"Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies.'" -- John 11:25
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TOP 10 AT BOOKLIST
Reviewer John Mort at Booklist (the official publication of the American Library Association) has named his picks for the Top 10 Christian Novels of 2005 -- and Forgiving Solomon Long is on the list! My debut crime thriller is nestled there among titles by such famed authors as Melody Carlson, W. Dale Cramer, Robert Elmer and Philip Gulley. (Pretty nifty!)
Mr. Mort says: Organized crime and Christian fiction hardly seem to mix, but that's why Well's novel is so intriguing. Using hip dialogue a la Pulp Fiction, he spins a yarn around hit-man Solomon Long, hired to wipe out ministers united against a Kansas City crime boss.
Find the whole list here.
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MORE OKE ON TV
Mediaweek Programming Insider reports that the telefilm Loves Long Journey, based on the novel by Janette Oke, scored big numbers when it aired Dec. 3 on Hallmark Channel. In fact, it made the record books with a 3.0 household rating -- the best ever on the cable network.
"Comparatively, that was the highest rated ad-supported cable movie of the day, and the second highest overall for the week. Loves Long Journey ranked first among all basic cable competition in the time period in households, total viewer rating (1.6), while tying for No.1 among women 25-54 (1.8)."
(We're not complete sure what all that media-speak means, but it sounds important.)
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SNOW MERCY
It's the online game everybody is playing: MercyMe's Snowball Showdown.m The object of this game is to throw as many snowballs at the band members as possible within the time limit ...
(Winners have the chance to win some fabulous prizes, including an autographed MercyMe guitar!)
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In other MercyMe news, the group's album The Christmas Sessions got a glowing review in the New York Times.
"Perhaps it should be no surprise that one of the year's most enjoyable holiday CD's comes from a band with more in mind than mere fun."
The article also included reviews of seasonal offerings from Smash Mouth, Anita Baker, The Brian Setzer Orchestra, Diana Krall, Al Green, Brian Wilson and Aaron Neville, among others.
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REMINDER: INFUZE NEEDS YOUR VOTES ...
Infuze Magazine is publishing a collection of their Best Short Stories and Poems from 2005 -- and asking readers to decide which stories and poems make the cut.
The nominated short stories were announced earlier this week. This is a great time to catch up on any of the great stories you missed this year: Here are direct links to all the entries.
Cast your vote here. (Eligible poems will be announced later this week.)
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NARNIA ... 2 DAYS AND COUNTING ...
Here are some more links to online resources regarding all things Chronicles of Narnia ...
Find all sorts of goodies at Hollywood Jesus, including:
1. Overview
2. Reviews and Blogs
3. Cast and Crew
4. Photo Pages
5. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
6. Posters
7. Production Notes (pdf)
8. Spiritual Connections
9. Presentation Downloads
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Over at Christianity Today online, critic Peter T. Chattaway documents Aslan's previous manifestations on TV and video in this retrospective of Narnia's screen history.
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RECENT HEADLINES AT CHRIS WELL: LEARNING CURVE
International Thriller Writers
Tempest All-Star Comic Book For Disaster Relief
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Chris Well is the author of the suspense thriller Forgiving Solomon Long (Harvest House). He is a member of International Thriller Writers, Inc. Find him online at StudioWell.com, or at his new blog, Chris Well: Learning Curve. (Subscribe to the RSS Feed).
Subscribe to the RSS Feed for CCM: Sightings.
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