Sharon Hinck: I read
a variety of genres, but have always particularly enjoyed fantasy. I
wanted more! And I wanted a story with a relatable female protagonist,
stories of courage and sacrifice, and the freedom to delve into Christian
themes and questions. Scenes began calling to me, characters started
talking, and I had to tell their
story.
WhereTheMapEnds: Indeed, one of the reasons I was able to get NavPress
to agree to publish a fantasy trilogy (something they never thought
they'd be doing!) was that your protagonist was so "relatable," so
much like the core CBA fiction reader: a soccer mom who loves her family
but may sometimes struggle with depression. That keyhole
character is one of the secrets of your series' success in a
market that is usually closed to "weird"
stories.
Sharon Hinck: Madeleine L’Engle said, “A
book comes and says, ‘Write me.’ My job is to try to serve it to the best
of my ability, which is never good enough, but all I can do is listen to
it, do what it tells me and
collaborate.”
I
experienced that sense as I wrote the Restorer books. I kept
reminding God, “You do know the odds against a new novelist selling a
manuscript, right? And You do know that the genre most CBA houses are
least interested in is fantasy, right? You do realize that the direction
this story is going creates a number of challenges, right?” But my
grumbling didn’t matter. The story demanded to be
told.
WhereTheMapEnds:
I get that sense, too, as I operate
WhereTheMapEnds.com and when I move forward with Marcher Lord
Press. I can't always point to
exactly how my efforts are glorifying God in a direct way, and yet I'm
consistently encouraged in my spirit that I'm doing the right thing. I
secretly believe that God deeply loves Christian speculative fiction.
S
o
tell us, Sharon,
how
was your first idea for a Christian speculative novel received (by anyone:
spouse, friends, parents, agent, publisher, readers, reviewers,
etc.)?
Sharon Hinck:
My
writing group was enthusiastic when I began reading The Restorer at our meetings. But
there were several members who were fans of speculative fiction, so they
were an easy audience.
The
gals in my small-group Bible study (very core CBA demographic) said, “Oh I
don’t read that kind of story”—but I asked a few to try it anyway, as
“test readers.” They ended up being swept into the story—giving the
manuscript of The Restorer to
their husbands and children, discussing it with friends. That excitement
and level of engagement gave me hope that the story might be able to reach
more than the spec-fic
niche.
Because
I swim in a constant murky swamp of self-doubt, it took firm prodding from
God, family, and friends, to get me to submit the manuscript to industry
professionals, especially when I knew the genre wasn’t a “slam-dunk,”
easy-to-sell kind of story. I toddled off to my first writer’s conference,
with a scenario all figured out. I figured I would hear, “Go home. You
don’t have the writing chops.” I think part of me hoped that then I’d be
able to put it to rest.
Instead,
I was bewildered and a little overwhelmed when industry folk whom I deeply
admired were interested in my writing. I kept developing the next books in
the Restorer series, waiting for the right open door. Meanwhile,
Bethany House contracted my first novels to be published, The Secret Life of Becky Miller,
and Renovating Becky Miller. I
was able to weave some elements of adventure and fantasy into those
humorous women’s fiction stories, and kept hoping that one day I’d be able
to publish The
Restorer.
Of
course, old friends who have read The Restorer since its release
have emailed me to say, “I always used to think you were normal!” Now that
folks can see how truly weird my brain is, I’m afraid I’ve ruined any of
my efforts to pass as
normal.
WhereTheMapEnds: Well, at least you're
among fellow non-normal folks here! So, Sharon,
w hat
have you seen that discourages or frustrates you about Christian
speculative fiction writing and/or publishing?
Sharon Hinck:
I’m
thrilled by the variety. I’ve always believed that we need all
the arts to even begin to communicate about our awesome and multi-faceted
God. We need pipe organs and electric guitars. We need oil paintings and
pencil sketches. We need authors writing in all genres with all kinds of
different voices. The range of Christian fiction these days is amazing.
And even within the speculative fiction genres we have an exciting variety
of styles, voices, and target audiences. It makes my heart
happy.
The
other thing I’ve seen that encourages me is on a more personal level.
Since The Restorer released
last June, I’ve received the most amazing reader mail—from all over the
U.S.,
and Canada,
Germany,
Japan,
Australia.
Fathers, single women, teen boys, children, grandparents. The letters
share precious stories of how God used a scene, a character, a metaphor,
or a line in The Restorer at a
critical time and gave encouragement, a new insight, or much-needed
comfort.
Author
friends have shared similar stories about the response to their novels.
Readers are stepping into the skin of a character, experiencing a story,
and coming out the other side changed. I think more Christian readers are
seeing the value and power of
fiction.
WhereTheMapEnds: What
have you seen that discourages or frustrates you about Christian
speculative fiction writing and/or
publishing?
Sharon Hinck: I recently
chatted with a staff member at a bookstore who said, “How can you
reconcile writing fantasy with being a Christian? Christians are supposed
to be about telling the truth, and fiction is the opposite—and fantasy
fiction
especially.”
It
made me realize that some people don’t embrace the way that good fiction
is about truth—about authentic, visceral experiences of life,
faith, conflict, and
struggle.
WhereTheMapEnds: I'm
sorry you had to deal with that attitude. We can pray for these people, as
this attitude sometimes shows up when people are in bondage to legalism.
They need to be freed to walk in the freedom of
Christ.
As I've
said elsewhere, speculative fiction—fantasy in particular—is the most
perfect laboratory for the examination of truth. What other
genre so naturally explores the conflict between good and evil? At
its fundamental level, fantasy is about
God.
So,
Sharon,
w hat’s
the best part about writing and publishing Christian speculative
fiction?
