I Can't Resist...

Writer's Log Stardate 22-1-12

Like most writers, I cannot resist checking the amazon sales ranking of my books every so often--like every day. I remember the day the op-ed I wrote with Randall Stephens about The Anointed came out in the NY Times. It was great watching the Amazon ranking rise from 20,000 to better than 1000.  (There are more than four million books ranked so getting a scholarly work that high is a big deal.)

Today I noticed that Quantum Leap had jumped from its normally sedate ranking of 200,000 to 10,000.  Such a jump usually indicates some news has just come out, like a review or a mention on a prominent blog. I googled a bit to see if I could find something and found the following comments about the book. I doubt this blog caused the ranking increase, but I must say I was quite flattered by the comments.  Here they are, from a blog called "The Dawg Run."

There are few books that you read and can remember clear as day 20 years later. Dr. Karl Giberson's Worlds Apart: The Unholy War Between Religion and Science is one of those books for me. So when I found out that Giberson was working with my personal friend and hero Dr. Dean Nelson on a book about world-renowned physicist-turned-Anglican-priest Sir John Polkinghorne, I marked the release date on my calendar. As anyone who has read Nelson or Giberson's work would expect, it is wonderful.

This is a great book for those, like me, who sometimes feel as if they are caught between the scientific ignorance of the faith community and the philosophical arrogance of the scientific community. Quantum Leap examines not only the spiritual and scientific thoughts and beliefs of Sir John Polkinghorne but the man himself as well.

In typical Nelson / Giberson fashion, the book takes head on the hard questions of the existence of God, the purpose of prayer, miracles and the afterlife while leaving plenty of room for detractors such as Stephen Weinberg, Richard Dawkins, Stephen Hawking, Carl Sagan, and E. O. Wilson.

It is a great read for anyone interested in approaching the issue of a scientifically informed spirituality and/or a spiritually informed view of science.

Dinner Theatre

Writer’s Log Stardate 17-1-12

I just had dinner with some of my writing students at Gordon College who, for some reason, have come back to campus two days before class starts. The dinner was most encouraging, although the food was from the cafeteria. We talked about the structure of the class, the assignments, and what each person wants to get out of the class.

This is a writing workshop, which I described as halfway between an internship, with no syllabus, and a course, with a highly prescribed set of assignments. I want to strike a creative balance, where the students have enough structure they don’t feel lost and unsure about how they are doing, but not so much structure they cannot work on the things that interest them most.

The main thing I want the workshop to do is help the students realize just how satisfying writing can be. If I can communicate some portion of the excitement I have when I am in the midst of a writing assignment I will be happy. But, this is the first writing course I have taught, so who knows how it will go?

Things are really coming together nicely. Two editors have expressed interest in publishing things from the class. My editor at Beacon has agreed to come visit the class and will be interviewing one of my students for an internship. And InterVarsity just today told me they will give the class free copies of my next book, coming out in March.  

Not a bad day, overall.

Writer's Log Supplemental 17-1-12

Dean Nelson just sent me a link to another great review of our book Quantum Leap.  That was probably the most modest of all my writing projects--partly because Dean did so much of the writing--but the book has really surprised us with the great reception and brisk sales.