Guys, it's GUEST POST FRIDAY! ::cue confetti:: Today's post is by Daniel Graham, a writer I connected with on Instagram, who's got a killer style and unique voice. Be sure to give him some love after reading his post and check out his website!

Hi, my name is Daniel R Graham, a writer and author of the series White Stag Trials. I run the blog serialauthor.com which is founded on my love of writing and desire to publish serially (lots and often). I’m also looking into freelance writing, so basically I enjoy writing and spend much of my time doing so!

Something I haven't talked about yet is that I am a Christian, someone who believes that God exists, that He is good, and that He sent his son Jesus to restore relationship with humanity by taking the full burden of sin - that which stops relationship with God - upon himself and dying on a cross only to be raised by the Holy Spirit of God and ascending to the right hand of God The Father in Heaven.

The reason why I consider my faith in God when I write something, is not because I'm wanting to follow a set of laws for Christian writers. I'm really not interested in any sort of obligation in my walk with God other than following his leading. To see my relationship with God as anything other than that  - a relationship - would be disservice to what He has done for me. It would also be a disservice to myself as I'd be cutting myself off from the joy in freedom of relationship with God who wants just that. You wouldn't hug a friend or relative because you ought to, as if not living up to that expectation would land you in serious trouble. That wouldn't be a healthy relationship. I want my life to be an embrace to God, free from 'oughts' and 'musts', just a hug.

I also believe that writing is an expression of creativity, an aspect of the personality of my Creator. I don't want to bury this talent, but rather grow this gift to its fullest potential and honour my Heavenly Father with it. That's what gives the following paragraphs purpose and meaning.

So with that said, this is how my faith affects my fiction writing!

Short Form Fiction
I've written a few short stories over the last couple of years. Two of them - Blight and Drowning - are up on serialauthor.com for all to read. I began writing them as submissions for short story competitions and anthologies (a compilation of short stories usually from various authors), but soon discovered they had a different purpose for me. The themes and thoughts that the abstract stories explore were deeply personal. The stories became more like a soul search than a story, but I enjoyed writing them all the same.

Long Form Fiction
For my novels or serial stories I write a lot of fantasy. I really enjoyed The Chronicles of Narnia when I was growing up and although C.S. Lewis is an inspiration and a bit of a hero for me in both his fiction and Christian writings, I'm not so much like him in my fiction. I'm not writing such blatant allegories as Lewis - not at this point in my writing career anyway.

The audience I'm aiming to write for is YA (Young Adult) whose exposure to the fantasy genre is more likely to be George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones than J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Now I'm not about to slam one of the most successful fantasy authors of my time, but Game of Thrones is famous for more than dragons and the constant killing off of characters. It's pretty well known that both the TV series and the books don't shy away from raw, gritty and explicit scenes.

To me wholesomeness in writing is important. I know that what you spend your time looking at and listening to can really affect you. I want to provide that sort of wholesome writing. That translates into what I allow my characters to do, talk about and even how they talk.

Let’s talk about swearing! I grew up with a Scottish father so swearing doesn't really bother me as much as it may bother others, but I know for those who are trying to have self control over what they say, hearing and reading these words isn’t helpful. They tend to bounce around in your mind until you are tired or frustrated enough to let them slip out. Swearing is pretty unavoidable these days, but I’d like my stories to be a safe place for the mind to be. If I feel that a character would be someone who swore in a scene, I usually write something like - Jason grit his teeth and cursed - rather than the actual curse word. And it doesn't seem out of place in fantasy as usually the culture of a fantasy setting would be totally different from ours, so the same curse words being used wouldn't make sense.

Something I am a bit more lax with is violence. When it comes to my fight scenes I don’t hold back. To me fantasy is about battles and struggle in foreign and dangerous worlds, where magic and creatures will tear the unprepared apart. Also if you read The Old Testament, there is plenty of violence and gore - so I don’t feel convicted to put a damper on that aspect of my writing.

Speaking of The Old Testament, I draw on some of it for inspiration especially for mythology. During C.S. Lewis’s conversion he was studying Mythology and found that many of them shared aspects of Christianity. J.R.R. Tolkien and his friend Hugo Dyson explained to Lewis (all three of whom belonged to the Inklings literary group) that Christianity doesn’t run from the idea of mythology in creation but rather embraces it. Without getting too preachy here, there are things written as fact in the creation story that are trying to describe purpose and intention of the Creator God, not the textbook-like science of how He created it (opinions may differ here but I believe this to be true). This was a key part in Lewis’s conversion and I believe part of what prompted the creation story of Narnia in The Magician's Nephew. In a similar way, I draw on the themes in the bible as inspiration for my fiction.

Closing Statements
I hope you enjoyed reading my thoughts on faith and fiction. I’d just like to say that these statements that I’ve made are my personal convictions, not judgments on other writers or even other Christians. I enjoy reading  most genres by many different authors, but I set a certain standard for my own writing. Thanks for reading!

It's been a bit since I've done a life lately post, so here we go!

April. It's April. It's been 7 months since I lost my Dad, which is when I think I did my last life lately post. 

In those 7 months, here's what's happened:

• I went to Vegas for the Super Bowl with my Mom and Husband. We've been doing this for 4 years now--maybe 5? With my Dad. It was bittersweet not to have him here this time, but we made the most of it and enjoyed our time. 
• I rented out my car on Turo. Anyone else done this? It was an interesting run--where I let strangers rent my car for 3-4 days at a time. For the most part, it was simple; an easy way to earn some cash. Though, after my car came back smelling like weed (hello, California!), I thought it might be time to end my run. 
• I flew through four books at the beginning of the year. And now I've come to a complete halt. What is it with reading for me? I'm either all in in or all out. Hoping to find that balance. I borrowed a few Newbery Medal books to get back into the swing of things, so I'm excited about that!
• I scrapped my first draft and started a new one. More on that to come. 
• My Husband and I spent March saving money so we ate in ALL. THE. TIME. Which meant I was cooking 7 days a week. Nothing ground-breaking, but definitely different for me. It did allow me to use my slow cooker (love it) and hone my baking skills (hello perfect blueberry muffins and lemon cake). We kept on track and saved what we set out to save--I was pretty proud of us! 
• Started watching The Looming Tower on Hulu. Good show. But can't STAND that they're releasing them one by one. Why, Hulu? Why did you choose to release one of your originals this way?? 

What have YOU been up to lately? I'd love to hear!

Ahhh books. They breathe life into me like nothing else. Who's with me? Everyone has that book--that favorite book that holds a special place in their heart. One that satisfies their soul; feeds their imagination; inspires their heart. Maybe it's a book that taught you something. Maybe it's a book that made you laugh. Maybe it's a book that marks a significant phase in your life. Whatever it is, it's there. 

For me? So many books have done that. I was a late bloomer when it came to reading. As a kid, I was too busy drawing to read. (Except for the Redwall series. Redwall all day, everyday.) But come college, I bloomed. Reading was life and I was forever changed. Here are the five books that have made a lasting impression on me and why:

Harry Potter and the (All of Them). I know. This sounds cliche. BUT. I didn't pick this series up until the release of the fourth book. My Mom had raved about them. Finally, the summer after my freshmen year in college, I decided I'd give them a try. There was no going back. Harry Potter woke something in me that has never fallen back asleep. The sweetest part of this series? I read it aloud to my Mom when she was going through radiation after breast cancer. We've shared this story ever since. 

The Lord of the Rings. This has to be my all time favorite story. Once again, this was a series I read while my Mom was recovering from breast cancer. I would take her for weekly radiation and while waiting, I'd enter Middle Earth. Tolkien's characters are some of my all-time favorite. The loyalty between Sam and Frodo? The. Sweetest. Ever.

Ender's Game. I had heard of this book from several different people for several years during college. But I had never picked up a sci-fi book. They always seemed a bit out there for this fantasy reader. Until the day I decided to read it and was forever changed by Ender Wiggin. Orson Scott Card's writing is genius. Yes, the book is about smart kids in space, trying to save the world. But the writing is tender; raw; and emotionally poignant. I wanted so badly to sit beside Ender as he endured his sufferings. To comfort him. To fight with him. I never looked at sci-fi the same. 

The Great Gatsby. Like I said, I was a late bloomer when it came to reading. I had never read Fitzgerald's classic in high school, so when I picked it up in college, I didn't know what to expect. While the story captivated me, the prose was intoxicating. How Fitzgerald crafted sentences and described his world, his characters left me breathless at times. Words became something so much more than just a means to explain story. They became art.  

Lad: A Dog. I read this book when I was young--one of the few--and was so touched I read it over and over and over again, declaring that one day, I would own a collie. How the writer described the relationship between dog and man--sweet, loyal, and dedicated--made me desperate for a creature to love me like Lad loved his owner. My childhood dreams were made two years ago when my husband bought me my very own puppy. And while he's not a collie (hi there, maltipoo!), Moby is as sweet as they come. 

​What's a book that's captured your heart? I'd love to know!
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