FamilyFiction Celebrates 10 Years of Christian Fiction News And Interviews
With its September 2020 issue, FamilyFiction celebrates 10 years of helping consumers discover the best in Christian storytelling from authors and creators. FamilyFiction launched with its September/October 2010 issue, featuring Karen Kingsbury on the cover. The magazine has since gone on to feature Christian storytellers in all genres, including Francine Rivers, Ted Dekker, Priscilla Shirer, Beverly Lewis, Tosca Lee, Jan Karon, Terri Blackstock, Lynn Austin, Dee Henderson, Tamera Alexander, Tim LaHaye, Wanda E. Brunstetter, and so many more. We’ve also shared interviews and updates for such popular Christian properties as VeggieTales, Berenstain Bears, and Adventures in Odyssey.
While there have been some changes over the years, FamilyFiction’s focus continues to spotlight the breadth of Christian storytelling—including Amish fiction, Historical, Suspense, Speculative, Romance, Contemporary, Young Adult, and Children’s titles, as well as Christian stories told through other media, such as comics movies, and animation.
Below, we look back on some of the great interviews we’ve had over the years.
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Karen Kingsbury On the Ministry Value of Christian Fiction
“I really do love my readers, and I enjoy getting to know them and praying for their needs. For me, writing is a ministry first and foremost. You’re not just telling a story and walking away. You’re telling a story and dialoguing about how that story affected people.”
(Karen Kingsbury: Unlocked | September 2010)
https://www.familyfiction.com/karen-kingsbury-unlocked
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Francine Rivers Compares and Contrasts Her Novel The Masterpiece With Her Other Works
“Every story I’ve written contains a love story. Brokenness, healing, and redemption are consistent themes in my work. This book has that in common with all my others. However, in other stories, I’ve had one main character be strong in faith. The difference in this novel, both people are broken and struggling. I want readers to know that no matter who you are, where you come from, what you’ve done, when you accept Jesus, God will make you into His masterpiece.”
(Francine Rivers—Seeing God’s Handiwork | January 2018)
https://www.familyfiction.com/francine-rivers-seeing-gods-handiwork
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Francine Rivers’ Author Page
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Ted Dekker On Expressing Biblical Truths Through Fantastical Stories
“The Bible is packed to the gills with fantastical, supernatural events, so much so that the supernatural becomes natural. The question that remains for us is how to interpret those many fantastical elements.”
(Speculative Author Interview: Ted and Rachelle Dekker—Sea of Fears | October 2019)
https://www.familyfiction.com/speculative-author-interview-ted-rachelle-dekker-sea-fears
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Priscilla Shirer on How Teaching Her Sons About Spiritual Battles Led to The Prince Warriors
“The idea occurred to me to write a story for my own sons that would capture the epic tone of a mysterious and intriguing adventure novel while simultaneously uncovering principles about spiritual warfare and particularly, the armor of God. I wanted to alert my sons to the very real battle that is waging in heavenly places and the victory that they can have in Jesus.”
(Priscilla Shirer: Teaching Young Fantasy Readers About the Armor of God | March 2017)
https://www.familyfiction.com/priscilla-shirer-teaching-young-fantasy-readers-armor-god
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Charles Martin On the Pros and Cons of Seeing His Novel Made Into a Movie
“The film version of The Mountain Between Us turned out quite different in some ways from your book. How did you feel watching it the first time? Although the movie may not reflect what you intended, are there ways you think God may be “working all things out for good” through this situation? Until recently, much of what I learned about production, I learned from the internet—like you. During this process, I learned one simple rule: Selling an intellectual property is like selling a house. How do I feel about this? I was, am, and will remain grateful and totally blown away that a studio like FOX would put my book on the big screen. Even with the changes, sitting in that theatre and staring at images that began somewhere between my head and heart is possibly the most surreal and coolest thing I’ve ever experienced. The Mountain Between Us had been out eight years before they made the movie. It had never hit any bestseller list anywhere. The movie came out and the book has been on the New York Times Bestseller list since it released. More people have seen and been made aware of that book in the last month than in the last several years combined. Jesus tells us, “If I be lifted up, I will draw all men to me.” I pray my stories do that. Movies, too.”
(Charles Martin – Writing for An Audience of One | April 2018)
https://www.familyfiction.com/charles-martin-writing-audience-one
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Beverly Lewis on a Great Encounter With a Reader
“A beautiful young woman shared with me that she was living off the streets when the local pastor’s wife gave her my book The Atonement to read. The story stopped her in her dead-end tracks and changed her life. She abandoned her old life and gave her heart to Jesus Christ and has recently completed her paramedic training. She is also a faithful church member at the pastor’s wife’s congregation.”
(Beverly Lewis–Taking the Long Way Home | May 2018)
https://www.familyfiction.com/beverly-lewis-taking-long-way-home
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Terri Blackstock On Whom She Has In Mind When She Writes
“I’m always thinking of the appetite of the suspense reader, even when I’m writing something in a different genre. I want my readers to feel surprise or suspense on every page, and I want them to race to finish a chapter so they can close the book, only to find that they can’t close it. They have to start the next chapter to see what’s going to happen next. In terms of demographic, I like to think I have readers who are young and old, male and female, believing and unbelieving. There’s tremendous power in story, and I want to use whatever power I have to make people think deeply about issues in their lives, and challenge them to see other sides and sift through all the noise to figure out what they believe, and why they believe it.”
(Suspense Interview: Terri Blackstock—Hope In The End | November 2019)
https://www.familyfiction.com/suspense-interview-terri-blackstock-hope-end
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Terri Blackstock’s Author Page
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Jody Hedlund on How Her Faith Impacts Her Stories
“While I try not to preach at my readers, I do weave faith themes through my books. My faith also motivates me to keep my stories ‘clean.’ I believe Christian fiction is a much-needed alternative, especially Christian romance. I got an email from a reader telling me she that she’d picked up several books and been really turned off by the explicitness within them, but that she didn’t realize the books contained such content until she started reading them. She wanted to know if there was a rating system or some way that she could tell if the book would be “clean” before she started reading. I was glad that I could point her to inspirational Christian fiction, that she would be guaranteed the sweet romance she desired.”
(Historical Q&A: Jody Hedlund (Together Forever) | July 2018)
https://www.familyfiction.com/historical-qa-jody-hedlund-together-forever
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Frank Peretti On The Power of Christian Fiction
“What’s art for? It’s to communicate ideas on an aesthetic level. The best way to understand the human experience is through a Judeo-Christian worldview, because that’s where everything falls together and makes sense. I’m a storyteller. My role is to tell a story because a story can give a whole other dimension to a thought.”
(Frank Peretti: Sleight of Hand | February 2012)
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Jan Karon On Why Readers Are Drawn to Her Mitford Stories
“They can relax in a Mitford book because they feel safe. And they get to see this universal small town through the same pair of eyes, almost all the time, through fourteen novels. So they build a relationship with Father Tim, and he is nice enough to be with. Has a sense of humor, a genuine ardor for giving of himself, and knows how to be pretty honest with himself and others. There are worse ways to spend reading hours!”
(Jan Karon—Savoring the Journey | October 2017)
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Mike Nawrocki on the Secret Of VeggieTales’ Success
“We wanted there to be a mix of earnestness and silliness while telling a story that parents really appreciate with biblical values they want to pass on to their kids,” Mike shares. “So from the very beginning, we felt like there was a strong message behind what we wanted to do with our stories. And we felt like there was a real need for stories like that. We never wanted to make something where parents said ‘Oh, this is a great lesson about thankfulness, but I have to put it on and run out of the room once it starts.’ When parents can sit and laugh right alongside their kids, that’s the best feeling.”
(VeggieTales: Storytelling That Goes the Distance | July 2011)
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Wanda E. Brunstetter On What Her Amish Friends Think of Amish Fiction
“Some of my Amish friends are surprised by the popularity of the fiction novels being written about their culture. Some may be indifferent and might even see it as a bit humorous. The Amish and other Plain sects are simply living their lives the way their ancestors have dome for hundreds of years, and they don’t see anything special about it. Many Amish I know personally, or have met along the way, have said they read my books and appreciate the accuracy I portray. Some Amish have even held book signings in their homes so their friends and relatives could meet me and get a book autographed.”
(Wanda E. Brunstetter: Six Unlikely Souls Connect Through an Amish Cooking Class | August 2017)
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Jerry B. Jenkins on his Left Behind co-author, the late Tim LaHaye
“The Tim LaHaye I got to know had a pastor’s heart and lived to share his faith,” Jenkins says. “He listened to and cared about everyone, regardless of age, gender, or social standing. If Tim was missing from the autograph table or the green room of a network television show, he was likely in a corner praying with someone he’d just met—from a reader to a part-time bookstore stock clerk to a TV network anchorman.”
(‘Left Behind’ Co-Creator Tim LaHaye Passes at 90 | July 2016)
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Dee Henderson On Her Childhood Dream of Becoming an Author
“When my teachers wanted to punish me, they would take away the book I was reading before I went to recess. Writing has been my first love, and I knew that from a young age; but I was just smart enough to understand the doorway to what I wanted for my life had a two-part answer.” In order to eat, she became an engineer to pay the bills. For 10 years, she worked on computer chips and solving hard-ware and software interaction problems in the telecom field. “It gave me time to learn how to write good fiction. I used the savings I gathered [during] a decade to take a risk when I was ready to make the move into writing full-time.”
(Dee Henderson: Back with Full Disclosure | September 2012)
https://www.familyfiction.com/dee-henderson-back-with-full-disclosure
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Mike Berenstain on the Enduring Popularity of Berenstain Bears
“People are always telling us that they like our books because ‘they teach good lessons.’ I beg to quibble with this well-meant characterization. I think people actually like our books because ‘they teach lessons good.’ The ethical messages of our books are not very original. They lean heavily on such standbys as the Golden Rule. Their appeal comes, rather, from the way in which this familiar material is presented. We have worked very hard to make our books funny and visually enriching. We’ve tried to make our characters fully dimensional and recognizable. And we’ve tried to tell good stories. Our books actually have plots—not as convoluted as Harry Potter, admittedly—but, still, good for turning a few pages.”
(Berenstain Bears – Keeping the Family Tradition | March 2018)
https://www.familyfiction.com/berenstain-bears-keeping-family-tradition
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Shelley Shepard Gray on Why Fiction Is A Powerful Vehicle For Truth
“I’ve always loved writing fiction because I love writing stories about people that I’d like to know. I enjoy writing inspirational novels because I feel that adding a faith element makes each story richer and the characters more believable. It makes me happy when readers tell me that they were able to relate to my characters. I feel like I’m on my own faith journey. Because of that, I feel that my faith evolves and gets stronger as my characters grow and change. My own journey has given me permission to write about struggling, flawed characters—people just like me.”
(Amish Author Interview: Shelley Shepard Gray—Journey of Faith | July 2019)
https://www.familyfiction.com/amish-author-interview-shelley-shepard-gray-journey-faith
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Tracie Peterson on What She Loves About Writing Historical Romances
“First, I get to shine the light on the love God has for each of us and His never-ending mercy. Fans have written to tell me the way God has used the books to change their lives, bring them back to God or even bring them to God for the first time. They might never have picked up a Bible or walked into a church, but they read a simple fiction novel and God used that to open their eyes to the truth of who He is. Second, I love history and very much enjoy learning about the various places and things that I choose to write about. And last, but not least, I love a happy ending and all of us need love from one another, but ultimately from God. I am so completely blessed to be a writer, but even more so to write for God.”
(Historical Romance Author Interview: Tracie Peterson—Bringing Hope and Encouragement | April 2019)
https://www.familyfiction.com/historical-romance-author-interview-tracie-peterson-bringing-hope-encouragement
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Joel C. Rosenberg On The Opportunities Created by Christian Fiction
“Fiction has a way of unlocking people’s imagination in a way nonfiction doesn’t. I have found the reaction to my fiction so interesting. The novels have gotten a discussion going, and I’m intrigued with that.”
(Joel C. Rosenberg: Truth in Fiction | May 2013)
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Becky Wade on the Challenges—And Benefits—of Writing Romances as a Christian Author
“The challenge: Keeping the story clean while also ensuring that it deals authentically with some of the struggles and temptations Christians face when they fall in love. The benefit: The opportunity to write stories about great love between men and women AND God’s great love for us—all wrapped up in a single novel. My faith impacts every facet of my storytelling. I write Christian romance because I want to honor God through my profession. I ask the Lord before every writing session to enable me to tell the story He would have me tell. I work and work to give each character a spiritual arc that illustrates an aspect of God’s astonishing grace and love because my faith compels me to celebrate those aspects of His character. My faith helps me survive the difficult seasons of doubt, deadline, and discouragement every writer faces.”
(Becky Wade—Romantic At Heart | July 2018)
https://www.familyfiction.com/becky-wade-romantic-heart
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Melody Carlson on Writing So Many Books
“I felt like I was going to explode (or implode) if I didn’t start. As soon as I began to write, it was like a pressure valve was released. I knew that I would continue to write even if no one ever read a single word. I believe it happened like that because God had given me a gift I wasn’t fully using, and it was His Spirit compelling me to get with the program. I only wanted to write fiction. I was having success selling short stories, but I wrote so quickly it didn’t take long before I had several books written. Back then the Christian publishing industry was barely producing novels. Finally an editor who believed in me asked if I could write a nonfiction book [to get my foot in the door]. I had just closed a successful group home childcare center that I’d run for a few years. I decided to write about that. The book sold to Thomas Nelson, and shortly thereafter all the other books I’d written sold as well. I was launched.”
(Melody Carlson: 200 Books … And Counting! | November 2011)
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Lynn Austin on How She Came to Love Reading and Books
“Books have been part of my life for as long as I can remember, beginning with bedtime stories when I was a child. My mother was the town librarian in the village where I grew up, so it’s not an exaggeration to say I was raised in a library. Over the years, I helped with everything from processing books to reading aloud for story hour, and I developed a deep appreciation for all sorts of books. In addition, my grandmother was a natural-born storyteller whose tales kept my sisters and me spellbound for hours on warm summer evenings.”
(Historical Romance Q&A: Lynn Austin (If I Were You) | March 2020)
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Tosca Lee On Exploring Biblical Figures through Fiction
“For me it’s really about examining the things we believe and why we believe them. That includes judgments of characters such as Eve or Judas, and a core belief on my part that we’re not that different than them—that their actions could have been our own. In the end, it boils down to learning about ourselves.”
(Tosca Lee: Devil’s Advocate | March 2013)
https://www.familyfiction.com/tosca-lee-devil-s-advocate/
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Lori Copeland On Why Storytelling Is Such a Powerful Way to Communicate Truth
“Jesus often spoke in parables. For me, writing is the joy of communicating fact AND fiction in my books. My goal is and always will be to tell a story of unbelievable love and redemption using a romance format.”
(Historical Romance Interview: Lori Copeland—Writing From the Heart | August 2020)
https://www.familyfiction.com/historical-romance-interview-lori-copeland-writing-heart/
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Irene Hannon On the Challenges of Writing Christian Fiction with Elements of Crime, Danger, and Violence
“Obviously, if you write suspense, it will have all those elements to some degree. But I minimize description as much as possible and always cast crime and aggression in a negative light. We’ve become so desensitized to violence and vulgarity in media that it’s almost expected in mainstream novels now. But I firmly believe you can tell a compelling story without getting gruesome or graphic.”
(Romantic Suspense Interview: Irene Hannon—Lens of Faith | October 2019)
https://www.familyfiction.com/romantic-suspense-interview-irene-hannon-lens-faith
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Tamera Alexander On Her Goals As A Christian Writer
“I want to whet the reader’s appetite for a deeper relationship with Christ and therefore weave the power of Scripture into the fabric of all of my stories. Yes, I want the reader to be entertained, to laugh and cry (I don’t feel as if I’ve gotten my money’s worth from a story unless I do both), and for them to be swept up in the time and place, and in the character’s journey. But more than anything, I hope my stories stir that seed inside each of us that longs for a deeper relationship with the Creator of the Universe.”
(Q&A: Tamera Alexander | May 2011)
https://www.familyfiction.com/q-a-tamera-alexander
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Rachel Hauck on Her Best Relationship Advice
“Love well. Be willing to give, forgive, and trust the Lord with your heart. I’ve just been struck lately with the idea of ‘Have I loved well?’ Suddenly it doesn’t seem so important that I am always treated fair or that all of my affections are returned. I just know I’ll be accountable before the Lord for my own heart and attitude.”
(Royal Love — Rachel Hauck on Romance, Writing, & Her New Novel | February 2014)
https://www.familyfiction.com/royal-love-rachel-hauck-on-romance-writing-her-new-novel
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Contemporary Interview: Rachel Hauck—The Fascination with Story Circles
Morgan L. Busse on How She Infuses Her Faith Into Her Fantastical Worlds
“I am a finite human being, which means I will never be able to show God in all His glory and the facets of His being. That said, I always strive to present God in the most theological accurate way, and I want my readers to walk away from my stories with an overwhelming awe of God in their hearts. I also portray sin as a brokenness in our lives, which only God, not ourselves, can heal. It is when we come to God and realize our need of Him that we can finally break free of our past and move forward as new creatures. That is how I infuse a biblical worldview into my stories. I don’t preach in my stories, I show who God is, what sin is and what it does to us, and what sacrificial love is by telling a story. The great thing about fantasy is you can actually show it.”
(Speculative Interview: Morgan L. Busse—Only God Can Heal The Brokenness | May 2020)
https://www.familyfiction.com/speculative-interview-morgan-l-busse-god-can-heal-brokenness
MORE MORGAN L. BUSSE
Morgan L. Busse’s Author Page
40 Essential Christian Speculative Authors
50 Essential Christian Fiction Authors – 2020 Edition
ACFW Announces 2019 Carol Award Winners; Angela Hunt awarded Lifetime Achievement
Speculative Panel: Worldbuilding as Christian Authors
Speculative Q&A: Morgan L. Busse (Mark of the Raven)
2018 Carol Awards Handed out by American Christian Fiction Writers
Robin Lee Hatcher on Writing About Tough Things
“In my women’s fiction, I’ve tackled some difficult topics–infidelity and forgiveness, alcoholism in a Christian home, marriage in crisis, etc. One reason I write about such things is because I’ve been there, done that—and through it all, God has shown me His amazing faithfulness. He has chosen to be yoked with me and to walk me through those dark valleys.”
(Robin Lee Hatcher: For the Master | February 2014)
https://www.familyfiction.com/robin-lee-hatcher-for-the-master
MORE ROBIN LEE HATCHER
Robin Lee Hatcher’s Author Page
#JesusToldStories | 22 Top Christian Authors on The Power of Story To Share Biblical Truth
35 Essential Christian Romance Authors
One Question: “What’s your favorite order at the coffee shop?”
Robin Lee Hatcher’s New Novel Draws on Her Personal Pain
Q&A: Robin Lee Hatcher (Betrayal)
Robin Lee Hatcher: Choosing Forgiveness
Dani Pettrey on the Heart and Faith Behind Her Romantic Thrillers
“I actually find it easier to write about crime and danger because I’m a Christian author. Writing about the two allows about the strong contrast that that exists between good and evil, darkness and light. Faith and the beauty of Christs reveals just sinful man can be and our deep our need for a Savior exists. In addition, it’s through danger and a pressure-cooker that a person’s true faith and character is revealed and can truly shine as a testament to Jesus and the work of His Holy Spirit.”
(Dani Pettrey—Love and Bullets | August 2018)
https://www.familyfiction.com/dani-pettrey-love-bullets
MORE DANI PETTREY
Dani Pettrey’s Author Page
Suspense Q&A: Dani Pettrey (The Crushing Depths)
Christian Author Roundup: “What’s Your Favorite Thing About Summer?”
50 Essential Christian Fiction Authors – 2020 Edition
#JesusToldStories | 22 Top Christian Authors on The Power of Story To Share Biblical Truth
40 Essential Christian Romance Authors – 2020 Edition
Romance Panel: Writing Love Stories as Christian Authors
Suspense Panel: Writing Crime Fiction as Christian Authors
Romantic Suspense Q&A: Dani Pettrey (Deadly Isle)
Kim Vogel Sawyer on Her Mission as a Christian Author
“Always, I want to tell a story that shows the reader ways to deepen his/her relationship with God. I hope my stories are entertaining and will carry the reader away to another time and place for a few enjoyable hours, but more than that, I want the stories to edify. When a reader tells me something in the story has opened her eyes to God in a new way, my heart sings.”
(Q&A: Kim Vogel Sawyer: A Home in Drayton Valley | October 2012)
https://www.familyfiction.com/q-a-kim-vogel-sawyer-a-home-in-drayton-valley
MORE KIM VOGEL SAWYER
Kim Vogel Sawyer’s Author Page
One Question: How Authors Impact Other Writers
Amish Q&A: Kim Vogel Sawyer (Ours for a Season)
VIDEO: Kim Vogel Sawyer | ‘Unveiling The Past’
Christian Author Roundup: “What’s Your Favorite Thing About Summer?”
Jocelyn Green on Her Favorite Part of Writing Historical Fiction
“Other than the research trips, right? There are many aspects I love about it. One of them is finding two historical figures to bring to life and explore through the vehicle of story—such as a revolution-era lacemaker and a disillusioned militiaman. Showing these characters’ hopes, fears, dreams, loves, and struggles is a really captivating way to shed light on the humanity in our history.”
(Historical Q&A: Jocelyn Green – A Refuge Assured | February 2018)
https://www.familyfiction.com/historical-romance-qa-jocelyn-green
MORE JOCELYN GREEN
Jocelyn Green’s Author Page
Jocelyn Green: Women at War
One Question: “What’s your favorite Scripture?”
2017 Christy Winners: Charles Martin wins ‘Book of the Year’
Historical Q&A: Jocelyn Green (A Refuge Assured)
Steven James on Grappling With the Spiritual Implications of Artificial Intelligence
“I think that in all stories that matter, the characters will ask questions that matter. So, although my novels are by no means sermons in disguise, they deal with big questions about life, meaning, human nature, belief, and our relationship to God. Incidentally, Scripture talks about all of creation praising the Lord, everything that has breath praising him, mountains bowing down and trees waving their branches in praise. In fact, Jesus said that if people stop praising him that even the rocks will cry out. I asked myself, ‘If a rock and a tree and an ant can praise the Lord, why couldn’t a self-aware robot?'”
(Speculative Author interview: Steven James—Even the Robots Will Cry Out | February 2020)
https://www.familyfiction.com/speculative-author-interview-steven-james-even-robots-will-cry
MORE STEVEN JAMES
Steven James’ Author Page
Steven James: Checkmate
40 Essential Christian Suspense Authors – 2019 Edition
2019 Christy Award® Winners: Patti Callahan Wins For ‘Book of the Year’
50 Essential Christian Fiction Authors – 2020 Edition
40 Essential Christian Speculative Authors
FURTHER READING
FamilyFiction Celebrates 10 Years, Announces Podcast
17 Authors: How to Support Your Favorite Authors
50 Essential Christian Fiction Authors – 2020 Edition
40 Essential Christian Romance Authors – 2020 Edition
40 Essential Christian Speculative Authors
40 Essential Christian Suspense Authors – 2019 Edition
22 Top Christian Authors on The Power of Story To Share Biblical Truth
Suspense Panel: Writing Crime Fiction as Christian Authors
Romance Panel: Writing Love Stories as Christian Authors