Brilliant

Box Office

The Redemption of Sarah Cain

I’ve known for several years that Beverly Lewis was the queen of Christian fiction of the Amish persuasion. One of the secretaries at an office I worked at during my freshman year of college would often sneak Lewis’s books in and read them whenever there was a lull (or she thought the boss wasn’t looking). She loaned me one, which I read and enjoyed, but since my taste usually runs a little edgier, I never read any others by Beverly Lewis.

For Writers

Five Fiction Facts

Writing fiction is an art based on important principles. Here are five of them:

Character comes before plot.

Just as people still argue over the proverbial question, Which comes first? The chicken or the egg? writers of fiction argue over what comes first, character or plot?

Making A Scene

Tangled in the Eyes of a Mixed Metaphor

I am a great fan of the mixed metaphor. There’s something so fresh, so invigorating about blending two wildly disparate bits of description. Oh, the visions that arise.

“You’ve buttered your bread; now lie in it!” (Jiminy Cricket.)

Yes, mixed metaphors are fun—when they’re intended. And they can create quite a laugh when they slip from someone’s mouth unintentionally, craftily created by the subconscious. (You’ve got to

Author By Night

Going In All Directions At Once

E. L. Doctorow said, “Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia.”

I agree. As a wife, mother to four, and an author, I often feel pulled in many directions. I am convinced that my to-do list will outlive me. As I sit here writing this article, it seems a tad silly because I know that all writers have challenges and obstacles to conquer and overcome so they are able to put pen to paper, or...

For Readers

Comfort Zone—Inside and Out

Perhaps your comfort zone means you only read certain authors—and you read every single one of their titles. It’s great to know that if you like one title by an author, you might like their other titles. Make a list of the top ten authors you love most. Do a search online or at your local library to find all their titles. Read the rest of their books. It makes sense to read Book One before you read Book Two or Three in a series, if at all possible. Then move from series to series until you have strategically read each...