Fiction? Why Not?

Before I was saved, I wrote fiction. After I met Jesus, I really didn't know what to do with my imagination. I literally threw away all my drafts, character sketches and everything related to writing. After all, what do aliens, superpowers, and science fiction have to do with Christianity?

As it turns out, they can have a lot in common.

As time progressed, I skirted writing like that awkward bump into your ex. Whenever the urge to compose surfaced, I told the Lord that unless I could find a way to write for him, I wouldn't do it. And I sure didn't see how space battles and aliens could glorify Jesus. That's why up until now, you only found Sunday school material and non-fiction Christian work on this website and available for purchase here.

Then I went to a Christian education conference. One of the key speakers—in reference to C. S. Lewis' work—commented that fiction can pre-Christian the world. Huh, I thought. The underlying argument is that when confronted with a new idea, a person is more likely to accept it if he already accepts or is familiar with a similar notion.

Why do we cry when our hero dies to save the one he loves?

Our hearts are stirred when we see images of heroic sacrifice because it reflects the beauty of the ultimate price Christ paid for us. Therefore, whenever the arts portray one or more elements of the Gospel, it prepares the audience's mind for the greatest love story ever told. In a more general sense, by capturing an element of beauty, truth, justice, or self-sacrifice, an art form softens the heart of the audience to the idea of a beautiful, truthful, just, and sacrificial God.

So, with that in mind, I once more opened a blank document. The result is the redemption of my writing talents and love of a good story.

Shatter the Stars is the first book in a sci-fi fantasy series. Aimed at young adults, the protagonist is a seventeen-year old atheist girl who loses everyone she ever cared about in a sudden attack on her planet. The story draws on themes of coming of age, coping with loss, and wrestling with vengeance.

The book is, at its core, just a good story. But behind the scenes, the Christian worldview saturates the plot line. My aim is that a lost person will be gently introduced to the concepts of a loving, all-powerful God through the witness and lives of the support characters. Christian readers, however, will catch foreshadowing and references to the Holy Ghost and God that deepen the suspense of the novel. But unlike C. S. Lewis—and more in lines with Ted Dekker—I will be bold in my proclamation of the Gospel when it comes, whenever it comes. I honestly have no idea how long the series will be, but I know the direction of the story and have already composed the epic finale.

***Update***
Since writing this post, I have won four honorable mentions in the Writers of the Future contest and been a two-time finalist in the Page Turner Awards.