Today we have fantasy author J.C. Morrows with us. J.C. Morrows is the author of the best-selling YA dystopian series Order of the MoonStone and the new Frozen World series—a post-apocalyptic with a dystopian edge. J.C. spends her days writing, arguing with her evil computer, juggling two kids, and wishing someone would invent a coffee IV (don’t we all!). Please join me in welcoming J.C. Morrows! 1) When did you realize you wanted to become a writer? It was not a conscious decision. I have been a storyteller my entire life. There was never a question of whether or not I wanted to be a …
Science Fiction: Hard Versus Soft
By Joshua A. Johnston Anyone who has studied “speculative fiction” – that stuff that goes beyond the normal world we live in – knows that it has categories galore. Fantasy. Science fiction. Steampunk. Horror. Time-travel romance. Science fantasy. Within genres, of course, are subgenres. Here I want to look at two broad categories of subgenre that exist within the genre we all know as science fiction. Now, even trying to define science fiction can get pretty complicated, but let’s start with the basics. In general, science fiction’s imaginative worlds are characterized by technology, planets, or alien races that are beyond …
Interview with S.D. Grimm
Today we are excited to introduce you to one of our newest authors, S.D. Grimm. Sarah’s first love in writing is young adult speculative fiction. When she’s not writing or editing, she enjoys reading (of course!), making clay dragons for her Grimmlies store on Etsy, practicing kickboxing and Brazilian jiu jitsu, training dogs, and doing anything outdoorsy with the family. Her office is anywhere she can curl up with her laptop and at least one large-sized dog. Her debut novel, Scarlet Moon, releases this month with Enclave. Join me in welcoming S.D. Grimm! 1) Tell us a little about your books. Scarlet Moon …
I Choose to Write Dangerously
A couple weeks ago I received a review that made me scratch my head and ask if this person had really read the same book I wrote? The review seemed far out there. But as I had time to process what this person said, along with what other people had to say, it made me realize something: I choose to write dangerously. I will never glorify evil, but I will write about it because there is real evil in this world. In a tactful way, I will write about abuse because there is abuse in this world. I will write about the dark …
Great Christian Fantasy Writers: C.S. Lewis and Beyond
By Joan Campbell On our final quest to discover the Great Christian Fantasy Writers, we creak open the door of the wardrobe and take a peak into C.S. Lewis’ remarkable books. But we also spin forward through the circle of time to where a modern generation of speculative fiction writers are breaking new ground. Irish-born Lewis—academic, apologist and author—is probably best known for The Chronicles of Narnia series. The first of the seven books (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) was published in 1950. Whereas Tolkien’s writing hinted at Christian themes, Lewis combined mythical elements with a rather distinctive …
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A Short Talk with Steve Rzasa
Today we have Steve Rzasa with us. We’ve interviewed Steve before (you can find his original interview here), but we thought we would visit with Steve again and see what’s been happening besides a new book coming out, new covers, and life in general as a multi-published author. Please welcome Steve Rzasa! 1) You’re a multi-book published author now. Do you do things differently now than you did back when you first started writing? Do you still get excited with each new book/series? I plot and outline more than I used to. Doesn’t mean I don’t do things by …
Great Christian Fantasy Writers: J.R.R. Tolkien
On our gallant quest to uncover the greatest—and most influential—Christian Fantasy Writers, our journey inevitably leads to the forests, dales, and Hobbit holes of Tolkien’s Middle-earth. J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, is considered the father of High Fantasy – fantasy of an epic scale set in alternative worlds. Tolkien’s creation of Middle-earth The vastness and richness of Tolkien’s world inspires many writers and readers. Tolkien began work on this remarkable world in 1917 in the form of various writings which he referred to as his ‘legendarium’ and which he revised until …
Interview with Chawna Schroeder
Today we have the pleasure of interviewing Chawna Schroeder, one of the newest authors to Enclave! Chawna loves stretching both the imagination and faith through her novels. Living in Minnesota, she dreams of far-off places, daring sword fights, magic spells, and princes in disguise. When she isn’t committing her dreams to paper, you can find her studying the biblical languages, working with fiber, or teaching about the importance of discernment. Her debut novel, Beast, is now available in ebook with the paperback coming out this fall. Without further ado, please welcome Chawna! 1) When did you realize you wanted to become a …
Don’t Let Them Squash Your Creativity
By Joseph Bentz With all the roles that many of us have to fill throughout the day—friend, employee, spouse, parent, consumer, and so on—the creative self can be one of the most fragile. Even though for many of us the creative self is deeply embedded and even essential to our sanity, it is also easily crushed. Many forces stand ready to squash the creative self. You no doubt have been struck by these enemies. Even the most successful people are prone to these creativity crushers. To name just one example, there are the naysayers. These are the people who tell …