Why My Novel Will Run as a Free Series on the Internet

I can't remember when the idea first sparked in my brain that I might offer my biblical fiction City of a Thousand Gods, The Story of Noah's Daughter-in-Law as a free series on the Internet newspaper the Cypress Times. But I clearly remember ten years ago when several editor-friends tried to dissuade me from writing biblical fiction at all.

Back then I had completed three chapters of the novel. I carried them to an Oregon writers conference where I was teaching a couple of classes. One editor looked over my work and pronounced the writing "strong" but the genre hopeless. "Biblical fiction is a hard sell," she told me. Writing the novel would be a waste of time.

I knew she was right. I should drop the project.


But the notion that God wanted me to write this particular novel for some reason I may never understand niggled at me. So I wrote another chapter -- and subsequently lost it somewhere in the depths of my computer. Then a signed contract for a different book distracted me and over the next few years I forgot about the novel while I worked to meet deadline after deadline.


When I commenced the writing again two years ago, I hoped maybe times had changed. I heard about a best-selling biblical fiction from Barbour. And Tyndale had some really good biblical fiction sellers. And Francine Rivers still sold well. Someone would want my novel, right?


But once I finally got around to contacting publishers I was disappointed. An in-house review at one publisher reported concerning my novel: "Jeannie at her best . . . which is the top of just about anyone's game." But they decided against publishing it because they were afraid of the genre. These days publishers can't afford to publish a book they aren't sure will sell and readers want a biblical author they already trust. Three or four other publishers said essentially the same thing.


That may be when the idea hit. I'd never heard of anyone launching a novel as a serial on the Internet. Would it work? Would modern readers accustomed to sound bites and short articles return day after day for new installments or would they get bored and stop reading? (I still don't know the answer to that, but I did hear that Stardoll ran a novel as a series last Fall.)

After praying more about it, the Lord showed me the ideas had come from him -- the idea for the end-of-the-world topic as well as the idea to offer the book on the Internet. I decided I would follow God's leading and I had just "set my face" to obey when an unexpected temptation popped up. 

A publisher contacted me out of the blue about publishing a book about pumpkins I'd wanted to do for a long, long time. And this at a time when the children's market was slammed tightly shut! Even stranger, I had not told the publisher about the book. I sent the managing editor a card with the above picture just to let her know how much I appreciated her and she picked up on the fact that I had a book with those illustrations.

The story was written and over half the illustrations were finished, but they wanted the book too soon, by Fall 2011. If I stopped to complete the pumpkin book it would be the same old story: Drop the novel I thought God was telling me to write and publish the book I'd been wanting to do for so long.

Isn't Satan clever?

Though I knew I might never have another oppportunity to do Pumpkins Party All Night, I let discussions slide and kept writing about Shem and his wife.

I saw only one hitch, one more possible temptation. There were still two or three publishers who hadn't replied to my query about the novel. They hadn't said if they wanted the novel or not. What would I do if one of them offered to publish the book, but would not do so if I ran the entire novel at no charge on the Internet?


After a brief mental struggle, I made up my mind that if a publisher emailed to say they wanted to publish the novel I'd be happy. But if that same company stipulated they wouldn't publish the book if I posted it on the Internet, I'd say thanks but no thanks. Because I firmly believe this is the way God wants me to offer my first novel. Even though this novel may be my best writing ever.

I have no idea why God planned things this way and I may never figure out why, but I'm thrilled to be walking the path I believe God has laid out for me. I can't wait for March 7th when the Cypress Times begins running the first chapter. This blog is icing on the cake for me -- an opportunity to chat with you about Noah and his Last Days and how they relate to us.