Conclusion of my Interview with Mythic Orbits Creator, Travis Perry

This is the 3rd and final revolution of my interview with Travis Perry, the driving force behind the Mythic Orbits anthology. In this installment I admit to my struggles as a writer of speculative fiction who also identifies himself as a person of faith. 

 
Mark:            Early in my writing journey I struggled with the type of stories I wanted to write. As a person of faith, do I write fiction from a purely evangelical slant (ala Frank Peretti or Tim LaHaye) or could I expand beyond that while still framing stories to some extent within a Christian worldview? I actually feared backlash from the church community. Then I discovered Stephen Lawhead. I love the way he weaves a Christian worldview into his stories while not being overtly evangelical.

Travis:   I tend to believe God is involved in the act of inspiration for those who are committed to him. By "committed to him" I mean I think it is possible for a Christian to shut out God from his or her thoughts and write something that in fact contradicts what God would want a person to do. So a Christian author or other creative type who is Christian should be careful to maintain a close relationship with God and examine each work individually to see if it matches up.

But other than what I just said, I think following inspiration where God lets it lead is what we are supposed to do. I assume that the God who put such variety in nature will inspire us as Christian authors in myriad ways. Some of us will be overt and very evangelical. Some will be more subtle. But there is room for both. And all varieties in between.

I should add that while I believe in following God-given inspiration in how overtly Christian stories should be, I think under most circumstances, Christian authors should be clear that they are Christian. Perhaps if you were facing possible severe persecution it would make sense to keep your faith secret- -say you were an Afghan living in Afghanistan, who was secretly a Christian. But otherwise I think Chistians should be overt about their identity as believers.

Mark:            What are your plans for Mythic Orbits beyond 2016?

Travis:   I intend to continue the Mythic Orbits series as long as I can, God willing, every year. I want to recruit new authors into writing for it and raise the bar on the quality of stories if I possibly can.

I have kicked around the idea of another anthology based on stories with exclusively Christian themes. Perhaps the more overtly Christian tales from Mythic Orbits would be included in that. But that probably won't happen for several years, if at all...

Thank you, Travis, for taking the time to talk with me. I found our conversation insightful and very interesting. It's always a pleasure to collaborate with you.

 

Part II of my Interviw with Mythic Orbits Creator Travis Perry

This is the 2nd revolution of my interview with Mythic Orbits creator Travis Perry. I hope readers are finding the conversation interesting. Last week we started out by discussing Travis's definition of Speculative Fiction from a Christian or faith perspective. Now we're going to dig deeper into certain presumptions placed upon those authors.

Mark:       Do you feel there are certain expectations in the Christian community when reading stories by authors who identify as Christian?  
 

Travis:   Yeah, I think there are expectations from self-identified Christian readers when reading self-identified Christian authors. The first of those would be that the stories be "clean," which means free of strong language, graphic sexuality, and graphic violence.

But the Creator himself at times used the Bible to express graphic violence and sexuality. This is not at all on every page, since most sexual references are very sparse in description (e.g. Adam knew Eve), as are most descriptions of violence (Joshua struck the city with the edge of the sword), but not all are. Song of Songs and some other references can be understood as quite graphically sexual in places and some wounds are also described in clear detail. (The Bible does even record a few curse words. But very, very few, far less than the descriptions of sex and violence.)

I'm not saying clean fiction is bad, mind you. But it is not an end in itself in my view. It is possible to honor God, as the Bible does, with language that would not be allowed around kids in a modern movie rating system. It is also on the other hand possible to create a story whose values are in no way good and moral/Christian which would read clean.

I think some Christian readers also expect to see overt and strong moralizing in stories by Christian authors. Which may or may not be appropriate to a particular story.

Some others expect evangelism in stories by Christian authors. Which should not be forced into every plot, but which can be appropriate at times.

But I think the number one expectation by Christian authors is that stories should be clean.

Look for the 3rd revolution of my interview with Travis soon.

Here's a link to Mythic Orbits. I hope everyone enjoys the stories as much as I did.  Thanks so much for supporting Indie authors!

Meet Travis Perry, the Visionary Behind Mythic Orbits

This is revolution #1 of 3 of my interview with Travis Perry, the visionary and editor behind the 2016 Mythic Orbits anthology.  AND (drum roll!) Mythic Orbits is now available in paperback! Click on the book link below.

Welcome, Travis! I guess the obvious first question is . . . When did you come up with the idea for the 2016 Mythic Orbits anthology? What prompted you?

Travis:   I think I was in part inspired by another anthology called "Realmscapes" which was for the Realm Makers conference in 2015 (a conference focused on Christian Speculative Fiction writers). Like a number of anthologies I have participated in of late, Realmscapes had a theme, in this case, the theme was escape. Every story submitted had to be about escape in one way or other.
I submitted a story that was not accepted for the anthology. It occurred to me that it would be nice to do an anthology without any common theme, letting authors submit their personal best stories, because it can be difficult to be inspired when somebody else hands you a theme. "Who wouldn't want to see a collection like that?" I thought. "An anthology of stories by Christian authors which were the best stories they happened to have available."

At the Realm Makers Conference in 2016 I asked around and in fact created a sign and hung it on myself, saying I was interested in the best stories people had available. I got a number of respondents in the anthology from doing that, including Kerry Nietz, Richard New, Kat Heckenbach, Lisa Godfrees, Cindy Emmet Smith, Linda Burklin, and Sherry Rossman. But obviously I eventually cast the net wider than simply contacting people I met at Realm Makers (only half of the 14 stories in Mythic Orbits 2016 come from Realm Makers alumni).

The interesting thing perhaps is my choice of Christian authors. For me, that was something I simply wanted to do. I am a self-identified Christian author and wanted to promote the works of other Speculative Fiction authors who self-identified as Christian. Primarily to demonstrate that we really are able to create some interesting stories.

Mark:  What is your definition of Speculative Fiction from a Christian or faith perspective?

Travis:   I know Christian authors who feel that being overtly Evangelical should never be done because it is either too pushy or winds up being terrible writing. Others of course feel a Christian MUST be overt. 

I tend to believe God is involved in the act of inspiration for those who are committed to him. By "committed to him" I mean I think it is possible for a Christian to shut out God from his or her thoughts and write something that in fact contradicts what God would want a person to do. So a Christian author or other creative type who is Christian should be careful to maintain a close relationship with God and examine each work individually to see if it matches up.

But other than what I just said, I think following inspiration where God lets it lead is what we are supposed to do. I assume that the God who put such variety in nature will inspire us as Christian authors in myriad ways. Some of us will be overt and very evangelical. Some will be more subtle. But there is room for both. And all varieties in between.

I should add that while I believe in following God-given inspiration in how overtly Christian stories should be, I think under most circumstances, Christian authors should be clear that they are Christian. Perhaps if you were facing possible severe persecution it would make sense to keep your faith secret- -say you were an Afghan living in Afghanistan, who was secretly a Christian. But otherwise I think Christians should be overt about their identity as believers.

Revolution #2 of my thought-provoking interview with Travis to come soon . . .

Mythic Orbits 2016 Anthology, Fanning the Ember, and Mr. Trump

Sometimes life gets in the way. Sometimes dreams fall to the side when responsibilities and obligations backhand you across the jaw. There’s a curious thing about dreams, though. They’re hard to kill when even the smallest ember still burns.

And so it is with me. A small ember still glows, keeping a dream alive despite all else. What am I to do with that tiny flickering ember? What does anyone with dreams do with it? What do athletes do, or artists, or entrepreneurs? What do parents do with it when all they want is to make a better life for their children? They press on. They fan the ember. They swallow fear and doubt to follow their heart. And so it is with me . . . my heart, my dream. My writing.

I’m honored to be part of the Mythic Orbits 2016 anthology, alongside some very talented storytellers. My fantasy story, The Bones Don’t Lie, is up first in the anthology, the first tale anyone sees. No pressure there!

Though written some time ago, the publishing of Bones comes at an interesting time in America. All stories speak to society and our times at some basic level. Bones talks about how one’s zealous beliefs can cloud and distort reality. It’s happened throughout history . . . the Lost Cause after the Civil War, the Final Solution, interpreting sacred scripture, immigration, the election of Donald Trump. How can groups of people look at the same events, the same words, the same symbols, the same man and come away with such polar-opposite opinions? Must we always be right and the other person wrong? Can there not be a meeting in the middle? Can there never be compromise? Must we all draw our ideological lines in the sand?

Will Mr. Trump be the destroyer of civilization or the restorer of some bygone utopia? Not my president? Guess what, honey. I didn’t vote for Mr. Trump either but he is about to become our president. I just pray we can take off our blinders and put away our zealous self-righteous glasses and come together for all our sakes.

Thank you for taking the time from your busy day to read this blog. I'd be honored if you read The Bones Don't Lie and the other fine stories in the Mythic Orbits 2016 Anthology. Here's the link to the ebook on Amazon. --Mark

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NAIY432 

Steve meet . . . Stephen

Recently I finished two books in quick succession. The first, Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft; the second, Steve Jobs, the biography written by Walter Isaacson. On the surface, the books may seem unrelated. I mean, how can you compare a book on fiction writing against a biography of one of the most polarizing business icons in the last 100 years? My answer – Easily!! The truth is, the books are very much related . . . in soul and essence, in philosophy, and in power. 

 First, let’s just take the principle characters. Stephen King is simply one of the most prolific writers ever. His tales of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, science fiction, and fantasy have sold over 350 million copies worldwide and have been adapted into numerous films. Steve Jobs only changed the world as we know it by revolutionizing six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing. He is the driving force behind iconic products like the Mac. iPod, iPhone, and iPad.

 

In reading King’s book and Jobs’ biography, I found a common thread woven throughout the pages, an insight into their drive and motivation. I also saw how both men intuitively connected with everyday people—both in the books they wanted to read and in the electronic gadgets they craved. What follows is a few quotes from both men that I found strikingly similar.

the dichotomy of the human race

Gosh, I’ve been a way for a long time! I’ve spent the vast majority of my spare time since January 1 working on a pro bono database project for a local nonprofit. I really got in over my head with that one!  Now it’s time to switch from my techie geeky IT software engineer mode back to my techie geeky SciFi/Fantasy writer mode.

Hmm . . . is there a difference?

I’m going to make this post short, but the thoughts have stirred deep in my spirit for the last several days, ever since the nasty devastation that rocked the beautiful city of Brussels recently. While listening to some of my favorite music, I pondered the dichotomy of the human race, the polar extremes of human nature. Listen to the music. Maybe you’ll hear the same question that it whispered to me – How can a species capable of such beautiful stirring art also be capable of such hatred and wanton destruction?

I don't have an answer either.

  

 

And on earth peace, good will toward men . . . hmmm

It’s late on December 24^th and Christmas Eve 2015 is quickly drawing to a close. Carols have filled my house for the last couple of weeks, not the Rudolf, Santa Baby, and jolly old Saint Nick kind, but the ones that tell of the truer, deeper meaning of the holiday – Silent Night, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Little Drummer Boy.

The music whispers peace and joy in the background, but my mind is focused in a far different direction.

O holy night the stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth

I’m focused on frustrating circumstances that have plagued my life over the last several months. I’m not talking ISIS or the Middle East or Terrorists. I’m talking about home, my backyard. I’m talking family. I’m talking friends.

Said the night wind to the little lamb,
do you see what I see
Way up in the sky, little lamb

The music whispers to me, but my heart feels frustration and discouragement and, yes, more than just a touch of anger. It churns in my gut. It’s a bitter taste.

Angels we have heard on high

Sweetly singing o'er the plains,

And the mountains in reply

Echoing their joyous strains.

My music and calendar tell me it’s Christmastime. They speak to me of a holy time, a joyous time, and I suddenly feel my hypocrisy. Christmas calls to me to refocus my heart. It wants my heart. God wants my heart. My friends deserve my heart.

Little baby
Pa rum pum pum pum
I am a poor boy too
Pa rum pum pum pum

I have no gift to bring
Pa rum pum pum pum
That's fit to give our king

And I’m left with nothing more than this timeless simple message . . .

Merry and blessed Christmas to one and all. --Mark

The Red Wedding -- Stark Imagery

Recently I plopped myself on the sofa and indulged in some Game of Thrones binge watching. (For me, “binge” consists of watching two consecutive episodes before getting too antsy.)  LONG before HBO adapted George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series for TV, I’ve been a HUGE fan since reading book 1: A Game of Thrones back in 2001.

As I watched, I started thinking about the infamous Red Wedding. (A Storm of Swords / HBO series: S3E9) and the impact the scene had on readers and viewers alike. If you’ve lived under a rock for the last few years and haven’t read or watched the series, STOP NOW if you don’t want spoilers!

Overcome with Good

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. 

 

 

Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. 

(Romans 12) 

When the well runs dry

When the well runs dry . . .

Cliché? You bet. It’s also been a long time since I’ve blogged. I've broken the number one cardinal rule of the entire blogosphere. Maybe, just maybe, the cliché has some bearing on the prolonged silence.

I’m sitting at the computer now, though, staring at the monitor and struggling to somehow frame this blog while my mind wanders ethereal paths. A handmade wooden desk clock, an old, sentimental gift from my then twelve year-old son, says 10:30 p.m.. I’ve put in a long day, starting at 5:30 this morning. The house is dark except for the light above me, silent except for softly clicking keys. In a tad more than 6 hours my alarm will blare that annoying perky tune. I should be in bed with my sleeping wife, but here I am staring at the computer, trying to frame a mess of jumbled thoughts, always stressing about the novel I haven’t touched in months. How does it come to this?

I’ll add another cliché here – life happens. Family and friends happen. Work happens. When a load of stuff hits you in the face simultaneously, writing suffers. Or am I just making excuses? 

Probably.

Maybe the dream has dimmed. No, I know the dream has dimmed. It’s so damn hard to literally pour your heart and soul (another cliché!) into a story that very few will want to read. Forget all the accolades that I receive from fellow authors I know regionally. Why agonize and bleed over every word in a story? As a long-time acquaintance told me once, “I saw your Facebook posts about the release of your novel. I’m not going to buy it.” Gee, thanks for your support!

I guess that’s why I’ve stared at the same paragraph in my current writing project for more than two months, reluctant or maybe too fearful to dive back in.

You know something, though. I’m a stubborn Italian and a small ember still burns in my gut. The dream isn’t dead. Maybe it’s just covered with a blanket at the moment. A still, small voice deep inside encourages me even as I wrestle with it. I can tell you this. I’m taking part in a project for 2016 that I’m pretty excited about. More information is coming within the next few weeks. The dream will always burn inside. I'll continue to follow it through the peaks and valleys, wherever it leads.

I’m going to bed now. I have to get up for work in less than 5 hours . . .     

Sweet and Endearing Grace

Grace Yee is a young lady from my Pittsburgh East Scribes critique group. Just a couple of years out of high school, Grace's writing is mature far beyond her age. There is something so sweet and endearing in her prose. Chapter One of her story, The Lewis and Tolkien Library, is one that you experience with your heart as much as read with your eyes. Read Grace's chapter and you'll see what I mean . . .

Feel free to look over our author's sample gallery of published works on the Pittsburgh East Scribes web page.

MIA: My Brain

After racking my brain for days trying to find something (ANYTHING!!!) to blog about, a cruel realization sets in . . . 
 
My brain:                        The rest of my body:

Me, at this very moment:

 Man, do I need a vacation!

Aug. 6, 8:15 a.m. Could it Happen Again?

Aug. 6, 8:15 a.m. Seventy years ago, Hiroshima turned into hell on earth by a new and terrifying American weapon nicknamed Little Boy. The bomb dropped on Hiroshima, together with another that hit Nagasaki three days later, killed more than 200,000 people, most of them civilians. Today Hiroshima marked the anniversary with a solemn ceremony attended by thousands at the Children's Peace Monument.

We in the US have our Freedom Tower, Hiroshima has the Children's Peace Monument, Nagasaki has the Peace Park. All rose from the ashes of terrible tragedy. All three are monuments to honor the fallen and to show the tenacity of the human spirit. We can rebuild. We will rebuild. We will be stronger coming through the fire.

I was born many years after the end of WWII. With that and the intervening years, I have a tendency to view the events of Hiroshima and the A-bomb with a cold detachment. I accept at face value what I read in textbooks, that the U.S. dropped the bombs to avoid what would have been a bloody ground assault on the Japanese mainland. The bombs shortened the war and saved countless lives on both sides. I accepted that. Then today I went to the CNN website as I routinely do. There I saw haunting crayon pictures drawn by children who survived the devastation at Hiroshima. The pain suddenly became real. It had a face--a child's face.

  I saw the drawings and wondered if something unspeakable like that could ever happen again. Even as I type these words, I think of the evil infecting the Middle East, and I realize that yes, it could happen again. In a heartbeat. Without hesitation and without remorse. King Solomon was right when he said there was nothing new under the sun. Human nature hasn’t changed.  Evil still exists. Sin is still rampant in the world.

I pray I’m wrong. I pray that humanity progressed and we’ve learned from the carnage and pain of the past. Deep in my gut, though, I sense something else.  In closing, I only have one thing to say: Maranatha-- מרנא תא

Click here to link to the CNN article and drawings

Medieval Mars Annoucement

No little green men, but how about dragons, knights, castles, and even an ornithopter thrown into this intriguing short story compilation titled: Medieval Mars: The Anthology (Terraformed Interplanetary Book 1)

I was so excited when I received the invitation to join several authors in this genre-bending project. There so much great world-building in this collection of short stories.

Imagine . . . A future terraformed Mars, where civilization crashed back into a Medieval Era. Christian Knights called “riders” patrol the Pilgrim Road from Olympus to New San Diego, on the Chryse Sea. The technological past is known as the “Age of Magic” and only a handful of people understand how the remaining ancient devices really work. Lighter gravity in dense air makes flying dragons and bird riders a reality; alloys of the past make “magic” swords; and masters of ancient knowledge wield wizard-like power.

Nine authors spin tales in this unique story world, one which combines elements of science fiction and high fantasy.

Click the image to launch your interplanetary adventure on Amazon. A 315-page collection of great stories for $1.99? No need for a rocket scientist to calculate the huge deal. :-) I hope you'll check it out.  Best Regards, Mark 

 

Bragging on my Home

I’m going to brag some on the area where I live. This may bore some, but I’m going to brag nonetheless. I live thirty-five miles northeast of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, the city once described by James Parton as "Hell with the lid off!" The city has also been referred to as The Smoky City, a Rust Belt City, and The Armpit of America, to name but a few.

Historically, coal. iron, and steel built the city and surrounding Southwestern PA region, and as a result the land showed the scars from decades of abuse and neglect. I grew up in the area during the 60’s and 70’s, when smoke billowed from hundreds of stacks, where sewage and mine drainage killed the rivers and turned water the color of rust. The Kiskiminetas River (called the Kiski for short) flows past my hometown and never froze in the winter, even when temps dropped below 0 degrees F (-17 degrees C). Fishing and swimming were impossible due to pollution. Air quality reports were a staple of daily news programs. Warnings regularly went out for the elderly and people with health problems to stay indoors.

Over the last 40 years, though, I’ve witnessed the land’s transformation, a remarkable rebirth. This is due in part to the shifting industries and economy in the region, but also to strict pollution laws and the tireless effort of thousands of people.  

The hills and waterways slowly continue to heal and participation in countless outdoor activities has exploded in recent years. Biking, walking, and hiking trails have replaced abandoned railroad beds. Canoes, kayaks, fishing and pleasure boats dot the waterways. Every year I see more bicycles on the roads, more and more bicycle and kayak racks on vehicles, more and more people on the trails, more kayakers and canoeists on the local creeks. I hear coyotes at night; see beaver and muskrats on the water, hawks and great blue herons flying. Just this year I’ve followed three different bald eagles while kayaking local creeks. It is wonderful to see.

I know my area may not be as spectacular as other parts of the world. I’ve been to El Capitan and Half Dome, and driven across the Tioga Pass. I've witnessed the majesty of the Grand Canyon, both from the South Rim looking down and looking up from the bottom while rafting on the Colorado River. I’ve traveled through the Alps and cruised the Rhine River. Southwest PA is my home, though. It’s my little corner of paradise, and I’m blessed to have witnessed its wonderful rebirth.       

I'm not the most accomplished photographer, but here's a slideshow of some of my favorite places within a short drive from my home. Enjoy. --Mark  

Blazing Saddles Redux

The other night I actually found a TV station airing Blazing Saddles, Mel Brooks’ hilarious 1974 spoof of Hollywood Westerns, in all its full whacky splendor. It had been years since I’d last seen the movie, so obviously I had to plop myself down in front of the TV and relive some teenage memories. I can’t believe the movie has been out for over 40 years! Ouch!

A few minutes and a few chuckles into the movie, something hit me (and it wasn’t Mongo’s right hook). 

I realized that Blazing Saddles could never be made today in our hypersensitive, political-correctness-gone-amok world. The movie is completely and shamelessly politically incorrect. It is a daring, irreverent satire that doesn’t tiptoe around provocative issues. Rather it smacks you right in the face with issues of bigotry and racism that still haunt us today. It forces each of us to confront our own preconceptions and biases, only it does so in such an over-the-top hysterical way. Who can ever forget the arrival of newly appointed Sheriff Bart into Rock Ridge or Gene Wilder’s Waco Kid or Mongo’s iconic horse punch or Lili von Shtupp singing I’m Tired? Through it all, there was Mel Brooks using outrageous characters and scenes to make us laugh while exposing our own thinly veiled prejudices. 

All this was lost to me as a sixteen year-old watching the movie at the old Casino Theater in Vandergrift PA. At the time I was more interested in emulating the infamous campfire & beans scene with my friends. Now, so many decades later, watching the movie with the eyes of a writer, I applaud Mr. Brooks for his daring. As fiction writers we want to entertain, but we also want to enlighten without being preachy. We want to confront issues that are important to us like hate or intolerance, pollution, corporate greed (what have you) without being too heavy-handed. We want to touch and we want to teach.

Blazing Saddles is a social commentary and pure madcap genius rolled into one. The movie was nominated for three Academy Awards, and is ranked No. 6 on the American Film Institute's 100 Years . . . 100  Laughs list. In 2006, it was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.  

Not bad for a movie that today no one would dare make. Well done, Mr. Brooks. 

Here is the 1974 trailer: