In preparation for our upcoming conference, we’ve been doing some site maintenance, as well as updating our FaceBook Fan Page, and our Twitter feed. This has me thinking. When promoting a publishing company online, what are the best methods of sharing information about upcoming publications? Here’s what we’re doing over at LAMP PoST….

This website is the information hub of what’s new and what’s coming at LampPostPubs. Check out our Coming Soon titles for Fall 2010…

Our FaceBook LIKE page helps you know when something has changed — and, let’s face it. This is where we have our fun. We’ve just changed pages, so make sure you’re Liking the new and improved LAMP PoST!

Our Twitter Account is where we spend time meeting folks in the publishing industry, help our authors dip their toe in the world of social media, and develop buzz around latest publications.

So, when one discovers an element missing, or *ahem* wrong on one of the above, one strives to make a change. Unfortunately–once a “Like Page” on Facebook is created, it’s impossible to change part of the administrative features. THEREFORE, we have implemented the new LAMPPost Pubs page to fix the problem and have our own “Do Over.” The fact that this coincides with our Fall Releases is a bonus.

Visit our Coming Soon page, and  see our new and re-release titles which will be available Fall of 2010.

We are looking forward to seeing you at the San Diego Christian Writers Guild Conference in September. As for me, I’m going to pretend I’m not watching our new “FaceBook” Like Fans grow… Remember, the first 50 receive a complimentary E-book!

~Ashley Ludwig

Acquisitions Editor, LAMP PoST Pubs

Our big goal in life is that Christians would be edified, and blessed in such a way they would affect change in the world around them.  Our question for you, if you feel your manuscript is ready for review, review our submissions criteria, and contact our acquisitions editor.

We are also looking for Author Backlist Titles:

If you are a published author of a book and the rights have reverted back to you, don’t let your book go idle!  We’ve read so many wonderful books that have blessed us that are no longer in print…we’d love to publish them all! However, please Click here to go to our submissions criteria… if you feel your titles match, then email our acquisitions editor and we’ll open discussions.

LAMP PoST Pubs is a member of the ACFW.

A Picture Really IS worth 1000 Words!

Or more like twenty thousand words!  A few months back I came across an image that really moved me…intrigued me.  I wanted to know the story!  I talked with the artist and he told me there was none!  How could this BE?!?

So we put the call out to our readers to TELL us…and the response was amazing!  We received a stack of great stories…and our judges got to judging…and the decision was unanimous:

The Trial of Darby Knox by Dan Harmer

The best of the best will be compiled into a complete book of short stories entitled The Trial of Darby Knox and Other Stories… due out in October 2010…only from Lamp Post!

A special thanks goes out to our own J.S. Earls for taking the reigns of the contest, and in advance for his work in editing this book!

In the meantime, here is an excerpt from The Trial of Darby Knox:

The Citation
From the log of Midshipman Williams, a son of Nantucket, 1842

Cap’n slammed down his mallet, his chest broad and taut as a mainsail in a nor’easter. He towered before the helm. The spokes radiated out behind him resembling a mighty star tethered to this flimsy earth. “Mr. Knox,” Cap’n said. Mr. Knox stood erect in Cap’n’s shadow. Knox nodded as he pinched the brim of his top hat with those white gentlemanly gloves. The crew perched themselves about the aft deck but for a few lollygaggers in the galley.

“Mr. Knox,” Cap’n boomed loud as thunder. “The charge,” he paused for a heartbeat and read the citation, “breath without vigor.”

We let out a low mournful groan, and a few crewmen repeated the charge adding their own tone of reproach.
Knox closed his eyes and tilted his chin to his chest.

“Well, man? How ye plea?” Cap’n asked.

Mr. Knox murmured something as he eyed the deck, but the sound of lapping waves on the hull washed his words from me ears. The crew leaned in closer while I, being nimble, climbed the rigging and positioned meself directly overhead, determined not to miss an utterance.

“Speak up, Mr. Knox,” Cap’n said.

Mr. Knox lifted his head. “I said—” The creak of the rigging alerted him to grab a rail as a rogue wave gave the old sloop a rise and fall. “I said, this is a sham.”

The decks roared with mockery. “A sham? He says this is a sham.” Helmsman Leek threw back his noggin’ and cackled, showing off his missing molars.

The cap’n arched a brow. “I assure you, Knox, these charges are quite serious.”

Mr. Knox looked nervously about the foredeck. No one would directly meet his stare but for the cap’n, and he glared with the intensity of the equatorial sun.

Mr. Knox cleared his throat. “Then I desire to stand trial before my peers in Boston or San Francisco before a real judge. Not this…” He sighed deeply and wiped his brow with those lily white gloves.

The cap’n curled his lip, and the resulting lopsided smile held for a long moment before it burst like a thunderhead. “Out here, Knox, I am the law!” The word law erupted. “I am judge…jury…and executioner.” Cap’n gazed upon the apparatus in the chest before them, then fixed his stare once again to the man in his sights. “Sooo, I suppose you will be want’n to find yourself an advocate.” Cap’n looked about. “Any advocates for Mr. Knox?”

This was met with the greatest uproar. I meself nearly fell out of the rigging, and even if I’d splattered me innards on deck, I woulda died cheery.

The cap’n raised a hand that cast a wide shadow. The last whimpers of suppressed laughter were sobered by his stern gaze.

Mr. Knox sighed and shook his head. He opened his mouth to begin to protest but was interrupted by a low murmur coming forth near the galley hatch. I figured Cookie had cleavered another piece of finger into the gumbo, but it was too early for rum, even for a New Orlean’r. The stirring persisted, and I monkeyed across the boom ’til I found a portal through the sails to witness the source  meself. Clear as Caribbean shoals I spied the cap’n’s own son, Joshua. Nice lad, he be. Approaching twenty years, but quirkiest mate aboard, mind you. He was now weaving his way through the first batch of seamen. “Hold up. Hold up,” he hollered.

The sailors parted like a foamy wake allowing Joshua to pass. And pass he did. Right to the heart of the drama. I followed overhead not to miss a word. A hitch sparked in the lad’s voice as he first spoke. “Father,” he paused. “I mean, Captain. I—I mean, Captain Father, I wish—”

Cap’n looked down from on high. “Go on.”

“I wish—I want—may I be—I wish to be Mr. Knox’s—” He searched his skull for the word.

“Advocate?” Cap’n offered.

“Yes. Advocate, that’s it.”

We thought this was a farce and began another round of uproar, but the condemned man’s head jerked around. Mr. Knox’s expression was part repulsion, part disbelief. His jaw tightened and he hissed the words, “I don’t need your kind of help, one who swaps lies in the forecastle with mongrels.”

Joshua seemed unfazed by the slap.

Cap’n nodded and bowed slightly toward his son, then focused his gaze upon Mr. Knox. “Seems to me you couldn’t find a more highly esteemed attorney in my eyes, Knox, if you scoured the seven seas.”

Mr. Knox yelled out, “Sham! This is murder. Pirate murder.” With a final huff, he removed his top hat, gingerly pulled at the lily white gloves, pinching and stretching one finger at a time until first the left, then the right slipped off. He folded the pair and tucked them into his handkerchief pocket and cleared his throat. “Then I wish to represent myself.”

Snickers and hoots erupted once again.

“Now, after all this time, Mr. Knox?” Cap’n seemed to be ’bout to burst out in laughter himself. “Now you choose not to squander ye breath?”

Go now to Lamp Post’s Store Site and pick up Andrew Murray’s classic The Master’s Indwelling absolutely FREE!

Though his works are from the 19th century, Andrew Murray’s words are as current and relevant as if they were written yesterday.  We all know what the power of joy is; we know there is nothing so attractive as joy, there is nothing that can help a man to hear and endure so much as joy…The Master’s Indwelling! Originally delivered by the author in a series of addresses at the Northfield Conference of 1895, they were later rewritten and revised by him for this permanent and authorized publication.

It’s FREE until August 31st!  You will find it on our store, with all of our other great books…right here!

(Did I mention that it’s FREE?  Go on!)

The Mystery Character

Well…we asked and YOU DELIVERED!!  We received some truly incredible stories from our readers for our Thousand Words Contest where some very gifted writers gave us their interpretation inspired by the image here…

We are eagerly reading over these submissions now and will deliver the results to you by the end of the month!

Stay tuned… (So exciting!)

Brett Burner, Publisher

Answer: Superheroes are so popular because we all wish we were one! I asked my youth group recently, “Which superhero would you be?” They all had a quick answer…it had long been thought through—mostly because we all want to do something incredible! So we are drawn to those that can, and we want to live vicariously through them. (I’d like to be Mr. Incredible! “I’ve still got time…!”)

As is most often seen in the “Christian-Superhero” genre, the premise is that the main character is somehow endowed with super powers by God and sent off on a mission of righteousness with these powers. My view is that we ALL are given this mission—“…to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with my God,” Micah 6:8.

That’s an interesting thing as a Christian. We all want to be “warriors”, but it seems so unglamorous to be a “prayer warrior”. We can’t imagine doing great and amazing things with our eyes closed and on our knees, and no matter how many times we picture ourselves “standing in the gap” and “wielding our swords” and “doing spiritual battle against powers and principalities”…it seems less satisfying than flying through the night to fight crime and bring justice to the wicked. I know it’s hard for me!

Oh! I could go on and on…but my greatest accomplishment would be to learn how to do just that…effectively enter into prayer and truly stand in the gap and make a change!

Brett Burner, Publisher

One of Andrew Murray’s finest works!

Murray tells of a conversation he once had where men were discussing the most pressing needs of the Church and today’s Christian. When he asked one man’s opinion, the man said quietly, “Absolute surrender.  Those simple words struck Murray to the heart, and he knew that the man had grasped the essence of human need.

ABSOLUTE SURENDER is the result of Murray’s passionate exploration of the issues of surrender: why it’s seemingly impossible…and yet completely necessary.

From the book:

I want to use these words: “My lord, O king, according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I have,” as the words of absolute surrender with which every child of God ought to yield himself to his Father. We have heard it before, but we need to hear it very definitely — the condition of God’s blessing is absolute surrender of all into His hands. Praise God! If our hearts are willing for that, there is no end to what God will do for us, and to the blessing God will bestow.

What has God promised you,
and what can God do to fill a vessel
absolutely surrendered to Him?
Oh, God wants to bless you in a way
beyond what you expect!

Perfect Bound, BW, 6×9, 116 Pages

Buy Absolute Surrender from the Lamp Post Store…here!

From Planter’s Perspective Daily Bible Version

(From the Feb 7th Daily Bible Reading: Exodus 26:1-27:21, Matthew 25:1-30, Psalm 31:1-8, Proverbs 8:1-11)

“Set up this Tabernacle according to the design you were shown on the mountain.” Exodus 26:30

For several chapters here in the book of Exodus God has been describing to Moses how He would like the Israelites to build the Tabernacle. In some aspects there is great detail given but in some cases the instructions are relatively vague about just what it is to look like. It seems to me that while God had a specific design in mind, He left some of the details to the people that would use the creative abilities that He had given them. That is an important lesson for any leader; give your people the plan but let them use their God-given talents to work out some of the details.

In our verse for the day God tells Moses to set up the Tabernacle just as he had seen it while he was on the mountain. Moses spent forty days (without food or drink) with the LORD on Mount Sinai. He did this not once but twice. During that time in intimate fellowship with God, the Lord taught Moses the Law of God and showed Moses many things. One of those things was the Tabernacle. Elsewhere in Scripture we are told that the Tabernacle on the earth was to be like the one in Heaven. God allowed Moses to see into heaven to see the Tabernacle.

Moses was given this incredible privilege for a reason. After seeing the heavenly Tabernacle, Moses would be better able to build the earthly Tabernacle. As I read through God’s description I often wish that I could see what is being described. I marvel at people that can hear a description like this in Exodus and then go make it. I need to see what I am building before I can build it. In leadership we refer to this as vision.

One of the things that sets a true leader apart from others is an ethereal thing called vision. Vision is a leader’s ability to see the task that they are working on already completed. They can see in their minds that the task can be completed and they can see what it will look like when it is done. If you are following a true leader that can create a real challenge for you because he can see it but you might not be able to. We might be working on one small piece of the project and have no idea what the whole thing looks like.

For the Tabernacle to be complete all the pieces had to be completed. All of the pieces were important. As we serve, especially in a large organization, we may not understand the vision. We might understand what the whole thing is going to look like when it is completed. That’s Okay, you don’t need to understand. You just be faithful to complete your small piece and then trust God to use it to build for Himself a grand and beautiful Tabernacle.

Jesus, teach us to work diligently on our small piece of Your Tabernacle.

Order Planter’s Perspective, the Daily Bible Version by Rick Lancaster here…

Interview by C. E. Moore (originally posted by The Christian Manifesto on June 30th, 2008)

We have recently fallen in love with Zondervan’s Hand of the Morningstar manga series, co-published by Lamp Post. The only thing that makes us mad about it is the length of time it takes to produce each volume. But, each volume of the series—Four [as of the date of this article]—is so good, we’re willing to wait it out. In the meantime, we requested to spend some time with series creator and co-writer, Brett Burner. He has graciously agreed to answer some of our questions.

A little about Brett.

Brett is a printer and publisher and is active in youth ministry. He formed Alias Enterprises, Cross Culture Entertainment, and Lamp Post Publications with the aim of bringing high-quality and innovative Christian books and all-ages comics to stores to edify and entertain today’s youth.

Enjoy!

PS. We’ve been given an exclusive first look at some of the art for Hand of the Morningstar: Indoctrination, the fifth volume in the series.

TCM: First, we’d like to thank you for taking the time to sit down and answer some of our questions. Your work on the Hand of the Morningstar series is really fun to read.

Brett Burner: Thank you.  That really IS the ultimate goal…to read something truly edifying but really fun.  Hand of the Morningstar has been equally fun to produce…it’s a true labor of love!

TCM: Tell us a little about yourself.  How did you get your start in comic books?

BB: I kind of fell into comics.  I’ve been in printing and publishing for 15 years, with all the ups and downs that go along with it.  Then one day, through a series of events, I met my friend Mike Miller, who has been a long time comic artist.  A lot of long and late night talks spiced with the excitement of a new project brought about Alias Comics…and there I was…in the world of comics!

TCM: Can you tell us anything about Lamp Post Publications? When you’re looking for stories, writers, artists, what guiding principles direct your decisions?

BB: The goal or mission of Lamp Post is to provide quality Christian content in all genres.  Lately we have been branching out into more than just comics (shameless plug: see www.lamppostpubs.com) with novels and devotionals and the Christian Classics.  But with our stories (comics/graphic novels, novels, short stories, youth books, romance…), the thing I am looking for most is something that will edify the reader.  I like a story that in some way the reader will say, “I can identify with this!”  I read a novel once where one of the characters brought up a verse and it really spoke to my heart…in fact, it made my day.  We need to be edifying and encouraging.  That doesn’t mean there is always a hunky-dory happy ending and tons of fluff, but rather we can present a challenge that will build up the reader’s faith…young or old!

TCM: What prompted the idea for the Hand of the Morningstar series?

BB:  I remember the conversation!  Mike says, “We need a BibleMan!”   I said, “No! We need the opposite!”  Whenever I see a “Christian-Superhero” story, the premise is always (I will say “typically”, but to date I have never seen otherwise) that the main character is somehow endowed with super powers by God and sent off on a mission of righteousness with these powers.  My view is that we ALL are given this mission—“…to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with my God,” Micah 6:8.  So how does that translate to a superhero such as Spiderman, the Hulk, or the Fantastic Four?  Take a guy that happens to have super powers, then make him a Christian.  How does he act?  I worked out the story in my head and ran it by a few people, then one night I scribbled (literally) the outline down on a piece of paper.  I still have it here in arms’ reach…kind of a reminder to get to work!!

TCM: Who would you say is your key demographic for this manga series?

BB: This book is mainly for youths…say 10-up…but my son digs it…he’s 8.  And I’ve gotten a lot of good response from late teens and adults too!  It’s clean, and not too intense, but the story does go back and forth a bit, and those that are too young just don’t understand that part of it…

TCM: Beyond the obvious Christian content, what would you say are some of the key differences between Hand of the Morningstar and other manga series?

BB: I might say it’s the only REAL difference.  I suppose as far as “manga” goes, classic Japanese style manga, that this is more traditional American style…but as for content…it’s a solid story that brings the reader back for more.  And I would suggest that even readers that are NOT Christians would enjoy the story for its own merit…though they might not understand some of the WHYs.

TCM: There’s a lot of misdirection in your story. In other words, readers are led to think one thing and then those things get twisted around. Tell us a little about the writing process. Do you set out with a specific agenda in mind, or is it more an organic thing?

BB: Yeah, as I mentioned earlier, the concept was pretty well wrapped up before script one was started.  We knew right where we were going with it, and the mis-direction is intentional.  Actually, this presented a problem!  At the end of ADVENT (Book One), you’re not sure who the good guys really are…and the story’s true hero doesn’t become evident until Resurrection (Book Two).  The problem is, we decided the Christian Market might misinterpret where things were left off in Book One (and they would…we did it intentionally!!)  So we added in a scene to show something was downright wrong with one of the characters…  I didn’t want to reveal it so soon, but it became a bit of a necessity for the acceptance of the book.

TCM: The art of the series really is high-quality. In the past, Christian comics have tended to be merely alternatives to comics found in the general market. How do you think that is changing?

BB: Thank you…yes, I am very pleased with the quality of art in this series.  Mike Miller’s work is impeccable, and as of Book Three, Eric Ninaltowski took over.  He’s doing a great job, and books Four and Five are pretty hot!!  As for Christian Comics in general, the market’s changed a bit…  Through Alias, we worked with some great artists and studios (Gary Shipman, Tom Bancroft, Community Comics and others I’m probably forgetting) to bring out some very high quality work.  These titles are now a part of Lamp Post.  There are some other guys I’d tip my hat to out there as well…most notably the guys working with Zondervan , or Buzz Dixon and his Serenity series.  One of my favorites is a guy named Dean Rankine out of Australia (classic!).  But unfortunately, as a whole, I think Christian Comics are still trying to find their footing.

TCM: The comic book industry, both foreign and domestic, is booming right now. Comic book artists are reaching superstar status. Comic conventions are on the rise. Fans are buying multiple copies of titles. Many comics have been optioned as films. Superman. Batman. Iron Man. Speed Racer. Voltron. The Incredible Hulk. There seems to be no end in sight to the superhero genre. What do you think it is about comic books and superheroes that appeals to people, both children and adults, on such a fundamental level?

BB:  Unfortunately I think this is a bit of a misnomer.  Comics, the genre, and superheroes seem more popular than ever, but really it’s just because they are coming out with more movies and TV shows…but the market itself is hurting.  I would qualify that by saying “that’s my opinion,” but it has been shared widely.  The biggest hit is on the Indie market.  Marvel and DC are doing just fine (and more power to them…they’re doing great work), but the indies have been hurt by their successes, and COMIC sales are way down (even for Marvel and DC).

That said, superheroes are so popular because we all wish we were one!  I asked my young adult bible study the other night “Which superhero would you be?”  They all had a quick answer…it had long been thought through–mostly because we all want to do something incredible!  So we are drawn to those that can, and we want to live vicariously through them.

That’s an interesting thing as a Christian.  We all want to be “warriors”, but it seems so unglamorous to be a “prayer warrior”.  We can’t imagine doing great and amazing things with our eyes closed and on our knees, and no matter how many times we picture ourselves “standing in the gap” and “wielding our swords” and “doing spiritual battle against powers and principalities”…it seems less satisfying than flying through the night to fight crime and bring justice to the wicked.   I know it’s hard for me!

Oh! I could go on and on…but my greatest accomplishment would be to learn how to do just that…effectively enter into prayer and truly stand in the gap and make a change!

TCM: What have been some triumphs and frustrations you’ve experienced working as a Christian comic book artist?

BB: The triumph is in seeing your book in print, then passing it off to someone and having them truly blessed by it.  I sent copies of 1-3 to my nephews in Africa…when they finally came home recently, they blew through the front door right past me without so much as a “hi” and demanded “Where’s Book Four!”  I love it!

The difficulties are in the market.  It’s a niche market of a niche market.  Comics are tough enough.  Christian books are tough enough.  Now we enter into the difficult Christian Book market with comics and we find that they don’t understand them.  They aren’t sure what to do with them or where to place them in the store.  They are not even sure if the books are okay…Christian Comics are undergoing many of the same hurdles that Christian Music went through over the last few decades…so it’s a tough climb.  Maybe one day we will see a genuinely successful Christian Comic…till then I just need to be happy putting out good ones!!

TCM: What, if any, helpful critique do you feel you have received regarding your work?

BB: My editor, Bud Rogers, is AMAZING (ya hear that, Bud?)!  He’s been really helpful in maintaining consistency.  When you are so familiar with the story, you can lose your objectivity.  On top of that, we are doing two other series with Zondervan (Kingdoms and the Manga Bible—shameless plug number 2!), so he helps keep the storyline strong.  Zondervan in general has been great with all of this.  Other than that, it’s been live and learn…and I’ve had to do a lot of learning in comics through the years…sometimes the hard way.

TCM: What is next on the docket for you in terms of writing?

BB: You know?  I’m not sure!  I’ve been wearing my publisher hat a lot lately, exploring some things, and putting a lot of feelers our for new content (content guidelines on our website—um…shameless plug number 3!!), as I mentioned earlier.  I am really trying to build something that works well for our creators and authors.  In all honesty, I’m not sure we got that right the first time (with Alias).

But as much as I love to publish, I love to write!  I recently just finished “Holy Scrolls: The Origin of the Dead Sea Scrolls” with one of the top researchers on the subject, and I’m really pleased with how that came out.  So I think I may engage in some creating and “co-writing” projects, creating some properties and working with some talented writers to bring it to fruition.  We’ll see what happens…

TCM: Thank you again for taking the time to answer some questions for us.  Any final thoughts?

BB:   Thank YOU!  Final thoughts:  All I can say is that we need to support the genre if we want to see it happen.  I’m not going to sit here and say “Buy my book!”  in spite of all my shameless plugging…but we really need to support one another, talk to each other, encourage each other…even push for each other.  We need to get creative—especially in this internet age—and discover ways to reach the masses with product they don’t know exists.  We can’t just slip it on a bookshelf (if we can even get ON a book shelf) and expect that to be the end of it.   But in the end, I think it’s just a matter of time…

Other than that…God bless you all…seek Jesus with all your hearts…do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God!!!

Buy The Hand of the Morningstar series here…

Begin reading at the Hand of the Morningstar website!