Realm Makers – Almost An Author

Writers Chat Recap for April, Part 1

Writers Chat, hosted by Jean Wise, Johnnie Alexander, and Brandy Brow, is the show where we talk about all things writing, by writers and for writers!

“Because talking about writing is more fun than actually doing it.”

Why YOU Should Write Short Stories with Lisa Godfrees

Have you ever thought of writing short stories? Whether you’ve never written a short story or are a veteran at it, there is something in this episode for you. Lisa joins us to shares her expertise on writing flash fiction and explains the Who-What-Why and the Where-How-When of Short Story Writing/Publishing. She also explains how completed short stories can be submitted to Havoc (an ezine and biannual anthology), used as a lead magnet, or as content on your website. Watch the replay of this episode and you’ll be inspired and challenged.

Watch the March 30^th replay.

Lisa Godfrees is the Operations Manager and a daily editor for Havok Publishing (gohavok.com), a flash fiction ezine and bi-annual anthology. More than twenty of her short stories have been published online and in anthologies, and she’s the co-author of one novel. Lisa also serves as the Director of Operations for Realm Makers, a faith-based community for fantasy and science fiction fans (realmmakers.com). You can find Lisa on social media and at https://www.lisagodfrees.com/stories/ (where you can read or listen to some of her stories).

Realm Makers: Engaging Pop Culture Through Speculative

Scott and Becky Minor join Writers Chat for a delightful discussion on how speculative fiction fits in the general market today. The Minors also discuss writing fantasy from a Christian worldview and whether dragon can be good or not. Scott shares how Realm Makers has created a supportive community to help “writers who are Christians” find an audience for their stories. Want more? Check out this week’s replay.

Watch the April 6^th replay

Besides helping with the creative vision for Realm Makers, Becky Minor writes fantasy novels of the sword and sorcery variety. She is the author of two fantasy trilogies, The Risen Age Archive and The Windrider Saga, along with a handful of spinoff short stories set in the same story universe. When she’s not writing stories, she illustrates them, having helped bring more than a dozen children’s chapter books and graphic novels to life.

Scott Minor is the Executive Director of Realm Makers, having assumed the role in 2020. Since that time, he has established a new foundation for the organization to help Christian authors of speculative fiction navigate the realities of a quickly evolving publishing world. He oversees all aspects of the company, from their online presence, to the bookstore, to the annual conference. Scott’s passion for excellence in the arts, entrepreneurial spirit, and willingness to expend copious amounts of elbow grease have helped propel Realm Makers to the forefront of the Christian writing community.

You can find Scott and Becky on social media and at https://www.realmmakers.com.

Join us

Writers Chat is hosted live each Tuesday for an hour starting at 10 AM CT / 11 AM ET
on Zoom. The permanent Zoom room link is: http://zoom.us/j/4074198133

Lorehaven: Christian Fantastic Fiction Webzine to Launch in Autumn 2017

Fans who love Jesus and fantastic fiction will have a new and free guide when Lorehaven releases its first free magazine later this year.

Publisher Ben Wolf, of Splickety Publishing Group, and editor-in-chief E. Stephen Burnett, of SpeculativeFaith.com, announced Lorehaven at the fifth annual Realm Makers conference for Christian fantasy novelists in Reno, Nevada. More than 260 guests welcomed the news.

Lorehaven will build on this audience, and those of Splickety and Speculative Faith, to reach thousands of new readers, sparking interest in book clubs for Christian fantastic novels.

“Nothing like this has ever been done before, but we all know dozens of churchgoing people who go watch Marvel, DC, and other related movies,” Wolf said. “Most Christians don’t realize the wealth of fantastic speculative fiction written by Christians that is out there. Lorehaven seeks to find those people and to provide them with easy access to those stories.”

[bctt tweet=”Most Christians don’t realize the wealth of fantastic speculative fiction written by Christians ” username=”@realmakers @splickety @lorehaven”]

Many people may associate Christian fiction with historical, romantic, or Amish genres. But as this traditional readership dwindles and Christian bookstores close, Lorehaven’s founders join creative professionals in anticipating Christian readers’ higher demand for fantastic fiction.

Younger Christian readers want both biblical truth and fantastic imagination, Burnett said.

“Our native language is the fantastic: crossing between natural and supernatural realities,” Burnett said. “The Bible shines with the epic gospel narrative of Jesus Christ, who defeats the dragon of sin and saves his enemies to become heroes under him. That’s why Christians love fantasy wherever they find it, such as in superhero films and television series.”

“Still, Christians as a unique interest group can worship God and connect with other believers by enjoying and sharing our own fantastic stories—not just the classics from C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien, but newer novels from talented Christian creators,” Burnett said.

Lorehaven will help fantasy fans of all ages find these new authors through the magazine’s flash novel reviews, interviews, and news. Wolf said authors and fiction pros will share their stories, write about how to grow as a Christian “fanservant,” and support Lorehaven with paid ads.

“Our long-term goal for Lorehaven is to use it as a vehicle to get Christian people interested and talking about this growing genre of speculative fiction,” Wolf said. “In time, we’d like to be able to send print copies to churches and develop a network of book clubs nationwide that are dedicated to reading and discussing speculative fiction written by and for Christian readers.”

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About Lorehaven: Lorehaven helps Christian fans find biblical truth in fantastic stories. Book clubs, free webzines, and a web-based community offer flash reviews, articles, and news about Christian fantasy, science fiction, and other speculative novels. Lorehaven launches autumn 2017. Visit Lorehaven.com.

About Splickety: Splickety Publishing Group publishes three quarterly flash fiction magazines: Havok, for speculative flash fiction, Spark, for romance flash fiction, and Splickety Magazine, for young adult flash fiction. They routinely feature stories from bestselling and award-winning authors. Visit Splickety.com.

About Speculative Faith: Since 2006, this community of fans and writers have raised awareness of Christian-made speculative novels, with reviews, a library of available titles, and articles from regular writers and guest voices from across the Christian fantastic-story community. Visit SpeculativeFaith.com.