The 'Sacred Sites' Collection

The fantasy market is HUGE. We’ve all seen the sales of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. But how can CBA publishers tap into this burgeoning market and with what kind of products? That’s where fairy tales come in . . .

Fairy tales have an uncanny staying power, and the need for the archetypes of myth has never been greater. Most traditional tales carry the message that blessings follow those choosing Christian principles. Those of us raised reading fairy tales have had these values inculcated in us from early on. From my research, no one has taken the path of reinventing traditional fairy tales and turning them into full-length, Christian-based novels. Hopefully, the true “magic” of these stories will be in moving mainstream readers toward a connection with our Creator, stimulating the spiritual hunger in the heart that ultimately leads us to Him. As C.S. Lewis said of Narnia: he wrote the stories not to teach Christianity, but to help people experience it. It is my hope and dream to carry on in that same purpose.

The huge growing interest among teens and college-aged adults for hope-inspiring fantasy shows these books, and others like them, are needed to fill this hunger. Some of these young Christians are at a pivotal age when they are questioning their faith, some turning away from belief in God. A recent poll showed 70% of all Christian students fall away from the faith in their first year of college. They desperately need to experience a God who loves them and understands what they are going through. When young people go through such anguish, the last thing they want is a how-to, self-help, lecturing book. Fantasy is the more appropriate vehicle for bypassing resistance to God, having engaging characters, humor, and suspense to draw readers in.

The Collection

My goal is to create seven books in the “Sacred Site” series. The reader learns how seven places have been designated by heaven to prevent a stronghold of evil from contaminating the hearts of men. Each book, then, will include a different site, and from story to story their importance to the tale will vary. Characters from one novel will briefly appear in others, linking the books loosely together. Unlike most series, these books can be read in any order.

Characters throughout the novels quote from C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton, the Bible, and other famous thinkers, thus enriching the story with a depth of wisdom. All the books will draw elements from many traditional tales, full of magic and impossible tasks, capturing the magic and wonder intrinsic in fairy tales. But, most importantly, all the novels will have the Bible’s message of hope, faith, and redemption at their core, and it is this core that drives the story and the characters.

These tales are written for both the Young Adult and Adult Fantasy audiences, perfectly suited for the mainstream fantasy as well as the Christian market. Those who love Narnia will now have more fairy tales that dive right into the heart of Christianity—clean, wholesome allegories void of gratuitous violence and profanity.

My objective is to not only have these books available in Christian and mainstream bookstores, but to contact as many Christian colleges and University bookstores to offer these books. I plan to approach Christian radio stations and send them complementary copies, as well as set up booths as huge events that draw the target market—like the Spirit West Coast music festival. Outreach organizations like Campus Crusade for Christ will be another avenue.

I plan to write articles for magazines like “Focus on the Family,” discussing why our Christian youth need to read Christian-themed fairy tales. A website and blog discussing these issues is now up at www.cslakin.com, which will eventually invite readers to comment and get suggestions on how they can use these books to share God’s hope to the world. I plan to send flyers to church pastors who work with this teen/twenties age group. These are just a few of the ways a buzz can be generated from the “bottom-up.”

“We all like astonishing tales because they touch the nerve of the ancient instinct of astonishment…Here I am only trying to describe the enormous emotions which cannot be described. And the strongest emotion was that life was as precious as it was puzzling. It was an ecstasy because it was an adventure; it was an adventure because it was an opportunity...it was good to be in a fairy tale… Well, I left fairy tales lying on the floor of the nursery, and I have not found any books so sensible since.”

- G. K. Chesterton