Interview with Cynthia MacKinnon

What gave you the idea for Light at the Edge of Darkness?

I can't claim any credit for the "idea" behind LatEoD. Daniel Weaver, who had just formed a critique group, suggested a short story project would be fun for the members. Although I wasn't part of Daniel's group, I did catch wind of the project, discussed some possibilities with he and Frank Creed about publication and then upped the ante a bit -- Daniel thought it constructive to tackle this project as good experience in submitting stories for publication. So, this group of writers sharpened their pencils and set to work writing short stories.

Because this was a critique group, as soon as stories were completed, the group turned their focus to critiquing. The result was some excellent examples of Biblical speculative fiction (sci-fi, fantasy, horror, cyberpunk, supernatural, dystopia, etc.). I still refer to the anthology as "Daniel's Project."

How did you find your contributors?

Once the anthology project was announced, most (if not all) members of the critique group were enthusiastic about participating. Then, members were encouraged to invite other writers with whose work they were familiar and the numbers swelled as people were invited from other Christian groups. The project was also announced at the site of "The Herscher Projects" which is a private group of speculative fiction writers chosen from Elfwood (the world's largest on-line sci-fi - fantasy community).

Once the stories were honed, they were submitted to me and using criterion-referenced evaluation, I chose the resulting selections. We had considered a "democratic" selection involving all the authors, and although we did this for fun, I made an executive decision -- there were too many variables to consider the democratic approach viable.

There was one exception to the above process as I wanted a headliner for the anthology. "Undeniable" a novella by Canadian horror writer A.P. Fuchs, was a comissioned work.

What was the most fun about putting the anthology together?
That's easy . . . having a job that entailed reading all the stories! I have to confess, prior to reading the submissions, I was not a fan of Christian nor speculative fiction--and certainly not horror. When I found myself immediately caught up in each of the "winning" stories, I knew I had found treasure! I never dreamed I'd be captivated by Biblical speculative fiction!

What was the toughest thing about putting the anthology together?

1. For three months I was just itching to read the stories, but couldn't. I purposely kept my distance from the critique rounds in order to view each story at its very best. I knew from experience that it is very easy to develop biases. For instance, I see an original draft that is very rough and then read it again as a submission and think, wow! has this ever improved. It would be so tempting to accept the story based on the effort put into improvements. The other side of the coin would be to read an original draft that holds real promise and come submission reading time, not pay as close attention to the story as I should.

2. The toughest part was making a final decision about each story and then having to inform each individual about my decision; many fine stories had to be turned down.

Why do you feel there's a need and a place for works like LatEoD?

To answer this I have to take a step back. The Christian community is, unfortunately, suspicious of this genre (as a matter of fact, much in the same way as alternative Christian music was viewed 15 years ago). The big CBA publishing houses are reluctant, to put it mildly, to take a chance on spec-fic, because they don't see a huge market for it. However, there is this huge untapped market of speculative fiction fans who are limited to reading secular works, many of which are anti-Christian by nature. What if they realized that literature existed that reflected their traditional values and was respectul of their Christian worldview?

Well, I didn't have to go very far in my research to hear the same thing over and over: I'd snap up a volume (or novel) of Biblical speculative fiction (stories) in a moment! but I can't find any. Yes, I realize that there exists some excellent work that fits this criteria, but one wouldn't know it by searching in a Christian book store! This, of course, presents a new problem: to make the availability of this genre known to the market. The whole raison d'etre of the Lost Genre Guild is to band artists together with the goal of promoting speculative fiction, making the market aware that the genre is available.

What's next?

Glad you asked! In the immediate future, look for the release of Flashpoint, by Frank Creed this fall and League of Superheroes by Stephen Rice this winter. Plus The Writers' Cafe Press has an ace up its sleeve, but ya'll are going to have to wait and see what it is!

Review: Light at the Edge of Darkness

Note: This is a re-run for the Light at the Edge of Darkness virtual book tour.

If you like exciting speculative fiction with a strong Christian message, pick up Light at the Edge of Darkness, an anthology of Christian speculative fiction edited by Cynthia MacKinnon. The 27 stories take the doctrine of Christian salvation from several different angles, yet all bear the same message: God is there for you if you seek and accept Him.
First, a word on the overall craftsmanship: Fantastic. These are well-written stories with strong plots, interesting characters, and vivid descriptions. (Some a little too vivid--don't read Weaver's stories or Fuchs' "Undeniable" before bed).
With 27 stories spanning horror, fantasy--both traditional and modern--and SF, as well as a few comedy pieces, there's something for everyone. I'm going to share a few of my favorites:

"Fumblebot's Task" by Deborah Cullins-Smith: Fumblebot, one of Satan's more ineffective minions, is given one last chance to prove himself: use Gretchen Hobson's superstitious fears to destroy her newly found faith in God. Cullins-Smith weaves a funny tale of (literally) hellish inter-office politics and miraculous near-misses as Fumblebot lives up to his name and, well, fumbles the task. The devil is in the details--or he should have been if he'd wanted it done right.

"Fair Balance" by S.M. Kirkland: Teenage rebellion becomes a fight for one sibling's soul. Kirkland drew me into the story from the beginning, but what I loved most about this story was that it did not take the easy ending.

"Allison" by Deborah Cullins-Smith: Get out the tissue for this poignant story about the fate of children lost in the womb and for the mothers who mourn them. I get teary just thinking about it, but I'm willing to bet many a mother will find comfort in her story.

"Small and Simple Things" by Alethea Knight: I loved the narrative voice in this tale as a grandmother tells her grandchild the story of their people and the amazing mutations that affected them when they colonized a new world. I would like to read more about this world where these Gifts--from sprouting wings to glowing--are first feared, then enjoyed, then depended on to survive in Panacea.

"Your Average Ordinary Alien" by Adam Graham: Another chuckler. I love the idea of a hard core SF fan being abducted by aliens and finding out they aren't so different from us after all. Kirk Skywalker (he changed his name) summed it up best: "I finally get to meet an alien and he tells me that you're just flying green WASPs."

"Soar on Wings" by Carizz Cruzem: What an imagination! Cruzem takes a look at life from the point of view of a fly--and makes it enjoyable, believable and fun! To add a Christian message attests to his genius. Write more!

"Edge of Water" by Karen McSpadden: Another writer who impressed me by not taking the "easy, ask Jesus" way out. When Clare discovers she's been slated to undergo human experimentation/torture, she decides suicide is the only way out. To prevent her from keeping her appointment at the euthanasia clinic, her husband must make an extreme sacrifice--and finds the strength to do so in the Body of Christ.

"Chairman" and "True Freedom" by Frank Creed: Biblical Cyberpunk. Not a genre you'd expect, but Creed has the skill to pull it off. In these two stories, machines find God--one in its human masters--with bizarre results--and one through the prayers of one of its human captives--with results he leaves you to guess at.

"At the Mountains of Lunacy" by Stephen L. Rice: What's a spec-fic anthology without at least one D&D parody? Rice is indeed the High Mage of the one-liners--or maybe for this anthology, he should be Paladin. I may not let my teenage son read it for fear that for months afterward, he'll start quoting lines and giggling hysterically. For those who can resist such temptation (or who revel in it), Rice's his adventure is fast-paced fun.

As a Catholic, I found several of the stories (even a few of my favs) rather "Fundamentalist" in their message, but that didn't stop me from appreciating the wonderful work and imagination put into these fantastic tales. Light at the Edge of Darkness is a good read for anyone and a must-read for those who are looking for solid Christian speculative fiction.

Light at the Edge of Darkness, edited by Cynthia MacKinnon

Biblical speculative fiction—a real mouthful to describe this lost genre. What is “Bib-spec-fic”? It is speculative fiction that is written from a Christian world view intended to inspire and entertain readers. In Light at the Edge of Darkness, several sub-genres of spec-fic are showcased including horror, science fiction, dystopia, fantasy, time travel, supernatural. The stories have been organized into subgenres with some versatile authors writing in more than one category. You will read the serious, the light, the parody, and the heart-stopping “fiction to scare the Jesus into you.”

When forced to the edge of darkness, there’s only one way back: embrace the Light.

. . . venture to futures where religious "Terrorists" smuggle frozen embryos to save lives and resist technologies designed to break their souls;
. . . explore dying alien worlds scouring the galaxies for hope;
. . . get abducted and discover the universe’s secrets or the trial of a lifetime.

Teetering on the edge, escape inbred captors through a haunted labyrinth,survive a house where nightmares walk, or settle in for a martyr's tribulation.

Join an epic quest through the ridiculous, cross swords with monsters, sneak a glimpse at heaven, and traverse the planes where angels and demons tread.

Follow these tales and more to the edge of darkness, to the brink of despair, and bask in the Savior’s redeeming Light.

Note: This is a re-run for the Light at the Edge of Darkness virtual book tour. Cynthia is offering prizes to those who visit the hosptin blogs and post comments. Find out more at http://blog.lostgenreguild.com/