Author Intrusion

Justice in the Burbs

We're so excited here. Justice in the Burbs released August 1st! Will's first book, my first involvement with non-fiction, and we're wondering what God will do with it. What people will do with it. Our prayer is that so many people will see Jesus standing in front of them, whether it's the person serving who's giving the Savior food, of the person being served, seeing Jesus in the eyes of the person who's come to help.

If you're excited about the book and you blog, would you mind letting your readers know about it today? Amazon link here. And youtube video link here. We own the copyrights to the video so please feel more than free to embed it in your blog if you so choose.

 

Also, if this is something you think your church would like to do in small groups or studies, email us with your address and we'll send you the two-chapter sample booklet and a DVD of the promotional video so you can pass it on to the decision makers. If that happens to be you, don't get out of breath passing it from one hand to the other!

Thanks so much!

will and lisa

"Will and Lisa have joined talents to offer a compelling argument for living justly in an unjust world, and for loving our neighbors in a hands-on, life-changing way." LIZ CURTIS HIGGS, author, Bad Girls of the Bible.

"Whatever happened to the vital social and moral energies of the Christian faith? They are alive and throbbin in this book that shows how the gospel can walk the missing sidewalks and unfriendly cul-de-sacs of the suburbs." LEONARD SWEET, Drew Theological School, George Fox University.

"Will and Lisa are provocateurs of imagination, writing for a desert where folks are thristy for more than the American dream. This is a much-needed invitation for justice to flow throught the suburbs liek mighty waters and bring to life all the parched souls trapped in the ghettos of poverty and wealth." SHANE CLAIBORNE, activist, author, The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical.

"Will and Lisa Samson's new book, Justice in the Burbs, is a moving book. I wept with joy, knowing how many people will be moved to join the work for justice God has already begun in the world."    CHRISTIAN SCHAREN, author, One Step Closer: Why U2 Matters to Those Seeking God.

The Justice in the Burbs blog will be updated regularly with thoughts and ideas for those seeking to engage in the world around them for the sake of others and in the name of Jesus.

Quaker Summer

Quaker Summer

Women of Faith's Novel of the Year, and August's WOF Book Club selection. Find out more here! Great interview there too.

From the Back Cover:

Every year I think there must be more to life, and every year, despite a new car or a trip to a new land, new milestones and triumphs in my son's life, or a redone deck, a pool, a spa, or entertainment system, I take stock and think once again, I was made for more than this. But I love my stuff.

Heather Curridge is coming unhinged. And people are starting to notice. What's wrong with a woman who has everything--a mansion on a lake, a loving son, a heart-surgeon husband, and soapstone countertops--yet still feels miserable inside?

Yet when Heather spends the summer with two ancient Quaker sisters and a crusty nun in a downtown homeless shelter, she suddenly finds herself at a crossroads.

Sometimes you have to go a little bit crazy to find the life you were meant to live.

Inside scoop: People ask me frequently if there's a theme to my using a kangaroo as a device to shift Heather's gears. My answer? Sometimes God is in the machine. I try not to rely too heavily on such devices in my writing, but follow Jesus for long and you'll know that God really does send some strange things our way to capture our attention. (If you ever take me out for a cup of coffee, in exchange, I'll tell you "the peacock story" that happened in my own life.) However, the kangaroo, as far-fetched as it seems came from something I'd read in the paper years before. In the upper mid-west, a woman found a kangaroo in her barn. Apparently, the beastie was being transferred to a zoo and he escaped. He was on the loose for several days before finally ending up in the barn. See? It could happen!

From Publishers Weekly
  Starred Review. One of the most powerful voices in Christian fiction, Samson delivers what seems, on the surface, to be just another Christian women's novel, but in reality is a staggering examination of the Christian conscience. Like most Samson heroines, Heather Curridge is a woman in crisis. Outwardly, her life seems idyllic: she has an unusually handsome, successful and loving husband, a child she adores and the most beautiful home she could imagine. Inwardly, however, she is falling apart, overcome by the idea that this comfortable, affluent life is keeping her from God's will. With the help of several older, wiser Christians, her patient family and her two best friends, Heather comes to some painful conclusions about her past and future. Samson's unflinching exploration of childhood bullying, as well as inner-city poverty and drug culture, are rivaled only by her portrayal of the soul-desiccating acquisitiveness in which many Christians engage, often in a misguided attempt to numb both their heartache and their awareness of God's potentially life-upending plans. Unlike many Christian novelists, Samson does not tidily resolve every single problem her heroine faces, but instead paints an emotionally and spiritually luminous portrait of a soul beckoned by God. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.    

interviews

Below are some of my favorite interviews available on the internet.

With Jane Struck at Today's Christian Woman. About moving from the suburbs to live a life of justice in the city.

With Joyce at In the Library Reviews. About Quaker Summer.

With Paula at GraceReign. About intentional community and moving down to the city.

Shauna at Shaunarumbling. Books and writing.

With novelist Brad Whittington, interviewing each other. Writing and publishing.

With writer Katy Raymond at Relevant Magazine. Social justice.

(If you've done an interview and would like it listed here, let me know!)

photo

Straight Up

Back Cover Copy:

Georgia Bishop, a could-be jazz great, has thrown away her life, her marriage, and her talent for her drinking habit. Her cousin, Fairly Godfrey, is living the good life in New York but wonders if deeper meaning exists beyond the superficial world in which she finds herself.

It takes a Congo refugee, a soul-food chef, a persistent husband, and one desperate night on the brink of freedom for Georgia and Fairly to realize how far they have drifted form their God-given purposes. When both women face the most difficult choices of their lives, only the power of grace can bring them to true healing.

Inside Scoop:

Okay, sometimes I have to write pages and pages to finally figure out what my book is about. Straight Up, however, took the cake on that! I don't know why, but zeroing in the real story was excruciating yet for some reason, I kept at it. It's the German in me, I guess. In any case, when my editor sent her notes for the developmental edit, I almost fainted when she said, "The book really begins on page seventy-five."

Oh great.

This was even more of a difficult message to hear because after writing the first original 100 pages, I threw 80% or those out. I guess sometimes it just takes a while to find your way, chipping the story out bit by bit, instead of having it flow like a river.

Chip. Chip. Yep. That would be Straight Up.

From Publishers Weekly:

Georgia Ella Bishop's life screams "wasted potential." The daughter of a great jazz pianist and a famous news correspondent, she has what it takes to combine her mother's talent and her father's celebrity into one extraordinary life. Her alcoholism, however, thwarts these ambitions even before she can imagine them, and by the time she reaches her mid-30s, all of her chances seem to be used up. When Georgia moves from Baltimore to Lexington, Ky., to make one last attempt to straighten out her life, her social justice–obsessed uncle, her fashion-obsessed cousin and her loving but estranged husband are there to help. Samson, author of the Christy Award–winning Songbird and several other faith-based novels, pulls few punches in this sobering yet sanguine account of God's patience, mercy and eternal optimism in the face of human folly. Samson's writing is characteristically crisp and vibrant—cutting quickly to the heart of her characters and their crises with prose that is emotionally resonant but rarely sentimental. Readers may find events in Georgia's life, particularly her astoundingly bad choices and the surprising consequences she experiences, hard to believe. Still, despite the extremes to which Georgia goes, in Samson's capable hands she becomes an everywoman in whom readers are likely to see at least a glimpse of themselves. (Sept. 19)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.    

my books: the entire list

The Highlanders Series:

The Highlander and His Lady, Harvest House, 1994
The Legend of Robin Brodie, Harvest House, 1995
The Temptation of Aaron Campbell, Harvest House, 1995

The Abbey Series:

Conquered Heart, Harvest House, 1996
Love's Ransom, Harvest House, 1997
The Warrior's Bride, Harvest House, 1997

The Moment I Saw You, Harvest House, 1998

The Shades of Eternity Series:

Indigo Waters, Zondervan, 1999
Fields of Gold, Zondervan, 2000
Crimson Skies, Zondervan, 2000

The Church Ladies, Multnomah/Waterbrook, 2001
Women's Intuition, Waterbrook, 2002
Songbird, Warner, 2003
The Living End, Waterbrook, 2003
Tiger Lillie, Waterbrook, 2004
Club Sandwich, Waterbrook, 2005
Straight Up, Waterbrook, 2006
Apples of Gold, Waterbrook 2006
Quaker Summer, Thomas Nelson, 2007
Justice in the Burbs (with Will Samson), Baker, 2007
Hollywood Nobody, NavPress, 2007

Written, but not yet published:

Finding Hollywood Nobody, NavPress, February 2008
Romancing Hollywood Nobody, NavPress, 2008
Discovering Hollywood Nobody, NavPress, 2008

Embrace Me, Thomas Nelson, February, 2008

Working on:

Bella, a novel adaptation of the movie of the same title. Thomas Nelson, May 2008
Memoir for Waterbrook Press, 2009
Kingdom Come, Thomas Nelson, 2009

RELEVANT MAGAZINE: Justice in the Burbs Interview

Link: RELEVANT MAGAZINE.

In today’s edition of the Daily Dose, we talk to Will and Lisa Samson, the authors of Justice in the Burbs (Baker). The book combines short fiction stories about suburban families with practical teachings about bringing social justice to neighborhoods around America. Along with contributions from Brian McClaren, Leonard Sweet, Lucy Shaw and others, the book examines how suburbanites can truly love their neighbors.

Author! Author! Article: Lisa Samson

Link: Author! Author! Article: Lisa Samson.

Researching for a writer's conference I'm teaching at next week, I came upon this little ditty of an article I wrote in 2003 for Warner's site. Hope you like it. It still rings true today. (Thank goodness.)

Justice in the Burbs Promo Video finished!

Our promo video for Justice in the Burbs is finished. Award-winning documentary filmmaker John Paget, (Route 66, Almost Elvis) came and filmed in Lexington and put together this video. If you'd like to use Justice in the Burbs for Sunday School or small groups, this is a great resource to send to your pastor or ministry director. Let us know what you think?

Jesus of the Cul-de-Sac, Sojourners Magazine/July 2007

Great article in Sojourners about serving God and neighbor in the 'burbs. Will and I were interviewed for it. Check it out!

Justice in the Burbs coming on less than a month! Woo-hoo!

Link: Jesus of the Cul-de-Sac, Sojourners Magazine/July 2007.

Justice in the Burbs « Abductive Columns

Fred Peatross reviews Justice in the Burbs.

Link: Justice in the Burbs « Abductive Columns.

I’ve just finished reading a pre-publication copy of Will and Lisa Samson’s
Justice in the Burbs. I have to tell you this was a difficult read. Not because it was poorly written or laborious, just the opposite. It was difficult because it stung; I was convicted and shamed at the same time.

It’s the kind of book that leaves you with the uneasy “I wish I hadn’t read this” feeling. Why? Because you discover that you have been presented with a truth that has flown beneath your radar screen…and for that matter most faith communities. How in the world did that happen? Well, when you live in a celebrity, prosperity driven culture it can happen by default, for most of us. So now I’m dealing with the, “now that you know, what are you going to do about it” question.