Entering into the world of publishing is like entering another culture.  There are many wonderful things that you would like to take pictures of, and also many things that make you scratch your head and say, “Someone please tell me what is happening.  Or take me somewhere familiar, like McDonald’s.”  I thought it would be helpful for all those writers out there to interview some of the people involved in making Imaginary Jesus happen.  Our first victim — uh, interviewee — is my good friend Sarah Atkinson.  Enjoy!

Matt: What is your official title?

Sarah: Senior Acquisitions Editor for Tyndale House Publishers.

Matt: And what exactly does an acquisitions editor do? What does a typical day look like?

Sarah: I manage the proposal evaluation process for our book team. Each proposal undergoes an initial review so we can determine whether to move it forward internally to our sales team (where we ask our reps’ opinions on how it will perform in the marketplace) and then to Publication Committee (where we officially request approval to publish it). Then, once a book is acquired, I guide it through our internal system, working closely with our editorial, design, and marketing teams. In terms of a “typical day…” it’s Monday evening as I write this, and some of my activities today have included: (1) title/subtitle brainstorming for a new book (2) reading proposals (3) talking to an agent to reschedule a project (4) requesting some changes to an audio book we’re currently in the process of recording (5) creating “fact sheets” for our sales team to help them pitch upcoming products (6) writing back cover copy (7) giving feedback on a front cover design. I also ate some Cheez-Its, and told a couple of stories about my dog.

Matt: I noticed that when trying to acquire “Imaginary Jesus” there were two acquisitions editors involved. Were you afraid that the author would be a mean-spirited jerk and you needed someone to document his behavior?

Sarah: Yes. The truth is out! (No, not really. I work closely with Jan Long Harris, Associate Publisher of Books, on all of my projects. We brought Imaginary Jesus in together.)

Matt: Have you wanted to be an acquisitions editor since you were very young? What drew you to this job?

Sarah: I don’t think anybody wants to be an acquisitions editor when they’re very young. Not at my elementary school, at least. We all wanted to be dog trainers because that was the most interesting session on Career Day (puppies)! As early as high school, though, I knew I wanted to work with books in some way. I did a publishing internship at InterVarsity Press during college, and when I found myself getting genuinely thrilled about minor editorial fixes (“See that comma? That one? I PUT IT THERE.”) I figured I was on the right career track. It’s been ten years and I still think that was a good move.

Matt: When it comes to submissions at Tyndale House right now, what sort of book are you seeing to often?  In other words, what sort of proposal makes you groan and shake your head and say, “Not another one of these”?

Sarah: There isn’t a specific subject that fits this description for me, because any topic can be compelling if the writing is good. Sorry that’s not as snarky an answer as you may have expected! Besides, as soon as I said something like “I am SO sick of getting proposals about three-headed penguins” then maybe somebody with a terrific three-headed penguin story, one that really breaks out of that boring old penguin box, would read my comment and decide not to send it to me. And I can’t take that risk.

Matt: Describe your dream book.  What sort of book are you hoping to find?

Sarah: Right now, I would be excited to find a strong spiritual travel memoir. Also, any book guaranteed to hit the bestseller lists should definitely come to me. :)

Matt: Please explain why you have named your dog “Bullet.”

Sarah: No. People will judge me.

Matt: Our readers demand to know: What is the worst thing about being the acquisitions editor for “Imaginary Jesus”?

Sarah: I’m still a little mad that I had to break both my arms in order to acquire it. (Readers, I am not being metaphorical here. We’re talking two arms in actual casts. It’s a long story.)

Matt: What is the best thing about your job?

Sarah: I am part of a wonderful team. Even if I didn’t love my work as much as I do, it would still be a pleasure to come to the office every day and work with this immensely talented group of people. This sounds very Stepford, but it’s true. (The second best thing? One of my colleagues is taking a cake decorating class and brings the results to work. Homemade frosting!)

Matt: Tells us a couple of your favorite books.

Sarah: The Great Divorce. Emma. Girl Meets God. Watership Down. Anything by Adrian Plass. And I don’t have the complete manuscript yet, but I am anticipating that Craving Grace by Lisa Velthouse, which I acquired and which will come out in 2011, will fall into this category.

Matt: What else would you like to say to our millions upon millions of readers?

Sarah: If you are an aspiring writer, you may find it helpful to hear what an acquisitions editor (me!) appreciates about working with an author (Matt!). He’s a terrific writer, and he keeps up an interesting blog that keeps me coming back between books. He’s genuinely interested in connecting with his readers—for example, he makes it a point to reach out to anyone who blogs or writes a review about Imaginary Jesus and thank them. He meets deadlines and responds to emails. Come to think of it, the only thing he really does wrong is make his emails very funny, so that I always save them to read until last. (This is no skin off my nose, but kind of works against him when I have 100+ other messages.)

Also, Imaginary Jesus is awesome. Please buy it. The first time I read it, I knew by page 24 that I desperately wanted to work on this book (thanks to the Frog of Hate). There is nothing like it in Christian fiction and it is a privilege to be part of launching it.

Matt: Sarah, thanks for your time, and thanks also for revealing that bit about the funny e-mails.  I had no idea.  From now on, expect deadly serious correspondence.  Readers, feel free to leave any other questions you have for Sarah and I will send them to her in a somber email and maybe she will answer them for you. 

It’s a comedy.  It’s a novel.  It’s theology.  It’s fiction. It’s autobiographical.  What possible genre could this be? Let’s turn to Amazon.com’s rating system to discover what they think.

First, an overview of the three categories that Amazon thinks that IJ fits into:

Good.  Okay.  So our comedy theology novel falls into Science Fiction Adventure (no doubt because our hero chases Jesus through “time and space”), Religious Fiction (no doubt because it has Jesus in it and is fiction), and in Single Women’s Fiction (no doubt because the chicks dig me).  Hmm.  Let’s see what sort of books that puts Imaginary Jesus up against.

In the category of Sci-Fi adventure:

Yes, this, strangely, makes sense.  Notice the similarity in strange headgear between the jedi and the Jesus.  But since I have every intention of destroying the Star Wars novel which is more highly ranked than I does that mean I am… a Sith?  Brrrr.  Stay tuned to find out!

Now, let’s look at Single Women’s Fiction:

Again, this is an oddly appropriate place for my book.  “Misery Loves Cabernet” references wine in the title, and there is communion wine in Imaginary Jesus.  And the title below “We Interrupt This Date” infers a breakup. And Imaginary Jesus includes the story of one of the most hilarious and unbelievable break ups of all time.  It is a 7.8 on the John Cusack scale of break ups.  I think a single woman might enjoy hearing about my heart being crushed.  It’s a beautiful moment.

Now, let’s look at religious fiction:

Ah, C.S. Lewis.  Allow me to take a moment to say IN YOUR FACE, C.S. LEWIS! Imaginary Jesus is totally rocking The Screwtape Letters.  Oh, I know that you wrote your book 40 years ago and it’s still selling ALMOST AS WELL as Imaginary Jesus, but I think it’s time for you to acknowledge that victory is totally mine for at least 40 minutes until Amazon refreshes the ranking on their books!  In other news, I’m a big fan.  If we are allowed to do this in Heaven I will be asking for your autograph.  If there are pens.  And paper.  Also books.  I’m pretty sure there are at least scrolls, so I might just have you sign a scroll if you’re cool with that.

And that, my Imaginary Friends, brings us to the end of this wonderful discussion of how the Amazon Robots have determined the genre of my Religious Single Women’s Science-Fiction Adventure Novel!

Please feel free to add your own suggestions for possible genre inclusion in the comments!

Imaginary Jesus is published by Barna Books, which is an imprint of Tyndale House Publishers.  A lot of people wonder what that means, and how involved George Barna was in the book, whether I know him, did I really meet him in Portland (like in the book), et cetera, et cetera.

Above is a picture of me and George Barna when we met for lunch a few months ago. I know what you are thinking: “IS THAT A BABY’S HEAD IN THE LOWER RIGHT HAND CORNER OF THE PICTURE?”

Set your mind at ease. That is, indeed, a baby’s head.  But the baby was only sleeping.  I was holding her.  The baby is fine.  I know, some of you who dislike George Barna think maybe something terrible happened to the baby.  Maybe it fainted, something like that.  But no.  The baby simply fell into a sweet slumber.

Here’s how it came about that I met George Barna.  My agent sent my book to Tyndale.  The editors at Tyndale talked to George’s agent.  She talked to George.  Then we all talked to each other.  And then, later, it became a Barna book.  I could go into more detail, but really that’s pretty much how it happened.  You can see some of George’s thoughts about the whole thing.

The Barna Group then did some research based on themes from Imaginary Jesus, specifically looking at whether Americans think they are connected to God, and do they believe that he speaks to them in a personal way, and what people believe about God interacting with them during times of pain.  You can read an article summarizing parts of that research here.

Anyway, this all culminated in a lovely lunch together with George in southern California at a really great fish and chips place.  George even bought our lunch (thanks, George!), which makes him immediately a great guy to my way of thinking.  We had a fascinating conversation about our relationships with Jesus, talked about books, culture, the church and what to do when there is controversy around your writing or ministry.  George had wise advice and insights and I really enjoyed the conversation.

As for the questions at the beginning of this post, George and I do, indeed, know each other.  We have not (yet) met in Portland.  And George and I met after the book was already written, though I did incorporate some of his research into the book by the time the final draft rolled around.  But I was certainly the author.

All that to say, I think it is another of the Lord’s blessings to Krista and me that this book has allowed us to cross paths with George.  Now you may ask questions in the comments and I will answer them.  Because I can’t help myself and I just keep talking all the time. 

Thanks for your kind attention, Imaginary Friends.

Jamie Carie is the author of Angel’s Den, and she lives in Indianapolis with her husband and three sons, like some weird mirror of the Mikalatos family with our one wife and three daughters here in Portland.  Check out her website or her blog here.  I’m glad to have Jamie writing our first installment of Life Outside the Box.  Thanks, Jamie!

In the genre I write, historical romance, there is an element of formulaic plotting that is expected by the reader. Boy meets girl. Boy and girl encounter obstacles on the road to love, obstacles get resolved and boy and girl live happily ever after. There is an emotional payoff here that brings the reader (and me!) back again and again. That being said, it is vital to find “outside-the-box” ways of keeping this formula fresh and engaging. In my latest book, Angel’s Den, we have the story of a woman who marries her dream man only to find out shortly after the wedding that he is nothing like his handsome outer façade. She has married an evil monster and in 1809, she is trapped. As the abuse escalates she begins to lose hope that she will survive it. Enter the hero - a rough around the edges man of God who falls in love with a married woman and wants nothing more than to rescue her. At this point it would have been easy for the formula to take over and allow Luke to rescue Emma and her husband to die somewhere on the trail (they are following the Lewis and Clark trail) leaving the way open for their HEA (happily ever after). But that’s too predictable! What I do at this point is pray, “Lord, how are You going to rescue Emma? If this was really happening to one of your children, and this scenario we’ve built was real back then, what kind of miracle would You do for Emma?”

Well, I don’t want to give away my ending but let’s just say when I pray these prayers for my characters God always gives me something “outside the box” and thrilling, beyond what my imagination could dream up! It’s one of my favorite parts of being a writer. And if I sound a little crazy, praying for my characters as if they were real people, well, that’s one of my favorite parts of being a writer too.

Here’s a fan email I recently received for Angel’s Den that illustrates my point:

“I have just finished reading Angel’s Den. I can tell you I suspected that Eric Montclaire was good looking, but up to no good the first time I met him on page 7. BUT I would have never expected the outcome of the book. Page 45 brought Mr. Luke Bowen into the picture and sure there was chemistry and then I had the plot all figured out:

The triangle would head off into the Pacific Northwest following the footsteps of Lewis and Clark. Then some sort of fatality would overcome Mr. Montclaire. Luke and Emma would build a life in the Northwest and live happily ever after.

Boy, was I mistaken. The events that happened really kept my eyes glued to the end of this book. There were lots of twists and turns that I did not expect.” Norma B.

I picture God knowing every story that has ever happened in all creation. It is such an amazing gift when He whispers some of them into my heart and then I get to tell of His amazing love, His awesome creativity, His plan of salvation for each of our stories, to you.

Krista and I have a running joke that while some people “Think outside the box”, I “live outside the box.”  If I need to tell someone inside the box one of my ideas, I have to hunker down next to the box and stick my head inside so they can hear me.  I’ve never been a fan of boxes (unless they are boxes of comic books).

Starting tomorrow I’m introducing one of the new features here at Imaginary Blog, called “Life Outside the Box.”  As part of Life Outside the Box I’ll be inviting artists, writers, musicians and others to participate by writing a blog post about something they’ve done that’s outside the box, that breaks barriers, that moves into new territory.

This should be a pretty eclectic mix of people and topics.  For instance, tomorrow, for the first Life Outside the Box, we’ll have a Christian romance novelist sharing about her latest book.  Now, I don’t know anything about Christian romance novels.  But I’m interested to see what our guest tomorrow has to say about Christian romance and doing something unique in that genre. 

So, tune in tomorrow for the first installment of LOTB.  If you have an idea for someone who should be featured in the future, drop me a line and I’ll see if I can get ahold of them.

I had this friend named Collette.  I met her in a creative writing class at my junior college.  As I recall she had written a story which turned out to be a thinly veiled story about herself, in which the main character was dealing with some conflict with her husband.  I mentioned in the feedback that the story was frightening, to see such a clear example of spousal abuse, and she came and talked to me afterward, to ask if I really thought what she had written about constituted abuse.  I told her I thought it did, and in some mysterious way this caused us to become friends. 

That’s my first memory of Collette. Over the years we kept in touch occasionally.  Krista and I both briefly worked at the same school as Collette.  She got our newsletter, and she and I would send notes back and forth on Facebook.  She sent me theological questions every once in a while, and made funny comments on my profile about as often.  A few years ago I visited her at her house, and hung out with her and her kids.

Collette was a sweet, loving, patient woman, with a lot of ability to endure difficult things without realizing they were difficult.  She wrestled with tough questions, but with an underlying certainty of God’s goodness.  She was friendly, and pleasant, and kind.  She had a sincere faith in Jesus Christ, and spoke about him often and with great affection. I considered her a friend, and I like to think she considered me a friend, too.

And that’s about all I can share here about Collette.  This last Monday Collette decided for some reason I cannot fathom that it would be best if she took her own life.

How I feel about this is complex.  I think it’s safe to say that the first thing I feel is regret.  I wish she had called me and I had been able to talk to her about whatever it was that made her think this was a good idea.  I wish I had known her better, had been a close enough friend that she would have even thought about calling me.  I was in her town the day she did it.  I wish I had thought, somehow, to call her.  I wish it had crossed my mind.

Related to that, and intertwined with it, is the sadness and a sense of loss.  When someone is gone, there’s a realization that I can’t call her now.  I left a note on her wall on facebook, but that’s more for me than for her. She’s not checking her messages anymore.  Or, well, I don’t really know how that works. But there’s this moment in the feelings of loss where I just want to go back and remember every insignificant conversation we ever had.  I want to re-read our dumb facebook notes to each other.  I want to double check her theological questions and see if I missed a warning sign. I want to make sure to remember every last thing I knew about her, because that’s all that’s left of her, for me.

And then there’s this next-to-last feeling that I’m not sure how to express because it seems wrong to say.  I know it’s normal and even expected, but I am really angry at Collette, too.  Killing herself was selfish, pretty much the most self-involved thing she could have done.  It doesn’t change that I liked her, or that she was a great person, but I just don’t understand how she left her kids behind, and left all of us behind without a goodbye and without asking for our help.  Or maybe she did, and I wasn’t close enough to be in that circle.  

The last thing, Collette, is that I’m glad you’re beyond this now.  What I mean is, I know you’re in the arms of Jesus, and even now he’s wiping the tears from your eyes and showing you that all those years you spent broken and worried and hurt and abused and crushed and uncertain of your own value, that all those things are a million years behind you and you are in a place where you can experience (at last) perfect love and see yourself the way our Creator sees you.  I’m very, very thankful for that.  I wish you could have found a big enough piece of that here, but I’m glad you’re in the arms of our savior now. So. Rest in peace, my friend.  I will pray for your children and family, and I hope to see you well and whole when next we meet.

Your friend,

Matt