Believe to See

Anyone who has ever published or tried to publish a book knows what "comps" are. Whenever you pitch a book, agents and publishers want to know what the "comparable books" are to your books. Many authors find identifying comps both stressful and annoying, and sometimes horrifying if you find that someone seems to have written the exact same book as your book. Matt, Mandy, and Evangeline discuss both the struggles of finding comps and discuss some possible redeeming qualities of comps.

Nicholas Kotar joins Matt at the Anselm Society digital pub table to discuss the origins of so many of the fairy tales and folk stories we know and love. But, the versions of the stories that we know are not necessarily the "original" versions of the stories. Nicholas harnesses his love for stories, and in particular his enviable knowledge of Russian fairy stories, to shed some light on the origins and significance of those tales.

Find out more about Nicholas and his work at NicholasKotar.com.

Anyone who writes knows that "voice" is important—even essential. Writers may be said to have a strong voice, or a unique voice, but what, exactly, is "voice?" Matt, Mandy, and Evangeline try to define what "voice" is (and Evangeline claims that she's never read a book in her life).

UFOs and aliens are in the news... again. Reports of aliens are nothing new. They go back at least to the second century, with the satirical work called "True History" by Lucian of Samosata. Since H.G. Well's "The War of the Worlds" we as a society have seemed to have been obsessed with alien stories ever since. Matt, Evangeline, and Christina talk about how alien stories have captured the modern imagination and (according to Matt, at least) fall into 3 different categories.

Matt sits down at the Anselm digital pub with children's author Alice Faye Duncan to talk about her new book and the history and importance of spirituals.

Find out more about Alice and her new book, This Train is Bound for Glory, at https://alicefayeduncan.com/

What is up with all the bad boys in literature? Why have girls throughout the centuries fallen for bad boys? Matt, Mandy, and Evangeline try to untangle the conundrum of the appeal of literary bad boys.

Matt, Mandy, and Evangeline discuss the importance of "voice" in writing stories.

Author and singer-songwriter Andrew Peterson joins Matt and Christina at the Anslem Society digital pub table to talk about Andrew's creative process and his Wingfeather saga books.

How do you approach creating a story when it seems too big for you? Matt and Mandy welcome fellow guild member, Gianna Soderstrom, to the Anselm Society digital pub to talk about what to do with a spark of inspiration that seems too big to tackle.

Matt makes the case that the life and story of C.S. Lewis are just as interesting as Lewis's writings. Joining Matt and Mandy at the Anslem digital pub table is Terry Glaspey to help Matt make his point by describing how C.S. Lewis's intellect and imagination worked together to bring Christianity alive for so many.

Find Terry's recent biography of Lewis at www.moodypublishers.com/not-a-tame-lion.

Find out more about Terry and his writing at www.terryglaspey.com, where Terry talks about creativity, spirituality, and life.