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It never snows in central North Carolina. In the rare event when it does, it never snows more than 2 inches.

I grew up here.

I've spent nearly thirty years here.

Believe me when I say, it never snows here.

That said, last weekend we got 8 inches.

And it was last weekend I was slated to have my big release party for my new book.

I'd put two months into planning the event. Spent money I didn't have.

I was expecting upwards of 400 people. Was hoping for at least 400 book sales.

But the blizzard had other ideas.

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We want you to know we're out there:

Christians who love Jesus but don't use him as a crutch. Christians who prefer peace and social justice over political capital. Christians who don't measure self-worth by whether we're able to convince you to see things our way.

We're out there.

And here's what we want you to know:

We're distraught by our current representation in the media. Heidi Montag. Ted Haggard. That silly little girl who was Miss California. I could go on for days.

You see, these people not only trivialize our faith, but they simplify it, too.

Because for us- for those of us out there feeling voiceless and unrepresented- Jesus is more than words. Jesus is more than a set of bullet points on Sunday. Jesus is more than a systematic theology. Jesus is more than a name we drop so others might think us pious and good.

For us, Jesus is a way: a way to practice love and peace and respect for others.

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There is something magical about books.

Some people remember their formative years through school and teachers. Others, through friends and experiences (first kiss, first cigarette, first beer, first Widepread Panic show, etc.).

I, however, trace my own lifeline through books.

As I've said before, my love for reading began at age seven with C.S. Lewis's The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. When curious little Lucy wandered into that wardrobe, only to be transported into a new world- a world of magic and beauty and meaning- so did I. And to this very day, with each new book I open, I am again hoping to stumble into a world as affecting as was that first trip to Narnia.

Soon after devouring all of the Chronicles of Narnia, it was off to the bookstore for books like The Trumpet of the Swan and Where the Red Fern Grows.

A couple years later, I was motoring through the entire Nancy Drew series (embarrassing: yes. Referenced in my book: yes).

At this point, I was shifting into middle school, where, suddenly, it became very cool to own and (at least pretend to) read Michael Crichton books. This was pre-Jurassic Park, so the titles we were fawning over included The Andromeda Strain and Congo and Sphere and Rising Sun (I also owned both The Terminal Man and The Great Train Robbery, simply to prove my superior love for books).

It wasn't long before 9th grade and To Kill A Mockingbird, when I vowed to be like Atticus Finch when I grew up.

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For an aspiring writer who has spent the last eight years honing his craft, praying his words will not only one day be published, but be published well; it is a real treat to be asked to post on the Penguin site!

That said, post number one will be shamelessly self-promotional.

(ß rolls neck, pops knuckles, and...)

My new book, High Points and Lows: Life, Faith, and Figuring It All Out, is set to hit bookstores Tuesday (1/26).

The book is a collection of faith-based essays that hopes to appeal to both a Christian and secular crowd. Full of pop-culture and plenty of shamelessly embarrassing personal stories, this book presents a raw, real look at life and faith.

You see, growing up, I read a great deal of Christian and faith-based material that spoke of a very idealized brand of faith: one that looked good on paper but didn't really match my own life experience. It seemed no one was really writing about faith as I knew it: full of fears and questions and struggles and doubts.

Enter High Points and Lows.

In this book I want to lend my voice to a quiet chorus of people all aching to know they aren't alone in their fears and struggles with faith.  Meanwhile, I want to let folks laugh with (and at) me in the process.

From Saved By the Bell to creepy Christian alter calls, this book sounds lots of different notes. And I can't wait to hear your thoughts upon reading it!

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Austin Carty is one of our guest bloggers during the week of January 25th. If you have any questions for Austin Carty, add a comment to any of his posts. Here is some more information about High Points and Lows:

View a reading group guide and the author's tour dates.

For readers who loved Blue Like Jazz, comes inspiration and advice from Survivor contestant and Christian speaker Austin Carty

Figuring out who you want to be in life is never easy. In High Points and Lows, Austin Carty traces his own stumbling journey toward adulthood and true faith, drawing on lessons from pop culture and Christianity. In these funny and moving essays that address questions on faith, goals, and vocation, Carty offers an uplifting message for religious and secular audiences alike.

By turns amusing and endearing, Carty's essays explore everything from misguided evangelicals who treat salvation as a cottage industry to the real danger of cheating in school-everyone will think you're brilliant and then you've got a real problem. Whether he is failing miserably at his first real job as a nightclub gofer, explaining how Saved by the Bell has ruined our youth, or struggling to come to terms with the death of a beloved friend, Carty demonstrates how finding the courage to be ourselves is the best way to forge a genuine connection with friends, family, and God.