We have the honor to be visited by Christian writer Shawn Lamb who will be sharing her perspective on how her faith influences her writing. She also has a new book that you should all check out.

“In several interviews I’ve been asked if I consider myself an author who is a Christian or a Christian author. My answer is the same – I am a Christian and I cannot compartmentalize my life. Who I am in Christ comes out in everything I do. I make no apology for the Christian influences or message in my stories.

When one is an author, or trying to break into the industry, there is a great deal of pressure to compromise, to make the story palatable to the reader. This can take the form of inclusion or exclusion according to the mandates by the publisher. Such was the case with The Huguenot Sword when I actively shopped it around to publishers.

Over the course of 3 years, the manuscript was bounced between 6 publishing houses. And I mean literally bounced. Four of the publishers were Christian, and when one door shut, the editor of a house recommended me to a fellow editor at another publishing house. Not a very common occurrence in the industry, to recommend a perspective author to a rival publisher, but that is what happened to me. For 18 months Bethany tried to find a way to sign me, but for one reason or another, it fell through. During these submissions, some editors wanted me to exclude historical facts and dumb down my language in description and dialogue. In short, they wanted to turn my well-researched historical fiction into historical light.

In the meantime, 2 of the Big Six in New York tested me with various requests before considering a contract. But they wanted the inclusion of sex and inappropriate material. Colossians 3:23- whatever you do, do heartily as to the Lord and not unto men. For me it was an easy decision to refuse. Yes, I lost a publishing contract, but I could sleep at night with a clear conscious of honoring God.

I learn a lot during this intense period – authors are at the mercy of publishers and often requests go against what the author feels is best for the story. The need for compromise is ever present in the choices we face each day. Where Scripture is clear, the choice should be easy. But in the gray areas, is where we falter. Authors have stories to tell, and must decide whether to honor God in our stories or not. To dumb down the language wasn’t a really horrible compromise to make, if I had agreed. But it was not God’s timing back then. Now it is.

With the advances in self-publishing and having complete control the content, after 35 years, I’m able to present The Huguenot Sword in its entirety. This is the first book I ever wrote when I was age 16, and by God’s grace, now is the time for it to see the light of publication. Enjoy!”

Shawn Lamb is the author of the epic Christian YA fantasy series Allon and once wrote for the animated series BraveStarr, produced by the same studio that did He-Man and She-Ra. She has won several screenwriting awards including a Certificate of Merit from the American Screenwriters Association.

Website: http://www.allonbooks.com

Her books can be found on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Shawn-Lamb/e/B002LPYXF0/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Connect with Shawn Lamb on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000208991898&ref=name

Join Naty Matos and 9 of her author friends at Women’s Literary Cafe’s Christian Book Launch, December 13-15. Ten authors will discount their e-books to just 99 cents. Buy 3 get 1 FREE! http://www.womensliterarycafe.com/content/december-2011book-launches