Available on Amazon Kindle!

If you haven't had a chance to like my author page, I have an ebook available on Amazon today! 

It started out as a journey to learn how to survive the day with multiple health issues not solved through traditional medicine. I've learned quite a bit and finally started to feel well, and I told myself if I got to that place I'd be responsible to share my story for others in that same place.

Find it HERE  and please share with others you think might benefit! 

Thanks!

Available Tuesday, February 10, 2015!

Have you tried everything to lose weight, or to shake off debilitating symptoms like fatigue, anxiety, depression and infertility? Have you been pronounced healthy by your doctor yet you are suffering on a daily basis? Are you tired of lengthy books and expensive fads that overwhelm or promise more than they can produce? Are you ready to give up on the process altogether, since nothing works anyway?

Don’t give up just yet! In this short, inexpensive, easy-to-read-and-follow ebook, you will learn (from someone who has been there) how to achieve weight loss, find your missing energy, and manage symptoms of thyroid problems, infertility, adrenal fatigue and autoimmune conditions, even if you have been unable to conquer these issues with prescription medicines or diet fads.

You will get an introduction to supplements and oils that can renew your metabolism and gut health, recipes and shopping lists that will give you a practical place to start your changes in food, and the emotional reassurance we all need that our health and weight struggles are not all in our head, are not all our fault, and ARE able to be defeated without the process taking over your life.

Hi! I'm Miranda Shisler, author of outside-the-box Christian fiction and healthy living advocate. I've been on a life-long journey to overcome these problems, and I've learned the things that really work and will get you started on your own journey to wellness and healing.

This ebook will be available this Tuesday, February 10! I hope you'll check it out! I will have a link up when it is ready.

Reforming Christian Fiction

I've started calling myself an "outside-the-box" author of Christian historical romance. But what does that mean? And why does it matter?

I recently wrote this post asking the question "Are you reading the wrong Christian fiction?" and I was encouraged by the response it received on Facebook. Maybe I'm not the only one standing alone on my soapbox, and there are more of you out there who are dissatisfied with the state of our stories.

Recently I read the blog post of a nineteen-year-old young woman who claimed she had stopped reading Christian fiction, especially romances, and one of the reasons she cited was that they were often blatantly inappropriate.

While I believe it is important for women to find the genre best suited to them, and what a nineteen-year-old and a woman in mid-life might think appropriate are two different things, she has a point. Any fiction that causes women to be dissatisfied with their husband (or their vision of what a husband might someday be) because of the "perfect" image of a hero in a romance, is not appropriate and should be avoided. But what the young woman doesn't realize is that there are some pretty complicated reasons why this is happening, and changing things is not going to be an easy, overnight process. But she's right about one thing.

We HAVE to stop buying or even just reading fiction that doesn't measure up to the standards we should have for our literature.

I say this with trepidation as an author, because I know I am putting myself on notice. It is one of my passions to pass along this commitment of reform to other authors. I can see that some of the authors I used to enjoy have "sold out" under the pressure of the demands of traditional agents and publishers. I know by my dealings with some of the people on the inside that it really doesn't matter what kind of writer a person is. If they aren't willing to cave to the formula expected (that will make money), they have no future in traditional publishing.

I believe we are on the edge of a new way of doing things. I firmly believe that agents and publishers have readers wrong. They are convinced that what we want as readers is what we are getting, because that's how they are making money. But I don't think it's necessarily the truth anymore.

Right now, this new way of doing things and thinking about Christian fiction is largely unorganized and haphazard. But it's time for us to roll up our sleeves and get to it. So what is a practical place to start for all of us as readers? For me, and others like me, as authors?

What I promise as a reader of Christian fiction:

I promise to be thoughtful in my reading choices, to raise my standards to those that bring me closer to Christ, and to have a voice in this reforming process happening right now.

This means we promise to stop reading or buying books that don't change us. That contain fairy-tale notions of romance that give us unrealistic expectations of our own lives. We agree that literature is critical to our thought-developing process, and important to our state of being. We promise to be open to new ideas, new genres, new authors and new ways of obtaining our stories.

We promise to find the authors that are writing with their whole heart and ability, for the glory of God, and help them get the word out, because they are doing it all themselves and cannot hope to succeed without the aid of readers.

What I promise as an author of Christian fiction:

I promise to write with my whole heart and all my ability, for the glory of Christ.

This means, ultimately, I promise not to write what pleases me, or what pleases other people, but what pleases Christ. I promise to edit carefully, with every resource, perspective and tool I can reasonably obtain. I promise not to let a book reach your hands before I have prayed over it and prayed for you, its readers. I promise first to have sculpted and shaped it, listened carefully to the perspective of other knowledgeable writers and readers, and changed what must be changed.

It doesn't mean you won't find a typo or two, or an awkward sentence here or there. I don't have all the resources of traditional publishing to ensure a perfect look and feel. But I will use my perfectionist tendencies to make sure you don't regret buying a book I have written. (Or getting it free on kindle once in awhile!) :)

This doesn't mean it will be written in the same style as the traditionally published books. After all, that's the point of reform. I consider very deeply what readers want, but it is not my highest authority. Sometimes we don't know what we want until we get it. And we don't all respond to the same things. From me, you will usually get something that pushes the edges of genres. I love romance, and I love historical, but not at the expense of a bit of mystery, adventure and maybe even a sprinkling of supernatural.

I love authors who look at things in a more detailed way, leaning in and focusing a bit more on any given scene. I want to explore what the characters might be thinking and feeling as they move through the story. This is one of the reasons I didn't fit in the traditionally published world, because the demand of the mysterious masses is that authors rush through a story as efficiently as possible so that everyone can be on their way. Don't get me wrong, I know we're all busy! I keep our shorter attention spans in mind when I write, and I try not to waste words. But I am searching for readers who would love to open the box with me and climb out to see the possibilities. I'm writing for the curious, for the imaginative, for the thinkers and feelers, and for the explorers. That person that sits for an hour staring at a painting, trying to unlock every secret, and who hates to get up and leave when the art museum closes? That's the reader I'm looking for.

My promise also doesn't mean that you will always agree with everything I write in a story. If you did, it wouldn't be much of a book. The purpose of art is to help us see different perspectives. To make us a little uncomfortable as we consider something we wouldn't have considered on our own. (Think about how disturbing a picture some of the Bible's stories paint for us!) A writer's job is to tell a story that communicates something - some idea important to understanding the nature of God or the nature of man. But I will make it my goal to present possibly bigger ideas in entertaining and fun ways.

I hope this post has inspired both readers and authors of Christian fiction. I hope we can all move toward a better place in order that we can all have a bigger impact for Christ.

What about you? What are you reading? What are you writing? What authors come to mind when you think about these things?

Author Page Happenings

My writer friend Tanya Dennis has been reminding me on a regular basis for quite some time that an author needs a dedicated Facebook page. I was afraid to make the leap, but I finally closed my eyes and jumped.

Knowing my difficulties with keeping up with a blog, I will probably be more active on the Facebook page. But you can still reach me and receive updates either way. Here's the link:

Miranda Shisler, Author

On my author page, there are two descriptions of projects that will be published later this year. If either interests you, please "like" the page and share it with others you think might also be interested. Indie authors depend on word of mouth like a lifeline to their calling!

A Vision of a Silent Night

By now, I’m sure I took a wrong turn somewhere.

I try to remember where I was coming from, and where I was going. My past is a foggy memory, and my life seems removed. Irrelevant.

So I travel this path, dark and dusty and rocky. My moccasin slippers seem ill-equipped for the stones and the hills. I see dim lights ahead—some sort of small town? I wouldn’t be able to see anything if it weren’t for the sky. I’ve never seen such a brilliant sky at night, not even out in the middle of nowhere where all the stars that usually hide reveal their presence.

There’s one star that’s particularly bright. If I’m not crazy, it seems to be pointing downward—as an arrow? This is a strange night and a strange place. A prickly sensation passes over me. I would suspect a dream, but it’s so real. I feel a chill in the night air. I smell something smoky, like the remains of a bonfire at a campground. I turn and view a logical world, as far as my eyes can see. This isn’t the nonsensical meanderings of a sleeping brain carrying out the day’s thought garbage. I can hear the bleating of sheep on a nearby hill. The leaves of the trees rustle with whispers when the wind gently pushes their branches.

Beyond that, it is a silent night.

What else can I do? I follow the star. It appears to be pointing at the little village anyway. I reach the outskirts of the small town and wonder where I might find a place to wait out the night until I can figure out how to get home. Somehow, I have stepped into a story. I have been brought here to remember.

“Perhaps a journey every soul must take,” I whisper.

I see movement in a small cave with a rickety shed built over the entrance. I feel a holy pull and I step forward, my heart racing and my soul sensitive with passion, because by now I’ve recognized the significance of where I am. I can’t get to the stable fast enough.

Are you here? My spirit calls to him, my eyes flood with tears and the hair rises on my arms as a chill passes over me. Are you really here?

I almost forget there are others present who do not see this night as a memory. I stop in respect and allow the young man and the girl in the corner to see me before I interrupt.

“Good evening,” I say in a reverent voice, for my eyes have found beauty. To one not paying attention, he might look like any other newborn, with red, wrinkled skin and a head of dark hair. His blinking brown eyes view his world for the first time.

But he is the loveliest sight to me, and before I realize what I am doing, I’ve dropped to my knees. My head is bowed. It is the only response that feels appropriate.

They seem to understand. The man smiles tentatively and beckons me closer. The girl—I suppose I never realized how young she really was until I see the light in her eyes, barely more than a child. Younger than me by decades. She is uncertain and awkward in her movements as she holds the baby. I feel a wave of empathy and sit next to her, touching her shoulder. It is thin and small.

“It’s okay,” I say softly. “You’re going to do a great job, Mary.”

For some reason, she understands my words, and I understand hers, though she answers in a different tongue. I praise the Keeper of this vision for allowing me to know her heart.

“Thank you,” she says, her voice high and quiet. “He is a beautiful child, no?”

“The most beautiful I have ever seen, and I have four of my own,” I say with a smile. I have a motherly reaction to the naivety I recognize in her features. I ask after her condition, glad to see things have been cared for and she is holding the baby against her chest and under her coarse cloak where he will be able to stay warm.

“The midwife came and saw to things,” Joseph explains. He moves away, reclining in the straw, exhausted. His eyes close and in seconds he is softly snoring.

“It has been a long night.” Mary looks at her husband with sympathy. “He has taken care of me. He is a good man.”

“A good man makes all the difference,” I say with understanding, before my eyes return to the baby’s face.

I am unable to speak and overcome with awe. I can only watch him for what seems like hours. Finally I make myself break the silence because I have to speak the question. A question that is nearly cliché in the holiday season, but here, it cuts through my heart with meaning.

“Do you know, Mary? Do you know who this is?”

She turns wide brown eyes on me. She nods. “This is the Messiah.”

She whispers it; as if she’s afraid I will reprimand her for being foolish. Little does she know.

“Do you know what this little Messiah is going to do for us?” I dare to reach out a finger and touch the little fist that has broken from its wrapping and gives an unsteady wave. The tiny fingers wrap around mine and hold fast. He grabs hold of my soul at the same time, and I almost can’t breathe with the love that comes over me—but not my love for him. His love for me.

“He’s going to save us.” Mary’s voice holds an element of fear. She must truly have an idea of the true nature of the saving, though her people believe the Messiah will be a political conqueror who releases them from their bondage. I search her somber eyes and think she knows more than she is confident enough to say. But what mother would want to say it? She has just experienced the powerful nature of love that gripped her body, mind and being. It is the gift of God—the protective blessing of a mother’s love.

But Mary’s mother-love won’t be able to protect forever. I suspect she knows that.

I reach for her shoulders, intent that she hear my words. How many times had I longed for a chance to return in time and speak to her? “Mary, I’m so thankful for you, and that you are willing to do this. To spend your all on this little one, knowing he belongs to the whole world, and to all of time and eternity. I can’t imagine what it must be like to be you right now, knowing the price of our sin, knowing God is hiding somewhere in that bit of baby flesh. God is going to get you through this. He’s going to give you exactly as much grace as you need to do this. And we’ll all be thanking you thousands of years after you’ve done it.”

She lifts eyes brimming with tears. I sense she understands. She gives a quick nod. We sit in silence after that. Shepherds come and go, and Joseph wakes to check on them. Eventually dawn begins a tug of war with the light of the star, and inevitably the sun wins the battle.

When day comes, Joseph packs their belongings and prepares to move his family out of the stable. Their day will be routine, dull and irritating. They will wait in lines to register and pay taxes to a king who doesn’t care about them. They will find a place to stay. In a few days they will walk into the temple and have their son dedicated. In the meantime there will be meals to fix and fires to build and animals to care for. They will talk about money, about travel plans, about friends and family they have left back home. They will make decisions about what to do to care for the little Messiah who has been sent, for whatever divine reason, into their humble, struggling family.

But Mary will know the whole time. She will see that dark spot on the horizon, and she will be altered because of it. How could she not? I see her ultimate sacrifice, and though it will pale in comparison to the suffering destined to come upon him, hers will not be small or trite.

“Thank you,” I say one more time before they walk away. I go back the way I came, toward the place where vision meets dream, and dream meets waking, safe and sound in my own comfortable bed.

I remember the last glance I stole of my Savior. I know they say newborns don’t smile.

But that one did.

Are You Reading the Wrong Christian Fiction?

Recently, I was listening to a group of women discuss fiction. Christian fiction, specifically. Being an author of Christian historical romance, my ears perked up. The general consensus? They had a hard time reading romance novels, not because they didn't enjoy reading fiction, but because the stories and specifically the male protagonist caused them feelings of dissatisfaction in their own relationships.

It struck me as odd, because I don't think that way. If anything, the hero in a well-told romance causes me to see the good in my husband. It makes me feel closer to him.

I learned long ago my personality type is rare, so maybe it's because I'm weird. But I tend to think, since problems with Christian fiction seemed common to all of the women who were talking, that it's something with an easier fix. 

I think women are reading the wrong books. I think the faults in the publishing world have caused an unproductive catch-22. Somehow we got into the mode of buying the books that are thrown in our faces. Who has time to scour the bookshelves for something more meaningful? Maybe the general public doesn't know more meaningful is there. But somehow, the popular books have became generalized, syrupy, cookie-cutter copies of a what a story is meant to be.

I observe. I've looked at the books on the shelf. I've listened to women talk about authors they like. I've considered every bit of insider advice I've received from agents and editors. I've come to a conclusion. There's something wrong with what's in demand.

I'm picky about my fiction. I will only read something that is unique, and something that resonates. Most of the time I can tell whether it's worth reading by page 50. (Sometimes the first paragraph reveals all you need.) I want characters thoughtfully developed and intricately designed, as near to real people as you can get. I want a plot to surprise me, intrigue me, make me mad, make me think, and make me see something in myself I didn't know I needed to take a good hard look at. Authors such as Francine Rivers and Lynn Austin have this down. I know whatever book they come up with I will not regret picking up. This is why, years ago when my calling was new, I asked God to make me a writer like those two women.

The problem for readers is the catch-22 of "same old, same old" books on the shelf, but it's also due to the extreme pressure on writers. Authors put countless hours of emotionally draining effort into their stories. They are rewarded with, if they are very fortunate, around a dollar for every book sold. (Generally, this number is fewer than 5,000 total.) Mid-list authors (most of the authors out there) get very little attention even if they manage to snag an agent or publisher. They do most of their marketing work, try to please by the standards set before them, and generally, as I have observed, their unique voice fades away. They are not able to devote the time to their books required for something to be special, to mean something to a reader on an intellectual or spiritual level.

It's why I decided to Indie-publish. I don't think I can accomplish what God has called me to do with sales statistics in control of what the stories say. Popular books with lots of marketing, unless they come with a name tag like Francine Rivers or Lynn Austin, don't tend to be books that will change your life. And the whole point of art is to change our perspective and our thinking.

So how is this practical for the average Christian wife and mom or hardworking career woman with no time to read, but a desire to do so anyway? How do you find books that are worth the sacrifice you make for them? How do you decide before you begin if an author will be able to surprise you and make you think, and will avoid giving you false perceptions of what your reality should be?

Here are a few practical things I do when I'm looking for something new to read:

1. Skip the author who publishes more than 1 book a year. 

I just can't think of any authors who have started to over-publish (though I can understand why they would considering the little money they make off of any one book) who have been presenting masterpieces. Personally, it would be impossible for me to have more than one book ready in a year's time. Stories with meaning HAVE to cure. There's no way around it.

One caveat! If the author is new, they may have been working on several projects for years, so in the first year of self-publishing, an author might have more than one ready. I mean here that I suggest you generally skip the author that is an established, published author and has been for years, and is coming out with 2 or 3 books a year. In my reading experience, it's just not a great sign.

2. Read the descriptions on the back cover.

Did you know the author writes that description? It's his or her way of telling you what to expect from the book without giving the story away. It's a delicate process that takes FOREVER to write, believe me, so don't just grab a book because everyone else is reading it. Read that description and ask yourself if it grabs you and appeals to your interests. If you can't get through the description, you probably shouldn't read the book.

3. Trust an author you like, but pay attention over time.

I'm ultra-loyal to an author who has taken me on a memorable journey. But unfortunately, sometimes authors seem to only have one good story in them. Or they start giving into the pressures of publishing and lose their special voice. If you notice the stories aren't what they used to be, don't be afraid to move on.

4. Look for the hidden gems.

This is tricky and can be time-consuming, because as flawed as traditional publishing is, independent authors are hard to find in the murky waters of all the badly-written books available due to the ease of self-publishing. You have to be willing to take a chance on someone you've never heard of. If you read on a Kindle, look for authors that offer a sample for free, because as I said before, you can usually tell in the first paragraph. Between that back-cover description, the first page or so, and checking to see how often an author is putting out a book, you can get a pretty good idea of what the story will be like. 

5. If you find an author who is worthy of it, it is ESSENTIAL that you do a few things that will take you five or ten minutes but mean everything to the author.

> Do a (positive) review on Amazon.(I say positive because there's never a reason to slam someone's art. Your opinion might not be someone else's. If you don't have anything nice to say about it or more than three stars to give it, just let it go. You don't realize how critical these reviews can be.)

> Share the link on social media. 

> Let that poor, (quite literally!) struggling author know that his or her words made a difference, because that is what any true author is really hoping to accomplish.

What about you? How do you find great books and new authors? Do you know of any lesser known gems you'd like to share in the comments? Support your Indie authors!

You can also follow my Book Love board on Pinterest. I only pin books that have been worth the time to read, and I include all genres. Here's the link: Pinterest: Book Love

Get reading!

Two Important Ways Authors/Artists Must Handle Criticism

I don't think there is an occupation out there more subjective than the livelihood of an artist. And as the saying goes, it's true that everyone's a critic.

I say this because I recently entered four of my novels' first five pages in a contest. I didn't do it to win. I know by now that my writing tends not to fit in the mold of the Christian publishing industry, and I'm at peace with that. It's why I'm planning to Indie publish instead. In fact, I may have had nearly perfect scores in two of them, except that there was one judge for each that couldn't see the vision.

But I didn't want to skip off to Createspace to format and publish my own books without at least hearing out the haters. Which is why I entered the stories in the contest, because inevitably, 12 judges' comments are going to bring a few weaknesses to light that I would do well to care for before I ask people to take my books seriously enough to pay for them.

As authors, we need to develop two things just as badly as we need to develop strong dialogue or compelling characters. 

1. We need the ability to accept constructive criticism.

Naturally, artistic personalities tend to be highly sensitive to criticism. After all, the very nature of art requires that we put our whole heart and being into creating something that resonates with the soul. We basically turn ourselves inside out and reveal all that might be lurking beneath the surface. This can elicit different responses from those that are watching us. Some are jealous of our ability to be transparent, and they try to belittle and scoff at our attempts. Others are focused on making us better than we are, and they go through, poking and prodding at our exposed souls to point out every weakness that will surely cause us to fail. Then there are some that are encouraging, helpful, kind and understanding about our situation. And inevitably, there's the criticism that is always over-enthusiastic, with nothing bad to say, but that rings as insincere with the discerning and intuitive mind of an artist. To me, the worst possible criticism I have faced as an artist is those who simply say nothing. It's easy to feel invisible in a world of silent critics.

As you can see, there's quite a bit of possibility to receive biased information from others. So how do we sort through it? How do we find the truth in a part of life that is so agonizingly subjective it can defeat us before we even start?

Here's what I'm learning. As I sorted through the twelve judges' reviews of the first five pages of these books, I saw patterns. After I looked past the obvious discrepancies like "This is very emotionally engaging" to the next judges' "The author needs to be more emotionally engaging" (Yes, that really was what they said), I saw that there were things all of them said. And it wasn't always bad. I heard from almost every judge, even the haters, two common themes: I needed to beware of the passive voice and use strong dialogue to pass along information (Easy to say, but one of the areas of writing that just takes a LOT of practice to get the hang of.) The other theme? "You're obviously meant to be writing/storytelling."

So I can come away from all the criticism rolling around in my brain being confident of those two things, if nothing else. 

2. We also need the ability to turn off the criticism that is biased or incorrect.

Here's where it gets a little dicey. You see, the more inexperienced the artist, the more vulnerable to self-doubt we can be. If you don't know any better, you might receive a boat-load of criticisms about your work and feel completely ineffective. A failure. Believe me, I've been there.

But if you're meant to keep creating, you will, and inevitably you start to get better. When you look back and see the mistakes you were making, you can see the criticism that was true. But a more experienced outlook will also reveal to you the hidden motives of criticism that are more murky and subjective. Usually, it has more to do with the criticizer than the artist.

What's the danger in "over-hearing" murky criticism? I'm going to say something I believe more passionately the longer I hone my craft. There is grave danger in allowing yourself to become "just like everyone else." There is an attitude in the publishing  industries that everyone must follow the same sort of rules and create the same stories. If you don't, you will be evicted from the pool of acceptable authors. But art is meant to make an idea stand out. It is meant to draw attention to itself. If your voice is just like everyone else's, no one will ever see the idea that is written on your soul. They'll easily forget you and your work.

For me, this meant abandoning my dream of sitting in my office writing stories that I happily sent off to the publisher and let them do everything else. It's not going to happen for me, simply because I'm unwilling to lose my own voice. But you know what? That's okay. The more I think about it, the more I learn and prepare, I realize there's a whole other aspect of publishing my stories that I would have missed if I let someone else do it. Cover images, design, back cover blurbs, even formatting is turning out to be kinda fun! I'm excited about this new chapter.

But let's not ever outgrow our ability to be taught. Be humble enough to learn something new, even if you achieve the highest level of success an author can manage in this world. The best artists never stop growing.

So get out your computer or your paper and pen (or your art supplies, or your music composition paper) and do some growing!

What do you think? What have your experiences in the publishing world (or on the fringes, or on the outside) taught you? Leave a comment and follow this blog if you found this post helpful.