WHAT I WRITE—PART 2

Lynnette Jalufka

I used to work at a Christian bookstore, and it was rare to see a fiction book concerning the Middle Ages, historical or fantasy. It still is. The fantasy books tended to be all allegorical and hard to believe. I decided to write a book that I wanted to read, and I wasn’t finding on the shelves.

Here’s the problem. I wrote a fantasy book. But in my mind, Christian and fantasy don’t mix. Even the biggest awards in Christian fiction, the Christy Awards and the Carol Awards, don’t call it fantasy. Instead, they refer to it as visionary or speculative fiction. What makes fiction Christian is that it’s about a Christian worldview. Christian fantasy does exist, though I have only seen one book series similar to mine, the Tahn Dorn series by L. A. Kelly. (Check out my review of Tahnin a previous blog.)

I always thought of myself as an inspirational writer. I want to encourage people, to give them hope. My Christian faith plays a huge role in that. The books I have planned show that faith in the midst of trying circumstances. So, I’m a Christian medieval fantasy writer. It’s who I am.