FnFS: What are you looking for?

(Faith ‘n Fiction Saturdays are hosted by Amy!)

This week’s question asks:

Christian fiction is growing as a market, but there are still many unexplored storylines and under-represented genres. What issues or ideas would you like to see tackled from a Christian worldview? Or, what setting would you like to see? Which genres would you like to see more books?

Well, I’m afraid my answer’s gonna be a bit redundant, as the others have already stated a lot of what I would like to see: men writing something other than just sci-fi and fantasy books, books set elsewhere than just the praries or some other US state, and maybe some books that tackle topics that aren’t usually touched on.

Marvin said, in his response, that he’d like to see some of the secondary characters be unsaved… I’d like to see that, too. I think that could make for some more realistic fiction!

I’ve read a couple of Christian titles where the main character isn’t a Christian until much later in the book, and that’s always “new and refreshing”… you can explore a lot of things when you write something like that! The book I’m working on (yes, I, too, want to be a writer!) has the main character unsaved and really wondering what’s so great about Christianity anyway? (of course *I* know the answer to that, but my readers may not!)

I’ve loved books like those that Julie Klassen writes (“Lady of Milkweed Manor“, “The Apothocary’s Daughter“) that are set in Regency England (1800′s), and deal with those “edgy” topics like unplanned pregnancy, etc. Those books are closer to real life, and they don’t pretend that the Christian life is all sweets and roses. Christians certainly aren’t perfect — they mess up, just like everyone else! So, why don’t books show this? I think they should.

I’d also like to see more books, like “Havah” by Tosca Lee, “The Stones” by Eleanor Gustafson, or “Two From Galilee” by Marjorie Holmes, that take the old Bible stories and bring them to life via fiction!

Maybe some Christian “graphic novels” written for teen boys (and girls!) would be welcomed, too! My son loves graphic novels (he’s 11 yrs), but you have to be so careful with those, ’cause a lot of them just aren’t appropriate. So if there were some Christian ones, that would get him to read more!

And, since I’ve been looking for more books that would give me some insight into other religions (just so I can learn more, and not feel so ignorant of what’s out there), maybe it’d help to have some Christian novels where the main character — a Christian — has a good friend who practices another religion (Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, etc), and both faiths are represented. That would interest me!

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