent, and subsequently published two novels in the Christian market. But the longer I ran in Christian circles, the more I felt my work was on a different trajectory, and have since indie published five books, all aimed mostly at the general market.
Anyway, I’ve been writing about the tenuous relationship between the Christian fiction industry and speculative fiction writers for a long time. Back in 2008 I actually sounded hopeful, asking Is “Christian Horror” Becoming a Trend? (which it wasn’t). In fact, spec fic was woefully under-represented in Christian bookstores. So I assembled a Christian Speculative Fiction Panel (2008) and queried about the potential future of speculative fiction in the Christian market. The answers were few. The subsequent years only saw Amish Fiction and Historical Romance continue to dominate the CBA landscape. Christian publishers scaled back, fiction lines dried up, and speculative fiction found its scant section of turf shrinking.
But life always finds a way. 
