On My Nightstand - Soul's Gate by James L. Rubart

After years running from his destiny, Reece Roth finally relents and accepts God's direction. He handpicks a group of disciples to train in the art of battling for hurting souls. The very thought makes him tremble because of a ghastly experience.

He gathers the participants at a secluded ranch in Colorado. They discover a spiritual dimension foreign to all they've ever known. Will they press on or bail out of the training? More importantly, will Reece persevere and overcome his own haunting memories?

James L. Rubart, a best-selling author, once again proves himself a master of Christian Speculative Fiction. If you like books that delve into the spiritual world (not occult), this will fit the bill. I zipped through it in, "this is a great book time."

Soul's Gate is the first book in a series, but is a stand-alone novel. I'm looking forward to the next installment.

Everyone: What are your thoughts/opinions on Christian Speculative Fiction?

Friday Round-Up - #222

James L. Rubart is one of my favorite authors. Recently, he guest posted at Novel Rocket, and shared where he gets ideas for his books.

Writers: Have you figured out where your ideas come from? Please share.

Readers: Do you have story ideas that you'd wish an author would put into a book? Please share.

Have a blessed weekend!

Blogoversary Giveaway - The Chair by James L. Rubart

When I ordered my copy of The Chair from Amazon, I accidentally ordered two! Instead of returning it, I decided to keep it for a future giveaway. What better opportunity than the 4th Blogoversary of Christian Writer/Reader Connection. :)

For those of you who like mysteries with a supernatural (but not occult) twist, this book will hit the mark. The guys in your life will also enjoy reading this story.

Question: Are you a fan of mysteries with a supernatural component? Why? What novel was your favorite?

Giveaway Details:


1) You must be a Follower of Christian Writer/Reader Connection.

2) The giveaway is open to residents of the United States.

3) To enter, comment on this post.

4) You can get an additional entry for each of the following. (Let me know in the comments section what actions you've taken.)

     A) Post the contest details and link on your blog.

     B) Post it to your Facebook page.

     C) Post it on Twitter.

5) Contest deadline: Saturday, May 12, 2012, at midnight. The winner will be notified by email. If you do not leave me an email in the comments and do not respond to the Winner Announcement on the blog by Saturday, May 19, 2012, another winner will be selected from the entries.

Disclaimer: I have not received any payment from either the authors or the publishers for doing this giveaway. These books are from my personal collection.

On My Nightstand - The Chair by James L. Rubart

Corin Roscoe knows antiques, but when an elderly woman offers him a special chair, he's more than a little skeptical. Although she doesn't say it outright, she implies it was made by THE CARPENTER.

Since the price is right (free), he takes it. Upon close examination, Corin marvels at the workmanship and perfect dimensions. He puts it in the window, hoping someone might be drawn into his failing establishment.

A woman and her asthmatic son wander into the shop. While there, the child experiences an attack. Exhausted, the youngster sits in the chair and falls asleep. Soon afterward, Corin reads an account of how the child was healed. He embarks on a quest that involves all sorts of characters, some of whom could be described as "unsavory."

Everyone wants the chair. Will he unlock the secret of the chair and maybe find some answers for his tormented mind? Or is it all a hoax?

James Rubart once again comes up with a premise that is both unique and electrifying. He knows how to get the reader involved in the story. I zipped through the book in a couple of days. It's a good thing I had a long Thanksgiving weekend.

If you like slightly offbeat mysteries, Mr. R. will keep you on your toes. :)

Question for Writers: Do you like traditional mysteries or something with a supernatural twist? Why?

Question for Readers: Who is your favorite mystery author?

On My Nightstand - Book of Days by James L. Rubart

What would you do if your dying father and dying wife both urged you to find a mysterious "Book of Days?" Cameron Vaux didn't pay too much attention until his memory started failing him. His father's warnings that he'd die of the same disease sends him on an odyssey that will change the course of his life.

Meanwhile, his late wife's friend, Anne Bannister, is on her own quest. She's tired of being alone in the world and searches for her biological family. Even though she and Cameron have a history, she's nervous about getting hurt again.

With plenty of antagonists, strange doings, and a healthy dose of romance, Jim Rubart has once again produced a story with multiple layers of truth. I related to the characters on so many levels, including Cameron's agony over the loss of his wife.

If I had a rating system, this baby would be off the charts. Loved it!

Have you read any books lately that "wowed" you? Please share.

Author Interview - James L. Rubart, Author of Rooms - Final

Jim Rubart, Author of the best-selling novel, ROOMS, joins us for the final part of our interview. In the last segment, he discussed creating realistic characters and his journey to publication. Now, it's time to find out the driving force behind his books and where he's headed next.

4) Your book carries a profound message: living in freedom. Could you share your thoughts on "writing as a means to an end?"

Freedom is indeed the theme I want to see resonate in people after they read ROOMS, and it's really the theme of my life. I want more freedom (Gal. 5:1). I want to follow Jesus with more abandon than I do now. Jesus came to heal the broken hearted and set the captives free (Isaiah 61:1), and I want my heart to be healed and be set free. But I'm not sure I write as a means to an end. Like many writers, I write because I can't not write. I love to tell stories. And I have to tell the ones that are pounding around in my brain.

5) I've already purchased Book of Days and can't wait to read it. What new books can we look forward to in 2011 or 2012?

Thanks for buying BOOK OF DAYS! That story is extremely personal so it's been very gratifying that I've been getting e-mails from readers telling me it's made a significant impact on their lives. That makes all the work worthwhile.

Regarding new novels, I just finished edits on my third novel, THE CHAIR, which comes out this October. It's the story of an antiques dealer who is forced to face his greatest regret when he's given a legendary artifact that might be a lengendary supernatural healing chair made by Jesus. Also releasing in October is a small group study guide based on ROOMS. We'll have workbook, leader guide, a DVD...I'm really excited. Not only do I get to write the guide, we're headed down to Canon Beach to film intros to the DVD and behind the scenes. Here's more info if people are interested.

And I'm just about to start work on my fourth novel, which will come out in October of 2012.

Thanks so much for having me, Susan!

It was my pleasure, Jim.  I've gained much inspiration from your words, both from your books and this interview.

Question for Writers: Were you surprised by or learn something from this interview that will help you on your writing journey? Please share.

Question for Readers: Do you enjoy reading about your favorite authors and why?

Author Interview - James L. Rubart, Author of Rooms - Part 2

Welcome back to Part 2 of our interview with James L. Rubart, best-selling author of ROOMS.

3) Developing characters requires great skill. You did an awesome job with all of them, but especially Micah. Do you have some insights and tips for our readers on how to create realistic people?

Base 'em on real people, then amp up the distinguishing characteristics. Micah is a combination of three different people, all with strong personalities. By taking parts of each person and mixing them together it made the Micah Taylor of ROOMS come out more distinct than if it was just one person I knew. And here's the cool thing: People don't see themselves in a novel. There's a famous story about a very unsavory woman, who was a main character in a novel. She came up to the author at a book signing and said, "I can't stand that woman!" I have a sweatshirt my wife bought me that says, "Careful, or you'll end up in my novel." It's true!

4) I'm assuming your genre is Christian Speculative Fiction. (Please correct me if I'm wrong.) Did you and your agent have a difficult time convincing publishers to take on your book? Do you feel the success of The Shack made them more open-minded toward Rooms? I'd like to hear about your journey to publication.

Great question! Yes, I think The Shack definitely opened B&H's mind, and yes, we did have a rough time convincing people to take a chance on ROOMS.

When ROOMS was first shopped to publishers in the fall of 2006, it was rejected by everyone. Most publishers said, "The guy can write, but he's unknown and we're not exactly sure where the book fits." It doesn't fit neatly into a pre-defined genre. When The Shack started to get traction, the folks at B&H read it, liked it, and saw the similarities between ROOMS and The Shack. David Webb (who was the executive director of fiction at B&H in 2006) loved ROOMS but said they couldn't take it on at that time. But he said if it didn't sell in six months to bring it back to him.

A year later, I sat down with him to talk about my next novel, BOOK OF DAYS, and he asked about ROOMS. He said he'd read 200 manuscripts since he read ROOMS and couldn't get it out of his mind. So David and I took another run at it and B&H offered me a deal on June 23, 2008.

Wow! What a great story and what an encouragement to those of us whose books don't fit into "a pre-defined genre." In our final installment next week, Jim will discuss the message of his book and his future offerings.

Question for Writers: Do you write in a well-defined genre or does your manuscript defy existing labels? How are you approaching agents and editors if the latter scenario fits your book?

Question for Readers: Are you open to books that are a little out of the ordinary? Note that Jim's book includes an element of romance. Does that pique your interest?

Author Interview - James Rubart, Author of ROOMS - Part 1

Bio: James L. Rubart is the best-selling author of ROOMS and BOOK OF DAYS, married to the love of  his life, and extremely proud of his two teenage sons. When he's not dirt biking, water skiing or playing guitar, he helps people with their marketing through his company, Barefoot Marketing.

Without further adieu, let's give Jim a big Christian Writer/Reader welcome!

1) From your website, I see you own a marketing company and have a speaking platform. How did you get involved writing fiction?

In 2003 God said, "It's time," and I dove in full force. He put the dream to write inside me when I was ten, but I was too scared to do anything about it till I heard God speak very clearly, "You're supposed to be a novelist. When are you going to start living your destiny?" I was still fearful, but knew God was blazing a trail in front of me. I finished ROOMS two years later--went to my first writing conference in 2006 and was offered a contract in June of '08. God was intricately involved the whole way.

2) Your book, Rooms, was riveting. Where did you get the idea for the main character and the plot?

ROOMS had a ton of influences, including It's a Wonderful Life, Frequency, Family Man, Disney's The Kid, Waking The Dead and Wild at Heart, but the spark that started it all was Robert Munger's little pamphlet My Heart, Christ's Home. When I was in my teens, that booklet had a major impact on my life. For twenty years I thought, "That would make a cool story if you blew up the idea on steroids and turned it into a novel. So I took that influence, mixed in the movies and books mentioned above along with a large helping of romance, and out came ROOMS.

Next Wednesday, 4/20/11, we'll continue with Part II of the interview.

Question for Writers: What inspired your WIP or finished manuscript?

Question for Readers: Have you ever dreamed of writing a book? What's keeping you from putting feet to those dreams?