Creative Madness that Makes Me Myself: Jeff Gerke

Showing posts with label Jeff Gerke. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

CSFF Blog Tour: Marcher Lord Press Day 3

And lastly, more to wrap up our tour...

How would you define Christian Fiction? What's the future of Christian Fiction?

Christian fiction is fiction that arises from a Christian worldview. A non-Christian can write a book with lots of church stuff and God talk in it, but if it's from a non-Christian worldview, it's not Christian fiction, imo. While a Christian can write a novel without any church stuff or God talk but it can still be Christian fiction in my eyes if it reflects a Christian worldview.

The future of Christian fiction is bright. We're in the age of the indie press. Whatever kind of fiction you want, you're about to be able to get it. Even the kinds that have traditionally been vetoed by the CBA industry. But you might be getting it from publishers you've never heard of who are selling it through channels you've never thought of.

And if you're a writer of this kind of fiction, your mss. may be in demand--but from publishers you've never heard of and through something other than the standard rich and famous contract you may have been dreaming about. Still, it will be a wonderful opportunity to get your fiction in front of fans who will treasure it.

Anything else you want to talk about?

Just that everyone should be sure to get to www.MarcherLordPress.com before October 1 so you can sign up to win one of the scores of prizes I have to give away. The best, of course, is the grand prize: a trip for two to the 2009 Comic-CON convention in San Diego.

Jeff

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

CSFF Blog Tour: Marcher Lord Press Day 2

And now, we're back for more...

www.marcherlordpress.com
- click to find out more about their launch giveaways and contests... refer me please. :)

Tell me about books, tell me about authors?

"Summa Elvetica: A Casuistry of the Elvish Controversy" by Theodore Beale is the philosophical fantasy I spoke of before. Most fantasy novels show a medieval Europe that is lacking in the main element of medieval Europe: the Catholic Church. What if that church existed in a world shared by Elves, Dwarves, Trolls, Goblins, and the rest?

At some point, church leaders would decide to grapple with the question of whether or not these demi-humans had immortal souls, and were thus mission fields for the gospel. That's exactly what happens in this novel. Theodore Beale is the author of spiritual warfare novels for Pocket Books. MLP is blessed to have him as a debut author.

"The Personifid Invasion" by R. E. Bartlett is a SF about a ruined earth in which humans transfer their consciousness to artificial bodies to cheat death forever. Unfortunately, some spiritual beings with less than righteous character discover that they too can dwell in theese artificial bodies quite nicely. If the human soul in the body has to be enslaved in the process, so much the better.

R. E. Bartlett is a New Zealand author. She also wrote the prequel, "The Personifid Project" (Realms), that introduced the world and the characters of her speculative future.

"Hero, Second Class" by Mitchell Bonds is a hysterical send-up of all the fantasy elements we hold dear. Cyrus longs to be a Hero in a world in which Heroes owe monthly dues and Villains have to fill out the proper paperwork before trying to take over the world.

Mitchell is a very young man--he was 19 when MLP acquired his book--who has more authorial voice and comic sensibility than many novelists ever acquire.

I'm thrilled with all three of these launch novels. And have you seen the covers? They're incredible. All illustrated and designed by Kirk DouPonce of www.DogEaredDesign.com.

Tell me something that you haven't told anyone else?

I paid Theodore Beale's advance in Swiss Marcs. He's an American living in Switzerland, and that's how he wanted his advance.

Where did the idea come from?

The idea for Marcher Lord Press arose out of my own frustrated attempts to gain more elbow room for Christian speculative fiction within the CBA publishing industry. Though I had some successes along the way, most of my endeavors and hopes failed. I finally realized that the people CBA sold fiction to were not the same people who wanted the kind of wierd fiction I had been trying to promote. The people I was aiming for, I realized, were not in CBA bookstores anymore.

And so I began noodling about what a publishing company would look like that could connect these incredibly creative novels with the fans who would devour them. It wouldn't be a company that would be like the others, I realized. It wouldn't try to get books into Christian bookstores (why, if the target market isn't going to those bookstores?). It would be something that operated small, produced excellence, and tried to absolutely capture a small but wonderful niche.

Where do you hope to be in five years? ten? fifty?

In five to ten years I would love to be presiding over Marcher Lord Press while someone else runs most of it, so I can spend my time creating more Jefferson Scott fiction. Like the epic fantasy I'm working on now. In fifty years I'll be 93 and will probably either be in heaven or at its door!

Monday, September 22, 2008

CSFF Blog Tour: Marcher Lord Press Day 1

Monday, September 22 through Wednesday, September 24

It is time for the Christian Science Fiction & Fantasy Blog Tour!! This month we are featuring the new and impressive Marcher Lord Press. I bring you today, an interview with the mastermind behind all of the creative madness over at Marcher Lord Press and WheretheMapEnds.com, Jeff Gerke:

First off, who is Jeff? :) Born, raised, testimony, anything you'd like to share...

I'm a film school grad, seminary grad, acting major who has had six of his novels published (as Jefferson Scott), has worked as a staff editor for three Christian publishing companies, and is now launching a small indie publishing company called Marcher Lord Press. I'm married and am the father of a daughter, a son, and a yet-to-be-adopted daughter from China. I love Mountain Dew, the Dallas Cowboys, computer strategy games, acoustic guitar, and Jesus.

Briefly, or detailed, whatever floats your boat, what is Marcher Lord Press? What is Wherethemapends.com?

WhereTheMapEnds.com is one of the best online destinations for all things pertaining to Christian speculative fiction. So if it's about Christian science fiction, fantasy, time travel, supernatrual thrillers, or the other wonderfully weird genres, you'll find it at WTME.

The site has feature interviews with Frank Peretti, Ted Dekker, Jerry B. Jenkins, Tosca Lee, Karen Hancock, and many more. I've got special features no one else has, like exclusive short stories by these guys, unpublished prologues, and more. I've got fantastic visions--artwork by the best Christian artists doing speculative art. And I've got gobs of material for the Christian writer, not least being my Fiction Writing Tip of the Week column, which currently is up to Tip #95.

Marcher Lord Press is the logical outgrowth of WTME. Marcher Lord Press is my small, independent Christian publishing company dedicated to producing the finest Christian speculative fiction in the world. We launch on October 1 with three debut novels: a philosophical fantasy (do elves have souls?), a supernatural science fiction (can robots be possessed?), and a delightful fantasy roast/send-up/comedy/satire.

How would you say that Marcher Lord Press encompasses some "creative madness"?

I think anyone who loves speculative fiction embraces a bit of creative madness. And who should be madder than Christians who love speculative fiction? The holy madmen-slash-creative geniuses.

For more information, check back tomorrow, but also check out my other team participants as well. -- MJ

*Featured organization, Marcher Lord Press: http://www.MarcherLordPress.com/ .
Jeff Gerke’s Web site, WhereTheMapEnds: http://wherethemapends.com .

*Participants’ Links and Text Links for September 2008 Tour: