Christian Fiction – A Conversation with Authors

Recently, I have come across the Christian fiction genre. I have seen books categorized under it on NetGalley and have also come across it as a genre of interest for blog tours as well. I am not a Christian, and seeing ‘Christian fiction’ as a genre, automatically made me link it to the religion. Chatting with Layton about it and my own reservations about reading it, we thought it would be a good idea to talk to some authors who write in it and figure out if it really is preaching Christianity or are my perceptions clouding my judgement. Today, I want to welcome three Christian fiction authors to the blog. 

Nicole Charman Crawford just published her second book. Matthew Newson lives in Texas and the third book in his series was just launched on Wednesday, 20 May 2020. Daphne Self is an editor and author from Mississippi. You can find full bios and links to connect with these authors at the end of the post. For now, let’s learn about Christian fiction from them!

• How do you feel about labeling your book as Christian fiction? What are the pros and cons of that? Do you use other genres as well?

Nicole : I’m happy to have chosen the Christian genre for my book.  I believe it’s uplifting and engaging and it helps readers grow closer to God. This being my second published book, I haven’t used any other genres besides Christian and I don’t plan to in the near future. 

Matthew  : I don’t mind my book being labeled as Christian fiction because that is what they are. They are a made-up story with Christian/Biblical themes. The pro, in my opinion, is that I get to create an exciting story around Biblical themes to make them come alive for people. The con would be that people may dismiss those Biblical elements as fabricated by me rather than pursuing the Bible for a deeper understanding. My goal with these books is to get people excited about their walks with God, and to understand that God can still do miraculous things today. At this time, I have not ventured into other genres, but I have thought about a possible non-fiction series about faith and other aspects of what a relationship with God looks like. 

Daphne : Christian fiction is a niche in the market as well as a genre, according to the general market. I prefer for my books to be labeled as Christian fiction so that readers will know what to expect in my works. As for the pros and cons? The pros are the same with any published book, yet the cons have at least one major one: misconception. Under the Christian market I write romance, romantic suspense, children’s, and nonfiction. I’m working on a Science fiction and a Fantasy to add to the mix. Many readers who don’t read Christian fiction fail to realize the variety that is out there.

• Does Christian fiction mention the Christ upfront or is it in varying degrees? Are the Christians the only audience?

Nicole : My books are focused primarily on the importance of Christian living. My audience is for anyone who wants a good, inspiring and encouraging read.

Matthew  :  My series, The Man Wrapped in Darkness, has Jesus and Satan as characters in the actual story, as well as angels, demons, and human beings. My goal with the series was to paint a picture of the severity and intensity of what spiritual warfare may look like. I wrote it for Christians, but also for the audience that is hungry for the supernatural. 

Daphne : It depends on the author on how Jesus is mentioned in the book. Some are quite upfront, and some are subtle. As for me, because faith is such an integral part of my life, I have at least one character whose belief in Christ is strong. Not all my characters are believers. Yet, I never preach to my readers. I show life in all its forms. And I think that is why my books can be read by Christian fiction readers and general market readers. My goal isn’t to preach or thrust Christ upon someone. My goal is to tell a story with authentic characters overcoming real life issues.

• Based on your beliefs, what makes you categorize a book as Christian fiction?

Nicole : I believe Christian fiction should be focused on how Jesus would want all of us to live. It says in the bible He wants us to love one another and treat one another as we would treat ourselves. No one’s perfect and we all fall short, which is why He died for us, to take the place for us and offer us salvation as a gift and eternal life in a place far better than this one. 

Matthew : I categorize a book as Christian fiction because the people and events are indeed fictitious, but the predominant themes are Christian and spiritually focused. In the series, I explore salvation, redemption, temptation, evil, the love of God, and martyrdom from a Biblical perspective. 

Daphne : The content, plain and simple…Christian fiction holds an author to a higher standard. Do our characters cuss? Of course, some do. Yet we do not write the word. We use creativity to show the character’s anger, frustration, etc. Sex? Yes, some of our characters at times have sex, but we do not show it nor write about it. To do so would detract from our novels. The major part of Christian fiction is the faith element. God is shown in our writing and our writing is from a Christian worldview.

• Are there any misconceptions with Christian fiction that you have encountered that you  may want to address here?

Nicole : I think folks may believe that Christian fiction is filled with do’s and don’ts.  I just try to present a story that would encourage and entertain my audience. 

Matthew  : The only misconception I have seen so far is that anything labeled Christian fiction is boring, poorly written, and ultimately not exciting. I have read many Christian fiction books that had me hooked from start to finish. An example being, Wendy Alec’s, Chronicle of Brothers series, which I thoroughly enjoyed. 

Daphne : I doubt if I’ll have the room, so I will mention a few. Christian fiction isn’t all bonnets, Amish, kissy-kissy, and happily-ever-afters. There are those books. Then there are the books that deal with addiction, adultery, murder, mayhem, aliens, brokenness, etc. It’s a rough world. Our books show how rough it can be and still able to provide hope in the darkness. Another major point is Christian fiction is published by Christian publishers, but not all Christian publishing houses publish Christian fiction. Excluding my publisher, of course, who publishes Christian books and some of those who self-publish. Not all Christian fiction preaches. And some only have a mere mention of Christ or God. The best of Christian fiction shows the Christian faith as a natural part of the characters’ lives, much like what you would see with a character of any other faith.

• Do you write in genres other than Christian fiction? Do you feel that is a conflict of interest in any way?

Nicole : I have not written in any other genres at this stage in the game, but I may get into writing YA or inspirational fiction one day soon.

Matthew : I am only interested in writing Christian based books, whether they are fiction or non-fiction. I want my life, and the things I accomplish in it, to give God the glory, because he has done so much for me. That may sound cliché, but God radically turned my life around the night He told me that He loved me, so I want to honor Him with the stories I write. 

Daphne : I have written some fun children’s stories that aren’t explicitly Christian. They aren’t published yet. I doubt I would write in the general market. For one reason, the faith in my books would be diluted if not outright rejected. Because I’ve experienced and seen a lot in this world, I can write from an unique perspective and still show hope to a hopeless world, uplift readers, and above all –because this is who I am—glorify God in all I do. 

Final Thoughts on Christian Fiction

Every author brings a unique perspective to their genre. This is evident in the Fantasy genre where writers have built a variety of magic systems and worlds. Christian fiction, I learned from this discussion, is no different. There are varying degrees of following a religion and different ways of bringing the teachings from that religion to fiction. 

Christian Fiction, while obviously a genre that reflects some Christian values, is not always as “in your face” as you’d expect. Authors have their own methods in how deep they will go about their beliefs inside their books. Some are symbolic, some are inspirational, and some have characters that directly learn about the Christian belief that Jesus died on the cross for sins, rose again, and can save those who trust in Him.

Did any of the answers surprise you? Did you have any other questions that you wanted to ask the authors? Do you read, or not read, Christian fiction? Tell us in the comments below!

Full Bios

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Thank you for tuning in to this discussion on Armed with A Book! 🙂

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