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As
a reader, I spent a good number of years avoiding contemporary
literature. Speculative fiction grabbed my attention at a young age,
and I devoted myself to reading everything I could get my hands on that
featured an elf, dragon, or spaceship. Naturally, my first attempts at
writing reflected my reading tastes, and I produced dozens of sci-fi
and fantasy stories. Imagine my surprise when the Lord gave me the idea
for the book that would become my first published novel—and it was a contemporary
story.
Contemporary novels
are those with a modern setting, which several sources identify as
anything after 1950. The characters, setting, and issues in the novel
are those that could reasonably be encountered in modern times.
Additionally, to be categorized as strictly contemporary, the novel
can’t fall into another established genre, such as suspense, mystery,
romance, or young adult. Elements of those genres can be included in
the contemporary novel, of course, but the primary focus of the plot
can’t revolve around those aspects.
All good fiction, regardless of
genre, transports a reader into a fictitious world where the characters
wrestle with identifiable needs. Those needs are basic to human nature,
regardless of time period or setting. The fundamental requirements of
physical sustenance, security, belonging, and love speak to a reader
whether the character striving to achieve them is driving a wagon train
across the prairie or strutting down a city street with an iPhone held
to her ear. But the nature of the character’s struggle, and his or her
reaction to that struggle, is defined by the society in which he or she
lives. That is what sets the contemporary novel apart from others—the
society is today’s.
As
Christians who love fiction, we enjoy reading fictitious illustrations
of spiritual truth. Our modern culture is riddled with issues that are
unique to people living in today’s society. Many of these issues are
tough, confusing, and sometimes extremely painful. The contemporary
Christian novel allows us to see God move in the lives of the
characters facing those issues. It reminds us that He really does
intervene in our lives today as much as He did in times past. Novelist
Arundhati Roy put it well when she said, “As I keep saying, fiction is
truth. I think fiction is the truest thing there ever was.”
My
contemporary novels have
dealt with some pretty tough issues. Just As I Am
featured a young woman with purple hair and multiple facial piercings,
who became a willing tool for God to reach her hurting friends. The
societal issues were AIDS and child abuse. The sequel, Sincerely,
Mayla, tackled teen pregnancy, abortion, and outreach to
friends living a homosexual lifestyle. Show me one person alive today
who hasn’t been touched in some way by those issues and I’ll show you
someone who’s been
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living
in a cave for the past few decades. How
exciting to be able to demonstrate God’s very real life-changing power
in the midst of huge problems like those.
The
books in my Sister-to-Sister
Series, Stuck in the Middle, Age Before Beauty, and
the upcoming Third Time’s a Charm, center on an
issue that many face today: the ripple effect of divorce on children,
especially in terms of establishing lasting relationships later in
life. With astronomically high divorce rates, more people are facing
this situation than ever before. The problem goes beyond the struggle
to break the pattern of divorce and find true love. How can a girl
whose father deserted her understand the unconditional love of a
Heavenly Father? The conflicts and questions in these books grew
directly out of my own life. What a joy to share, through a
contemporary Christian novel, the answers God has given me.
I still enjoy a good sci-fi or
fantasy novel. Someday maybe I’ll even write one. In the meantime, I’ve
developed a deep affinity for stories set right here on earth.
Especially when they leave me with a sense of hope that God can and
does meet every need I have, no matter what time period I live in.
After all, He’s the same yesterday,today, and
forever.
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