Find the Goof!
In the past I've found errors in some of my favorite authors. We're not talking your basic typo here, but some really bad mistakes that just were overlooked on the final proofread and edit. I am in no way putting them down. Writers are just people and when we look over our stuff, especially that last time, we connect the dots without realizing that there is nothing there for the readers to do the same thing. We basically see what we want to see. Understand most of us have taken the better part of a year to just get the 1st draft on paper, then there are the proofreadings, the re-writings, the submissions, the check and recheck with the assigned editor. THE 3RD COVENANT took the better part of 3 years to go from 1st draft to being placed on the shelf. It's also my first publication. So finding an editor's comment in the middle of the book was a bit startling for me. So after the tradition of the masters (of which I am not but hope to one day join their circle) I'm turning this mistake into an assignment. Rather than have hundreds of thousands of you write me about the error on page 155 I'm telling you about it and asking you to take part in this poll. Do it for fun. Do it for my peace of mind. Do it because you care about a book being written well. I'm interested in the results. I promise to have fewer errors in the next book (I hope). - David Brollier; author of THE 3RD COVENANT
Updates
Something went wrong with my polls so I'll just update you a bit.
First, yes there is a blatant mistake on page 155 of THE 3RD COVENANT. Sorry about that, but it was actually a note from the editor that the publisher left in. Now before you go saying I should have made a big stink about this and have them correct it let me explain some things. This is my first novel, and I'm not going to re-write it to clean up all the messes. The reason is so that when I get tempted to get all proud about my own writing I can look back on this and all the people it took to get this far, and remember my humble beginnings. I hope it will keep me humble. Also, last June ('08) I mentioned this during a panel discussion at the Deadly Ink Convention. After that discussion I sold the only 2 books during that weekend. So go figure. I guess people like to know other writers are fallible.
Second, I had a list of favorite authors and the poll was to see if you, the visitor, had any interest in some of the same authors. Well, that poll isn't working either. No matter. I finally figured out who my absolute favorite author is...it is Jesus. "Therefore, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews12:1,2) This is something I can appreciate because it further states in Ephesians 1:4 "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:" Just like me, God chose the characters for His story before He began writing it down. Some of you may wonder if God made some to go to Hell and some to go to Heaven. Look at that verse again. Does that look like God wants anyone to go to Hell? No, we were all created with the intent that we would form a relationship with Him through Jesus' shed blood, and live forever with Him. Yet He knew that there would be those who wouldn't accept this free gift. He knew it more clearly than I know the bad guys in my stories. I can put a spin on some of my stories and show how God moved them, but God knows the hearts and minds of all people. He's known it since before the story got off the ground. So, in love, He asks us to stick to the storyline. If we do He has a plan and a hope and a promise for us that will blow our minds.
Do I like other authors? Of course. Terri Blackstock is one of my favorites, as is Brandilyn Collins, Bill Myers, Frank Peretti, Ted Dekker, Joel Rosenberg, David Baldacci, Harlan Coben and of course Jeffery Deaver. These are the "big names" that you may have heard about. Yet some of my truly favorite writers you may not have heard about. Writers like Frank Creed, Grace Bridges, Caprice Hokstad, Laura Davis, Stephen Rice, and others. If you want to know where you can learn more about these and other lesser know writers stop by the Christian Fiction Review Blog and check us out. Particularly check out our Video Teaser page. These are going to be famous writers one day.
Lastly I'm finishing up some detailed work on book 2 of my Adams/Wish mystery series. I've also finished a young adult Bible Study based on 30 characters or character groups from The Lord of the Rings, by JRR Tolkien (I'm just waiting for the publisher's approvel to use quotations in my book). I finished a speculative fiction called "Golden Eagle", but it ended up about 1/3 the length I'm looking for and I am not happy with the flow of the story. The imagry is great, but the story needs a lot of work. I've also started a work of fantasy (we'll see how far I get with this) called Aergenizmea. I'm barely into it and already doing re-writes and adding characters. This will most likely be a back burner project as I focus on the Adams/Wish novels. Keep me in prayer for all of this. I want God's words on the pages of these books. That's why I write. - David Brollier