Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Tour for Imaginary Jesus

The grand folks over at CSFF have been hosting a blog tour for Imaginary Jesus this week, and there have been a lot of great posts.  It's great fun to see people share their reactions to the book.  If you like science fiction and fantasy and would be interested in participating in the blog tours in the future, they're held once a month and you can often request free copies of the book!  Here's a link where you can find more information and sign up for future tours. 

Here's a list of this month's participating blogs if you'd like to take a sample:

Brandon Barr
Keanan Brand
Grace Bridges
Beckie Burnham
Valerie Comer
R. L. Copple
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Andrea Graham
Tori Greene
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Leighton
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Donita K. Paul
Crista Richey
Chawna Schroeder
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
KM Wilsher

Thanks, Oregonian!

You may be coming by my site for the first time today because of the article in today's Oregonian.  I wanted to take a moment to publicly thank all of the fine employees at the Oregonian, everyone I have interacted with there has been very kind in the whole process... editors, reporters, photographers and whomever it is who delivers the paper to me at 5ish every morning.  I can hear the whomp when it hits my front step.

A quick note about Imaginary Jesus... this book is a comedy about our misconceptions about Jesus, and it's meant to be a fun read whether you're an atheist, a conservative Christian or something in between.  You can read the first chapter if you click on the "downloads" link above.  And if you're local and looking for a copy, Powell's downtown has a stack of them in the Red room, and I dropped by the other day and signed them all, so you can get a signed copy there.  Most of the bookstores in town have copies, too, and of course you can always order from the online bookstore of your choice.

There's also a contest you might be interested in entering, deadline is July 1st.  You could win an iPod, Kindle and 100 bucks to Powells, plus lunch with yours truly at a restaurant from the book.

Lastly, I want to say that everyone is welcome here... it really doesn't matter what your religious background or beliefs are, you're welcome to be part of the conversation here so long as you have a sense of humor and can respect other opinions that may be expressed.

Gracias.  I look forward to getting to know you.  Feel free to leave comments with your questions and I'll be glad to answer them, or send me a note and I'll write you back when I get a chance.

--Matt

Red and Black -- ATTACK!

Two chapters of Imaginary Jesus take place in the very real Portland restaurant, the Red and Black Cafe.  It's an "ethical, non-hierarchal" business, meaning that all the workers are also co-owners, and they cook vegan food.  My best friend, Chris, introduced me to the place, and I found it so charming, interesting, odd and fun that I immediately glommed onto it for the first site in my novel.

Recently, I was interviewed for an article in the Oregonian newspaper, and the reporter, Cornelia Seigneur read Imaginary Jesus and then took her vegan daughter to the Red and Black.  While there, they saw a police officer be asked to leave after buying his coffee.  She wrote a blog post about it, and now it's in the news.  I hear rumors it may be in the news again tonight.  Go figure.

The way I see it, this is part of the job of a book like Imaginary Jesus... it's pulling in two very different audiences, causing people to interact who wouldn't have otherwise, and creating some interesting and I hope beneficial conversations.

Flying Colors Meets Imaginary Jesus!

I just got a note from my old boss, Joe Field of Flying Colors Comics.  Joe has an amazing shop... in fact, when I was last in there (in the East Bay... Walnut Creek, California) I told Joe that I wished I had my daughters with me so they could see a "real" comic book shop.

In his note, Joe mentioned that he is stocking Imaginary Jesus at Flying Colors!  If there was any doubt that it was the coolest comic shop of all time, I think those doubts can now be laid to rest.  And, not only is this shop responsible for the genesis of the Hate Club, it's also the original habitat of the now MIA Frog of Hate.

Here's the note that Joe sent out to his e-mail list:

Now in Stock at Flying Colors is a very cool book called IMAGINARY JESUS.


It's the first novel written by MATT MIKALATOS... and it is Highly Recommended!


Matt was on staff here at Flying Colors in the '90s, along with he crew that included Sam, Alan, Roland, Gavin and Adrian. Since his time here, Matt has graduated from UC Riverside, been a high school teacher, a missionary in China and also graduated from Western Seminary.


So, yes, this is a book with a lot of Christian spiritual thought in it. It is also one of the better comedies you'll read in any genre. Starting in a laid-back Portland coffee shop, Matt encounters a dude who could be Jesus, a talking donkey and a wild man named Pete... who could just be an apostle.


IMAGINARY JESUS follows the trek of Matt, Pete and the donkey as they chase after the one they think is the real Jesus.


The quest even takes Matt and his cohorts back to FLYING COLORS.


That's right, part of the novel is set right here in my favorite comic shop (and hopefully yours, too).


All through this novel are reminders that Matt is really a comics geek disguised as a Christian thinker.


There's comedy gold in reading IMAGINARY JESUS...and it may just help you on your personal quest to find the Real One while you're at it.


This is a book that can be enjoyed by believers and non-believers alike, as it veers far away from preachiness and sticks to the goal at hand--- delivering Matt from all the misconceptions he's carried about who Jesus is---and by extension, how Jesus is misunderstood in this world.


Congrats on the book, Matt!

And, in another wide shot of the book, we can see that Imaginary Jesus has its coolest placement yet... it's sharing a shelf with a book by Gene Colan!

If you're in Northern California, be sure to stop by Flying Colors to buy your copy of Imaginary Jesus! And tell Joe that Mikalatos sent you!

Imaginary Jesus discussion guide. Now available to guide your discussions.

The time has come at last to allow people to start discussing Imaginary Jesus.  If you go to our brand new downloads page you'll discover a discussion guide, a question and answer with yours truly and a free download of the first chapter of IJ.  Feel free to pass them along to your friends and enemies.  And also those people who you regard with mild apathy and are watching with interest to see whether they will become friends or enemies.

Come hang out tomorrow night...

Upcoming event from Cornelia Seigneur:

This month’s Rolling Hills Writers Connection meeting, Thursday May 20, at 7 p.m. in the East Atrium features Guest Speaker Matt Mikalatos, a recent Western Seminary graduate, Campus Crusade for Christ missionary, and author of the just-released book, Imaginary Jesus, published by Tyndale.

Matt will share his journey of the pen, his vision for fusing faith and art, and how he came to sell his first book to one of the top Christian publishers in the nation. He is already working on his second book for Tyndale.

I got to meet Matt for coffee a couple of weeks ago and he is a great guy.

Come network with writers of all genres. Get connected and inspired. Learn of opportunities to be published and use your writing as a ministry. Network and share ideas. Bring a cup of tea and what you are working on if would like.

Rolling Hills is located at 3550 SW Borland, in Tualatin. http://www.rollinghills.org/writers-connection

For more info on Matt, visit his website: http://imaginaryjesus.com/

Jesus vs. the Automobile

Brian Ricci and Angela Tam both sent me this little gem: Apparently someone ran into Lord Jesus Christ with her car.  Yeah, that's right.  Some guy got his name legally changed to "Lord Jesus Christ" and then got hit by a car.  Which is not, I guess, a big surprise.  If I were him I'd be watching out for falling pianos as well.

More Sightings...

Carla Friberg sent in this latest Imaginary Jesus sighting, this one from the Barnes and Noble in Richland, Washington.  Looks like it's on some sort of display table, that's pretty cool.  Well done, Barnes and Noble and gracias, Carla!

I like looking at the books around it... this time we have Anne Rice's spiritual autobiography on one side, and The Love Dare's daily devotional for married couples.

Shasta Kramer of Portland, Oregon, also sent in this picture of Imaginary Jesus in the Red Room of Powell's Books.

I ran by Powell's and signed all the copies they have on the shelves, so if you're in the Portland area and looking for a copy of IJ, that's a great place to shop!

Fear the Frog of Hate!

Imaginary Friend Matt Turkington sent me this terrifying story about the Frog of Hate that I wanted to share with everyone:

When I got to work yesterday there was the attached frog sitting on my desk. My first thought was, "Oh no! What did I do to upset Mikalatos so much? Is it because I still haven't bought a copy of his book (even though I check bookstores for it)? Or because I didn't write a glowing online review?" This was immediately followed by the more rational, "Wait, HOW would he have gotten in my office?" or maybe, more importantly, "does he really care?" But then I saw the nearby note that said something about relying on God and I realized you had nothing to do with it. Oh well. Just thought I'd share that.

I wrote Matt back to make sure he knew that I care enough to send Hate to him if he deserves it.  He told me that he is now living in irrational fear of frogs.  Which begs the question... is it irrational if it is something that should be feared?  For instance, is a phobia of sharks really a phobia or just good common sense?  I vote for common sense.
 

Wild Imaginary Jesus Takes Over Like a Weed

You may remember our recent tutorial in which I explained that when you see Imaginary Jesus as in Figure A, that you would be applauded, lauded and generally praised for re-configuring the shelf space to look more like Figure B.

Jake Demaray of Bozeman, Montana wrote to say that when he got to the bookstore, someone had already beaten him to the punch!  Observe:

Now that is a committed Imaginary Friend, to rearrange things so spectacularly. Also, kudos to the bookstore for carrying 5 copies! Now I would like to encourage the fine people of Bozeman, Montana, to swarm in there and buy all those copies.

Thanks for sending in the photo, Jake! If you'd like to follow Jake on twitter, you can do that here.

If you'd like to send in your own photos (of Wild Imaginary Jesus Sightings, of you reading the book somewhere or other pertinent silliness) feel free to send them to me on twitter, on facebook or, if you can figure out my clever code you could e-mail me at gmail.  Clever code involves my first and last name and a dot.

Life Outside the Box: Jonathan Weyer, Author of "The Faithful"

Jonathan Weyer is a campus minister with the Coalition for Christian Outreach at The Ohio State University and an ordained minister in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. He is the founder of The Thomas Society, a student led ministry dedicated to answering questions from skeptics, doubters, agnostics and atheists. Along with the atheists at Ohio State, he won a Multicultural Award from the university for working to bridge the gap between atheists and Christians. Jonathan has just recently been added to the Secular Student Alliance speaker’s bureau, the only Christian and minister to currently have that distinction. Jonathan is a great guy, a lot of fun, and a deep thinker. 


Today he is bringing us a post about why Christians should be writing horror.

You should read Charles Williams.

What’s that? You’ve never heard of him? I can’t say I’m surprised. His books are hard to find. No one in the evangelical world trumpets his novels as spiritual tour de forces. No one makes epic movies out of them.  Why? That’s probably easy to answer. Williams’ novels are very high on the weird stuff-o-meter. They are stories full of phantom lions, a possessed tarot card deck and two dead girls wandering an in-between world trying to save their friend who is being slowly killed by a magician.

See, I told you.

Still, most people are amazed when I tell them Williams was the driving force behind a little group called the Inklings. Yes, those Inklings, the same writer’s group that contained J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, two of the best writer’s of the 20^th century.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of both. Lord of the Rings is my deserted island book. However, I hate that Williams doesn’t get the credit he deserves, not just the convener of the Inklings, but as an amazingly talented writer. A writer who inspired me to take the leap into the realm of what I call, Sacramental Horror.

I’m sure that phrase is going to raise some eyebrows, so let me explain.

One day, I was reading the two dead girl story called All Hallow’s Eve. I kept thinking, “Could I write a ghost story? Should I? I mean, I’m a minister, isn’t that kind of weird? Won’t it raise some eyebrows?” But, the more I thought about it, the more I realized my own naturalistic bent, which seemed odd to me that I would have such prejudice. So, I set out to write a ghost story called The Faithful, a book full of sacramental horror.

Let’s start with the horror.

First, let me say I’m not talking about modern day slasher movies. That isn’t really horror. It’s basically violence porn and it’s disturbing. What I mean by horror might better be described as an extreme unsettling of a cherished view of the world, especially when it comes to our illusion of safety. This unsettling comes from the use of the uncanny or the supernatural, such as in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde or Frankenstein.

So, how  Is that horror? I think this is because we don’t like changing our view of the world. It requires a kind of death.  I can’t think of anything more horrifying than to have my safely constructed vies of things questioned or shattered. All good art should be able to this, but I think novels of the uncanny have the inside track. They should disturb you. They should cause you to question your carefully constructed reality. They should get you to face things you really don’t want to face. And with stories of the uncanny, or horror, they get you to face things like death, our illusion of safety and the possibility that there is unseen world around us. This, I’m guessing, is the most unsettling notion of all. The one we try to explain away by telling kids, “it’s just your imagination.” When deep down, we realize, it just might not be....

Now, what do I mean by sacramental? This one is much easier. I’m not talking about sacramental in the former sense, as in, the official sacraments of the church. Rather, I’m talking about the Judeo-Christian idea that everything on earth is sacred and belong to the Lord. The physical world and everything in it is "tov", or good. The physical world radiates with reminders of God and holy things.

All good Christian writers see the world this way. Novelists have to be very concrete in their writing. It’s interesting to note that most of the good Christian novelists are Catholic, Anglican or Orthodox. I mean, as I’m sitting here in my coffee house writing this, I can’t think of one good Presbyterian (my side of the church) novelists. They just don’t exist. Presbyterians are very good at abstract theology, but not so good making things concrete. We have a thing about images. They make us theologically twitch.

Taking that all together then, the novels of Charles Williams (and mine, I hope) really seek to unsettle people with the idea of the unseen world crashing into this one, to challenge our default naturalism, which is true even for Christians. They try to get us to see the world of the Nicene Creed which speaks of the “Seen and the Unseen.” Ghost stories, stories of the uncanny or tales of just plain weirdness make us that kid again, reading long after we are supposed to be in bed. We shut off the lights and we are alone. Anything could happen in that alone time. In that aloneness, we have to face the unknown, which for me, is where God starts to speak.

When He does, that can often be scarier than anything I can conceive.

Comedy Central starting a new half-hour long cartoon about Jesus in the Big City

Dear Comedy Central,

I see that you are starting a new cartoon about Jesus but that you aren't even sure exactly what it is about.  You're not sure if it will offend Christians (and frankly, it's pretty hard to tell what is going to offend Christians sometimes, right?).

Anyway, just thought I'd throw it out there that here I am, a published author who writes comedies with Jesus in them, who is also a Christian.  So if you need a creative consultant who can help you from offending Christians while still being funny, give me a call. 

Okay, I can keep you from offending *most* of the Christians.

Imaginary Jesus... in Mexico!!!

Imaginary Friend Amanda Little McDaniel sent in this picture of herself reading Imaginary Jesus while on vacation in Mexico!

She said, "Hi Matt! Finished Imaginary Jesus on my trip. Here is a pic to prove it. :) Hands down my favorite part was KJV Jesus! I laughed so hard I had to put the book down...even snorted. HA! Amazing job and really enjoyed it...beautiful ending:"

Thanks, Amanda!  Feel free to send your photos with Imaginary Jesus and I'll put them up on the blog here.

An Interview with Sarah Atkinson, Senior Acquisitions Editor for Tyndale House Publishers

Entering into the world of publishing is like entering another culture.  There are many wonderful things that you would like to take pictures of, and also many things that make you scratch your head and say, "Someone please tell me what is happening.  Or take me somewhere familiar, like McDonald's."  I thought it would be helpful for all those writers out there to interview some of the people involved in making Imaginary Jesus happen.  Our first victim -- uh, interviewee -- is my good friend Sarah Atkinson.  Enjoy!

Matt: What is your official title?

Sarah: Senior Acquisitions Editor for Tyndale House Publishers.

Matt: And what exactly does an acquisitions editor do? What does a typical day look like?

Sarah: I manage the proposal evaluation process for our book team. Each proposal undergoes an initial review so we can determine whether to move it forward internally to our sales team (where we ask our reps’ opinions on how it will perform in the marketplace) and then to Publication Committee (where we officially request approval to publish it). Then, once a book is acquired, I guide it through our internal system, working closely with our editorial, design, and marketing teams. In terms of a “typical day…” it’s Monday evening as I write this, and some of my activities today have included: (1) title/subtitle brainstorming for a new book (2) reading proposals (3) talking to an agent to reschedule a project (4) requesting some changes to an audio book we’re currently in the process of recording (5) creating “fact sheets” for our sales team to help them pitch upcoming products (6) writing back cover copy (7) giving feedback on a front cover design. I also ate some Cheez-Its, and told a couple of stories about my dog.

Matt: I noticed that when trying to acquire "Imaginary Jesus" there were two acquisitions editors involved. Were you afraid that the author would be a mean-spirited jerk and you needed someone to document his behavior?

Sarah: Yes. The truth is out! (No, not really. I work closely with Jan Long Harris, Associate Publisher of Books, on all of my projects. We brought Imaginary Jesus in together.)

Matt: Have you wanted to be an acquisitions editor since you were very young? What drew you to this job?

Sarah: I don’t think anybody wants to be an acquisitions editor when they’re very young. Not at my elementary school, at least. We all wanted to be dog trainers because that was the most interesting session on Career Day (puppies)! As early as high school, though, I knew I wanted to work with books in some way. I did a publishing internship at InterVarsity Press during college, and when I found myself getting genuinely thrilled about minor editorial fixes (“See that comma? That one? I PUT IT THERE.”) I figured I was on the right career track. It’s been ten years and I still think that was a good move.

Matt: When it comes to submissions at Tyndale House right now, what sort of book are you seeing to often?  In other words, what sort of proposal makes you groan and shake your head and say, "Not another one of these"?

Sarah: There isn’t a specific subject that fits this description for me, because any topic can be compelling if the writing is good. Sorry that’s not as snarky an answer as you may have expected! Besides, as soon as I said something like “I am SO sick of getting proposals about three-headed penguins” then maybe somebody with a terrific three-headed penguin story, one that really breaks out of that boring old penguin box, would read my comment and decide not to send it to me. And I can’t take that risk.

Matt: Describe your dream book.  What sort of book are you hoping to find?
Sarah: Right now, I would be excited to find a strong spiritual travel memoir. Also, any book guaranteed to hit the bestseller lists should definitely come to me. :)

Matt: Please explain why you have named your dog "Bullet."

Sarah: No. People will judge me.

Matt: Our readers demand to know: What is the worst thing about being the acquisitions editor for "Imaginary Jesus"?

Sarah: I’m still a little mad that I had to break both my arms in order to acquire it. (Readers, I am not being metaphorical here. We’re talking two arms in actual casts. It’s a long story.)

Matt: What is the best thing about your job?

Sarah: I am part of a wonderful team. Even if I didn’t love my work as much as I do, it would still be a pleasure to come to the office every day and work with this immensely talented group of people. This sounds very Stepford, but it’s true. (The second best thing? One of my colleagues is taking a cake decorating class and brings the results to work. Homemade frosting!)

Matt: Tells us a couple of your favorite books.

Sarah: The Great Divorce. Emma. Girl Meets God. Watership Down. Anything by Adrian Plass. And I don’t have the complete manuscript yet, but I am anticipating that Craving Grace by Lisa Velthouse, which I acquired and which will come out in 2011, will fall into this category.

Matt: What else would you like to say to our millions upon millions of readers?

Sarah: If you are an aspiring writer, you may find it helpful to hear what an acquisitions editor (me!) appreciates about working with an author (Matt!). He’s a terrific writer, and he keeps up an interesting blog that keeps me coming back between books. He’s genuinely interested in connecting with his readers—for example, he makes it a point to reach out to anyone who blogs or writes a review about Imaginary Jesus and thank them. He meets deadlines and responds to emails. Come to think of it, the only thing he really does wrong is make his emails very funny, so that I always save them to read until last. (This is no skin off my nose, but kind of works against him when I have 100+ other messages.)

Also, Imaginary Jesus is awesome. Please buy it. The first time I read it, I knew by page 24 that I desperately wanted to work on this book (thanks to the Frog of Hate). There is nothing like it in Christian fiction and it is a privilege to be part of launching it.
Matt: Sarah, thanks for your time, and thanks also for revealing that bit about the funny e-mails.  I had no idea.  From now on, expect deadly serious correspondence.  Readers, feel free to leave any other questions you have for Sarah and I will send them to her in a somber email and maybe she will answer them for

Using Robots to Define the Genre of Imaginary Jesus

It's a comedy.  It's a novel.  It's theology.  It's fiction. It's autobiographical.  What possible genre could this be? Let's turn to Amazon.com's rating system to discover what they think.
First, an overview of the three categories that Amazon thinks that IJ fits into:


Good.  Okay.  So our comedy theology novel falls into Science Fiction Adventure (no doubt because our hero chases Jesus through "time and space"), Religious Fiction (no doubt because it has Jesus in it and is fiction), and in Single Women's Fiction (no doubt because the chicks dig me).  Hmm.  Let's see what sort of books that puts Imaginary Jesus up against.
In the category of Sci-Fi adventure:



Yes, this, strangely, makes sense.  Notice the similarity in strange headgear between the jedi and the Jesus.  But since I have every intention of destroying the Star Wars novel which is more highly ranked than I does that mean I am... a Sith?  Brrrr.  Stay tuned to find out!
Now, let's look at Single Women's Fiction:



Again, this is an oddly appropriate place for my book.  "Misery Loves Cabernet" references wine in the title, and there is communion wine in Imaginary Jesus.  And the title below "We Interrupt This Date" infers a breakup. And Imaginary Jesus includes the story of one of the most hilarious and unbelievable break ups of all time.  It is a 7.8 on the John Cusack scale of break ups.  I think a single woman might enjoy hearing about my heart being crushed.  It's a beautiful moment.
Now, let's look at religious fiction:



Ah, C.S. Lewis.  Allow me to take a moment to say IN YOUR FACE, C.S. LEWIS! Imaginary Jesus is totally rocking The Screwtape Letters.  Oh, I know that you wrote your book 40 years ago and it's still selling ALMOST AS WELL as Imaginary Jesus, but I think it's time for you to acknowledge that victory is totally mine for at least 40 minutes until Amazon refreshes the ranking on their books!  In other news, I'm a big fan.  If we are allowed to do this in Heaven I will be asking for your autograph.  If there are pens.  And paper.  Also books.  I'm pretty sure there are at least scrolls, so I might just have you sign a scroll if you're cool with that.

And that, my Imaginary Friends, brings us to the end of this wonderful discussion of how the Amazon Robots have determined the genre of my Religious Single Women's Science-Fiction Adventure Novel!

Please feel free to add your own suggestions for possible genre inclusion in the comments!

Meeting George Barna

Imaginary Jesus is published by Barna Books, which is an imprint of Tyndale House Publishers.  A lot of people wonder what that means, and how involved George Barna was in the book, whether I know him, did I really meet him in Portland (like in the book), et cetera, et cetera.

Above is a picture of me and George Barna when we met for lunch a few months ago. I know what you are thinking: "IS THAT A BABY'S HEAD IN THE LOWER RIGHT HAND CORNER OF THE PICTURE?"

Set your mind at ease. That is, indeed, a baby's head.  But the baby was only sleeping.  I was holding her.  The baby is fine.  I know, some of you who dislike George Barna think maybe something terrible happened to the baby.  Maybe it fainted, something like that.  But no.  The baby simply fell into a sweet slumber.

Here's how it came about that I met George Barna.  My agent sent my book to Tyndale.  The editors at Tyndale talked to George's agent.  She talked to George.  Then we all talked to each other.  And then, later, it became a Barna book.  I could go into more detail, but really that's pretty much how it happened.  You can see some of George's thoughts about the whole thing.

The Barna Group then did some research based on themes from Imaginary Jesus, specifically looking at whether Americans think they are connected to God, and do they believe that he speaks to them in a personal way, and what people believe about God interacting with them during times of pain.  You can read an article summarizing parts of that research here.

Anyway, this all culminated in a lovely lunch together with George in southern California at a really great fish and chips place.  George even bought our lunch (thanks, George!), which makes him immediately a great guy to my way of thinking.  We had a fascinating conversation about our relationships with Jesus, talked about books, culture, the church and what to do when there is controversy around your writing or ministry.  George had wise advice and insights and I really enjoyed the conversation.

As for the questions at the beginning of this post, George and I do, indeed, know each other.  We have not (yet) met in Portland.  And George and I met after the book was already written, though I did incorporate some of his research into the book by the time the final draft rolled around.  But I was certainly the author.

All that to say, I think it is another of the Lord's blessings to Krista and me that this book has allowed us to cross paths with George.  Now you may ask questions in the comments and I will answer them.  Because I can't help myself and I just keep talking all the time. 

Thanks for your kind attention, Imaginary Friends.

Life Outside the Box: Jamie Carie, author of "Angel's Den"

Jamie Carie is the author of Angel's Den, and she lives in Indianapolis with her husband and three sons, like some weird mirror of the Mikalatos family with our one wife and three daughters here in Portland.  Check out her website or her blog here.  I'm glad to have Jamie writing our first installment of Life Outside the Box.  Thanks, Jamie!

In the genre I write, historical romance, there is an element of formulaic plotting that is expected by the reader. Boy meets girl. Boy and girl encounter obstacles on the road to love, obstacles get resolved and boy and girl live happily ever after. There is an emotional payoff here that brings the reader (and me!) back again and again. That being said, it is vital to find "outside-the-box" ways of keeping this formula fresh and engaging. In my latest book, Angel's Den, we have the story of a woman who marries her dream man only to find out shortly after the wedding that he is nothing like his handsome outer façade. She has married an evil monster and in 1809, she is trapped. As the abuse escalates she begins to lose hope that she will survive it. Enter the hero - a rough around the edges man of God who falls in love with a married woman and wants nothing more than to rescue her. At this point it would have been easy for the formula to take over and allow Luke to rescue Emma and her husband to die somewhere on the trail (they are following the Lewis and Clark trail) leaving the way open for their HEA (happily ever after). But that's too predictable! What I do at this point is pray, "Lord, how are You going to rescue Emma? If this was really happening to one of your children, and this scenario we've built was real back then, what kind of miracle would You do for Emma?"
Well, I don't want to give away my ending but let's just say when I pray these prayers for my characters God always gives me something "outside the box" and thrilling, beyond what my imagination could dream up! It's one of my favorite parts of being a writer. And if I sound a little crazy, praying for my characters as if they were real people, well, that's one of my favorite parts of being a writer too.
Here's a fan email I recently received for Angel's Den that illustrates my point:

"I have just finished reading Angel's Den. I can tell you I suspected that Eric Montclaire was good looking, but up to no good the first time I met him on page 7. BUT I would have never expected the outcome of the book. Page 45 brought Mr. Luke Bowen into the picture and sure there was chemistry and then I had the plot all figured out:

The triangle would head off into the Pacific Northwest following the footsteps of Lewis and Clark. Then some sort of fatality would overcome Mr. Montclaire. Luke and Emma would build a life in the Northwest and live happily ever after.

Boy, was I mistaken. The events that happened really kept my eyes glued to the end of this book. There were lots of twists and turns that I did not expect." Norma B.

I picture God knowing every story that has ever happened in all creation. It is such an amazing gift when He whispers some of them into my heart and then I get to tell of His amazing love, His awesome creativity, His plan of salvation for each of our stories, to you.

Life Outside the Box

Krista and I have a running joke that while some people "Think outside the box", I "live outside the box."  If I need to tell someone inside the box one of my ideas, I have to hunker down next to the box and stick my head inside so they can hear me.  I've never been a fan of boxes (unless they are boxes of comic books).
Starting tomorrow I'm introducing one of the new features here at Imaginary Blog, called "Life Outside the Box."  As part of Life Outside the Box I'll be inviting artists, writers, musicians and others to participate by writing a blog post about something they've done that's outside the box, that breaks barriers, that moves into new territory.

This should be a pretty eclectic mix of people and topics.  For instance, tomorrow, for the first Life Outside the Box, we'll have a Christian romance novelist sharing about her latest book.  Now, I don't know anything about Christian romance novels.  But I'm interested to see what our guest tomorrow has to say about Christian romance and doing something unique in that genre.

So, tune in tomorrow for the first installment of LOTB.  If you have an idea for someone who should be featured in the future, drop me a line and I'll see if I can get ahold of them.

Collette

I had this friend named Collette.  I met her in a creative writing class at my junior college.  As I recall she had written a story which turned out to be a thinly veiled story about herself, in which the main character was dealing with some conflict with her husband.  I mentioned in the feedback that the story was frightening, to see such a clear example of spousal abuse, and she came and talked to me afterward, to ask if I really thought what she had written about constituted abuse.  I told her I thought it did, and in some mysterious way this caused us to become friends.
That's my first memory of Collette. Over the years we kept in touch occasionally.  Krista and I both briefly worked at the same school as Collette.  She got our newsletter, and she and I would send notes back and forth on Facebook.  She sent me theological questions every once in a while, and made funny comments on my profile about as often.  A few years ago I visited her at her house, and hung out with her and her kids.

Collette was a sweet, loving, patient woman, with a lot of ability to endure difficult things without realizing they were difficult.  She wrestled with tough questions, but with an underlying certainty of God's goodness.  She was friendly, and pleasant, and kind.  She had a sincere faith in Jesus Christ, and spoke about him often and with great affection. I considered her a friend, and I like to think she considered me a friend, too.

And that's about all I can share here about Collette.  This last Monday Collette decided for some reason I cannot fathom that it would be best if she took her own life.

How I feel about this is complex.  I think it's safe to say that the first thing I feel is regret.  I wish she had called me and I had been able to talk to her about whatever it was that made her think this was a good idea.  I wish I had known her better, had been a close enough friend that she would have even thought about calling me.  I was in her town the day she did it.  I wish I had thought, somehow, to call her.  I wish it had crossed my mind.

Related to that, and intertwined with it, is the sadness and a sense of loss.  When someone is gone, there's a realization that I can't call her now.  I left a note on her wall on facebook, but that's more for me than for her. She's not checking her messages anymore.  Or, well, I don't really know how that works. But there's this moment in the feelings of loss where I just want to go back and remember every insignificant conversation we ever had.  I want to re-read our dumb facebook notes to each other.  I want to double check her theological questions and see if I missed a warning sign. I want to make sure to remember every last thing I knew about her, because that's all that's left of her, for me.

And then there's this next-to-last feeling that I'm not sure how to express because it seems wrong to say.  I know it's normal and even expected, but I am really angry at Collette, too.  Killing herself was selfish, pretty much the most self-involved thing she could have done.  It doesn't change that I liked her, or that she was a great person, but I just don't understand how she left her kids behind, and left all of us behind without a goodbye and without asking for our help.  Or maybe she did, and I wasn't close enough to be in that circle. 

The last thing, Collette, is that I'm glad you're beyond this now.  What I mean is, I know you're in the arms of Jesus, and even now he's wiping the tears from your eyes and showing you that all those years you spent broken and worried and hurt and abused and crushed and uncertain of your own value, that all those things are a million years behind you and you are in a place where you can experience (at last) perfect love and see yourself the way our Creator sees you.  I'm very, very thankful for that.  I wish you could have found a big enough piece of that here, but I'm glad you're in the arms of our savior now. So. Rest in peace, my friend.  I will pray for your children and family, and I hope to see you well and whole when next we meet.

Your friend,

Matt

A Writing Nemesis

I am working on finding a suitable writing nemesis. Someone I can battle in the world of writing. Right now I am experimenting with Spanish C.S. Lewis. I made it my goal to outsell one of his books, like the one below, "El Leon, La Bruja y El Ropero."  If my dropout Spanish is correct this is his very famous book, "The Lion, the Fight and the Clothing."  Ha ha ha!  So I have humiliated you at last, Spanish C.S. Lewis! Espero que no empiecen a llorar como un grifo de agua poco!

I await your reply, O Nemesis de Writing!