...to be Christian genre or not to be?

I recently put Invisible Wings on Kindle for free. It was my birthday, so I decided it was a fun way to celebrate. And it did really well. It was downloaded over 1500 times and the title flew to the #2 spot on Kindle’s Free List in the Christian Fantasy and Science Fiction category. I was stunned. I wrote a “Christian” book and didn’t even know it.

            Invisible Wings is definitely an inspirational-type of book, at the very least meant to make you think about what you do and why you do it. I’d like to think of it as a modern morality tale strung through a framed story. Invisible Wings is chock-full of literary allusions to the Bible, ancient and medieval literature. Not because I was trying to write a “Christian” novel, but because the allusions invoke powerful archetypal images and feelings. The story I used Biblical allusions in the most heavily was titled “Full Grind”. It’s about a teenage skater boy who has a tattoo of Jesus on his back...because he didn't want to bleed alone anymore. I could have made a tattoo of anything, because tattoos are meant to show someone is hardened or has something to say in permanence. But, the ink was of the historical figure of Jesus. Right there, if you know the story of Jesus whether as a devout Christian or a member of western culture, you know that Jesus was crucified and tortured at the end of his life. That’s why I chose that archetypal image for my skater boy, Jay, because his life was also tortured and he felt abandoned by life.

Throughout the book, a Creator is frequently referenced and, of course, the main protagonist is an angel, which is a commonly understood in western culture to be associated with Christianity. I used the term “Creator” on purpose, not to disguise a belief in God but to make a reference to a higher power in a way that would not offend people of different religious backgrounds. (Nothing gets people more upset than when you mess with their “God” and I most certainly was not trying to do that).

So in the end, I have touched into the Christian fiction category and I am perfectly fine with that. After all, there is nothing wrong with a little faith, hope and love. Here's a little piece of heaven via Boyce Avenue...I'm not the only one using Biblical allusions. Thanks Bruno and Boyce Avenue Boys. You guys rock my ears!

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Invisible Wings @Amazon.com and Smashwords

Available in Kindle and paperback