Historical Fiction, and My Next Book Announcement

If you’ve read The Man in the Box, you know that I am a huge proponent for combining fiction with reality. That’s probably why I loved Life of Pi so much. Now, to be sure, I’ve learned to be very weary of historical fiction books, such as Gingrich’s To Try Men’s Souls. 

But there is one I’d like to point out that was awarded the Newberry Award Medal back in 1990. It’s called Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. It’s a wonderful little book set in Denmark, 1943 about a little Danish girl, Annemarie, who must learn to be brave in the face of the Nazi relocation effort of the Danish Jews – especially since they’re looking specifically for her best friend Ellen Rosen.

It’s a wonderful piece of literature I plan on using as our first means of introduction to World War II with our kids. It chronicles the way life changed for so many in such a short amount of time in a kid-appropriate way. But I can’t see how adults couldn’t get pulled into this short read as well, and not walk away having learned some interesting facts about a particularly brilliant method many Danish people used to hide their Jewish neighbors.

I try not to be too random with my reading selections. Often, I find a piece of history I’m interested in, or a new work of fiction particularly catches my fancy, and I’ll dive in. It may seem kind of out of the blue that I chose a twenty-three year old kids’ fiction book about Nazis occupying Denmark.

Well, you’ll be seeing plenty more Holocaust-related books reviewed here on AdoptingJames in the next several weeks. And here’s why.

I’m proud to officially announce my next book project. Without giving much away, it will be a young reader’s fiction book that takes place somewhere in Austria around the time of the Nazi uprising. I’m being very intentional to make it so that your kids (and mine) will find it engaging and funny (watch Life is Beautiful – it can be done!), and adults will adore it.

I told Sarabeth with a deep sigh the other day, “I wish we had lots of money so I could fly to Germany and walk the streets and smell the smells of Europe, so I can better write this book.” But I’ll just have to do with what God has given me: A library.

Since I can’t go to Europe myself, what better way to smell the dew on the cornflowers, and taste the stale bread, and shiver by the stove cramped in the fireplace during a cold, dark winter in Nazi-ruled Europe than to read about it?

That’s the beauty of historical fiction. It does something that non-fiction books can only do with ultra-accomplished writers (such as Eric Larson and Gregory A. Freeman), and that’s this: They serve as a time portal, picking you up out of your comfortable chair, and placing you dead-center in the middle of history unfolding all around you.

That is what my book will strive to do for you and your children. And I can’t wait for you to read it.

Storytelling Part 2: Curing the Creative Rut

You writers and creative-types – you’ve been there. It’s a hellish place, for sure. A chasm of fear, doubt, agony, frustration…

While everyone else around you seems to be excelling in their craft, awards are given to others, your neighbors hit the jackpot…

Come on, I’m not the only one. You’ve surely been there, right?

Idea-less.

A hellish place for sure. It’s worse than that moment you’re about to start the first sentence on a blank page. It’s miles before you ever even get to that point. Only in a galaxy far, far away do you feel your idea – your one perfect, once-in-a-lifetime, crowd-pleasing idea – awaits.

It’s out there. You might feel like Horton standing at the edge of the field of pink clovers looking for that one tiny speck that’s out there somewhere calling your name.

“We are here, we are here, we are here…”

Sometimes you can just feel it, can’t you?

You know how I find my ideas? It’s embarrassing, and no one has ever seen me do it, except Sarabeth when I thought I was alone or I got carried away.

I dance.

I talk out loud.

I sing.

I act.

And I’ve yelled.

It’s humbling, but true. I imagine myself standing before the heads of Universal or Disney Studios and I’ve got five minutes (I’m generous) to pitch them my idea.

So I yell, I act, I pitch like a storyboard artist convincing the director that my idea is the only thing that will work. I talk aloud about something that I believe in.

I might not yet have an idea to believe in, but I believe that I will find one.

I’ve found several this way.

When I worked in retail, I would often disappear to the shipping room when it was empty and I would plot my book out loud, pacing, lost in my imagination. 

“So this guy Robbie,” I would say, “he wants to be a good father and husband, like most men do. That’s relatable. But something keeps him from that. I want there to be action, but not much action happens in today’s reality… so he finds a fantasy world! In a… wardrobe! No, on a star! No. In a… in a…” I glance around the shipping room and I notice that I’m surrounded by – “In a box!”

Thus, The Man in the Box was born.

Working from home makes it really easy to do this on a regular basis. And if you are stuck in a creative rut, I encourage you to give this a try. Crank up some Fun. or Owl City, or Delta Rae on the ipad and dance.

Yes. Just start dancing. Let your body go. It sounds zen-like, but just release the stress of everyday life. The last thing you want weighing you down when you’re trying to be creative is the rock-hard facts of  life that your readers are looking to escape from.

So… escape.

Dance.

And talk.

And then ask yourself later, What did I talk about? Anything interesting? Jot it down.

*     *     *     *     *

This is just something that happens to work for me. Please share with us some interesting ways you make creative breakthroughs in the comments below.

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Dressing Up

This last weekend, I had the privilege of attending the famous Con Nooga Convention in Chattenooga, Tennessee as a guest author promoting my book, The Man in the Box, and serving on several different discussion panels giving advise to aspiring authors.

It was a great time. So a big thanks to my publisher Blackwyrm for sending me there on their dime and ticket.

The target crowd was mostly sci-fi/fantasy audiences. I was surrounded by Star Wars booths and replicated Dr. Who phone booths (no pun intended), and Walking Dead paraphernalia. There were a lot of life-sized, fully-working R2D2 droids gliding around. I of course put in a word for the engineers  to get a Wall-E robot next year so I’d feel a bit more at home. Regardless, I was still pleased to see that many people were interested in my book. I sold quite a few copies!

Anyway, I’ve always seen pictures of people dressing up to go to the opening night of certain movie franchises. Perhaps you’ve even stood in line next to an Elf as you waited to get in to see a Peter Jackson movie. I remember having to look over a pirate hat to watch one of the Pirate of the Caribbean movies.

I always thought dressing up was all just fun and games.

But apparently the people who dress up take it seriously.

Very, very seriously.

And I couldn’t figure out why for the longest time.

I had been asked more than once over the weekend if I ever dress up. (Apparently my ironed button up and fitted jeans didn’t convince them that I was of a different planet from them.) But one person asked, “Why not?”

I just sort of shrugged and said, “I was never one to even dress up for Halloween.” (I always liked Jim Halpert’s costumes the best.)

And then this person asked a question that made me realize why people dress up.

“You’ve never been so inspired by someone or something that you feel like if you can just look like them for one day, you might just get to feel like that person you most admire?”

I considered this, then thought that I probably wouldn’t be so cool dressing up as George Washington.

“Aren’t you just that passionate about anything?” This person asked.

That conversation got me thinking.

“Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Romans 13:14.

We’re supposed to be dressing up like Him every day.

I might not ever don the cape of a Jedi or go grocery shopping dressed as Batman, but I am commanded to dress like Jesus every day. 

I’m supposed to act like Him. Talk like Him. I’m supposed to be “so inspired by Him that I feel like if I could just look like Him for one day, I might just get to feel like that Man I most admire.”

Don’t I admire Him enough to act like Him?

I don’t know that I do, sometimes.

A lot of times I want to be Andrew.

And more times than that I want to be somebody else. Like maybe Martin Riggs or John McClane because of their guts, or Bill Gates because of his money, or George Washington because of his character.

Sarabeth’s sister suggested a while ago that we all dress up as characters from The Hunger Games when we go to see Catching Fire this fall. And as out of our element as that is, we actually considered it for a second. (Imagine me, with blue lipstick and tinted blue hair and big shiny teeth!)

But how often do I get up in the mornings and think, “I’m going to be like Jesus today”?

I don’t think I do that very often. And that’s what usually gets me into a lot of trouble.

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12

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Every Day a Hay Day

Common phrases found in the Toy House:

“I love you.”

“No barking.”

“How’s your book?”

“Who has to go potty?”

“How’s the farm?”

…No, we don’t own a farm (nor farm animals; we have three dogs, hence the barking and potty), but we do own an app on our ipad that acts as though it’s as important as maintaining a real farm for profit.

Sigh. It’s called Hay Day. And it’s taken over my life.

It’s this dumb little game that keeps you locked in like an incredibly engrossing book, only you neglect it at your own peril. If you don’t collect the milk from the cows then you can’t make cheese from the dairy and if you don’t do that, then you can’t fill up the orders that neighboring towns are asking from you, and you don’t get experience points nor coins to buy more cows to make more cheese to fill in more orders…

It’s ridiculous.

And ridiculously addicting.

It’s Giga Pets on steroids. Remember those?

If you’ve read my blog for a while you might be under the impression that I am some super-Christian who reads crazy amounts of Biblical texts when I wake up in the mornings.

Not so.

When I rise early, my thoughts are rarely geared toward thanking God for another glorious day.

Instead, my first thoughts are, “Where’s the ipad? I’ve got to milk the goats!”

After all, the virtual church is asking for virtual cheese

-and I’m a virtual mess.

Maybe you’re a virtual mess as well. Maybe it’s not some free app you downloaded onto your ipad. Maybe it’s too much time thinking about your finances, or how you’re going to spend the weekend, or what sales are coming up at Target that are waiting to be taken advantage of.

Or maybe it’s something more serious. Maybe the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning is your pills, your drugs, your porn. Maybe you shop too much, eat too much, drink too much.

Allow me to direct your attention to a piece of literature about a man who struggled with the same sort of problem. Not with drugs or alcohol, but with a cardboard box.

It was the one thing standing between him and his wife, and his chances of ever becoming the father he once dreamed of being. But then, there was so much unfinished business in Reveloin. He still hadn’t found the castle on the ocean, and…

No! Life inside the box wasn’t real. Even if it were, nothing about it or from it would aid him in being a better man here, in the real world. The point was, it wouldn’t be fair to Rosalynn or the kids if he kept the box around because there was no way he could resist the temptation of going back every time.

Robbie, who is constantly drawn back to a fantasy world he had discovered inside the box just cannot seem to tear himself away from it, and it’s hurting his family – and his whole life.

Download a free copy of The Man in the Box for your Kindle today (the last day to do so … and did I mention it’s free?), here on Amazon.

Oh, and I’d better warn you, it’s pretty addicting.

You can also get a hardcopy mailed to your house on Amazon.

Here’s what people are saying about The Man in the Box, and when you finish it, a review from you on Amazon or Goodreads would mean the world to me and my family and help boost sales. 

“Expect dinosaurs and giant creepy-crawlies. And if that kind of thing scares you, then you’re like me, which means you’ll go ahead and read the book anyway, with no one to blame but yourself for all the flinching you’ll do … There was no going to bed until I’d reached the end. The suspense had me on the edge of my seat with worry about how everyone was going to get out of this, heart thumping out of control the whole time, except for that one minute where it almost stopped.”

-Danielle E. Shipley, author and blogger

“Andrew Toy has created a unique and interesting story that spans several genres from mystery and adventure to fantasy … Toy’s debut novel will leave readers talking and will make them instant fans of his storytelling abilities. This will surely be a must-read for every adult that once created a world of their own when they were young, just by using their imaginations.”

-Nicole McManus, reviewer and blogger

Read more reviews here. Or, just get it already, you know you want to see what happens!

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Check Out Singer/Songwriter Andrew Peterson

May I be a little unorthodox?

Christian music can get on my nerves. Sometimes I have to take a hiatus from listening to it. And a lot of times, other music – *gasp* secular music – speaks to my soul. Sometimes the right note from Sister Hazel lifts me up. A piano solo from Elton John awakens me. A chorus from Fun. inspires me.

One reason is because they’re all different. They all sound different from each other. They’re all unique in their own way. And that’s a big reason why Christian music can get on my nerves – because you can’t tell one band from another. And oftentimes it’s hard to tell the lyrics of one song written in 1995 apart from the lyrics of another song released last week.

Check out this 5-minute video that proves my point in a humorous way at some point when you have the time. Regular churchgoers will love this video.

Now, that’s not to say that I don’t have my favorite Christian musicians lined up on my itunes playlist. The reason they’re on my playlist to begin with is because they’ve really tapped into their musical gifts and they stretch themselves out and go against the tired Christian sound.

Andrew Peterson is one such Christian artist who has dared to break out of the conventional Christian barrier. His lyrics alone are sheer poetry that speak to the heart  of any person in any walk of life.

Sarabeth and I had the privilege of attending his concert last night which was put on to support our church’s orphanage program, Rosalynn’s Hope.

Not since Keith and Kristyn Getty have I been so moved by the sound of music. Now, I’m not you’re typical music-listener. I tend to ignore the lyrics in many songs and am moved by the tune. This can oftentimes be to my disadvantage because Sarabeth has been known to ask, out of sheer shock, “What in the world are you listening to??”

My case of “It’s beautiful music” is often shattered when I look up the lyrics to that particular song and see that it’s all about young girls sunbathing on the beach and booty calls.

Oops.

But with Andrew Peterson, the real magic of his music lies in the lyrics, so I have to actually work at enjoying his art – but it’s so worth it! Each song tells a story, or captures a snapshot of an ofttimes overlooked Bible passage, and brings it to life.

His songs encircle the themes of paradise lost, and our longing for hope and redemption and a savior to come and finally rescue us from this hell we call earth. (Much like the themes in my book, The Man in the Box. I feel like he and I would get along.)

Just look over the opening lyrics capturing Abraham and Sarah’s sojourn to Canaan taken out of the book of Genesis:

Sarah, take me by my arm
Tomorrow we are Canaan bound
Where westward sails the golden sun
And Hebron’s hills are amber crowned

So bid your troubled heart be still
The grass, they say, is soft and green
The trees are tall and honey-filled
So, Sarah, come and walk with me

An artist with a paintbrush could do the scene no better. (The song is “Canaan Bound” if you want to look it up on itunes.)

And really, most, if not all of his songs are like this. Beautiful. Emotional. Flawless. I would also like to pay special tribute to his backup guys, who each performed just as well as Peterson. Look up Ben Shive and Andy Gullahorn on itunes and enjoy their music as well.

Check out Andrew Peterson’s tour schedule and be sure to book your ticket if he’s coming to your town. Otherwise, get his music on itunes or through his website (he also writes awesome fantasy books!). Listen to it. Love it. And let it open up your mind and heart to the Creator of all that’s good and wonderful.

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A Reluctant Book Recommendation

When a meteor hits the moon and knocks it closer in orbit to the earth, nothing will ever be the same.

Worldwide tidal waves.

Earthquakes.

Volcanic eruptions.

And that’s just the beginning.

So is the premise for a young adult novel I just finished reading. No apocalyptic-nut can resist a book that has that as its description. Maybe it was because of The Hunger Games that made me feel like I’m not too old to be reading this teen book. Or maybe I just like really, really good stories about the end of the world. Either way, Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer didn’t disappoint.

To be sure, it disappointed in a few ways, but not the way I expected. I’ll get to that in a minute. The story flowed smoothly, the characters were likable and believable, and it was one of those fictional books that got into my head – like, really got in there. To the point where I was nervous about the refrigerator being left open for too long the other night because of how important it was to keep our food rations fresh.

Written in the style of Anne Frank, the book felt real, and intense, and sometimes scary. Yes, it had me planning ahead for what would happen if the moon did get knocked closer to the earth. Good news is, according to this book, my wife and I will be safe in Kentucky. You Floridians and Californians will mostly be wiped out. Good bye New England and parts of India. Gone.

But the reason I’m reluctant to recommend this book to teens is because of the unnecessary political and religious agenda that the author spews out onto its pages, soiling this otherwise flawless book.

Pfeffer spends a good deal of the first part of the book bashing President Bush, making one of the main characters, a mother, yell at him whenever he’s on the TV calling him an idiot and saying she hates him. What else are the mother’s kids to do but laugh and agree? To be fair, I wouldn’t think it would be necessary for an author to pull the same stunt against Obama or Clinton or Carter. I just hate to see such outright political propaganda spelled out so clearly in a teen fiction book.

(This book was selected for the ALA Best Book for Young Adults amongst many other prestigious honors, by the way.)

But praise be to Pfeffer, her writing style and suspenseful plot was just enough to keep me from throwing the book away. It has a few bad words throughout, but nothing overt or out of proper context. Though it doesn’t feature Twilight-type sex-praising, it does feature teens making out a few times.

But the saddest part about the book for me was the author’s apparent bump-ins with Christians in her life. It reads clearly that she has a deep disdain for Christians and our beliefs. Judging by the book, I feel like she’s only met the type of Christians who’s only answer to every terrible crisis in life is to pray about it and be happy – always happy. The Christians featured in her book are shallow and naive, on purpose, I’m sure.

One Christian teenager the author portrays in the book starves herself because she feels it is God’s will for her life. If only Pfeffer knew that the Bible does not condone such awful behavior and any Christian who would do that would be/ought to be condemned by the church. A reverend comes across as a holier-than-thou jerk, who turns out to be hoarding his congregation’s food during the famine. His answer to everyone’s plea was always, “I’ll pray for you.” Luther would have had a hay day with this guy.

In fact, her “Christians” portray the exact people Jesus spent much of His ministry rebuking. At least this book can be an eye-opener for some of us as to how the world may perceive us, and may we change our ways.

I never want to avoid recommending a book because of any author’s beliefs, just like I would hate it if people refused to read my book because of my beliefs. But I do want to make readers aware of them, and help people to read (and write) regardless of their personal agendas. Art is art, and this book is a work of beauty, at least in a secular sense.

I hear there are two others in the series, and I’ll be grabbing them soon, and I’m sure I’ll be reveling every page – well, most of them, anyway.

Purchase it here on Amazon.

Follow what else I’m reading on Goodreads.

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Seeking Artist for Children’s Book

I wrote a children’s book complete with stick-figure drawings, which you’ll have a chance to look at in a moment. I’m seeking a publisher or agent to get it printed and published, but in order to really sell it, I need an artist to do the artwork. If anyone is interested (publishers, agents, artists), please email me at adoptingjames@aol.com.

Below I have pasted the manuscript which you are all welcome to look at. Please feel free to leave some feedback, keeping in mind that I might send publishers to this post to see if there is enough interest built up to make this book marketable.

The Giving Tree was one of my favorite picture books growing up. So it makes sense that if I’m going to make my own children’s book, it would be inspired by Shel Silversteen’s masterpiece. I’m not much of an illustrator, so stick-figures is really the best I can do. But since we’re all about stories here, this little story can’t be told without pictures. Check out A Warm Cup of String by Andrew Toy.

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