Kellyn Roth's Blog: Kellyn Roth, Author, page 4
May 30, 2024
It’s Launch Day for Voices of the Future: Stories of Courage & Compassion
Hello friends!
Kellyn Roth here, and today is launch day for the Author Conservatory anthology, “Voices of the Future: Stories of Courage & Compassion.”
This anthology features nine amazing authors (myself included in that number – and yes, I did just call myself amazing) and has an important mission: highlighting young authors and sharing their stories with the world … and with their families and friends!
This second volume of Voices of the Future weaves together short stories of courage and compassion in a memorable and heartwarming collection. Experience the next generation’s creativity and vision through tales of hope and belonging from rising young creatives.
100% of the proceeds from this anthology go toward helping up-and-coming writers attend writing conferences where they can pitch their work to agents and publishers!
If you’d like to order a paperback copy from me and support me (and the other authors!) on our writing journey, here’s the link:
Also, here’s my Pinterest board for If Ye’d Only Say, my story in the collection:
May the Lord bless and keep every one of you!
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TTFN!
~Kell~
Are you interested in getting to know me & my books better? Join my email list!
May 22, 2024
Why You Should Buy Voices of the Future: Stories of Courage & Compassion
As you know, I am soon launching an anthology with the Author Conservatory … Voices of the Future: Stories of Courage & Compassion.
And, well, of course I think you should buy it!
However, I do realize that a part of you is probably going, “Well, why should I?”
Let me tell you why!
But first, let me introduce you to the anthology!
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About the AnthologyDiscover the next generation of storytellers!
The second edition of Voices of the Future weaves together short stories of courage and compassion in a memorable and heartwarming multi-genre collection. Experience the next generation’s creativity and vision through stories from rising young creatives.
Kyla Carter: “The Graveyard of Lost Dreams”
Alyssa Guthrie: “A Deathbed Wish”
Hannah Marie: “Zelophehad’s Daughters”
Sarah Pagel: “The Colors in the Well”
Alabama Rose: “The Sister Knot”
Kellyn Roth: “If Ye’d Only Say”
Elena B. Sato: “In Our Blood”
Cameron Skocilic: “Miracles”
Kasumi Sonoda: “Chichi no Chikai”
The Author Conservatory is a college-alternative program for gifted writers focused on helping them gain the business and storytelling skills to craft sustainable careers. 100% of your purchase goes to help students attend writing conferences where they can pitch their work to agents and publishers.
Buy Now, If You’re Already Convinced[image error]
Why You Should Buy Voices of the Future: Stories of Courage & Compassion1: Because it supports young authors!Each story in this collection is written by a young author who is looking to make their way in the world, and 100% of the proceeds go to supporting young authors as they pursue their dreams, whether that be through continued indie endeavors (like me!) or heading off to conferences!
2: Because the stories are high-quality examples of fiction!Each of the stories in this anthology have been carefully developed from the concept to the final draft by an elite team of fiction instructors and editors. They are beautiful examples of short fiction!
3: Because you’ll meet 8 debut authors!Myself excluded, these authors are probably new to you … because they’ve never published before! What a great opportunity to meet new writers and perhaps find a new favorite! (Can you imagine being a fan of someone from their very first publication onward? Sounds like fun to me!)
4: Because it could be a great gift for a friend or family member!This anthology makes a great gift because it has a little of everything and because it is great for all ages. It could also make a great school assignment or read-aloud!
5: Because Bob and Ena are adorable!In my story, I write about two characters named Bob and Ena, and let me tell you, they are the cutest!
Bonus: About My StoryIntroverted Bob has been in love with strong-willed, sensible Ena since he was about five years old. Though she has other suitors, miraculously she accepts his proposal … but she doesn’t say the three little words that would’ve made the moment perfect. Her acceptance ought to be enough for any man—but it just isn’t. It means he’s not the only person she wants to marry … just the one who asked her first, the one who will someday own a store, the one who offers her the most security. Will Bob ever win her heart … or is “I love you” something she will never say?
Well … have I convinced you?! If so, you can grab a copy here!
TTFN!
~Kell~
Are you interested in getting to know me & my books better? Join my email list!
April 29, 2024
Preorder Launch for Voices of the Future: Stories of Courage and Compassion
Hey everyone!
As you know, last year, The Author Conservatory (a Christian writing program I’m blessed to be an employee and student at) released Voices of the Future: Stories of Family and Fearlessness. Each story was written by one of our students, and all book proceeds went to helping the writers attend conferences and pitch their novels to publishing agents.
Now, we’re back again with a brand new collection releasing in May, and this time a set of nine new authors are heading this one! Like last time, all proceeds will go back to helping these authors grow in their writing, attend conferences, and get a chance to sign up with agents and publishing houses.
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About Stories of Courage and CompassionDiscover the next generation of storytellers!
The second edition of Voices of the Future weaves together short stories of courage and compassion in a memorable and heartwarming multi-genre collection. Experience the next generation’s creativity and vision through stories from rising young creatives.
This time, our features authors and stories include . . .
Kyla Carter: “The Graveyard of Lost Dreams”
Alyssa Guthrie: “A Deathbed Wish”
Hannah Marie: “Zelophehad’s Daughters”
Sarah Pagel: “The Colors in the Well”
Alabama Rose: “The Sister Knot”
Kellyn Roth: “If Ye’d Only Say”
Elena B. Sato: “In Our Blood”
Cameron Skocilic: “Miracles”
Kasumi Sonoda: “Chichi no Chikai”
The Author Conservatory is a college-alternative program for gifted writers focused on helping them gain the business and storytelling skills to craft sustainable careers. 100% of your purchase goes to help students attend writing conferences where they can pitch their work to agents and publishers.
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If you’re interested in supporting me on this authoring journey, check out my preorder link for the anthology or find out more about my included story!
And let me know if you’d like to join my street team! They’ll be an opportunity for ARCs as well as just some fun general promotional stuff!
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TTFN!
~Kell~
Are you interested in getting to know me & my books better? Join my email list!
April 8, 2024
Introducing My Short Story for Novelists in November
Well, with Novelists in November closing for submissions soon (so get yours in!), I am currently wrapping up my own short story which, if it works out well, I will be including in the collection!
I had gone back and forth for a while about whether or not I’d be including a short story in this collection. I didn’t have a great idea for a while, and I ended up deciding that the idea I did have was no fun. So I switched and then decided that, for a while, I’d put aside the idea of writing for Novelists in November at all.
But … eventually, an idea came to me, so I outlined it a couple weeks ago and then started writing it.
Unfortunately, I still haven’t come up with a title, but here are some basics about the story!
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What’s it about?It’s the story of Effie, an author who recently married the younger brother of the infamous Duke of Ridgewell. Effie’s last book was a smash success … and the pressure is on for her to write another bestseller which will help support her family in the years to come. However, Effie’s inspiration well has run dry. When her new sister-in-law, Alexandra, suggests a journey to the country to rest before Christmas, Effie agrees, though nervous about spending time with the prickly countess. When a small disaster strikes, will Alexandra and Effie grow closer … or realize they have nothing in common at all?
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How would you describe your main character?Lady Effie Harriot is a quiet, introverted, bookish author who spends most of her time observing the world around her … to a fault. She’s dealt with feeling like an outsider looking in for most of her life, and old habits die hard.
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What’s your most anticipated scene?Well, I don’t want to spoil it, but here are a few hints:
flooded estate, dawn teatime, cuddly babies, sudden realizations!
TTFN!
~Kell~
Are you interested in getting to know me & my books better? Join my email list!
March 27, 2024
How to Format a Novel (or other fictional work) for Submission
Over the last couple days, I’ve answered a lot of young writers’ questions about how submission guidelines work both for Wild Blue Wonder Press, and at my day job at the Author Conservatory (where we do critiques as well as put together anthologies, necessitating submission guidelines).
And one of the biggest questions is about formatting manuscripts. And I forget, as someone who has been working in publishing for so long (since January 2016!), that not all of this is super intuitive.
But this is information EVERY writer needs to know, whether indie or traditional. If you’re an indie author, a lot of editors have similar submission guidelines and doing this work will make it easier on any interior formatter/typesetter you work with. If you’re working with any kind of traditional publisher or small press, they will probably have some kind of guidelines for submitting your story.
The BasicsAlign/Alignment
Text alignment is a paragraph formatting attribute that determines the appearance of the text in a whole paragraph. For example, in a paragraph that is left-aligned, text is aligned with the left margin. In a paragraph that is justified, text is aligned with both margins. You can also do center alignment for headers.
Most of the time, you use either left-aligned or justified text for publishing. I personally prefer justified.
Fonts
Most of us know what fonts are! Times New Roman is the default font for book publishing at the moment, though some publishers require different fonts.
Indent
Indent usually refers the first line of a paragraph being indented.
One important thing to note: do NOT use the tab key to indent! It takes time to learn, especially if you grew up using tab, but unlearn it. Instead, use your word processor’s tools to indent your story.
Most publishers ask for a 0.5″ indent.
Page Breaks
Page breaks are useful if your story has chapters. They are a uniform and controlled way to make sure your next chapter starts on a new page and doesn’t get messed up.
On a desktop, you can usually create page breaks by holding down the “Control” key and then pressing the “Enter” key. You can also do this by going to Insert > Break > Page Break.
Page Size
What it stands like! The standard is 8.5″x11″.
Point Size
Point size refers to the height of the font. 11 or 12 point font is the most common size.
Line Spacing
Line spacing is the distance between lines of text. Double spacing or 1.5 spacing at the most common types in manuscript formatting.
A Note on Intuitive LearningAs a writer, the most vital thing you can learn, especially if you plan to indie publish, is to learn for yourself.
In the next section, I’ll be breaking down how formatting works with Google Docs, but you can apply the same terms to Microsoft Word or any other word processor.
Use Google and your mind to make it happen.
That said, I will note that for me, a lot of the Word formatting tools are under “Home” or “Layout.”
Breaking Down Our GuidelinesFor Wild Blue Wonder Press, our submission guidelines are as such.
Standard 8.5″x11″ pages.This is the default on most Word processors, so you probably won’t have to do anything about this.
On Google Docs, you can adjust page side under File > Page Setup.
All of these can be adjusted in the main toolbar or under Format > Line & paragraph spacing.
Center-aligning any chapter headings is pretty intuitive on most word processors. On Google Docs, it’s in the main tool bar and under “Format.”
Indents are a little less intuitive. On Google Docs, there are two different ways to change indents.
1: Under “Format” > “Align & Indent” > “Indentation Options” > Special Indent (first line 0.5), or
2: By sliding the blue bars.
See a video on how to do either of these here.
Divide scenes with three pound/number signs (###), center aligned (no indents).This is pretty intuitive. Center align your scene dividers and make sure they’re not indented!
If your story has chapters, use the “header” function at 30 point font and have each start on a new page. Please format them as “Chapter One,” “Chapter Two,” etc.Also pretty intuitive. Both Google Docs and Microsoft Word have header function options. On the tool bar in Google Docs, you can see an option that normal reads “normal text.” If you click on this, it will give you a number of header options. Once you make the chapter title a header, you can then adjust font size and type without removing the header designation.
To make each chapter start on a new page, I recommend using page breaks. On a desktop, you can usually create page breaks by holding down the “Control” key and then pressing the “Enter” key. You can also do this by going to Insert > Break > Page Break.
No headers or footers.What it says. Don’t add unnecessary headers or footers.
Label document/save document “name” as “Author Name – Story Title.”For instance, if your author name is Kellyn Roth and your story title is The Ghost of Ghostlyville, you’d set the document name t0 “Kellyn Roth – The Ghost of Ghostlyville.”
Anyways, this is a short little post, but I thought it could be helpful to all you folks who work in publishing!
What formatting woes do you have when it comes to basic manuscript preparation? It sure is a lot to do!
TTFN!
~Kell~
Are you interested in getting to know me & my books better? Join my email list!
March 6, 2024
Comparing Patrick and Cassie from Like a Ship on the Sea
Today I have a kind of unusual post—I’ll be comparing Patrick Hilton and Cassie O’Connell from my novel, Like a Ship on the Sea. There’s a dichotomy between them, surely, but also so many similarities that I didn’t even realize existed until the revision stage. At which point, I was, of course, delighted.
As we know, both Patrick and Cassie deal with neglectful or even cruel parents. Patrick’s mother and father push him around and force him into situations he’s not comfortable with. He sees his mother as a distant but unloving figure, and his father as the harsh, tyrannical force that guides his every action.
Their relationship couldn’t be called close, but it was certainly one of close observation. They had watched him with eyes like a hawk over the years, his every action recorded and measured. He would receive regular reports of how his activities had measured up. If he was really deserving of the title of eldest son of the Hiltons. If he was putting his parents to shame. If he was acting too Yankee or Southern, depending on the parent. All things he couldn’t bear.
What’s funny is, despite the fact that his parents are often fighting and constantly at odds, Patrick sees them as a united front—both equally the villains. Throughout the story, he sees himself as wrestling with both of them, and he never wins—Patrick doesn’t believe he ever can win.
He has to maintain the status quo, do the things they want him to do, marry the girl they want him to marry, work until he’s exhausted, push himself just a little further, or irreparable harm will come to his sisters—but, I think, if he were honest with himself, there’s a heavy degree of selfishness there, too.
He loved his sisters. He loved working at the Hilton Shipping Company. So why was it so difficult to rouse the energy to put on a smile and a laugh and get through day after day of doing just the type of thing he had always wanted to do? That should be simple.
He likes certain aspects of the life he has with his parents’ approval intact—the wealth, the position, the job. He legitimately has the skills and talents to go far in his father’s company even on his own, which he has more than proved, as the Hiltons are definitely more of a reverse-nepotism family, if you will. But it’s not the right thing to do, even if he can tolerate it, and it takes the jump start of meeting and falling for the wrong woman to make him see that.
He shook his head as they rounded the corner, and he caught his father’s expression. The glare told him that his eyes had lingered overlong on the young woman in the hall, enough that he’d been caught. Yet he didn’t flinch—he never flinched when, inevitably, he failed his father’s idea of a faithful, steady man who was practically betrothed. But he wasn’t betrothed, not officially. Though his parents expected that he would marry Blanche Linden, to the general public, he was not a chained man—yet.
Meanwhile, there’s Cassie. Her parents are similarly cruel to her, but in that she doesn’t have much of a relationship with either of them. As opposed to Patrick’s controlling father, she barely knows her father at all—and what she does know of him is not necessarily benevolent. She knows he doesn’t care about her.
It’s clear that the closest thing she has to a father-daughter relationship in her life comes from her brother, Freddy, but even he seems to forget about and condescend to her—the same goes for her older sister, who is married and moved away by the time Like a Ship on the Sea takes place.
As for Cassie’s mother, she’s that mother who is never content with her daughter. Cassie’s older sister was the Golden Child, and Cassie can never meet that exacting standard—not in appearance, not in behavior, not in marital prospects.
“As a child, she’d been passed about from place to place, person to person. She couldn’t remember a time when summers and most holidays weren’t spent with some distant relative or schoolmate’s family. Her parents had not wanted a third child. They had had her brother, Frederick, the proper heir of the title and estate. They had had Catherine—dear Catie, with her big, blue eyes and her dark curls, a great beauty like their mother. Catie had always been wanted, and she had appealed to Mother’s vanity. Cassie loved her sister, but she couldn’t help but feel that it wasn’t fair that Catie was Catie whereas Cassie was, well, Cassie.”
Cassie describes herself as staid, but she has a bit of a wandering soul. I sometimes wonder if I achieved the balance I wanted to with her—both to be seeking contentment where she is and excited to explore the next horizon. The thing is, it’s a response to her mother’s controlling nature—a way of seeking something of her own that cannot be easily taken away. Whether that’s wandering through the streets of an Italian city on her own, having escaped her governess, because she just needs a few minutes alone—or creating habits and routines for comfort’s sake.
“Cassie was a creature of habit, after all. Habits were the secure, small actions that made the mundane feel bearable—that allowed her to find peace and quiet in the hasty rush of life that so often was far beyond her control.
Due largely to their parents’ influence on their life, both Cassie and Patrick are conflict averse, to the point that they often get themselves into situations that they then feel unable to extract themselves from—parent-arranged relationships being the #1 issue, of course! 
It’s a tendency they both need to face throughout the story—Cassie first and Patrick later on.
But honestly, the main reason that I love them both is their mix of confidence and utter lack of self-esteem.
… this sounds insane, but … hear me out.
Cassie is withdrawn and anxious for her childhood and much of her girlhood. Throughout The Dressmaker’s Secret (after she’s introduced) and At Her Fingertips, Alice views her as so painfully shy that she’s nearly incapable of functioning … and I think to a degree, that’s true.
Yet Cassie has a wry sense of humor and a deep understanding of what’s going on around her that I believe Alice sometimes misses—much as Alice missed so many things in those stages of her life. A lot of what Cassie was displaying was more fear and reluctance to be open—but we all know that once she was forced to be brave, well, Cassie can be very brave indeed. And in her element, she’s a force of nature.
… okay, a quiet force of nature, but a force of nature.
I mean, she’s been Alice’s friend for a long while, so obviously she’s got some grit.
Of course, Cassie’s confidence develops in time—and it’s all from God. On her own, she has none.
I don’t have to look into your heart to see that your behavior does not align with God’s commands.
With Patrick, it’s different. He’s anxious, sure, but it’s more nervous energy than anything. He’s obviously at ease in all the various types of social situations that his parents have raised him in, but you can tell that his constant need to please is just … wearing at him.
I mean, of course it is. It’d be wearing to anyone.
And like, Patrick is a mess, as we all know. He took fOrEvEr to grow, and I think that comes from a fear and stubbornness (another thing Patrick and Cassie have in common; they are both the most mule-headed fools in their own ways … though to be fair, I write stubborn characters in general because I am in general a stubborn person …).
If he were honest, he would admit that his prayers were hindered by his lack of obedience. God was trying to lead him somewhere, and Patrick was unwilling to stumble his way to somewhere. Especially if that accidentally led him to Cassie. That was where his thoughts wandered more often than not, and he wasn’t sure why. After all, she was just a temptation to be avoided. His feelings toward her must be deceptive. The very idea of allying himself with her was rooted in a long stream of poor choices. Ones he must not repeat.
Patrick’s confidence is not quite the God-derived kind at first—it’s more like arrogance. He’s foolishly certain he’s right, for one thing, in many areas he oughtn’t to be. He’s condescending at times, to the point of rudeness, and it all comes from seeking to maintain the status quo. And when anything shakes his path, even a little bit, he’s a mess. An utter mess.
Having never seen another side of Patrick, Cassie hadn’t been aware that, to his sisters’ eyes, Patrick was “acting strangely.” To her, it seemed like all his words, all his actions, were centered around a consistently confusing personality.
But I believe we see, in small measures, Patrick become confident in the right things. His work, yes, which he deservedly takes a measure of pride in. But then there’s also confidence in the Lord … the most important kind!
So yes, Patrick and Cassie are pretty similar—and I love it about them.
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Anyways, thank you for biding with me for my rambles! And let me know if you’d like to see more posts like this, because I can definitely do them, but I often feel like they provide no actual value to my readers, which is … not so good.
But then, I always struggle to provide value regardless of what I do, so maybe I’d better play with it a little more.
What do you think?
TTFN!
~Kell~
Are you interested in getting to know me & my books better? Join my email list!
February 28, 2024
Street Team Call for Voices of the Future: Stories of Courage & Compassion
GUESS WHAT?
I’m getting published in an anthology.
AND …
There are a couple things that make this story and this anthology really important and really fun.
This story features a character you know and love, if you’re a long-time reader.Even if you don’t know and love the character, you’ll want to support our mission.Because specifically, my story is being published in the Author Conservatory‘s second Voices of the Future anthology: Stories of Courage & Compassion!
Let’s start with the “supporting our mission” bit. I’ll circle back around to the “character you know and love” another time.
Voices of the Future is a collection of short stories written by students of the Author Conservatory FOR THE PURPOSE of supporting young writers.
To describe the purpose a little better:
Voices of the Future is our beacon, a platform where our voices as young aspiring authors are heard for the first time. It’s our chance to share our dreams, our hopes, and our tales with the world.
100% of every purchase of this anthology goes to help Author Conservatory students attend writing conferences so we can pitch our books to agents and editors.
That’s right! This book not only allows us to share our work with the world, but also paves the way for this writing dream to become a reality.
Though I’m not necessarily pursuing traditional publishing, the other writers are, and I want to see this anthology go far. We’re launching on April 23rd, 2024, and we’ll have a cover reveal in March.
For that reason,
Okay, I kid, I kid. (Though hey, if you feel led to buy a copy when the book goes up for preorder later this month, please do!)
No, actually, my real request is that you join my street team, Mrs. Roth’s Society Column. If you’re already in the group, great – you’ll receive an email soon with details.
If not, fill out the form below:
FILL OUT THIS FORM!Link to copy/paste into your browser: https://forms.gle/K4zrhS1mxE4G1FeT6
If you don’t know, a street team is a group of people who want to support this release and help us reach our writer conference goal. You don’t have to be a writer yourself or a social media influencer or anything like that to join up.
In fact, I’d be more than welcome to have my Uncle Ernie on this street team … if I had an Uncle Ernie, which I don’t. 
(Will you be my Uncle Ernie?)
It’s not a big commitment; it’s just a “do what you can” kind of thing. You can do it whether you have social media or not, whether you can commit to buying the book or not, etc. (That said, of course, if you’re able to purchase a copy of the book, that option will definitely be made open to you!)
As a part of the street team, you’ll get to read the anthology before anyone else. ALSO … if you’re a member of this street team and participate, there will be prizes, goodies, and so on made available to you.
If you want to know more, just hit reply and let me know!
Otherwise, just stay tuned! I’ll be sharing the cover and more exciting news soon!
Thank you so much!
TTFN!
~Kell~
Are you interested in getting to know me & my books better? Join my email list!
February 21, 2024
When Hearts Are Broken – Romance Collaboration with H.S. Kylian
Kellyn Roth here, and today I’m joined by H.S. Kylian to talk about Romance in Christian Fiction. Our first two posts were published here (about chemistry in Christian romance) and here (about kissing in Christian romance), but so definitely take some time to read those next time you get a chance!
However, in this blog post, Hannah and I will be discussing how to handle romance when hearts are broken in the event of sexual sin or other transgressions—specifically, we’ll explore some pitfalls Christian romances tend to fall into when taking on these subjects.
Hannah: Christian readers and authors alike seem to have this tendency to not like reading about romances gone wrong—and that’s totally understandable. We don’t want our favorite couples being torn apart or having conflict with each other; we just want them to be happy and healthy as a couple!
Alas, we live in a fallen world … and yet that factor doesn’t really seem to appear in a lot of Christian fiction out there. Like sure, it’s talked about, but there’s never really a gravity to it. It’s kind of given a Sunday School treatment.
Kellyn: It seems to me that we Christians are more equipped than any other person could possibly be to both portray those situations in a realistic light—and yet provide abundant hope through even the darker situations in life.
Since a romance is a relationship that requires a great deal of vulnerability between the couple, it’s the perfect relationship for highlighting both the importance of truth and honesty (including the fact that sin exists and is damaging) while showing how great God’s love and grace for us is.
Hannah: It doesn’t make sense to me when I see authors say they want their readers to be left hopeful yet the story itself comes across as more fluffy than hopeful, and it all boils down to this: the issue of sin is danced around. Which just isn’t a biblical way of dealing with it. At all.
Kellyn: The thing about hope is that it can’t really exist unless we live in the real world. Fortunately, we all live in the real world! So we all have hope. But I understand the temptation to write light, happy things believing that that will give our audience the most hope. However, that’s simply not true.
The conflicts don’t have to be big in every story, but if conflict doesn’t exist at all, we don’t have anything to hope for. The goal is to show how God’s light and love redeems darkness—not to pretend that darkness doesn’t exist at all!
Hannah: Look at the Book of Judges, for example! There’s a reason the pastor at my former church said that if it were a movie, it’d be rated NC-17, and it’s not hard to see why. There’s war, dismemberment, human sacrifice, someone’s guts are spilled … yet despite Israel sinning again and again, there is still the hope of salvation.
Kellyn: In a romance context, we have an opportunity to show sins but then also portray healthy relationships in the face of such situations, but how do we do that? Well, there are three things to keep in mind:
Reality. We want to make sure we’re portraying how both Christians and non-Christians, depending on the situation, approach whatever sin they’re involved in, whether it’s a sin they committed or a sin that was committed against them. This requires careful, unbiased research.Repentance. Especially if your character is already a Christian, showing them actively repenting—both by admitting their sin and asking God and any involved parties for forgiveness and by moving forward and “sinning no more”—is an important step. I highly recommend bringing Scripture into this as you address the issue! It’s a must in Christian fiction, truly.Redemption. Show the character moving on from their sin and living in the joy and freedom of God’s grace as well as showing other characters (especially the love interest!) offering them similar grace and love. Though of course there will always be people in our lives who refuse to forgive us, or who are stuck in legalism, but that person should not be the love interest!Hannah: I’ve got a few examples from my stories: in one (which I’ll call Story A), a young couple sinned in having sex before marriage, leading to their first child’s conception; in another story (which I’ll call Story B), before he became a Christian, the man (who I’ll call J) sexually sinned in the past and it led to his child being aborted – which really messed him up. He later meets another woman (who I’ll call L), who comes from a legalistic background and was sexually sinned against, leading to her becoming pregnant. And if you’ve already read For Better or For Worse, then you caught the references to Will’s alcoholism after he returned home from Vietnam and to Susie remaining faithful to him even though people thought she would be better off leaving him.
Kellyn: Similarly, I seem to end up in an abundance of situations where sin has led to broken hearts and a need for redemption. Of course, the biggest example that comes to mind is that of Ivy and Jordy from my novel Beyond Her Calling. Jordy has a past containing sexual sin, and he feels immense guilt over it. Given that he has already repented and is being typically Jordy-McAllen-Drama-King, a lot of the story involves the redemption Jordy needs to experience. It’s not that he needs to forgive himself so much as he needs to trust God!Of course, I have written other books where situations like this come up … though he’s a minor character, Riley Farjon from the same series is another example of a person who has a past, though his story more concerns his relationship with our actual hero, his best friend/cousin Peter! And I won’t go rambling on forever, but given that I’m currently outlining a series I’m joking referring to as “the 7 deadly sins,” well, I have definitely been thinking about this concept of redemption in Christ a lot!
Hannah: I’m fairly certain I’ve read stories where a character undergoes a supposed redemption arc yet it doesn’t come across that way, because again, there seems to be this unspoken rule that ‘Thou Shalt Not Write About Tough Topics’ circulating around the Christian writers-sphere and that if you do talk about tough topics, then ‘Thou Shalt Dance Around The Subject’—as in, “Gloss over it, don’t actually show the long-lasting consequences of said sin, or portray it as the heavy weight it is,” etc, etc.
And then the writers who dare to actually treat such topics with actual gravity and seriousness are the ones who get lambasted. All because they don’t believe in sanitizing reality.
When it comes to redemption arcs in romance novels in which the circumstances involve sexual sin, it can definitely be a painful process. In Story A, the couple hesitates (for at least the first few years of their marriage) to try for another child because of their past sin. Though they repented and they see their son as an undeserved blessing—proof of God’s grace in fact—they still struggle with the guilt that crops up from time to time, especially when their son asks why he doesn’t have little brothers and sisters.
In Story B, as J is learning how to rightly love a woman through his relationship with L and cares for her child as though said child was his own, he still struggles with the guilt over having had sex out of wedlock, resulting in a child who was killed in the womb. On L’s side, she’s struggling with her worth as a person due to what happened to her, and has doubts she can bond with her daughter. And amidst this struggle, she’s learning to trust that J genuinely loves her and her daughter.
Kellyn: I think sometimes the lasting spiritual effects of past sins are glossed over more than anything. We like to wrap things up in a nice, tidy bow, but that’s just not the truth of life. I understand that for story purposes, some things do have to be resolved—but not if it means ignoring the healing process because, at the end of the day, our sins (and the sins against us) are damaging. God doesn’t just ask us not to sin because He randomly decided to do so—amongst other reasons, the law exists for our own good!
In a lot of my stories, I’m dealing with this concept in other situations—such as various ills of the entire The Chronicles of Alice & Ivy series, honestly, which is 90% “and then we had to deal with that small lie or one event for twenty years.” In truth, that’s why I love writing family sagas! It gives you space to expand these concepts. But even in standalones, you can make this work. It just takes a slightly different set of skills.
Hannah: Another thing to consider if you’re going to tackle sexual sin in a romance novel is to acknowledge where the root of that sin comes from—the heart.
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” — Jeremiah 17:9 | ESV
Holding hands, hugging, and even kissing isn’t what led to the couple in Story A sinning, and abstaining from it didn’t prevent L from being raped; it was lust and the lack of self-control that led to both, which is sin.
(As a side note, whether people want to admit it or not, those three things—hand-holding/hugging/kissing—can indeed be done within the boundaries of self-control—though admittedly, every couple is different when it comes to physical affection before marriage and need to be seriously prayerful about that stuff)
Ultimately, the couple in Story A sinned because they’re sinners. Sinners saved by grace, but still sinners. And ultimately, L was raped because of sin.
I think that’s another thing that sometimes gets missed in Christian fiction—the fact that we are a) born with sinful hearts, and b) even after being saved, we still struggle with sin every single day.
Kellyn: I feel like there are a lot of ways Christians fail when it comes to the discussion of sins, especially sexual sins, in Christian fiction, but one of the main ones I see is just that … it’s the excuses. “If you had just done it this way, the right way, the Christian way, this wouldn’t have happened!” or “It was just a mistake!” are the two opposite ends of the extreme. Neither of them actually address the deeper heart issue or provide a lasting solution.
But it’s simple: turn to God in all matters and surrender to Him. Treating it as a matter we could easily resist and turn from without the help of God AND treating it like a simple mistake that isn’t really a big deal are both forms of sinful pride.
Hannah: Mh-hm. It’s quite frustrating when I’m reading a book and the Gospel presentation comes across as a sales pitch rather than the life-giving truth it is. And it’s even more frustrating when baby Christian characters start acting mature all of a sudden … like excuse me, where did the sanctification go???
Kellyn: In conclusion, there are a lot of things to be discussed when it comes to this complex topic—more than could possibly go into a single blog post—but the primary concern is always to seek God through prayer and Bible-reading!
What do you feel needs more discussed in Christian romance?
TTFN!
~Kell~
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February 14, 2024
Why We Need Kissing Books ~ collaboration with H.S. Kylian
Do you enjoy kissing books?
Well, maybe you do, and maybe you don’t!
Either way, you can read a collaboration on the subject over at H.S. Kylian’s blog, The Writerly Worm.
Click Here to Read!Happy Valentine’s Day! I don’t really celebrate, per se, but it is interesting. And in case you didn’t know, no, it’s not a greeting card holiday; it’s a historical holiday based on St. Valentine, who was a real Christian man who lived in Rome. So. The more you know.
TTFN!
~Kell~
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February 7, 2024
Why We Need Chemistry in Christian Romance
Hey folks! I’m Kellyn Roth, and I’m here today with H.S. Kylian to talk about chemistry in romance. (If you don’t know, Hannah writes a bunch of cool serieses in the family saga arena, and you arguably can’t have a family without chemistry. More on that later.) This is the first in a series of romance-novel-writing posts to celebrate Valentine’s Day!
Today, we’re discussing how banishing chemistry in Christian romance (or treating it like smut/spice) is a mistake—and how it can be done well.
Hannah will also be weighing in on this topic, but I’m going to start off with an intro and some context for this discussion. Basically, Hannah and I are both fairly passionate about writing romance well—and further, at writing romance in a way that doesn’t make all Christian romance an arranged marriage between two people who decided they might as well further the human race, no other factors involved.
That is no fun. For anyone. And though I loved the arranged marriage and marriage of convenience tropes, part of the point of those tropes is watching two people fall in love. Which they indeed must, if they’re following God’s plan for marriage.
The point of this post is basically that chemistry in romance is good and necessary. But we’ll also get into how chemistry in romance is NOT the same as lust and sometimes is not even about physical attraction (though it can be).
What is Chemistry?Chemistry is how their personalities work together—and it’s also a bit of attraction, a bit of “we work well together, don’t we?”
It is not how much they stare at each other’s lips or how muscular the guy is or how beautiful the heroine’s eyes are. Though these factors can influence chemistry, they are not chemistry itself.
Basically, with chemistry, you must convince the reader that these two people need to be together not just because they were trapped together in a coal mine but because God kind of had a plan for them to get hitched.
Hannah: I’d like to add that chemistry is this sort of sense, like a sixth sense if you will, lingering in the background as the relationship builds, helping to convince the readers that yes, these two knuckleheads should be together.
And, one of the ways that you can show a fictional couple has chemistry is in their first meeting. Right off the bat there should be some sort of zing! to the way they interact with each other. Think of Darcy & Lizzy in Pride & Prejudice or Eugene & Rapunzel in Tangled, for example.
Yes. In two ways, actually.
Chemistry is necessary in romance & marriage, but it’s also a good shorthand for a writer to use to show that the characters are at ease around each other, are attracted to each other, and feel safe being themselves around each other.
So a part of it can be tongue-in-cheek flirting, if that fits the characters, but it’s also how well they do together in different scenarios.
Hannah: When I read romance, I expect romance. I expect to be grinning like a sap and squealing with delight when Guy & Girl finally get together. I expect swooning over a manly man who protects his lady. In short, I expect to be shipping them hard, as in OTP hard.
If I’m reading a romance and I’m not shipping the characters, or if I’m shipping A and C with each other and they each end up with someone else, then something, at least to me, is wrong. There has to be a reason behind why these characters should be together, and if I can’t see that reason, then there’s no cheering when the couple finally gets together.
Is Chemistry Spice or Smut?Is “chemistry” the same as “spice”? No, and I argue it’s not even the same as physical attraction in some ways.
Some of the best chemistry in the world is, to me, between Emma Woodhouse and Mr. Knightley in the book (and the movie—I’m thinking of the one with Gwyneth Paltrow), Emma. But they don’t even touch in the book, or mention physical characteristics of their romantic interest much at all, and in the movie, they’re pretty chaste, too. Like, you don’t see them gawking at each other, and there’s no random “man has to be repeatedly filmed while covered in water” portion in that particular movie.
Yet here we are, convinced (at least from my perspective) that this couple belongs together. And that has to do with their chemistry. They fit together. Their personalities jive. They both have something to offer each other.
I think this idea that chemistry = sex comes from the word itself. I mean, especially in the 1950s and 1960s, movies used “chemistry” as a way to refer to all those fun hormones that do drive sexual relationships.
This is obscure, but there’s a 1950s musical called “Guys and Dolls” which is … a wild ride … But it basically addressed purity culture from a pseudo-secular standpoint before there was purity culture or a “secular standpoint.”
But anyways, there’s a repeated emphasis on the term “chemistry” referring to sexual awakening (… I swear it’s so subtle in the musical) and specifically the verse from the song “If I Were a Bell”:
“Ask me how do I feel
From this chemistry lesson I’m learning;
Well sir, all I can say is
If I were a bridge I’d be burning!”
But again, this is not what we’re talking about here. We’re discussing chemistry as a writing term. As an aspect of romance. And there’s not a good, well-written romance that doesn’t include actual chemistry.
Because at the end of the day, romance is about marriage, and marriage is about the melding of two souls. If I read a book and think, “These characters are like water and oil!” then you have failed to give them proper chemistry. (Man, I feel so scientific.)
Is Chemistry Lust?As far as physical attraction, we need to draw a sharp line in the sand here between physical attraction and lust.
Lust is selfish attraction that exists for the sole purpose of taking, owning, possessing, and generally leads to sin (and is a sin all on its lonesome). Whereas, physical attraction in and of itself can be controlled and between a committed couple is necessary.
I wrote a whole lot about this in my post “The Case for Physical Attraction in Romance,” but simply put, physical attraction is a blessing, not a curse, and not portraying it in our romances does a disservice to romantic relationships as a whole.
Hannah: I’d like to add that there could be a sort of Gnostic thinking to readers/authors not liking any physical attraction at all, which is just silly because Gnosticism isn’t Biblical. It’s rooted in the belief that all the physical is bad and only the spiritual is good, which is heresy, because…GOD CREATED THE PHYSICAL WORLD INCLUDING THE HUMAN BODY. The Book of Genesis clearly states, “And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.”
In conclusion, dear reader, we hold that chemistry is a necessary aspect in romance—and should not and must not be confused with sexual sins such as lust.
We need more healthy romances both in the Christian romance category and in general, and as we write those, we cannot ignore chemistry as a vital proponent of the relationship.
Do you enjoy writing or reading romance? What to you constitutes romantic chemistry?
Stay tuned for more posts on the writing of romance with Valentine’s Month from both of us!
TTFN!
~Kell~
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Kellyn Roth, Author
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