The new fiction list is up, reflecting sales in the month of December. Check it out here.
The new name to take note of is Steven James at #10 for The Pawn. Last month he was at a higher number on the list but this month has managed to move to the top ten. He's right behind Ted Dekker at #9 for Skin.In a list dominated by women's fiction, historicals and romance, it's always great to see a couple suspense titles show up. And it's wonderful to see an author of Steven James' caliber join the CBA suspense genre. The Pawn, first in James' Patrick Bowers series, is a well-written novel. It's been garnering great reviews, including one from PW.
A note to you BHCC (Big Honkin' Chickens' Club) members--this one's totally off the charts for you. The Pawn contains more graphic violence than is typical for CBA-published suspense.
Steven James has written some nonfiction for Baker. The Pawn is his first novel, published by Revell (part of Baker). His second novel, The Rook, will release in time for an ICRS signing in Orlando this July.
6 comments:
"The Pawn contains more graphic violence than is typical for CBA-published suspense."
I wonder if this will make a change for more realistic fiction in CBA? My friend writes adult fiction and she often comments that CBA can be very unrealistic in what they won't allow in novels. For example, some houses won't let you say a girl/woman has her time of the month. Some houses won't publish books where the characters are divorced. And the list goes on.
Me, I write for kids, so I haven't come across that type of thing. Now that I'm writing middle grade, maybe I'll see more of that.
While what your friend says may be true of some CBA houses, it's certainly not true of all of them. When was the last time she read a current CBA novel? Even bestselling author Karen Kingsbury's novels have divorced characters, characters who've had affairs, etc., and she's dubbed the "Queen of Clean".
Hey, I read this book and it's a KEEPER! I CANNOT wait for the next one and will grab it off the shelf as soon as it hits. Yes, it contains graphic violence, but not as graphic as watching CSI or whatnot on television. For some reason, reading about an autopsy doesn't gross me out nearly as much as watching a fake one on TV! Ha. Anyway, it's well-written, fast paced, and CLEVER! That's why I liked it. It kept me guessing. OKay, I'll stop gushing now. One of my favorite TV shows is Criminal Minds (when it's not too icky or mind-freaking), but I love the stories of profiliers. COOL!
Go read it...except you BHC. Way off the can-read-o-meter for you guys.
Lynette
LOL - thanks for the warning, Brandilyn! I jsut read one of Jim Bell's books (The Whole Truth) and bit my nails after the halfway point. I was okay up till then. ;)
It's good to see new names on the list period! I haven't heard of Steven James before. Thanks for the tip!
tf
Hey Brandilyn,
Thanks for the mention of The Pawn. I like the discussion about "Christian fiction."
When The Pawn was first released, a woman emailed to ask me if it was a “Christian novel.” Her question really got me thinking, “What would make a book an unChristian novel?”
Hmm… well, maybe one that has lots of erotic sex, gratuitous violence, idolatry, blasphemy, cannibalism… then I thought, No wait, that’s the Old Testament.
Lots more to say about all this, but no room here. I blogged a little about it on January 28th.
Take care everyone and keep reading!
Post a Comment