News & Comments Juno Editor/Paula Guran on 16 Jul 2009 06:14 pm
Amish Vampires: Is the world ready for buggypunk?
The Washington Post reports on Christian fiction, noting the “undisputed industry leader is so-called Amish fiction — typically, romances and family sagas set in contemporary Amish communities…” but later mentions:
On the darker side [of Christion fiction] is Eric Wilson’s “Jerusalem’s Undead” trilogy from Thomas Nelson, which follows characters who have risen from the dead after being tainted by the blood of Judas, betrayer of Jesus.
Allen Arnold, senior vice president and publisher for fiction for Nelson, the largest Christian book publisher, said the greatest demand is for gentler reads like Amish books. The publisher introduced its own Amish series last fall. But Arnold said messages of hope reside even in exploits of the undead.
“It is fantasy, but he weaves it from a biblical perspective and ties it back to the power of blood,” Arnold said — specifically, Christian belief in the atoning power of Christ’s blood.
On Sept. 15, WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group will release its take on vampires in “Thirsty,” by Christian chick-lit author Tracey Bateman. Not surprisingly, the marketing material mentions “Twilight,” the hit vampire book series and movie whose abstinence message resonated with many evangelicals.
Bateman’s vampire, Markus, is a character but also a metaphor for demons anyone must overcome, said Shannon Marchese, an editor at WaterBrook Multnomah who sought out Bateman for the project. The object of his obsession, Nina, is a divorced alcoholic dealing with addiction.
“These are themes that work in the Christian life,” Marchese said. “You have to fight to say, ‘Am I going to choose unconditional love and redemption or a life of following obsessions, a life with holes in it?”
Still, challenges exist beyond what to do with dripping fangs (they were edited out). On the theological front, questions lurk about whether a creature both alive and dead has a soul that can be saved.
“I think we can redeem a vampire,” said Bateman, adding that she won’t be a spoiler and disclose her character’s fate. “I don’t think this is a despair too dark to pull out of.”
Hey, I live near Amish country. I have a great idea — Buggypunk! Amish vampires!
Remember–you read it here first.
on 16 Jul 2009 at 6:47 pm 1.Amish Vampires: Is the world ready for buggypunk? | Work from home India said …
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on 16 Jul 2009 at 8:36 pm 2.Jenn said …
The first manuscript that I ever wrote featured a small amish community that was overtaken by vampires. Granted, it was complete rubbish and is now buried in an untouched file folder, but maybe if I tweaked it to make the vampires repent and convert…gold mine!
on 16 Jul 2009 at 8:58 pm 3.Juno Editor/Paula Guran said …
There you go
Timing is everything. ‘Salem’s Lot meets the Yoder’s farm!
on 17 Jul 2009 at 10:13 am 4.The Great Geek Manual » Geek Media Round-Up: July 17, 2009 said …
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