What I Write and Why

I write Christian romances where the husband and wife have sex.

Most of the time my characters start out as Christian. If the characters don’t start out as Christian, they become one by the end of the story. I don’t come out and state this because I am not a fan of “preachy” stories, but that is what happens. So if a character prays or says “God”, they mean God reverently, not as slang. Some storylines require more emphasis on Christian content than others. For example, if a character is in need of redemption but feels it’s out of his reach, I will introduce God into the story because that’s what is needed for the character. If a character is a preacher, then that will tilt things in a more spiritual direction during the course of the story.

What I don’t want to do is treat my stories like a Sunday sermon. I would rather have the characters act and talk in ways that demonstrate their faith. There will be times when they fall. (There would be no plot if they were perfect.) But they will strive to live the Christian life by the time the story ends. I like to think that mercy and grace are part of the happy ending.

I realize I don’t write for everyone. This puts me in a niche, and that’s fine. There are a ton of secular romances that are steamy and a ton of secular romances that are sweet (no sex). There are also a ton of Christian romances that are sweet (again, no sex). Those groups are covered very well in the romance genre. I started writing and publishing books because, as a married Christian woman, I wanted to read romances where the husband and wife are having a fun and enjoyable sex life.

I still have not come across a Christian romance author except for Carolyn Davidson and Rose Gordon who write the kind of romances I do. (And unfortunately, I don’t think those two authors are writing anymore.) I have read authors who’ve done some books where sex was within marriage, but then characters are having sex outside of marriage in their other books. I want an author who keeps it consistent. If such an author exists, I would be thrilled to read their work, so please let me know if you found one.

I want sex only within marriage between the hero and heroine. I don’t mind if characters are tempted because being tempted is something a lot of people deal with. Sometimes we fall to temptation in this world. I would like the process of forgiveness and repentance to be addressed in this scenario, followed by doing things the right way. I want sex to mean something to these characters. I don’t like how casual sex has become in the culture.

I understand this is a sensitive topic for a lot of people, but I also have learned that there are other people like me out there, and I am thankful for those of you who have contacted me so I know I’m not alone. If this isn’t your cup of tea, you know to avoid me. If, however, this is what you’re looking for, I will keep on writing romances where the hero and heroine wait for marriage to have sex.