Christian Novelist Addresses Realistic Issues for 21st Century Believers

Print-on-demand publishing gives author freedom to tackle problems in today's church

DALLAS, September 15, 2002 ACTS BY E-MAIL, a novel by Martha Hook, isn't a typical gentle read for the Christian market. It is told through Pastor Wayne Latimer who writes emails to his medical missionary brother across the world - and spares no details about the predicaments of Latimer's flock. The spot-on vignettes about his church address ticklish issues, ranging from addiction to satanic rituals.

"The book is a story of a church with a twist of lemon; it's not sugar-coated" said Ms. Hook, who has published books through Zondervan in the past. "There is definitely an audience for Christian books about real problems in the church. Print-on-demand publishing gives me the liberty to write about difficult topics through genuine characters."

Ms. Hook knows firsthand about the topics woven into her fiction that concern today's believers: single parenting, church politics, capital punishment, foster care, divorce, and sexual temptation. She is trained and has served as a lay counselor and has been through a divorce herself. In the past 40 years she has spoken at conferences, hosted a radio Bible class and served in many ministries.

"The book's climactic event, a major trauma for an entire congregation, is very timely in light of the world today," said Tom Freiling, CEO of Xulon Press, the Christian print-on-demand publishing service located in Fairfax, Virginia that published Hook's novel. "ACTS BY E-MAIL is available now, while the events in this work are especially relevant. In traditional publishing, it could have taken as long as 18 months for the book to debut on store shelves."