Georgia Mourns Fallen Soldiers in Silent Tribute Today

Flags will be lowered to half-staff and Georgians will be asked to pay silent tribute for two minutes Thursday at 1 p.m. to honor the memory of the state's war dead.

Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue will lead an hour-long public prayer vigil at the state Capitol Thursday. The governor has also ordered all state flags be flown at half-staff in tribute to those Georgians who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Kindergarten Writing Diva Mom

This morning I jumped up, put on my Mommy MuMu and made my sweetie pie some sausage and waffles for her first day of school. She woke up around seven. Smiled. Beamed actually. I wanted to cry. Prayed over her. We ate and talked about how fun today would be. She would go to Kindergarten and be a big girl; And I would go to my computer and write 2000 words of novel. We both did what we were supposed to do. I feel like a superhero now--Kindergarten Writing Diva Mom and Selah, my trusty smiley faced sidekick.

Why Fiction Matters: Saint Ralph

Michael McGowan, writer/director of Saint Ralph, a Warner Bros. movie that will be released August 5th, spoke about one reason why he wrote this story.

...I was interested in exploring the notion of faith—or in this case, misguided faith—by using the Catholic Church as a backdrop. I felt a modern setting with priests at an all-boys school would necessitate exploring some of the darker issues that the church is facing and these weren’t part of the story. Perhaps more importantly, in the 1950s, for many Catholics, the church defined their world. It was the starting and stopping place. Either you were Catholic or you weren’t. This was important because the protagonist, Father Fitzpatrick, then becomes much more of a threat. To go up against someone like him, as Ralph does, would have serious ramifications. I didn’t feel like the stakes would be nearly as high today.

Question: Are there any raised stakes in Christianity today? What are they and can they be important enough to be discussed in our novels in progress?

Writing to see what the end's gon' be,
Dee

A New Face of Hunger, Without the Old Excuses

Lydia Polgreen at the New York Times talks about another issue of world poverty--from democratic nations like Niger. Click on title to read the article in full view.

Dee

From the Pulpit: Stop Hating on Reviews

Bible Verse for Thought: Ephesians 6:11 "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devils schemes."

Newsflash. I am a book reviewer.

Mostly, I write commercial reviews for a few local newspapers, two national print mags(one secular and one faith based,) and a slew of e-zines for free. My cashflow comes from writing reviews for publicists seeking an angle for their client or publishing houses looking for an in-house review before they decide if the book is contract worthy. And my bread and butter comes from literary magazines, whose soul's purpose is to dissect what's artistic. I also critique oils on canvas for my father's store, african dolls(a bad investment,) book arts(my love and pedigree), slave burial grounds and church iconography(my Master's thesis,) and people who criticize reviewers...priceless.

If you are a writer and not a reader first, then what are you writing about? If you are a reader and can't give a constructive review, then what are you learning about the craft? What do you know about your genre? And how can you defend it against unbelievers?

Breaking news. I am a writer.

I write christian celebrity interviews and christian life teachings for national print. Local christian news for local papers. Short stories for literary reviews. And I'm writing a novel.

For some strange reason I know that someone will go into my coat closet and read my novel and hate it. I also know that that same person won't call my characters two-dimensional, my writing weak and passive, my theme trite, and my voice unmoving. They may not like the story, but they will appreciate the effort to write something strong of all literary points.

See I don't care about reviewers, because I understand them. I don't care about people who may won't to tear down my business for unholy reasons, because I have on the whole Armor of God.

So if you can't write, for being upset with reviewers. If you can't do God's will for blaming reviewers, then stop typing. Get on your knees. And get yourself right. Because when it's all over, Christ don't care about your excuse and wouldn't have read the reviews.

Bless him why you can.

Writing to see what the end's gon' be,
Dee

Three School Boys Trapped in School Drainage Found

(CBS46 News) photo. Three boys trapped in GA Culvert.

-- Gwinnett County Fire and Police officials were on the scene of three boys trapped in a culvert.

Live images from Newschopper 46 showed workers trying to get to the children, who may be in the drain, which is located on the grounds of Taylor Elementary School, in Lawrenceville. Gwinnett officials say the drain could be several football fields long.

All three kids later found. Good news for a change.

Desperate Black Housewives Write

Grown Folks Business Early Release 

Before American society made women past thirty-seven disappear in tv, radio, cinema, on magazines, and in novels. But something has changed in the 21st century. Desperate Housewife's Nicolette Sheridan still has the goods. 50 something Oprah Winfrey still reigns supreme. 40somethings Darryl Hannah and Vivica A. Fox kicks butt in Kill Bill Volume II. Whitney Houston might just make a comeback. And Terry McMillan has a new bestseller for the summer.

Join our discussion board at Suite101 and lets talk about these books this summer. Also check out my blog at christianfiction dot blogspot dot com to learn more about Let the Lion Eat Straw and Grown Folks Business.

Dee

For my writing group friends 

Defending Senator Clinton

David Brock,President and CEO of Media Matters for America, wrote a chastising letter to Susan Peterson Kennedy of Penguin Group. I didn't know you could do that? Is writing to publishers effective? Your opinions

An open letter to the Penguin Group from David Brock

June 20, 2005

Susan Peterson Kennedy
President
Penguin Group
375 Hudson Street
New York, N.Y. 10014

Dear Ms. Peterson Kennedy,

I'm writing today to seek a public explanation of what, if any, editorial standards and fact-checking processes the Penguin Group applies to its imprints. Specifically, I believe the public, and the Clinton family, deserve an explanation for why Penguin has chosen to publish through its Sentinel imprint Edward Klein's attack book on Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, The Truth About Hillary: What She Knew, When She Knew It and How Far She'll Go to Become President, which pre-publication reports have already exposed as an obviously false and defamatory tract.

In light of its false and defamatory charges, many of which are easily discredited, your publication of this book constitutes gross negligence at best.

Throughout his book, Mr. Klein engages in gay-baiting innuendo. One of the most striking examples of such negligence occurs on page 94, where...

Click on title to read letter in its entirety.

Dee

Church & State: GOP vs Red Cross

I should be writing, but every now and then you have to read about your world and I decided to bloghop over to Body and Soul and low and behold I found something else to get crunk about.

Senate Republicans are calling on the Bush administration to reassess U.S. financial support for the International Committee of the Red Cross, charging that the group is using American funds to lobby against U.S. interests.

The Senate Republican Policy Committee, which advances the views of the GOP Senate majority, said in a report that the international humanitarian organization had "lost its way" and veered from the impartiality on which its reputation was based. The Republican policy group titled its report: "Are American Interests Being Disserved by the International Committee of the Red Cross?"

-LATimes

Now I don't know what to make of this, since I am a proponent for the International Red Cross, especially what they are doing in Haiti and other places our government doesn't find value in. So if someone can enlighten me on why this makes sense I would appreciate it?

HE MEMOIRS OF A WRITER: Batman Begins is the Prequel of the Year

THE MEMOIRS OF A WRITER: Batman Begins is the Prequel of the Year

Check out Shelia Goss's Review of Batman Begins.

My 2cents:
I really liked that movie script. The dialogue meant something and the hiding guns pulled together nicely at the end. Christian Bale is stunning.

Zondervan Blog - Verbal Collage: Justice in Sudan? One Church Seeks to Make a Difference

Zondervan Blog - Verbal Collage: Justice in Sudan? One Church Seeks to Make a Difference: "One church in the Washington DC area has not forgotten. In the months of June and July, Cedar Ridge Community Church, founded by Brian McLaren, has planned 'Worship in the Spirit of Justice,' a series of worship services at various points in the DC area. The goal of the services is to pray for God's mercy on the suffering people of Africa, particularly Sudan; call on the media to keep the issue before the public; and call on the church to not forget the poor and oppressed, particularly those in Africa."

Zondervan Blog - Verbal Collage: Remembering Ken Taylor

Zondervan Blog - Verbal Collage: Remembering Ken Taylor

Remembering Ken Taylor

(The creator of The Living Bible, Kenneth Taylor, died in his Wheaton home last Friday, June 10 at age 88. The funeral service will be 10:00 a.m., tomorrow, June 15, at Edman Memorial Chapel, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois. Read more info at Kenneth N Taylor and Christianity Today.)

Third Thursdays: Third Thursdays: June Reader Series Announced

Third Thursdays: Third Thursdays: June Reader Series Announced

Check out the hot Atlanta event I'm hosting.

Dee

Where's Dee?

I am all over the blogosphere and rarely here--my first blog. You can find me commenting about Christian Literature at Christian Fiction Blog.

You can also check out the news I uncover and the news sent my way at Gospel Diva.

And you can find me preparing for my live Christian artist event at Third Thursdays.

And sometimes I might be posting my WIP.

Other than that find me on the faith*in*fiction discussion board.

See why I'm never here:)

Writing to see what the end gon' be,
Dee

Third Thursdays: CCM Magazine presents Third Thursdays

Third Thursdays: CCM Magazine presents Third Thursdays: "

Chris well at CCM Magazine interviewed me about Third Thursdays. The interview will broadcast on CCM Magazine, TheFish.com and Crosswalk. Thanks Chris, for the publicity.

Contact me this week to get on our performance roster."

Angel*on*the*Back*Pew: Finding Fun in Writing Fiction

Angel*on*the*Back*Pew: Finding Fun in Writing Fiction

Grown Folks Business 

The Religious Left

The Religious Left

Pope John Paul tribute