Creative Dynamos 038: Gray Rinehart on Writing, Faith, Baen Slush, and a LibertyCon Charity Album

In episode 38 of Creative Dynamos, I interview writer and musician Gray Rinehart about his long history of creating, from early poetry to later fiction and songwriting, including learning craft through Orson Scott Card’s workshops and bootcamp. Gray compares his approaches to fiction and nonfiction and explains the inspiration and reception of his book A Church More Like Christ, which explores how churches might embody Christlike giving and corporate application of scripture. We discuss how faith influences creativity without requiring “preachy” art, Gray’s unfinished second-world oceanic fantasy novel and how grief after his wife’s death affected his work, and his shift from juggling projects to focusing one at a time. Gray also describes his role at Baen Books as “Slush Master General,” editorial work, and the importance of following submission guidelines. He shares details on a limited-release LibertyCon charity CD and where to find him at grayrinehart.com and grayrinehart.bandcamp.com.00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro00:27 Early Creative Roots03:36 Taking Fiction Seriously06:08 Orson Scott Card Bootcamp08:16 Fiction vs Nonfiction Process11:13 Church Book Inspiration16:05 Reception and Controversy20:44 Social Media Conversations22:31 Faith Shaping Creativity26:57 Christian Writer or Writer Christian30:13 Breaking Out of the Ghetto31:35 Ocean World Novel Concept34:16 Grief and Rewriting Drive37:45 One Project at a Time39:04 LibertyCon Charity Album44:26 Slushmaster at Baen51:17 Submission Guidelines Rant55:49 What Makes a Dynamo01:00:54 Where to Find Gray