I freaking hate the concept of "branding." It sounds so corporate, so money-hungry, so un-artistic. That and I suck at it. That may have jaded me a little. If you're new to the writing world, or art in general, your "brand" is whatever you're selling. As an artist, you're selling what you create, but also … Continue reading A Creator’s Journey #19–Who Are You?
Fiction
How to Write Good Allegory
Allegory is one of the most famous Christian fiction genres out there, and one in a hundred writers can pull off well. So how do you write your own allegory? What do the greats have in common? I have a few tips on a guest post on Speculativefaith.com. Click here to check that out and … Continue reading How to Write Good Allegory
A Creator’s Journey #15–Why I Launched Patreon

Ah, the good ol' days. Artists could get patrons who would pay them to make art, giving them regular or partly-regular income for their craft because art is awesome. And then stuff happened. What stuff? I don't know, centuries of stuff. Look, I'm no history buff, I just know that patrons don't exist anymore, not … Continue reading A Creator’s Journey #15–Why I Launched Patreon
Author Interview: Liberty Speidel (The Darby Shaw Chronicles, Omission)

Fans of superhuman and detective books, rejoice! Today, I'm pleased to have author Liberty Speidel here on Fencing With Ink to talk about her latest book, Omission, among other things. Special thanks to Liberty for consenting to an interview. You can read more about her at libertyspeidel.wordpress.com. FENCING WITH INK: Tell us about your book … Continue reading Author Interview: Liberty Speidel (The Darby Shaw Chronicles, Omission)
A Creator’s Journey #13–NaNoWriMo 2016
Aaaand, we're back. As promised, I was gone for November so I could participate in NaNoWriMo 2016, and in my absence, I got more traffic than I have in a long time. Not sure how to take that. Whatever, NaNoWriMo is done and now I get to tell you all about it. This was my … Continue reading A Creator’s Journey #13–NaNoWriMo 2016
“Blood for Blood,” or “See! Christians can be Vampires, too!” (4/5 stars)

You read that right: a Christian vampire. Well, that's just unique enough to pick up. Oh, and it's on sale through Halloween, which is perfect when you think about it. TITLE: Blood for Blood AUTHOR: Ben Wolf GENRE: Christian, Fantasy STORY The aptly-named Raven Worth has been a vampire for 80 years, drinking human blood, … Continue reading “Blood for Blood,” or “See! Christians can be Vampires, too!” (4/5 stars)
Christian Fiction: Where’s the Grace?
Writing Christian fiction is kind of like dating. There's no book of rules, but you know when you've broken one! One of those unwritten maxims goes something like this: Christian characters cannot have "bad" traits or habits unless they a) repent of these actions at some point or b) are clearly "bad" characters, be they … Continue reading Christian Fiction: Where’s the Grace?
A Creator’s Journey #11–Making Book Timelines
Do any other writers out there make timelines to keep track of all that happens in their books? Or am I just so daft that I can't keep it all together in my head? Either way, I need a timeline for some of my books--not the shorter ones like Ferryman, just longer series. When you … Continue reading A Creator’s Journey #11–Making Book Timelines
Christian Smut

Have you ever read smut? If you said yes, you're a lustful sleazebag and you need Jesus. If you said no, you're a lying sleazebag and you need Jesus. It's a tough religion, I know. For those who honestly don't know, smut is any written work that's only there to titillate. They have titles such as … Continue reading Christian Smut
Book Review: “Ghost Box” or “This is Why I Don’t Go to Los Angeles”

I saw this number as part of a cover artist's display at Realm Makers 2015 and I'd been meaning to read it since then (proving the power of good cover art). I finally snagged a copy and sat down to enjoy it. And yes, enjoy is the operative word. Not love, not revel in, but … Continue reading Book Review: “Ghost Box” or “This is Why I Don’t Go to Los Angeles”