CHRISTIAN WRITING IS MORE THAN HAPPILY EVER AFTER ROMANCE BY Patrick E. Craig

CHRISTIAN WRITING IS MORE THAN HAPPILY EVER AFTER ROMANCE BY Patrick E. Craig
Wednesday, April 8, 2020 by Patti Shene

FEATURED BOOK: Far On The Ringing Plains

AUTHOR: Murray Pura and Patrick E. Craig

PUBLISHER: Islands Publishing

GENRE: Historical Fiction / Literary Fiction

SERIES OR STAND ALONE: Book 1 in The Islands Series

TARGET AGE: 18 to 65+

IT IS MY PLEASURE TO WELCOME AUTHOR PATRICK E. CRAIG TO THE OVER 50 WRITER. PATRICK SHARES HIS THOUGHTS ON WHY WRITERS SHOULD RECONSIDER THE HAPPY EVER AFTER ENDINGS PUBLISHERS EXPECT.

PATRICK IS OFFERING A GIVEAWAY! SIMPLY LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW TO ENTER THE DRAWING FOR A PRINT SIGNED COPY OF FAR ON THE RINGING PLAINS.

CHRISTIAN WRITING IS MORE THAN HAPPILY EVER AFTER ROMANCE

If you are a Christian author looking for a contract with a CBA Publisher, you may have discovered that those publishers are looking for one kind of book—what we know in the industry as HEA or Happily-Ever-After Romance. Every genre seems to be dominated by this kind of writing, be it Historical, Contemporary, Biblical, and most of all Amish. And, this is a sad state of affairs.

Why sad? Because even though as Christians we want our writing to be positive and uplifting, at the same time, we all know that life is not “happily ever after.” This life is a vale of tears, and the only solution is a saving relationship with Christ. But that relationship does not come about because you have found the one great love of your life and you are living in perfect bliss in the house of your dreams with an incredibly handsome husband or the perfectly gorgeous wife.

I write Amish books, I’m one of six men who do, and I wrote my first three books before I discovered that in 95% of all Amish books, (in case you didn’t know, Amish is the largest selling Christian Genre and has been for years), everything turns out “peachy keen” simply because the protagonists are Amish. The biggest obstacle that the “to-die-for” handsome Bishop’s son faces is when the wheel comes off his buggy on his way to court the “drop-dead beautiful” Amish maiden.

Now, I admit I’m stretching it a little, but we are doing our readers a great disservice by not confronting the major issues of life and relationship when we write. Most wives are not Grace Kelly, most husbands are not Robert Redford and most marriages are not held together by the glue of unbridled romantic love, but by the hard work, acceptance and forgiveness that comes from the fact that you gave a promise and you intend to keep it.

So Murray Pura and I joined to write our new book, Far On The Ringing Plains, outside the box of CBA. It is not a book that most Christian publishers would even look at, because it has all the elements you might find in REAL life—sexual abuse, hate, war, violence, racial hatred, a child born outside of wedlock, and men grappling with their faults and failings in the most unhappily-ever-after theater of life—bloody World War II battles.

But in that setting we are reaching for something great—every man’s search for God in the midst of the most trying circumstances of life. Here’s the blurb:

In the spirit of The Thin Red Line, Hacksaw Ridge, Flags of our Fathers and Pearl Harbor.

Realistic. Gritty. Gutsy. Without taking it too far, Craig and Pura take it far enough to bring war home to your heart, mind and soul. The rough edge of combat is here. And the rough edge of language, human passion and our flawed humanity. If you can handle the ruggedness and honesty of Saving Private Ryan, 1917 or Dunkirk, you can handle the power and authenticity of ISLANDS: Far on the Ringing Plains.

For the beauty and the honor is here too. Just like the Bible, in all its roughness and realism and truthfulness about life, reaching out for God is ever present in ISLANDS. So are hope and faith and self-sacrifice. Prayer. Christ. Courage. An indomitable spirit. And the best of human nature, triumphing over the worst.

Bud Parmalee, Johnny Strange, Billy Martens—three men that had each other’s backs and the backs of every Marine in their company and platoon. All three were raised never to fight. All three saw no other choice but to enlist and try to make a difference. All three would never be the same. Never. And neither would their world.

This is their story.

My point in all this for you writers is, don’t be afraid. Don’t succumb to the lure of book sales and recognition by writing something that looks, tastes, smells and reads like every other book on the shelves of Christian book stores or the digital shelves of Amazon. Write about truth, write about commitment, write about the genuine struggles of life, write about the only reality that makes any sense, Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Write books that are more than just entertainment, write books that are life-changing. And when you can touch your readers lives that way then that’s the real “happily-ever-after.”

DON’T FORGET TO LEAVE A COMMENT TO BE PLACED IN THE DRAWING TO WIN A PRINT SIGNED COPY OF FAR ON THE RINGING PLAINS BETWEEN NOW AND SATURDAY, APRIL 18TH AT MIDNIGHT MDT.

BY LEAVING A COMMENT, YOU GRANT PERMISSION FOR YOUR EMAIL TO BE REVEALED TO THE AUTHOR IF YOU ARE THE WINNER TO FACILITATE RECEIPT OF YOUR BOOK.

Amazon Best-Selling author Patrick E. Craig is a lifelong writer and musician who left a successful music career to become a pastor in 1986. In 2007 he retired to concentrate on writing and publishing fiction books. In 2011, Patrick signed a three-book deal with Harvest House Publishers to publish his Apple Creek Dreams series. His latest books, The Amish Heiress, The Amish Princess, and The Mennonite Queen, as well as the reprinted Apple Creek Dreams are published by Patrick’s imprint, P&J Publishing. In 2017, Harlequin Publishing purchased The Amish Heiress for their Walmart Amish series and released it in April 2019. He also recently signed a contract with Elk Lake Publishers to produce his middle grade/YA mystery series, The Adventures of Punkin and Boo. Patrick and his wife Judy live in Idaho. They have two daughters and five grandchildren. Patrick is represented by the Steve Laube Agency.

Where can readers find Patrick online?

Webpage www.patrickecraig.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PatrickECraig

Twitter https://twitter.com/PatrickECraig

Where can readers purchase his books?

Amazon http://tinyurl.com/n6sfagg

Many of the other online stores https://books2read.com/u/38ZODa

SUBSCRIBE TO PATTI’S BLOGS HERE

Comments

Sara Nicole From Memphis, TN At 4/16/2020 12:02:39 AM

I agree with Anita. I believe in HEA because life does have a HEA - but we see it in heaven. I’m in favor of realistic books that end with hope, for hope in this life is real. Yet I also like HEA because waiting is hard & it’s fun to read a HEA while waiting for ours. I try to write realistic too.

Reply by: Patti Shene

Hi Sara. Thank you so much for stopping by and contributing your thoughts to the discussion. I enjoy HEA as well, but I admire authors who take their characters through realistic situations with faith-based resolutions. Stay safe and stay healthy!

Gail Kittleson From Iowa At 4/15/2020 7:20:42 PM

Oh, I'm so glad to hear you're writing real-to-life WWII, Patrick. Yay!

Reply by: Patti Shene

Hi Gail! Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. Stay safe! Stay healthy!

Jeanette Morris From CA At 4/15/2020 6:02:31 PM

Bravo, Patrick! I'm excited for you and your new book. And I can't agree more--that happily-ever-after is art that often doesn't reflect life. The gospel is a message of hope--not of easy-peasy. Let's both keep writing authentic fiction that gets to the heart of the matter and makes a difference.

Reply by: Patti Shene

Hi Jeanette. Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing your thoughts with us. Stay safe! Stay healthy!

Vivian Furbay From Colorado Springs. CO At 4/10/2020 7:18:34 AM

This book sounds like some movies I have seen about war. One of the best is The Hiding Place based on Corrie ten Boom's book. What an awesome story of God's grace!

Reply by: Patti Shene

HI Vivian. Thank you for stopping by and joining in the discussion. Stay healthy! Stay safe!

Anita Whatley From Florida At 4/9/2020 1:26:49 PM

Life is only happily everafter when we make it to our Heavenly home, but encouragement is found when you can read about others trials and tribulations and how it leads them to the "One" that really matters, who holds all our tomorrow's. Looking so forward to reading your book!

Reply by: Patti Shene

Hi Anita. Yes, I agree with you. We can find some happiness in life here, but "ever after" happiness and peace awaits in our heavenly home. I also agree that Christian authors can help readers find faith, hope, and strength to face trials based on the behavior and choices of fictional characters. Thank you for stopping by. Be safe! Be healthy!

Anne L. Rightler From Brighton, Michigan At 4/8/2020 11:59:40 PM

I like HEA but I also like to see characters who face real-life challenges & not just a broken buggy wheel. Seeing how they face their struggles (hopefully successfully) can bring hope & courage to help me face my own problems. Thank you for the opportunity. I look forward to reading this one.

Reply by: Patti Shene

Hi Anne. Thank you for stopping by and adding to the discussion. Stay safe! Stay healthy!

Darlene Woosley From Dayton, Ohio At 4/8/2020 6:53:32 PM

I can't wait to read this book. Patrick, I'm in the middle of reading The Amish Heiress now. Can't put it down.

Reply by: Patti Shene

Hi Darlene. Thank you for dropping by and sharing with us. Stay safe! Stay healthy!

Loretta Shumpert From South Carolina At 4/8/2020 6:16:13 PM

This was good reading. I agree with all of it. Although I read fiction and amish fiction my favorite is true life, things bordering on true life and biographies.

Reply by: Patti Shene

Hi Loretta. Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts with us. Stay safe! Stay healthy!

Patrick E. Craig From Idaho At 4/8/2020 5:48:56 PM

Thanks for stopping by everyone. Jennifer, if your hubby likes realistic, he will like this book.

Joyce block From Michigan At 4/8/2020 4:39:28 PM

thank you for the giveaway. Patrick Craig is one of my favorite authors. Right now I am reading The Amish Princess. Loved his series Apple Creek Dreams.