• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Author Appleton

Writing. Fantasy. Sci-fi. Mystery

  • HOME
  • Events!
  • BOOKS
    • FREE FICTION
  • ABOUT ME
  • CONTACT ME
  • ENCYCLOPEDIA
  • MAPS
  • FOR WRITERS

sword of the dragon series

Focusing on reaching Christian readers

May 2, 2016 by AuthorAppleton 6 Comments

Thank you to all who participated in my 2016 Reader Survey! I learned some valuable things that have helped me make some important decisions for moving forward with my website and writing. Finally I have enough data to move forward knowing who is being blessed and responding best to my writing. Before I get into the fun stuff (for the changes I’m instituting for this year) let me share with you some of the survey results:

The vast majority of my readers are devout Christian singles under 26-years-old. They are most interested in getting more novels in The Sword of the Dragon series (including the Neverqueen saga). On my blog they prefer to read about Reinforcing Christian Values through Writing Fiction.

Writing a weekly post for my blog has become all-consuming of my writing time of late, especially with my other commitments. To be candid I am writing far too little fiction and making far too little progress in continuing the novels and stories you all have asked me for. So to free up my creativity I am going to assign my blog posts to the first Monday of each month, no longer putting out a weekly article. Every now and then I plan to throw in an extra writing tip or glimpse into what I am writing. This will allow me to focus on the best content for the website but also to focus on the fiction writing.

I am spread too thin and my energies have been less effective as a result. It is my hope that this will empower my writing to get back on track with the fiction writing, putting my mind back in the story creation process. I have so many good stories to tell and I so badly want to finish writing them. But all in good time!

The second change I am making is a big one for me. My novels have had broad market appeal, reaching people from many different political and religious persuasions. But the people who disagreed with my stances prove time and again that I cannot “straddle the fence” so to speak. Some who despise my Christian values have gone so far as to attack by calling me names or reaching assumptions that were not true. I know in Whom I have believed and I believe He is able to bring all to a knowledge of repentance and that all must repent of sin and turn to God. This message resonates with the readers who are my kindred spirits and I fully intend that my focus will now be on writing chiefly as a Christian author. Christian readers most appreciate where I am coming from, they know me best. They rally behind the right things and call out the things that are wrong.

We are in a spiritual battle, and the way I am gifted to fight the spiritual is to lead hearts and minds through powerful writing that convicts, uplifts, and strengthens the faithful as I grow in my walk with the Lord. It is time to narrow my focus to the Christian readership because there my writing is having the right impact on people’s lives. Please pray for me as I move forward with these changes. Some will not be happy with my decision, but I know that ultimately God will bless it.

Q: How does your faith impact your creative pursuits?

Filed Under: Backstage Pass!, Books, Christianity, Counter Culture, fiction, productivity Tagged With: author scott appleton, christian author, fantasy writer, Neverqueen, survey results, sword of the dragon series

How your content impacts the globe

October 27, 2014 by AuthorAppleton Leave a Comment

It surprised me the other day, when conversing with an Egyptian friend of mine, to find out that back when Wonder Woman and The Hulk shows were playing on TV they were running internationally. Just like American kids, she was fascinated by those superheroes. I guess I had still thought of Egypt as an out-of-the-way corner of the world where media only recently became so impactful. It was a fun and enlightening conversation. It got me thinking on how our creative content influences people on an international level.

Content that promotes gratuitous violence, sexual promiscuity, lying, and foul language will breed those shortcomings in the societies they impact. Conversely, content that encourages self-control, godly behavior, and faithfulness will encourage those qualities in the cultures they reach.

A couple years ago I received an email from the first fan of The Sword of the Dragon series in South Africa. As it turned out, a bookstore down there had started carrying my novels and people were loving them. It amazed me to realize that the fictional characters I’d created were quite literally my ambassadors to corners of the globe that I have never visited.

In the same manner, creatives around the world have been sending their own ambassadors. It has been thrown into hyperdrive by the advent of the digital age. And those ambassadors can either impact the world for good or for evil. Artists, parents, authors, producers, and bloggers… in this digital age, what kind of a world do you want to make?

Question: How do you see content creators impacting the world?

Filed Under: Books Tagged With: books, global impact, sword of the dragon series, the hulk, tv shows, wonder woman

Footer

New release!

Now Available! The Sword of the Dragon series book 5

Progress on projects:

“Shards in Belial” (The Sword of the Dragon Origins) 52,700-words

“In Search of Dragons (The Sword of the Dragon book 6) 6,400-words

“Father Mouse” 7,996-words

“The Soul of Story” audiobook 62%

“Neverqueen 3: The Queens Two” (Fantasy) 200-words

“Specter” (Fantasy) 1,000-words

“The Star Train” (Science-fiction 27k-words

“Ironwing” (Fantasy) cover designed!

“Dragon Offspring” audiobook

Recent Comments

  • AuthorAppleton on Focusing on reaching Christian readers
  • Sheena Critipaul on The importance of message in story
  • Sheena Critipaul on Focusing on reaching Christian readers
  • Sheena on Magic in Fantasy Fiction: Powers of God and powers of the Devil
  • AuthorAppleton on Contact info

Twitter activity

Twitter feed is not available at the moment.

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Recent Posts

  • The Vision for a Story’s End
  • Paperbacks ready for Signing & Packaging!
  • Cover reveal! The Sword of the Dragon Series (book 6) Among Broken Gods
  • Help choose new fantasy book title
  • Prentice Ash -a curious blend

Archives

  • April 2024
  • December 2023
  • August 2023
  • May 2023
  • March 2023
  • January 2023
  • October 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • June 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • July 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • November 2017
  • September 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • October 2013

Follow Us

Copyright © 2025 · Designed by Moody Web Design

Start Your Library!
Sign up for the email list and get your free copy of "The Swordmaster's Glory"
Your information will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party.