Behind the Stories [Paperback]

Diane Eble (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2001

You Loved the Novels. Now Read the Story Behind the Stories …

Today's Christian novelists entertain and inspire millions with their heart-warming and thought-provoking books. Yet few readers really ever get the chance to know these talented writers beyond the brief biographies included in their novels.

Behind the Stories now offers a rare, behind-the-scenes glimpse into the personal lives of dozens of your favorite storytellers, including:

Janette Oke
Jerry Jenkins
Francine Rivers
Beverly Lewis
Lawana Blackwell
Jan Karon
Randy Alcorn and more.

Revealing their hopes and dreams, their successes and failures, and providing fascinating insights about what it means to craft stories from a Christian worldview, these honest discussions of fear and faith, of compromise and calling, include never-before-published thoughts and insights that will enrich your life—and your future fiction-reading experiences.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Forty Christian novelists are profiled in this compilation which succeeds in telling some enjoyable stories but dilutes them by adding preachy moral platitudes. Eble, the editor of Tyndale House's online PageTurner's Journal, has assembled a diverse cross-section of author vignettes with the common thread of faith and the usual stories of rejection on the road to publication. There are glimpses of personal hurdles overcome, such as Randy Alcorn's struggle with insulin-dependent diabetes and Bodie Thoene's childhood battle with dyslexia; accolades for mentors and role models (such as the oft-mentioned novelist Francine Rivers); and typical stories of childhood writing aspirations. A few Christian authors are noticeably absent, including Christian thriller pioneer Frank Peretti and historical novelist Stephen Lawhead, and some of those included are a bit obscure. Unfortunately for readers, Eble hammers home a moral message at the end of each chapter, intended for personal application. "We too, will feel God's pleasure in us when we do whatever God has gifted us to do," she exhorts at the end of one essay. In another, on Liz Curtis Higgs, she admonishes, "Not all of us are faced with the work load or stresses Liz confronts daily. But all of us must search for and then embrace those opportunities we are uniquely called and gifted to undertake." Despite such passages, Christian readers who are curious about the lives of their favorite writers will likely appreciate this inside look at how faith and writing are combined together as vocation.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"...prominent authors observations on fufillment, writing, and faith will delight loyal fans and inspire future writers." -- CBA Marketplace, Jan. 2001

"Covering their struggles and triumphs, these frank discussions, provide inspiration and a new appreciation for Christian fiction and its authors." -- Christian Retailing, Nov. 12, 2001

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House Publishers (December 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764224638
• ISBN-13: 978-0764224638
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,057,781 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Diane Eble is a book publishing coach and the author of ABUNDANT GIFTS, a book that Mark Victor Hansen (coauthor of Chicken Soup for the Soul) called 'an insightful, meaningful book that will open your eyes to the many gifts available to any of us all the time,' and Jan Karon, author of the wildly successful Mitford books, featured in her newsletter. Email her at [e-mail] for information on how to view a Digital Web book that contains 5 sample stories from Abundant Gifts, or to receive the Abundant Gifts newsletter, full of inspirational stories, quotes, and anything that was a gift to her to pass along. Diane has published 10 other books, the latest being MotherStyles: Using Personality Type to Discover Your Parenting Strengths, coauthored with Janet P. Penley. Diane also coaches people through the book publishing experience as head of her company, Words to Profit.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Inside Glimpse into Christian Novelists, July 30, 2006

By 

W. Terry Whalin "Publisher/ Editor / Writer" (Scottsdale, Arizona) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Behind the Stories (Paperback)

I'm always interested in learning more about the motivations from various authors. This book provides another window into 40 different Christian novelists. If you read Christian fiction, then the authors in this book are among the top in their field and consistently on the bestseller list such as Jerry B. Jenkins or Francine Rivers or Karen Kingsbury or Beverly Lewis. With each story, Diane Eble has done an excellent job of detailing interesting aspects of their lives.

Of course since this book was published in 1992, new authors have come on strong into today's fiction market. It's not comprehensive but many of these authors are still actively writing new books. I loved this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fresh, but Filtered, Air, June 18, 2002

By 

Eric Wilson "novelist" (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Behind the Stories (Paperback)

This is a great idea. I couldn't pass it up when I caught the ad in a book club mailer. Any aspiring Christian writers will find encouragement "Behind the Stories" of these authors.

The good: I appreciated the variety and sheer number of Christian authors represented in this volume. Each had a tale of struggle and triumph on the road to publication. I found worthy lessons in each chapter. Randy Alcorn's financial sacrifices, Dee Henderson's steady planning, Bodie Thoene's physical limitations...all of these, and more, were uplifiting and challenging to any would-be authors such as myself.

The bad: The editor decided to underline the evident lessons with spiritual platitudes and trite endings. The stories--as should be, from any fiction writers--spoke for themselves. Unfortunately, the mini-sermons wore on my patience. In addition, I got the feeling at a number of points that the authors' true struggles had been tidied up a bit for the Christian audience.

Thankfully, the authors who do attempt full disclosure manage to breathe fresh air into this book, even if we can't fully appreciate it. Still, any fresh air is worth it in the lonely world of a writer.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Appeals to a certain audience, May 6, 2002

By 

Gail Kent - FictionAddiction.NET (Kansas USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Behind the Stories (Paperback)

Diane Eble interviews 40 of the top writers of Christian fiction (a burgeoning market that was virtually non-existent 20 years ago) in Behind the Stories. A notable inclusion is Jerry B. Jenkins, ghostwriter with Timothy LaHaye of the popular "Left Behind" and "Left Behind Kids" series'.

Each author's story is told in its own chapter, and the chapters are grouped into sections according to how the authors perceived and/or answered "God's call" for them to write Christian novels and stories, although they could all be lumped into a single category: "God calls, the author resists the call, God encourages them to persevere, author becomes and continues to be successful." A common thread of humility runs through all the stories-none of the authors included seems to have known they were talented at writing fiction until God showed them through their successes that it's what they were meant to do (and sometimes not even then.) The book seems aimed at a Christian audience, and at the end of each author's personal story is a mini-sermon interjected by the author to encourage readers to answer God's call for their own lives, whatever it may be-writing, cooking, keeping house, or simply maximizing the opportunity to witness for God in their current line of work and daily life.

Behind the Stories will appeal to fans of Christian fiction, and generally anyone who embraces the philosophy of living according to a higher spiritual plan and purpose for their life. Biblical and doctrinal references keep the book from being accessible to a more general audience, who may be put off by the heavy-handed spiritual message.