The following is from editor James Stuart Bell -
I am now compiling a story volume for Guideposts with a working title of Angels All around Us. The main themes of this book as given by Guideposts are:
Guardian angels/Angelic Rescues
Angels Unawares (a la Hebrews 13:2)
Angelic Messages, Signs, and Warnings
Angel Visitations and Sightings
Angelic Comfort, Prayers, and/or Help
Hospital Angels/Angelic Healings
Story Guidelines:
First person experience of an angel/angelic encounter
Between 800 and 1,200 words in length
Can be “as told to”
Show how the writer’s life was transformed by the encounter or experience
Stories can range from heartwarming to miraculous or dramatic
Must express a clear Christian connection and worldview
No preaching or exposition; just compelling stories told with a strong narrative arc
Experience and story should be grounded in a real-life situation: physical setting, time, place, context of the person’s life
Must not have been previously published
Key Aspects of the Story:
Soul-stirring accounts that will assure the reader that angels are real, are around us, and that they deliver messages, guide, comfort, protect, and help us.
Assure the reader that God cares about His children’s lives enough to intervene in miraculous and supernatural ways
Ordinary people experiencing extraordinary events
Bolster and encourage faith
Everyday people just like the reader experiencing angelic assistance
For this project we’ll consider only original, unpublished stories of up to 1200 words and they must be at least 800 words. The ideal length is 1000 words. The stories should have a creative title, an attention-grabbing introduction, a main body with a conflict or challenge, and a clear, satisfying resolution with God’s supernatural activity clearly indicated. They need to be descriptive, rooted in time and place, with a realistic portrayal of the characters and their spiritual growth.
They also need to be substantive stories rather than mere testimonies or teachings. We will have a due date for the stories of January 21, 2021, but we would appreciate your submission even sooner, which will give you a greater chance of acceptance.
Please send your manuscript attached to the e-mail rather than pasting text in the email window. Send your manuscript in normal manuscript formatting in Times New Roman, 16-point, with your full contact information--name, address, phone number, and e-mail address at the top of the first page. We are offering a one-time fee of $30 for your story. The main reason is that these stories will average out at about half the length of our previous compilations.
Guideposts Publishers will create a release form upon the publisher’s acceptance and we would need them back promptly. Payment will be made after all contracts have been received.
Please direct all inquiries and manuscripts to my colleague, Jeanette Littleton, whose email address is: compilations@earthlink.net . If this e-mail has been forwarded to you, and you can’t submit to this call, but would like to hear about other editorial needs as they arise, please send us your e-mail address and we’ll add you to our notification list. If you wish to pass on this publishing opportunity to other qualified writers we would appreciate it.
Blessings to you and yours,
James Stuart Bell