Comments for Saint Lydia's Book Club http://melindasmailbox.wordpress.com About writing Orthodox Christian novels. Tue, 26 Feb 2013 03:59:36 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ Comment on The Other Side of the Bonfire by philologia http://melindasmailbox.wordpress.com/the-other-side-of-the-bonfire/#comment-781 Tue, 26 Feb 2013 03:59:36 +0000 http://melindasmailbox.wordpress.com/?page_id=1060#comment-781 Hi Melinda–just wanted to let you know that I very much enjoyed The Other Side of the Bonfire, and wrote a review here: http://orthogals.wordpress.com/2013/02/23/book-review-the-other-side-of-the-bonfire/

]]> Comment on Side Effects of Adult Baptism by Saint Lydia's Book Club http://melindasmailbox.wordpress.com/2012/10/14/side-effects-of-adult-baptism/#comment-742 Tue, 13 Nov 2012 20:59:37 +0000 http://melindasmailbox.wordpress.com/?p=1121#comment-742 I know just what you mean!! Change is difficult, but still good.

]]> Comment on Side Effects of Adult Baptism by Crystal Marie http://melindasmailbox.wordpress.com/2012/10/14/side-effects-of-adult-baptism/#comment-740 Tue, 13 Nov 2012 17:23:51 +0000 http://melindasmailbox.wordpress.com/?p=1121#comment-740 “I had been in the same church my whole life, and I knew all the answers. I even knew the proper way to make up answers when I didn’t have any real ones!” This is exactly where I came from, from knowing everything and having everything familiar to knowing almost nothing, to unfamiliar and challenging. I could no longer glide through my spiritual life, I have to be an active participant. That’s one of the things I love about our small parish, you cannot miss a service or gathering without someone calling to make sure you’re feeling ok and if you need anything. This is not the Church of my childhood, and you are right. I am not the person I was before and what a blessing that is!

]]> Comment on “Of Gods and Men” by Saint Lydia's Book Club http://melindasmailbox.wordpress.com/2012/08/04/of-gods-and-men/#comment-725 Fri, 19 Oct 2012 15:57:29 +0000 http://melindasmailbox.wordpress.com/?p=1014#comment-725 Thank you for your kind words. When I need encouragement to keep at it, I will come back and re-read them.

]]> Comment on “Of Gods and Men” by lesliecouncilor http://melindasmailbox.wordpress.com/2012/08/04/of-gods-and-men/#comment-724 Fri, 19 Oct 2012 13:30:37 +0000 http://melindasmailbox.wordpress.com/?p=1014#comment-724 Melinda, I am reading your book now and I cannot believe how it has changed my life. You are a remarkable writer and I am so glad that you will able to touch so many peoples lives with your book. Please continue writing and touching so many people with the word of God and may God bless you and your family.

]]> Comment on Side Effects of Adult Baptism by Orthodox Collective http://melindasmailbox.wordpress.com/2012/10/14/side-effects-of-adult-baptism/#comment-722 Mon, 15 Oct 2012 03:53:33 +0000 http://melindasmailbox.wordpress.com/?p=1121#comment-722 [...] Effects of Adult Baptism http://melindasmailbox.wordpress.com/2012/10/14/side-effects-of-adult-baptism/Sunday, Oct 14th 10:40 pmclick to expand…SVS Press Children's Book Garners Gold-Medal Moonbeam [...]

]]> Comment on Fiction is like carrot soup. by Saint Lydia's Book Club http://melindasmailbox.wordpress.com/2012/09/08/fiction-is-like-carrot-soup/#comment-718 Sun, 30 Sep 2012 22:07:06 +0000 http://melindasmailbox.wordpress.com/?p=1094#comment-718 This reminds me of a conversation I had recently about an author who created a pretence of truth as part of the fictional construct of the book. The pretence included a statement that the manuscript had been given to the author by the main character, with the hope that the author would publish it. Unfortunately, in constructing this literary pretence, the author went a bit too far. The introduction included statements about the main character and the circumstances under which the author received the manuscript. Some readers were not able to tell that this was actually fiction, and when, much later in the book or after they finished reading it, they found out that it was a work of fiction, they felt betrayed.

Creating a sense of reality about a fiction work can certainly be part of the craft, but I think there’s a line. Up to a point, careful research and writing that make realistic fiction are a good thing. Past that point, where the fiction is seriously attempting to pass itself off as fact, I think the author is flirting with an ethical problem.

]]> Comment on Fiction is like carrot soup. by Saint Lydia's Book Club http://melindasmailbox.wordpress.com/2012/09/08/fiction-is-like-carrot-soup/#comment-717 Sun, 30 Sep 2012 22:02:16 +0000 http://melindasmailbox.wordpress.com/?p=1094#comment-717 I wonder why it’s so easy to see that fantasy is not real (she couldn’t have gone to Hogwarts) and so difficult to believe that fiction is not real (I could theoretically have had an aunt just like Xenia.). The truth is that J.K. Rowling could just as easily write herself into Hogwarts as she could into, for example, a fiction novel about a single mom who became a writer.

]]> Comment on Saint Lydia’s Travels by Orthodox Collective http://melindasmailbox.wordpress.com/2012/09/23/saint-lydias-travels/#comment-712 Mon, 24 Sep 2012 11:24:08 +0000 http://melindasmailbox.wordpress.com/?p=1108#comment-712 [...] Sep 23rd 10:51 pmclick to expand…Saint Lydia’s Travels http://melindasmailbox.wordpress.com/2012/09/23/saint-lydias-travels/Sunday, Sep 23rd 10:41 pmclick to expand…Timothy Larsen: Religion is wasted on the young [...]

]]> Comment on Saint Lydia’s Travels by matushka constantina http://melindasmailbox.wordpress.com/2012/09/23/saint-lydias-travels/#comment-711 Mon, 24 Sep 2012 06:54:41 +0000 http://melindasmailbox.wordpress.com/?p=1108#comment-711 That’s wonderful news! I’m listening to Chrissy Hart’s installments of Letters to Saint Lydia, and reading your new novel.

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