John Edgell - Author

Distinctive fantasy fiction stories that delight the mind and stir the soul.

  • Home
  • Books
  • The Place of Faith
  • About

My Life through the Lens of Poetry

March 25, 2019 By Author John Leave a Comment

Memoir in Verse
Poems that Explore Heart and Soul

My Personal Memoir in Verse

Poetry has been a part of my life since my youth, not the erudite poetry of the crème de la crème of the poetic world—though I have read much of it—but poetry that flows from the heart of a rustic everyday guy struggling with the stuff of life. My highs and lows often came out in verse, doggerel, and rhyme—the poetry of the country rustic.

Lens of PoetryWhen writing my poems I was not as concerned about style and form as I was about exploring and unveiling the realities of my heart and soul. Poetry was a way of working out what was going on within. Most of my poems, though not all, were written during times of emotional ferment, the turmoil of wondering “why” as well as the wonder of discovering delight—times of shadow and times of sunshine. To read my poetry—Shadows and Sunshine—is to glance past the outward façade and get a glimpse into the depths of the inner man.

An Open Window

In the evening I often walk down the street past ten or twelve houses to get to the mailbox. Some of my neighbors have their lights on and their blinds open. I recall seeing one lady standing at her sink either doing dishes or preparing food. At another house two ladies sat playing cards. They had left open a window to their lives. Through my memoir in verse I open a window to my life and welcome peeping Toms, Marys, Bills, Mary Lous, Henrys, etc. In fact, you are welcome to take a look as well.

Modern Day PsalmsThis memoir in verse is not only a window into my life. It is also a window into how God works all things for good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28). It is a tribute to God’s hand on a life, his goodness and sustaining love in the midst of struggle—indeed, His leading me out of times of turmoil into times of joy and wonder. What a God!

My wife said she thinks of my poems as modern day psalms.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Author Blog Tagged With: modern day psalms, personal memoir, poetic world, poetry, verse

Writing Compelling Fiction

February 1, 2019 By Author John Leave a Comment

Writing Compelling Fiction

Compelling Fiction You’ll Love to Read

Writing Christian Fiction

Writing FictionWriting Christian fiction is different from being a Christian writer writing fiction. Writing compelling fiction is about story, about entertaining the reader, and yet about much more. Many Christian fiction writers write what I would classify as pseudo-Christian fiction, fiction with values of decency, but not necessarily with a Christian takeaway, because their desire is to appeal to a crossover market. As I have commented in other blog posts I have had a Christian writer tell me that a story should not have a message. But a story without a takeaway robs the reader.

Writing Compelling Fiction Informed by Biblical Truth

In another blog post, quite some time back, I mentioned a story of mine being critiqued by the members of the writer’s group I was a part of and being told it was a quaint story, but there was no takeaway, i.e. not worth reading. I had to rewrite the story to give it value. My stories focus on being engaging stories with underlying and/or somewhat overt messaging, but messaging that is natural to the story, not contrived or superimposed. They are in one way or another grounded in biblical truth. Rather than simply being written from a Christian worldview, they are written from a biblical worldview.

Writing FictionA biblical worldview does not gloss over the realities and ugly details of our sin-sick world, because the Bible does not gloss over such things: David and Bathsheba, Samson and Delilah, Judah and his daughter-in-law, and on and on. A biblical worldview is simply the foundation on which a story is built, as opposed to a secular godless worldview. Evil is evil and good is good. Wrong is wrong and right is right. However characters struggles with understanding and living out those realities is itself still a reality, even as it is with this writer and each reader.

Some of my stories are moral tales; some are allegorical while others simply integrate symbolism; and then there are those that illustrate some major biblical truth, such as: Choices have consequences, Baruch—God figure—can be trusted to keep his word in spite of catastrophic consequences that result in the advances of evil forces (Seed of the Defiled); or a simple truth like, people’s lives have value (The Myth).

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Author Blog Tagged With: biblical worldview, Christian fiction, Christian worldview, Christian writer, compelling fiction, crossover market

Free E-books and E-books on Sale

December 13, 2018 By Author John Leave a Comment

E-book Sale

Holiday E-book Sale

Writing Projects left Undone

It has been some time since I posted here. You know how it is; life gets in the way of life! When your plate gets too full, something, or a number of somethings, tends to fall off onto the floor. And since your hands are full, you come back later to clean up the mess. Well, I’m back, not to clean up a mess, but rather to take care of writing projects left undone—this project!

Free E-books – E-books on Sale

E-book SaleYay! Free e-books and e-books on sale! Although I don’t have a lot to say, what I do have to share is significant. Between now and the first of the year—a gift to my readers—a generous number of my e-books will be free or on countdown deal sale at Amazon. After you read them, please consider going to Amazon and writing a review—your Christmas gift to me. Honest reviews, no matter how many stars, are welcome and helpful.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Author Blog Tagged With: countdown deal, e-books, great new author, honest reviews, word of mouth, write reviews

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 25
  • Next Page »

Get a Free Story

* indicates required

John Edgell, Author

John has experience as a school teacher, a pastor, and has been a writer of stories since his two sons were knee high to a gnome.

Read more about John.

Through a Looking Glass

The God Question

Asking the God Question

Introducing the God Question Proof for the Existence of God My book, The God Question, has gotten … [Read More...]

More Posts from this Category

Bestsellers

  • Acceptable Fruit
  • The Princess and the Orc
  • Tales of a Church Mouse
  • Phantom Island Chronicles: A Pirate Fantasy
  • The Helot
  • Son of Cain

Introducing Quick Read Books

https://youtu.be/14QU9CuANIQ

Search the Site

Share Your Favorites

Copyright © 2021 John Edgell · Books