Kellyn Roth's Blog: Kellyn Roth, Author, page 11
May 25, 2022
Romance is a Relationship—NOT a Genre | a guest post by Grace A. Johnson
Hey folks! Welcome to my blog! For the first time in a while, we have a terribly amazing blog post … a guest post by Grace A. Johnson, one of the most incredible people in the Christian fiction world right now.
Grace A. Johnson is an author, thinker, and of course God-follower who was inspired and blessed me many times with her insightful posts and really detailed reviews. Some day I’m going to prioritize reading her novels, too! They look amazing.
One of the reasons I’m sharing this is because Grace recently released a devotional. Like Grace mentions in this article on her blog, I am also not a devotional person. I hate them, actually. But I’m very tempted to check this one out … I probably should, actually.
You can check out her devotional on Amazon. And look at that gorgeous cover!
The other day (Southern for last week XD), I brought up the topic of favorite/least favorite genres with a few of my fellow writers. Suffice to say I’m the only romance writer/reader in my entire friend group, so most of them threw romance into their heap of disliked genres. They’re not the only ones, for I’ve encountered a host of individuals who hate romance. (I’m sure you’ve run into a few of those…interesting folks…or you are one…)
It honestly rubs me wrong when people say they hate, or dislike, or want nothing to do with romance. Of course, I know they’re talking about books and movies saturated with romance and mushy love stories…but something still doesn’t seem right. How can you hate romance when it’s an integral part of everyday life? How can you shy away from it when you yourself are living out a love story between your spouse or significant other? How come it makes you gag when it’s what brought your parents together and what will unite you with your future mate one day?
That’s just it. The literary (and cinematic) industry have distorted the definition of romance by calling it—you guessed it—a genre. Instead of being an important part of society and life, romance (and all that it entails) is shoved into a box alongside mystery, science fiction, and fantasy. It becomes a style and a category rather than what it really is—a relationship.
There is no “just romance” or romantic “subplot.” Because romance is a relationship, it must be crafted, developed, and woven into the story as well as any other relationship. After all, we don’t call friendship a subplot, do we? It’s a deep aspect of your book, a part of your characters and themes, and it moves, interacts, and grows with every element of your story.
This is why so many writers struggle with writing romance novels and entwining romantic subplots into their stories.
They think of a romance novel as “just romance” and find themselves bored with their story, characters, and plot because they were all created for the romance. Or they think of a romantic subplot as something they can just throw into their story to spice up the plot, when it ends up becoming a nuisance and a drawback.
So how can you start viewing romance as the relationship it is rather than a genre? How can you weave it into your story in a way that’s authentic, poignant, and beneficial to the book?
I’m glad you asked! I’ve got a few tips that ought to help. Keep in mind that these are more broad, concerning any kind of romantic relationship whether it’s central in the story or it fades into the background. (This post has inspired me to write a couple articles about romance novels and romantic subplots…so y’all can find more specific advice on my blog pretty soon!)
Create the Romance for Your StoryThe biggest issue (in my opinion), is that writers create a setting, characters, and plotline for the sole purpose of two people falling in love. Think of a Hallmark movie, for an example, with its quaint small town (which must have a bed and breakfast in the mountains); the new-to-town heroine who’s out of her element; the perfect (and intentionally scruffy) hero who comes to rescue; and the ex-boyfriend who’s a huge workaholic and jerk. Can’t forget the secondary cast of meddling grandmother/B&B owner and gushing friends who are quick to play matchmaker.
Everything about the story just screams a perfect happily-ever-after, right? Every element is tailored directly to the hero and heroine falling in love.
As straight-forward and effective as that may seem, that’s the main reason why Hallmark movies are so cheesy and cookie-cutter. The characters have no personality, conflicts and struggles, or wishes and dreams. The plot has no other aspects except the heroine running into the hero at every turn. I could go on.
And with romantic subplots in action and adventure movies/books, mysteries, and middle-grade or YA stories, it seems like the characters—at least one of them—were introduced into the story for the only purpose of being love interests (that’s a rant for another day). They don’t contribute to the story in any other way or have any substance to themselves.
Which is why we have got to stop creating stories for romance. We need to start creating romance for stories and not the other way around, letting the relationship flow from the characters and their interactions, becoming a part of the plot instead of taking away from it.
I mean, you can’t have a story that’s just relationship, right? There has to be conflict, a climax (besides “Oh, I love you, will you marry me?”), action, adventure, mystery—something that builds the story and develops the characters, allowing readers to connect with them and then start rooting for a romance. And this doesn’t just go for subplots. Some of the best romance novels have many other elements—yes, even Jane Austen’s.
So instead of saying to yourself “Hey, let’s write a romance!” say “Let’s create some characters with tough struggles and dark pasts, who go on an epic journey together.” Found your romance upon deep characters and developed relationships rather than founding those relationships and characters upon romance.
After all, you are your own person with fears and dreams and a life apart from sitting in the corner booth pining for your crush, right? Make your characters the same.
Try outlining your characters with a character template before writing.Create playlists and Pinterest boards that reflect your characters’ personality/feelings.
Give your characters careers, goals, backstories, and more to enhance the plot.
Plot with your characters instead of around them by working with their lifestyles, other relationships, and reactions.Focus on Emotional Connection + Chemistry
I cannot tell you how many romances I’ve read that are focused solely on physical attraction or physical arrangement. By arrangement, I mean that the hero and heroine fall in love because (1) they’re around each other all the time or one or the other is the only available male/female in the area. And we all know what physical attraction is, don’t we?
Now, neither of these are bad things. Physical attraction plays a lot into romantic relationships—and friendships too—and there’s nothing wrong at all with your characters being attracted to each other on a physical level. It doesn’t have to be shallow or lustful; physical attraction can actually be really sweet and pure. (Beside the point, though.) And physical arrangement can really help develop your romance, as long as they’re not together just so they can fall in love. They have to be around each other for different, more diverse reasons if you want the story to even be realistic.
The point is, though, that even though you can utilize these things and focus on them some, your main focus should be on establishing and cultivating an emotional connection between the characters and—you guessed it—chemistry.
Chemistry is actually not the same as physical attraction, believe it or not. Attraction is the north pole and the south pole, whereas chemistry is baking soda and vinegar. The first is where two similar things are drawn towards each other because of their physical characteristics, and the last is where two different things react to each other because of their makeup. For example, co-stars in a movie may have fantastic chemistry with each other because their personalities are so varied and their interactions are so genuine—and they may either hate each other or love them to death in real life! (And they may both be butt ugly, so there’s that.) When your characters start bantering back and forth, arguing every other moment, or working together in perfect sync, there’s chemistry.
But when your characters make small talk, never have any conflict, and just go about their merry ways, there’s no chemistry, and you need to drop that romance. If you try and force two characters together who don’t want to be together, you’re gonna end up with a bland, cheesy romance that is poorly developed and not engaging.
Focus on if your hero and heroine have good chemistry, and continue to develop their reactions. (As in, don’t leave them stagnant. They need to keep bubbling instead of fizzling out after a while.)
As for emotional connection…this is when your characters have something in common, unite over a shared cause, have similar struggles or values, or just have a good cry together. When they can connect on a deeper level than just personalities and appearances, you’ve got a rare relationship. So many romances stop at attraction and arrangement, and seem to forget that characters have wants and needs and goals and fears. If you can use those things to further their relationship and develop it more rather than letting your characters’ individual aspects take away from their relationship, you can guarantee a romance that’s genuine and that pulls readers in.
My two favorite ways to implement good chemistry and strong emotional connections are the popular friends-to-lovers and enemies-to-lovers tropes. Friends-to-lovers automatically have superb emotional connections, because they’re friends. They’ve already established a relationship and know each other well. They can relate, share things, have things in common, etc. Same as any other friendship.
And enemies-to-lovers have delicious chemistry (when well done, of course), because there’s conflict and anger and opposition. Whether they’re a Jewess and a Nazi or rival co-workers or neighbors fighting over a fence, you can develop their relationship beyond “Oh, I like you, you’re nice” with all the differences they’ll have to overcome. You’ll end up with a stronger romance too.
Chemistry and emotional connection are gonna be two of your best friends in writing your romance. They’ll keep you on your toes and excited about the story; they’ll help move the plot along and contribute to it in many ways; and they’ll draw your readers in and get them invested in the story and, specifically, the romance.
Pay attention to your characters’ differences and commonalities, even if that means making a Venn Diagram.
Have fun with comedic situations, funny encounters, banter, and arguments—you can cut out what’s fluff later and keep what contributes to development!
Learn about romance tropes and figure out which one(s) fit your characters—that’ll help guide the direction of their romance and give you examples to refer back to.
Develop your characters’ relationship/background without their romance—whether that’s in an outline, prologue/prequel, or through backstory.
Take a few scenes to just enhance their relationship, through conversations, collaboration, and more, without throwing in kisses and mushy speeches. XDDon’t. Be. Repetitive.
I could turn this into a post all its own, because this really is the downfall of almost all romances (scratch that, almost all books and movies in general)…but the gist is that no matter how touching and romantic moonlit strolls, passionate kisses, and declarations of love are, you must be conservative with them. And I’m not saying that because you shouldn’t say “I love you” or because kissing is bad (all lies, in case you’re wondering); I’m saying that because these are such beautiful and meaningful things that they should be treated with honor and care, not just thrown in to make it a romance.
This goes for more generic things, like certain conversations and actions, issues and problems, and eating (for example). So many books (and other medias) have eight scenes with the characters having breakfast, or three scenes with the characters arguing over the same thing, or ten instances in which the main character thinks about this certain thing, or five books where the side character dies in each one.
Whatever it is, when you start repeating it over and over and over, readers get bored. And annoyed. And distanced from the story. By keeping things fresh and new, you’re able to retain their attention and keep them reading.
You’re also able to make a more interesting and believable romance.
Limit the dates to only two or three on page. Have them only say “I love you” once, when they really mean it. Make each kiss count by describing them differently and using them for different things (ooh, there’s another post for another day). See what I mean?
When you make each moment different and meaningful and you start focusing on how each scene enriches the plot rather than repeating everything, your romance becomes a relationship and not just the category your book is in.
Cut out any scenes/paragraphs of fluff (moments that are unnecessary to the plot or development).Change up your phrasing, word choice, and descriptions so that even repeated things seem new and different.
Add new elements like a different setting, other characters, etc., to repeated moments.
Make romantic elements central to the plot instead of just throwing them in because you think they should be there. If a marriage proposal at the end of the book ruins your cliffhanger or disrupts an intense moment, don’t include it. You don’t have to have every single romantic thing in your book for it to qualify as a romance. All you need is love, regardless of how your characters express it.Love Languages + Expression
Speaking of expressing love, each character is different. Your hero is different from your heroine. Your couple in Book 1 is different from the couple in Book 3. Your medieval fantasy couple in their thirties is different from your contemporary YA couple.
And that means the way they express love is different. Some guys will never say “I love you.” Some women don’t like to be touched and kissed all over. Some people will sacrifice their physical life for the one they love; others will give up all their dreams; and then there are some who would prefer to give up time or money.
When you know your characters’ personality and backstory, you can find their love language and utilize it. Love languages are one of your best friends when it comes to creating realistic, authentic relationships. Now, not everyone fits into the box—for example, I show love through gifts, but I prefer others to show me love in a different way. I also like doing things for other people, so I don’t necessarily have only one love language, and the ones I do have don’t always look the same as the generic description.
But if you know your character, that won’t matter. You’ll be able to define and describe their ways of expressing love in a manner that’s true and natural rather than just telling the reader how the character is supposed to act.
This also applies on a book basis. Even though Mr. Darcy writes long, poetic love letters and Pride and Prejudice is a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance, your romance doesn’t have to be the same. Just because your first romance novel was about two friends who regularly said “I love you,” your second doesn’t have to be the same.
Your story is unique, and every aspect of your story has to be consistent with the story itself—make sense? So even your romance has to fit the plot, the characters, the themes, the setting. For example, there might not be a lot of kissing in a historical romance, and there probably won’t be any poetic letters in a contemporary one—so don’t force your characters to make out if they shouldn’t or wax poetic if they wouldn’t. Just because it’s romantic doesn’t mean it needs to be included if it doesn’t fit the story. Same goes for if your story is jam-packed with action and there isn’t time for a full-fledged wedding ceremony. Pirates of the Caribbean already pulled off a wedding mid-battle; you can do it too if it disrupts your plot and pacing to start planning a huge wedding.
Make sure you respect your era and culture, your characters and their needs, and your plot. The more you do that, the more authentic your romance is.
Research the time and place your story is set, as well as courtship customs, what was considered taboo, etc. Reading romances written during that era can help considerably!Research love languages and figure out how your characters’ personalities, backgrounds, etc. determine how they express love.
Outline your plot—even if it’s just a quick run-through of how all the events will be paced—so that you can integrate your romance into it.In Conclusion
Whew! This post was a LOT longer than I’d anticipated! Kudos to you if you read all the way through! (And if you didn’t, don’t worry. I’ll sum up. ;P)
If you feel like your romance is bland and lifeless, like you’re confined to making your story fit the genre, or like your romance is pointless and undeveloped, then just remember that romance isn’t a genre. It’s a relationship. A real life, authentic, soul-deep relationship between one man and one woman, and the best ways to portray it through fiction are:
creating romance for your story and characters, not the other way around;focusing on and utilizing chemistry and emotional connection between your hero and heroine;
keeping your story fresh and engaging by not repeating conversations, actions, etc;
and understanding love languages and how your characters express love!
What are some other tips or tricks that might help? How do you get immersed in your characters and their relationships? Is romance easy for you to write or difficult? (Are you one of those crazies completely normal people who hate romance???) Which of these do you think you need to work on more? What are some of your favorite romance novels that go beyond the genre? Let us know in the comments below! 
Grace is a teenage authoress who has loved books since she was two years old. From Junie B. Jones to Nancy Drew, words and the worlds they create have always been a part of her. At ten years old, she felt the urge to pick up her pencil and start writing some worlds of her own. Now, six years later, she has written and self-published two novels, a novella, and five short stories. She’s obsessed with history, etymology (the study of words; not to be confused with entomology, the study of insects), Jane Austen, art, and music—and when she’s not writing, you can find her reading, snapping photos of books, cooking, and rocking out to her favorite band.
She lives in beautiful (but humid) South Georgia, surrounded by farmland and forestry (and not as close to the beach as she’d like), with her parents and six younger siblings. Her dream is to be a wife and a mother, follow the Spirit to the mission field, and inspire other young writers to reach for the sky! You can learn more about her by checking out her blog, Of Blades and Thorns, subscribing to her newsletter, and following her on social media!
TTFN!
~Kell~
p.s.Did you enjoy that guest post? (I was wildly impressed by it! Grace is an amazing author and has so many beautiful, true thoughts to share with the world, and I adored this post most of all!)
May 18, 2022
This Used to be a Quality Blog (& here’s why it’s not anymore)
The first part of the title is kind of a lie, but it got your attention, now, didn’t it? 
No, this was never a quality blog, but it was an UPDATED blog, which is something, eh? Nowadays, it’s not. Well, it is now, but in general, I’ve been struggling to find time for blogging. Which sucks because I ENJOY blogging. I like writing long-form things, and I am continually pushing the character limits on Instagram.
I’m told I should focus on my newsletter (which you can subscribe to here, if you’ve a mind! I’m currently sending monthly updates which are really awesome and succinct), but I … I mean, I will, so definitely do subscribe, but I will probably always still have a blog. That said, the quality has always and will always vary. And now is no exception.
But I would love to talk, briefly, today, about the reasoning behind my difficulty updating this blog AND how I’m working to combat that. Because I can make promises all day – and I have, many times – but without physical steps to take to fix that, there’s no hope. None at all.
Let’s talk about that.
This is always the case, but it feels like the busy is of a different type (though normal busy also haunts me, certainly! I always am over-booked). I’ll admit … when it comes to blogging, I’m an emotional person. Depending on my mood, I will blog more or less, and I always have, even when loosely sticking to a schedule.
I feel like I’m emotionally busy these days. I’m always processing something, and even when I’m not, particularly, the air around me feels heavy, full of unfulfilled expectations and crushed dreams and hopes I don’t dare to express.
It’s not with depression or stress or all the normal stuff I’m so accustomed to. I’m not miserable – I’m not suicidal – I’m not angry at my boyfriend or having friend drama or struggling at work or doubting my writing, my life, my faith. Not so far from God that I can barely touch light – not so distant from purity that I can barely believe there is such a thing as goodness – not so alone in the spirit I can barely trust anyone around me.
I wrote through all of that on this blog. I wrote most of my books while dealing with one or many of those.
No, it’s much better than that. It’s that life I didn’t believe existed, where I’m not dead inside. I’m alive, and I’m living, and my goodness, it’s awful and wonderful at the same time.
I’m just emotionally tired.
It’s hard emotional work being married. Hard to always keep the peace. Hard to believe the best when the very nature of any close relationship is to see and accept the worst. Hard to adjust myself to the idea that the biggest work in my life is not something physical, or not the simple task of showing up and doing my best.
Because my best is so much less than what is needed in this situation. It’s hard to force myself to try in a relationship all. the. time.
I’m not a big fan of big effort. “Work smart, not hard” could literally be tattooed on my forehead.
And I’m exhausted by it. I don’t seem to have space in my mind to process as much as I used to, and these last few months have been the worst of it.
But lest I blame Matthew for everything (poor fellow got an overthinker for a wife, lol) – it’s also the reality of … reality. Ugh. Which brings us into our second point.
Second, I’ve been … high?No, not like that! I’m not that kind of Oregonian.
Okay, that was just a catchy headline to mess with y’all. Basically, being “high” is kind of the opposite of being depressed. After all, the root word of depression and the alternate definition is, of course:
(of an object or part of an object) in a physically lower position, having been pushed or forced down.
No one ever tells you that after you stop *actively* being depressed (I’m not saying I’m completely healed, but I feel like God has done a number on me – in a good way! – in the last year or so), you start having this like … not depressed thingy? What is this? It’s so weird?
But depression, um, depresses a lot of your reactions, and though that usually just means the positive ones, that can also mean a lot of my emotional reactions. (MATTHIAS SMACKED ME, AND I. TEARED. UP. Which freaked the snot out of him. And also amused me because he has the best shocked expressions.)
And I know that some time I will learn to manage my emotions. What’s happening here is that whenever I do have an emotion, I’m shocked by it and don’t react as quickly as I have in the past. And I am slowly learning self-control and understanding what it is that I’m reacting to and why.
But in the meantime, it’s weird. It’s super weird. And you know what, it annoys me that this isn’t talked about because, like … do we just assume depression will be with people forever and there’s no use in talking about recovery? What’s up with that? Y’all are, um, depressing.
Anyways, we need healing stories, so that’s why I think it was good for me to share part of mine. Even if I am frequently a mess, it’s not what is used to be. And I’m grateful for that (even if Matthew would probably say I don’t act grateful very often).
Third, a lack of maintenance begets a lack of interest.This is kind of like how, if I don’t do dirty dishes every time I create dirty dishes, I end up leaving them for over a week until we legitimately have no more. As I use my blog less, I … use my blog less.
Another part of this is that the less I use my blog, the less I promote it and create new content, the less I have interaction. And I THRIVE on interaction. However, I need to be okay with writing to the void for a while because I have been so bad at maintaining this blog that it’s time to do that.
I used to, and I did just fine then. It’s time to write to no one until someone shows up.
Because at the heart of it, this blog is a place for me to put personal thoughts, to act as a public journal for recording the things I am safe to say online, which are somewhat formal in nature (heh), but which still don’t quite fit into set boxes like other stuff I write.
And I’m not ready to give up blogging any time soon. So even if this blog isn’t quite what it used to be, I’m still here.
Anyways, all this to say, I AM PRESENT. I AM ALIVE. And I’m much more active on Instagram, send regular updates to my email list, and of course I harass my street team constantly.
But I love “Reveries.” I love this blog to death! It was my beginning, and I can’t abandon it. Or I won’t, I pray, as long as God gives me ideas and courage to write.
TTFN!
~Kell~
p.s.
What do you want to see on this blog? I have an idea, but I still ask because it’s always helpful to get more feedback. Also, what stops you from doing THE THING? (We all have “a thing.” A thing we put off. What’s yours?)
March 21, 2022
The Story of the Rewrites of The Dressmaker’s Secret
I need to do something with my mind that is obsessive but not as obsessive as my ceaseless scrolling through Instagram, which has now decided I am going through IVF*.
For this reason, I will be talking about the drama behind the drama. So let’s get going.
*Yes, it is very saddening. Yes, I do wish I could find my way back to “sixty-three writing memes & a scattering of Christian, country, and conservative reels.” Yes, I do need to stop clicking onto the Discovery feed, which is basically the hall of depression mixed with evil dopamine hits—a deadly combo indeed. No, I’m not going through IVF. If that ever did happen, it’d be like a bajillion years in the future when I am rich.
I was scrolling back through old emails looking for something specific and found a set of messages copied to an email that had been sent to a friend at like 1 in the morning.
Yeah. I don’t know what year this was from exactly, but the email I copied them into was December 2018. So I’m going to say it was around then.
Before we go any further, spoilers for The Dressmaker’s Secret. Not even the fun kind. Depressing spoilers. Got it? Let’s go.
Further: trigger/content warning for talk of rape, immorality, etc. Basically, the things in the book are discussed.
Talkin’ About The Original IdeaThe messages begin as such:
Okay, so I have never in the history of ever told anyone this, not even Bailey [note: anything I don’t tell Bailey but DO tell Aimee is NOT A GOOD THING], but I was thinking about it, and I thought you might enjoy it even though it’s super dark. [EDIT: because it’s super dark – y’all don’t know Aimee] I have literally had this headcannon since I wrote the first draft of The Dressmaker’s Secret, and in fact draft 1 hints at it more (Steven Parker questions Alice’s fatherhood a lot more, remarks repeatedly that she looks like him, etc.)
A promising start, eh? It continues:
So, basically, this is my self-head-fanfiction which I have never written down before because like I said, dark and immoral. [I mean, it’s not really IMMORAL any more than all the other stories of sin and sinners I share, especially the way I write it and view it, but dark, yes.]
Basically, my headcannon is — Nettie is Alice’s mother.
Wh-wh-whaaaaa?
So basically, to go back a bit, Claire goes to Pearlbelle Park when she’s 17 with her trusty maid Nettie. Claire takes a liking to and starts falling for the American nephew of the owner, John Elton, and in no time at all, she’s swapping love letters and sneaking out to meet Philip Knight.
[Random Fact: in the new canon, which is basically this canon but with some added details, Claire had known Philip throughout her childhood but never considering marrying anyone but Steven Parker due to his status as the heir. In book 5, Claire tells her daughters she’d been an idiot, and … yeah.]
Now, we all know Steven Parker had a thing for Claire, or at least he was willing to consider marrying her. And he has no morals. So what if he was just frustrated enough with Claire going for his much less handsome and charming cousin who at that time wasn’t in line for the inheritance (as it was going to Steven at that point) … that he either seduced or raped her maid? (I don’t know which is worse, honestly.)
[Dear younger self … I still don’t know. At least Nettie wouldn’t be “crazily scarred,” as my 17-year-old self put it, if it hadn’t been sexual assault.]
Anyways, so Nettie is broken up about it either way, crazily guilty or crazily scarred, and she runs to tell Claire and beg her to help her or something because she’s absolutely horrified and terrified and just generally unable to think how to deal, but Claire has big news — she’s running away with the poor American cousin, she’s going to marry him, and Nettie has to help her pull this off so her daddy can’t stop her.
[Yeah, this is still the way Claire is. Though now the sexual assault Nettie endured happened AFTER Claire had already left with Philip.]
So Nettie buttons her lip and helps whisk Claire off to France. Then she remains quiet, steady, and supportive. Perhaps she feels too guilty to admit what she’s done, and maybe she doesn’t want to risk having the filthy rich (or he will be filthy rich after he inherits) heir go against her, so she keeps it a secret.
[Honestly, Nettie’s reasons for keeping it a secret at first are foggy at best, but as I work on drafts of Nettie’s story, I believe it had a lot to do with Claire’s faith in Steven Parker. She knows Claire won’t believe her; what’s the point?]
And around the same time Claire figures out she is pregnant, so does Nettie. Nettie tells her mother (they’re back at the Chattoway estate by now), who is of course heartbroken but at the same time she knows that she needs to help Nettie because you know even if your daughter has committed a sin (or had a sin committed against her), you still have to help out if she’s going to have a baby, and of course Nettie is either repentant or just sinned against.
[Now I’ve denied Nettie even the basic comfort of a mother. Man, maybe I am evil?]
But Nettie never tells anyone who the father is. She’s vague, she puts them off, but she will not tell because she knows the Eltons are powerful, and she can’t risk the baby being found out and hurt.
[This, basically.]
But eventually she tells Claire, and Claire blinks twice, asks a few sharp questions, and says, “All right, darling. I’m having twins.”
[Can totally see Claire doing this, even though in my new version, they don’t decide upon the swap until Ivy is born and “Flora Evelyn” dies. Also, yes, Ivy is a twin!]
“What? But you’re barely showing! Surely if you were having two …”
“Shut up, Nettie. It’s all right. Don’t worry about it.”
(And btw this theory totally leaked into my subconscious, because in the prologue for TDS, you’ll notice Claire is five months along-ish, and she’s just then starting to feel the baby moving about — which would be unusual if she’s having twins let alone if she was having an active healthy baby like Alice. But no – she’s just having Ivy, who is already suffering from whatever lung abnormality it was that kept her so sick when she was a baby and child. But I digress.)
[This … is … scientifically … interesting? I don’t think that’s how it works at all? Eh, maybe it is. I might’ve read something about it, but sometimes I just make stuff up without even knowing it. I didn’t keep that prologue, so I don’t have to worry about that.]
So, basically, when the time comes, Nettie gives birth to Alice. And of course she adores her, but she instantly gives her up to Claire, hiding her in her room until Ivy arrives. Of course, she immediately tries to tell herself this isn’t her baby, she doesn’t love her, she can’t get attached, but it’s no use … of course she loves her daughter. And yet she’s not even allowed to nurse her, because of course there is no excuse for an unmarried virgin woman to be able to nurse a small child, so she just backs out of everything even though it’s absolutely killing her.
[Gahhhhh … even the thought of this kills me.]
She even gives up her rights to name the child, which of course results in Alice being named after her two aunts.
[Pfft, as if Nettie wouldn’t have a name in mind from the beginning. This is NETTIE.]
So then Ivy comes along, Claire lets the news be spread that she’s had twins, and because Ivy is so sick that Claire can’t even hold her at first, she takes comfort in baby Alice and is able to bond on a soul deep level with her.
[I still think this happened, though Nettie’s involvement is a little more.]
However, this explains a couple things … first, why Claire is a lot harder on Alice while she babies Ivy. And I know that could be mostly because Ivy was smaller and weaker and IVY, but I think in many ways Claire is less communicative with Alice, pushes her out into the world more, and forces her to be strong … she NEVER does that to Ivy, even when Ivy could sometimes use a little nudge. And she immediately sends Alice to boarding school It also explains why Ivy wasn’t as encouraged to marry as Alice. It doesn’t matter if Ivy marries. She is the legitimate full child of her parents … but if anyone found out that Alice was a maid’s illegitimate child, she would immediately be scorned, and Alice needs the protection of marriage immediately.
[Yeah, this is basically a summary of the whole series! And honestly, both Ivy and Alice have to work through this behavior on Claire’s behalf. Granted, I don’t blame Claire. She saw Ivy and Alice as different people and behaved toward them as such—and I would never say Claire didn’t love Alice, either, or considered her as the lesser daughter. Claire did her absolute best as a mother, which is the most any of us can do. And I think her behavior toward her younger children, after she got a little more time experiencing true love as a daughter of God and as a sister in Christ to other believers, shows her continued growth. She did her best—but this remains.]
*I meant to add: She immediately sends Alice to boarding school while when Philip suggests sending Ivy to McCale House – FOR A SHORT STAY – Claire blows up in his face and can’t handle it. Alice, she is much more comfortable sending away.
[Yeah, pretty much. Claire clings to Ivy until she realizes she needs to let go.]
Meanwhile, I see in Nettie a more patient love for Alice than in Claire. I see that she probably ended up raising both the girls while Claire was dressmaking, but that there was a more lasting love within her for Alice. And I think Nettie ended up loving Ivy a lot – and I know Ivy loves Nettie almost as much as her mother, if not equally – but you’ll notice … NETTIE picks Alice up from boarding school, NETTIE never cares if Alice comes home wet and dirty with a torn dress…
[Let’s just say Nettie has enough love in her heart to consciously and subconsciously love both her girls—honesty, all her children. She knows what she’s doing, but it’s also something she does without thinking. Simply put, we stan Nettie. Also, I’d say that the whole ‘Nettie picks Alice up from boarding school, Nettie never cares if Alice comes home wet and dirty …’ Let’s just say I firmly believe Claire let Nettie be good cop with Alice, always. She owed her that much.]
And Claire’s thoughts when she’s going to lose Ivy in TDS that one time? They are of the, “Lord, please, she’s all I have!” variety. In fact, she seems to think she should be dying – but I can’t help but think that if she had the same automatic instinct towards Alice as she has towards Ivy, she would be 110% more like, “God, take me, too … I mean, wait, no, that’s stupid. Then Alice would be alone.”
[I edited this all in, so if you were thinking, “Wow, Ivy got a little sick and Claire forgot she has two children!” … That was intentional.]
ALSO, funny how Miss Elton (Lois), who is Steven’s cousin and basically his little sister, is immediately familiar with Nettie … in a, “you’re on my level,” way. I wonder if she knows. But I don’t think she has a second layer of secretness – I think she’s just a loveable airhead. xD
[LOIS IS NOT A LOVEABLE AIRHEAD. I mean, she is, but she has brains, too. She knows Parker is a jerk, and she knows he basically manipulated her sister into inappropriate relations and therefore marriage, and she knows how he treated her niece, and I’d be willing to bet she knows the estate supports Katherine Kirk … Basically, this woman knows SOMETHING is up and feels intense pity for Nettie because of it. She just has no power in any situation until she marries Charlie. <3 At some point I’m going to make you ship those two as hard as I do.]
What comes to mind is one scene in TDS when Alice is pouting, and Nettie’s like, “Why don’t you read?” and Alice is like, “Nope. That’s boring.” A part of me wonders if there was a secret little pain in Nettie’s heart as she thought, “I wish we could share an interest.” Then a bitter little, “She’s too much like her father. Horses, running all over the countryside, careless, too smart, too charming for her own good …” Then she quiets her thoughts, reminds herself that Alice is the greatest blessing life has given her, even if it isn’t perfect, and tells herself that when Alice is 30 or 40, perhaps, perhaps … she can tell her. And she prays to God that Claire will let her, because it eats and tears at her every day as she wishes she could just be honest about it, just speak her true feelings …
[This paragraph is basically why I decided to do this, other than the fact that it speaks more to the themes and messages I want to portray in my books. Just … the PAIN.]
More thoughts: Claire sent Alice to boarding school because Nettie was getting too attached and wanted to tell Alice. “She’s asking questions about her father, Claire … just let me tell her. Just let me tell her I’m her mother. Please. It’s killing me … I could explain to her why she can’t tell others. I could … I’d do anything, Claire, but I need to tell her …” And, because Claire loves Nettie more than Nettie loves herself, she sends Alice away to give Nettie some time to realize that she could never offer Alice anything, even less than Claire can.
[I don’t think this was quite the reasoning now, but I do see that playing in. Claire knew the risks. She’s a woman who separates her emotions from reality and thinks through every situation. Every move she makes in book 1 is practical at its core. She considers the angles with Caleb’s sharp mind, Jack’s forbearance, and Rebecca’s strength—and then she implements in that, “Well, I’d better just do it, hadn’t I?” way Ivy does. Just sayin’.]
And Nettie KNOWS that if she just bides her time, Philip will take both Alice and Ivy as his daughters, and even if Hazel hadn’t died, Philip would have seated them both with a heavy dowry … and Alice would have half a chance, so much more of a chance than Nettie can give her. And Nettie just wants Alice to be happy.
[My sweet girl. Oh, Nettie … Nettie!]
And, slowly over the years, Nettie has gotten closer and closer to the Chattoways’ driver, Tom, and she falls for him. But a woman can’t be married and in service, and if she’s not in service, she can’t be with Alice as much as she desperately needs to be
And eventually, to stop him bugging her, she tells Tom under strictest confidence. Miracle of miracles, he loves her anyway. He wants to give her a fresh start. But when he begs her to come away with him and be his wife, she says, as in TDS, “I can’t leave, Tom. You know I can’t.” This isn’t because of her loyalty to Claire … it’s because she can’t leave her baby girl.
But of course Claire talks her into it, tells her she can stay near Alice AND be married to Tom. And Nettie marries Tom, starts having babies, and finds fulfillment in that.
[Claire’s understanding of Nettie’s predicament is there, and you can’t tell me otherwise. Also, Tom and Nettie are an #OTP. I wish I had more time to develop them in the main series, but I’ll let you watch them fall in love some day. Nettie has a lot to work past—a lot trauma she needs to bring into the light. But watching Tom win her is going to be worth it.]
However, she [Nettie] still watches Alice — after the move to Pearlbelle, it’s from an agonizing distance, but she still watches, and she encourages Alice to spend time with her little half-brother and sisters. So you must think those cute little scenes in AFOP [this means “All Fangirling Over Peter” and is an old acronym a blogging friend of mine, Lana, came up with!] … they’re a big sister cheering up her baby siblings, even if she doesn’t know it. So Nettie does get to have a sort of a relationship with Alice, but we mustn’t forget what she’s missing, either.
She’s missing being the one who goes to London and watches Alice find a husband – she doesn’t get to give Alice relationship advice – she doesn’t get to hold her when she’s sobbing because her romances aren’t going right – she doesn’t get to hear about it first when Alice has her miscarriages or stillbirth – she cannot openly grieve her grandchildren … she watches her daughter walk down the aisle from a back row, leaning forward in her seat as the curate says, “Who gives this woman?” Wincing when the response is, “I and her mother.” Knowing Philip thinks he’s talking about him and Claire; aching because she is the mother, and she was not consulted.
[GAAAHHH! This is still kind of true to a degree, but thank goodness for book 5, y’all. Just … thank GOODNESS. The next bit is the angst that might have been …]
Not getting to know her son-in-law even though she tries because obviously Peter is the sweetest friendliest fellow ever but to him, Nettie is just another friend — he doesn’t go out of his way to talk to her and get to know her, nor does he feel that nervous, “I’m her son-in-law, best impress!” urge.
Seeing her grandchild from a distance when Alice brings them to visit [current version note: pffffftttttt … okay, we’ll see], too afraid her emotions will give her away if she gets to see them up close … too afraid of telling Alice how much she loves her, maybe scaring her away with the intensity, afraid Alice will forget about her somehow.
[Poor Nettie. <3]
Also, it just occurred to me that Nettie probably told Alice not to call her Mrs. Jameson or something to that effect because she wants Alice to call her Mama, but if that can’t be, then she’ll use her first name … her full name is too formal.
[This! This probably will last forever, too. Like, can you imagine Alice calling Nettie “Mama”?]
Anyway, along the line of what I was talking about – Steven ended up marrying his Lydia, Posy’s mother, which led to him getting disinherited, not because he’d married the wrong person exactly, but because he’d rather gotten the cart before the horse in several major concerns *cough* and his uncle realized that he’d picked the wrong nephew to inherit … Steven Parker might be English, but he was not responsible, moral, or prone to settling down — his going off to party after his daughter was born and his wife died only confirmed that, and Philip became the heir. At this point, Nettie could have told Claire, but Steven Parker was trying to get chummy with his former sweetheart again, Nettie knew he daren’t mess with Claire (NO ONE MESSES WITH CLAIRE), so she keeps silent again. But she does tell Claire not to marry Steven. Like #nope, that is not a good plan.
[I emphasized her protests a little more, but I think the logic remains firm. She didn’t tell Claire then because she knew Parker would never actually mess with Claire. No one does.]
Meanwhile, Steven watches Nettie a few times, she puts on a decent act, and he decides she’s fine, nothing came of it, etc. So he has no clue. Yet in his heart, he’s drawn to Alice, doesn’t quite know why, and keeps asking her to call him Uncle Steven, laugh at his jokes, go riding with him, be his daughter because she’s easier on his heart than Posy is, yet … nope. She will have none of it. (And let that be his punishment.)
[The punishment is not enough for the crime, but don’t worry. I have ideas. Also, I’m not sure about Parker’s awareness, but we’ll see. We shall see …]
But yes. This isn’t really true, but like … my head made it up during the first draft, I resisted, and yet it still burns and aches and itches at the back of my mind!
[Pfffftttttt.]
And that’s the story.It burned and ached and itched its way out, y’all. It just did.
This is a story I wasn’t equipped to write at fourteen even though I had thought of it. (Yeah, I’m a dark kid. But I also didn’t know Nettie that well, so it was going to be a seduction situation.)
This was a story I would have been afraid to write at sixteen. You can see I was still terrified at seventeen!
What would people say? Would they think I was broken? Would they not understand that my desire was to inspire through the pain—not to cause trouble, to highlight sin? What would they think of me?
Like Claire, my reputation meant everything—and was nothing.
But, despite my words at seventeen, this new version of the book was re-launched in January 2020. I think I started the rewrites in early/mid-2019, including this drama. So eighteen-year-old me COULD do it … and did.
I think there was something of my granddad’s death in this story, like there was in Souls Astray and Love Once Lost (you’ll see).
When your world starts crashing down on you, you try to find ways to understand it. You write things that are darker because your heart feels dark and empty and caved-in. I didn’t know how to identify the feeling of impending doom when I wrote Souls Astray—and when I hypothesized that Nettie could never be honest with Alice about who she was.
All I knew is that I didn’t have anything left that made me feel like Kell.
I felt identity-less. My grandpa was the symbol of everything that existed in my life, good and not-so-good, and I didn’t see anything around me that wasn’t because of him. The property, the cattle, the family, my very life was owed to him.
My goodness was, at that time, tied to him, too—I was short-sighted, but I believed that when he died, so did his version of me. Never mind that others saw me that way, held me as close, and believed I was as special. To me, I had lost the best version of myself—the version I was in his eyes.
On top of that, I bore the heavy consequences of great sins and a great rift between myself and my God. No one knew but me, and as I took on that weight alone—until the day I was brave enough to confess it—I did not believe that I had a future or a salvation. I believed in God because any other option meant my entire existence was a pointless nothing—however, that is not a faith that can hold for any more than a brief period.
When you look at it that way, it’s no wonder I wrote of a broken little girl who spent the rest of her life being her worst self. It’s no wonder I made her mother tear that little girl to shreds. It’s no wonder I made others suffer because of her. It’s no wonder I drew from Gone with the Wind, from The Great Gatsby, from All Quiet on the Western Front.
Hope was foreign.
It’s no wonder I wrote that a woman would be tugged down by the sins against her and the sins she committed in response. It was no wonder that I didn’t believe she could ever confess the truth. I loved truth—I have always said I loved truth—but then, I knew truth would show me for who I really was.
As always, the truth is the last thing Satan wants to hear us speak. I couldn’t speak it.
But I didn’t stay there.
I can’t tell you what a relief book 5 is. For others, it’s proved a traumatic novel. For me, it is an endless relief. I know that’s a bit of a spoiler, for we like to guess what might happen and when things might be revealed, but I want to give you that thing I tell you I didn’t have …
Hope.
Granted, you’re probably not nearly as invested in this story as I am. But y’all, let me tell you this: the more honest I am about my past sins, the more I talk about them, the more little they seem—and the greater God seems.
And the more I am able to like myself again. Granted, I always have had an insane amount of confidence, but I knew it was a pretty evil person. Uhhh … perspective shift needed, much?
Look. Self-hatred is literally the worst type of selfishness because it doesn’t immediately trigger our “that isn’t very humble” sensors. But it is true. Self-focus is still self-focus regardless of how you term it.
That ramble to say, it’s always interesting going back in time.
This July I’m ripping off the bandages. Let’s bring everything into the light. It seems risky, but it’s the safest place you can be: in front of God, seen and known … and at last accepted, in a way the darkness never can.
TTFN!
~Kell~
p.s.
I just dumped so much on you so … thoughts? Also, what do you think of this ridiculously long article?
January 31, 2022
The Beyond Her Calling Relaunch Blog Tour | Wrapup Post
Hey folks! We’re finally at the wrapup for the Beyond Her Calling relaunch blog tour! I’m so excited to get to share this with you today!
Ivy Knight feels that her life may never start. Though her loving family assures her that her place in the world is close to home, she still feels a push to move out of her comfort zone. Hoping against hope, she travels to her old friends at McCale House, seeking a purpose.
Jordy McAllen has just returned to Scotland after his education in London. He fears that what everyone has always said about him may be true: he can’t be a good doctor, let alone a good man. Determined to prove himself, Jordy snatches up the opportunity to become the doctor in the village of Keefmore near his parents’ farm.
When an old friend decides to travel to Keefmore and visit a relative, Ivy follows. She soon finds herself drawn to Jordy, but as their attraction grows, they both face doubts. A relationship between the two of them feels improbable—and might just require a step of impossible faith.
Buy on Amazon ~ Add on Goodreads
Saturday, January 22nd
1 — Kickoff Post by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries
2 — “Why Christian Fiction is an Important Genre” — Guest Post Written for Jane Mouttet @ Library Lady’s Kid Lit
Sunday, January 23rd
3 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Hannah E.M. @ Precarious Bookstacks
4 — Interview with the Author by Grace A. Johnson @ Book Nations
Monday, January 24th
5 — A Post about Ivy & Jordy by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries
6 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Jane Mouttet @ Library Lady’s Kid Lit
7 — [NOTE: as this post did not go up, please refer directly to the next post in the tour.]
Tuesday, January 25th
8 — “Handling Tough Topics with Respect to Historical Accuracy” — Guest Post Written for Michaela Bush @ Tangled Up in Writing
Wednesday, January 26th
9 — A Post about My Other Characters by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries
10 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Grace A. Johnson
Thursday, January 27th
11 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Vanessa Hall
12 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Hannah Killian @ The Writerly Worm
Friday, January 28th
13 — A Post about Scotland by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries
14 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Marguerite Martin Gray
15 — “Why Christian Fiction CAN End with a Kiss” — Guest Post Written for Grace A. Johnson
Saturday, January 29th
16 — “My Least Favorite Christian Fiction Tropes” — Guest Post Written for Merie Shen @ Imperial Scribis
17 — [NOTE: as this post did not go up, please refer directly to the next post in the tour.]
18 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Katja L. @ Old-Fashioned Book Love
19 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Alexa Mintah @ Thus Far
20 — Final Post by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries
Monday, January 31st
Wrapup Post by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries
Prize:
Beyond Her Calling in paperbackThe first three novels in Audible (audiobook) formatA painted ornament by Painted Prose DesignsTea (!)THE WINNER:
Out of 943 entries, the winner was …
Elly
Congratulations! Check your email for more information!
Giveaway 2 – Wrapup
The completed phrase was:
THE WINNERThere was a music in the clack of the train tracks, a music to the way the people seemed lulled by it.
E.C. Colton
Congratulations! Check your email for more information!
TTFN!
~Kell~
January 29, 2022
The Beyond Her Calling Relaunch Blog Tour | The Grand Finale
Today I get to both share the cover reveal of A Prayer Unanswered and the wrapup for our Beyond Her Calling blog tour!
Cover Reveal
As Alice Strauss enters her first year of marriage, she finds herself wholly unprepared for her new life. In a new country, with a new family, she struggles to find her footing. Difficult relationships and new situations batter her, but she is determined to establish a perfect life with the man she loves.
Unfortunately, perfection seems out of reach. An unexpected tragedy flings Alice out of control, and she struggles to rise from the ruins. Her world seems to be gradually worsening, full of spinning variables and agony beyond anything she has ever experienced.
However, there is hope—in a God who loves her and a future established for her since before time began. Yet the devastation of Alice’s life seems beyond even the touch of grace.
PREORDER LINK:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09RGP8J2D/
GOODREADS LINK:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46128769-a-prayer-unanswered
Ivy Knight feels that her life may never start. Though her loving family assures her that her place in the world is close to home, she still feels a push to move out of her comfort zone. Hoping against hope, she travels to her old friends at McCale House, seeking a purpose.
Jordy McAllen has just returned to Scotland after his education in London. He fears that what everyone has always said about him may be true: he can’t be a good doctor, let alone a good man. Determined to prove himself, Jordy snatches up the opportunity to become the doctor in the village of Keefmore near his parents’ farm.
When an old friend decides to travel to Keefmore and visit a relative, Ivy follows. She soon finds herself drawn to Jordy, but as their attraction grows, they both face doubts. A relationship between the two of them feels improbable—and might just require a step of impossible faith.
Buy on Amazon ~ Add on Goodreads
Saturday, January 22nd
1 — Kickoff Post by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries
2 — “Why Christian Fiction is an Important Genre” — Guest Post Written for Jane Mouttet @ Library Lady’s Kid Lit
Sunday, January 23rd
3 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Hannah E.M. @ Precarious Bookstacks
4 — Interview with the Author by Grace A. Johnson @ Book Nations
Monday, January 24th
5 — A Post about Ivy & Jordy by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries
6 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Jane Mouttet @ Library Lady’s Kid Lit
7 — [NOTE: as this post did not go up, please refer directly to the next post in the tour.]
Tuesday, January 25th
8 — “Handling Tough Topics with Respect to Historical Accuracy” — Guest Post Written for Michaela Bush @ Tangled Up in Writing
Wednesday, January 26th
9 — A Post about My Other Characters by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries
10 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Grace A. Johnson
Thursday, January 27th
11 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Vanessa Hall
12 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Hannah Killian @ The Writerly Worm
Friday, January 28th
13 — A Post about Scotland by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries
14 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Marguerite Martin Gray
15 — “Why Christian Fiction CAN End with a Kiss” — Guest Post Written for Grace A. Johnson
Saturday, January 29th
16 — “My Least Favorite Christian Fiction Tropes” — Guest Post Written for Merie Shen @ Imperial Scribis
17 — [NOTE: as this post did not go up, please refer directly to the next post in the tour.]
18 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Katja L. @ Old-Fashioned Book Love
19 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Alexa Mintah @ Thus Far
20 — Final Post by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries
Monday, January 31st
Wrapup Post by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries
This blog tour hosts two giveaways! The first is as-usual – a simple blog tour giveaway!
Prize:
Beyond Her Calling in paperbackThe first three novels in Audible (audiobook) formatA painted ornament by Painted Prose DesignsTea (!)Giveaway 2The scavenger hunt!
BY IT – CLICK TO SUBMIT THE ANSWER
Happy Hunting!
TTFN!
~Kell~
January 28, 2022
The Beyond Her Calling Relaunch Blog Tour | A Post about Scotland
Hey everyone! Guess what? I’m sick. And in addition to being sick, I started a job this week that I wasn’t planning on starting (it’s a good thing, but it means my schedule was screwy). Basically, there is no “post about Scotland” … yet. I’ve been too tired and too sick to write it. That said, for the scavenger hunt, this post had to go up, so here it is.
[A Post About Scotland Shall Be Here Some Day, I Hope! Sorry that it’s not here yet. My throat hurts! And I worked this week before said throat started hurting. 
So yeah.]
Ivy Knight feels that her life may never start. Though her loving family assures her that her place in the world is close to home, she still feels a push to move out of her comfort zone. Hoping against hope, she travels to her old friends at McCale House, seeking a purpose.
Jordy McAllen has just returned to Scotland after his education in London. He fears that what everyone has always said about him may be true: he can’t be a good doctor, let alone a good man. Determined to prove himself, Jordy snatches up the opportunity to become the doctor in the village of Keefmore near his parents’ farm.
When an old friend decides to travel to Keefmore and visit a relative, Ivy follows. She soon finds herself drawn to Jordy, but as their attraction grows, they both face doubts. A relationship between the two of them feels improbable—and might just require a step of impossible faith.
Buy on Amazon ~ Add on Goodreads
Saturday, January 22nd
1 — Kickoff Post by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries
2 — “Why Christian Fiction is an Important Genre” — Guest Post Written for Jane Mouttet @ Library Lady’s Kid Lit
Sunday, January 23rd
3 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Hannah E.M. @ Precarious Bookstacks
4 — Interview with the Author by Grace A. Johnson @ Book Nations
Monday, January 24th
5 — A Post about Ivy & Jordy by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries
6 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Jane Mouttet @ Library Lady’s Kid Lit
7 — [NOTE: as this post did not go up, please refer directly to the next post in the tour.]
Tuesday, January 25th
8 — “Handling Tough Topics with Respect to Historical Accuracy” — Guest Post Written for Michaela Bush @ Tangled Up in Writing
Wednesday, January 26th
9 — A Post about My Other Characters by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries
10 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Grace A. Johnson
Thursday, January 27th
11 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Vanessa Hall
12 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Hannah Killian @ The Writerly Worm
Friday, January 28th
13 — A Post about Scotland by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries
14 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Marguerite Martin Gray
15 — “Why Christian Fiction CAN End with a Kiss” — Guest Post Written for Grace A. Johnson
Saturday, January 29th
16 — “My Least Favorite Christian Fiction Tropes” — Guest Post Written for Merie Shen @ Imperial Scribis
17 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Megan Jones @ Why I Read
18 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Katja L. @ Old-Fashioned Book Love
19 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Alexa Mintah @ Thus Far
20 — Final Post by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries
Monday, January 31st
Wrapup Post by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries
Head over to my Instagram account to enter!
Giveaway 1This blog tour hosts two giveaways! The first is as-usual – a simple blog tour giveaway!
Prize:
Beyond Her Calling in paperbackThe first three novels in Audible (audiobook) formatA painted ornament by Painted Prose DesignsTea (!)Giveaway 2The scavenger hunt!
TO – CLICK TO VISIT THE NEXT BLOG
Happy Hunting!
TTFN!
~Kell~
P.S.What do you like about Scotland? Any questions I could answer when I come back to this post?
January 26, 2022
The Beyond Her Calling Relaunch Blog Tour | A Post about Characters
In today’s blog post, I’ll be talking about my top 2 minor characters in Beyond Her Calling as well as the McAllens, who come as a group!
My Favorite Things About Aunt DaphneHer random gardening.Her excellent advice on all matters, even if at times she can be a little abrupt in her mannerisms.How she seems to always know when someone is upset even though she’s pretty practical herself – she basically goes, “C’mere!” whenever she sees someone suffering.Her honesty about her past and the ways she’s grown as a person.Her past relationship with Roger and how she talks about him. <3 <3 <3Her telling Ivy and Violet they aren’t allowed to be English roses. Finally.TEA.My Favorite Things About Ena OwenAgain, her practicality.Her openness to new relationships despite the fact that she’s been kicked when she’s down quite a few times.Her perseverance. Always, her perseverance.The way she parents Bridget in such a no-nonsense way.The whole scene where she was in labor was fun … even though I didn’t run it past anyone so now I’m nervous. Her bookish nature is fun to write, too! And it’s nice to write a bookworm who isn’t dreamy.My Favorite Things About the McAllensMr. and Mrs. McAllen clearly are caring parents who put a lot of energy into raising their children.THE FARM STUFF. YUS.I love how abrupt Edith is, even though it’s a little abrasive. You can tell she really loves and is loyal to her family even so.SHEEP. And Bean.Ben is our stoic king. Yet wise. So wise. Writing his story is going to be so great!Mick is fun, and a little like Jordy, and as the third son … yeah, he’s gonna have to show who is he is as a person sooner or later, which will also be fun to write!Then there’s Liam and Tommy who don’t have a lot going on in this book – though they’re still sweet.I just love their joking, energetic nature. We can definitely tell where Jordy got it!
Ivy Knight feels that her life may never start. Though her loving family assures her that her place in the world is close to home, she still feels a push to move out of her comfort zone. Hoping against hope, she travels to her old friends at McCale House, seeking a purpose.
Jordy McAllen has just returned to Scotland after his education in London. He fears that what everyone has always said about him may be true: he can’t be a good doctor, let alone a good man. Determined to prove himself, Jordy snatches up the opportunity to become the doctor in the village of Keefmore near his parents’ farm.
When an old friend decides to travel to Keefmore and visit a relative, Ivy follows. She soon finds herself drawn to Jordy, but as their attraction grows, they both face doubts. A relationship between the two of them feels improbable—and might just require a step of impossible faith.
Buy on Amazon ~ Add on Goodreads
Saturday, January 22nd
1 — Kickoff Post by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries
2 — “Why Christian Fiction is an Important Genre” — Guest Post Written for Jane Mouttet @ Library Lady’s Kid Lit
Sunday, January 23rd
3 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Hannah E.M. @ Precarious Bookstacks
4 — Interview with the Author by Grace A. Johnson @ Book Nations
Monday, January 24th
5 — A Post about Ivy & Jordy by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries
6 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Jane Mouttet @ Library Lady’s Kid Lit
7 — Interview with the Author & Review of Beyond Her Calling by Esther Jackson @ The Lost Review of Odd Books
Tuesday, January 25th
8 — “Handling Tough Topics with Respect to Historical Accuracy” — Guest Post Written for Michaela Bush @ Tangled Up in Writing
Wednesday, January 26th
9 — A Post about My Other Characters by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries
10 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Grace A. Johnson
Thursday, January 27th
11 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Vanessa Hall
12 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Hannah Killian @ The Writerly Worm
Friday, January 28th
13 — A Post about Scotland by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries
14 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Marguerite Martin Gray
15 — “Why Christian Fiction CAN End with a Kiss” — Guest Post Written for Grace A. Johnson
Saturday, January 29th
16 — “My Least Favorite Christian Fiction Tropes” — Guest Post Written for Merie Shen @ Imperial Scribis
17 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Megan Jones @ Why I Read
18 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Katja L. @ Old-Fashioned Book Love
19 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Alexa Mintah @ Thus Far
20 — Final Post by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries
Monday, January 31st
Wrapup Post by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries
Head over to my Instagram account to enter!
Giveaway 1This blog tour hosts two giveaways! The first is as-usual – a simple blog tour giveaway!
Prize:
Beyond Her Calling in paperbackThe first three novels in Audible (audiobook) formatA painted ornament by Painted Prose DesignsTea (!)Giveaway 2The scavenger hunt!
TRAIN – CLICK TO VISIT THE NEXT BLOG
Happy Hunting!
TTFN!
~Kell~
P.S.Do you like the minor characters in my books? What books had their show stolen by minor characters?
January 24, 2022
The Beyond Her Calling Relaunch Blog Tour | A Post about Ivy and Jordy
In today’s blog post, I’ll be talking about Jordy and Ivy, who are one of my favorite couples. I decided to spend a little time listing my favorite things about them. So let’s getting into it!
My Favorite Things About Ivy KnightShe’s super sweet & innocent.Yet I wouldn’t call her naïve, not exactly.She stretches me to write about someone I don’t relate to at all, as I am not nearly as creative and emotional as her.That said, her sweet acceptance of her emotions is super cute to me.Her utter lack of knowledge of her own worth is actually fun to write, too.MUSIC! I love music, and writing her POV is great, because I can include so many little references that only a musician would understand.Also, reading. She loves Jane Austen, which is one of my love languages.My Favorite Things About Jordy McAllenHis accent!His honesty. His utter, stupid honesty, even when it’s not necessary.His common sense can be super fun!His sense of humor can honestly be the best, if only because he is a goofball.I love how he loves his family and other people close to him so devotedly and yet not without common sense. He’s very practical in his devotion.Even beyond his practicality, he’s a lot of fun! It’s great writing an extrovert character (specifically an ESFP Type 7).The fact that he’s a doctor honestly adds depth to his character for me, because beyond his silly exterior, he’s obviously gone pretty far to be responsible and intelligence … which plays in to his character arc, of course!
Ivy Knight feels that her life may never start. Though her loving family assures her that her place in the world is close to home, she still feels a push to move out of her comfort zone. Hoping against hope, she travels to her old friends at McCale House, seeking a purpose.
Jordy McAllen has just returned to Scotland after his education in London. He fears that what everyone has always said about him may be true: he can’t be a good doctor, let alone a good man. Determined to prove himself, Jordy snatches up the opportunity to become the doctor in the village of Keefmore near his parents’ farm.
When an old friend decides to travel to Keefmore and visit a relative, Ivy follows. She soon finds herself drawn to Jordy, but as their attraction grows, they both face doubts. A relationship between the two of them feels improbable—and might just require a step of impossible faith.
Buy on Amazon ~ Add on Goodreads
Saturday, January 22nd
1 — Kickoff Post by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries
2 — “Why Christian Fiction is an Important Genre” — Guest Post Written for Jane Mouttet @ Library Lady’s Kid Lit
Sunday, January 23rd
3 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Hannah E.M. @ Precarious Bookstacks
4 — Interview with the Author by Grace A. Johnson @ Book Nations
Monday, January 24th
5 — A Post about Ivy & Jordy by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries
6 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Jane Mouttet @ Library Lady’s Kid Lit
7 — Interview with the Author & Review of Beyond Her Calling by Esther Jackson @ The Lost Review of Odd Books
Tuesday, January 25th
8 — “Handling Tough Topics with Respect to Historical Accuracy” — Guest Post Written for Michaela Bush @ Tangled Up in Writing
Wednesday, January 26th
9 — A Post about My Other Characters by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries
10 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Grace A. Johnson
Thursday, January 27th
11 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Vanessa Hall
12 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Hannah Killian @ The Writerly Worm
Friday, January 28th
13 — A Post about Scotland by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries
14 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Marguerite Martin Gray
15 — “Why Christian Fiction CAN End with a Kiss” — Guest Post Written for Grace A. Johnson
Saturday, January 29th
16 — “My Least Favorite Christian Fiction Tropes” — Guest Post Written for Merie Shen @ Imperial Scribis
17 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Megan Jones @ Why I Read
18 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Katja L. @ Old-Fashioned Book Love
19 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Alexa Mintah @ Thus Far
20 — Final Post by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries
Monday, January 31st
Wrapup Post by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries
Head over to my Instagram account to enter!
Giveaway 1This blog tour hosts two giveaways! The first is as-usual – a simple blog tour giveaway!
Prize:
Beyond Her Calling in paperbackThe first three novels in Audible (audiobook) formatA painted ornament by Painted Prose DesignsTea (!)Giveaway 2The scavenger hunt!
THE – CLICK TO VISIT THE NEXT BLOG
Happy Hunting!
TTFN!
~Kell~
P.S.What are your favorite things about Ivy and Jordy? What makes a character likable to you?
January 22, 2022
The Beyond Her Calling Relaunch Blog Tour | Kick-Off Post
Hey everyone! Guess what? It’s now launch day for Beyond Her Calling! Eek! I can hardly believe it. I frankly can’t wait to hear what everyone thinks of this book.
I have a lot of fun posts coming up in this giveaway – and reviews are being posted on Amazon, Goodreads, BookBub, etc., too – as well as lots of posts on social media.
Feeling overwhelmed? This is a good place to start!
Ivy Knight feels that her life may never start. Though her loving family assures her that her place in the world is close to home, she still feels a push to move out of her comfort zone. Hoping against hope, she travels to her old friends at McCale House, seeking a purpose.
Jordy McAllen has just returned to Scotland after his education in London. He fears that what everyone has always said about him may be true: he can’t be a good doctor, let alone a good man. Determined to prove himself, Jordy snatches up the opportunity to become the doctor in the village of Keefmore near his parents’ farm.
When an old friend decides to travel to Keefmore and visit a relative, Ivy follows. She soon finds herself drawn to Jordy, but as their attraction grows, they both face doubts. A relationship between the two of them feels improbable—and might just require a step of impossible faith.
Buy on Amazon ~ Add on Goodreads
Saturday, January 22nd
1 — Kickoff Post by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries
2 — “Why Christian Fiction is an Important Genre” — Guest Post Written for Jane Mouttet @ Library Lady’s Kid Lit
Sunday, January 23rd
3 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Hannah E.M. @ Precarious Bookstacks
4 — Interview with the Author by Grace A. Johnson @ Book Nations
Monday, January 24th
5 — A Post about Ivy & Jordy by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries
6 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Jane Mouttet @ Library Lady’s Kid Lit
7 — Interview with the Author & Review of Beyond Her Calling by Esther Jackson @ The Lost Review of Odd Books
Tuesday, January 25th
8 — “Handling Tough Topics with Respect to Historical Accuracy” — Guest Post Written for Michaela Bush @ Tangled Up in Writing
Wednesday, January 26th
9 — A Post about My Other Characters by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries
10 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Grace A. Johnson
Thursday, January 27th
11 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Vanessa Hall
12 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Hannah Killian @ The Writerly Worm
Friday, January 28th
13 — A Post about Scotland by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries
14 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Marguerite Martin Gray
15 — “Why Christian Fiction CAN End with a Kiss” — Guest Post Written for Grace A. Johnson
Saturday, January 29th
16 — “My Least Favorite Christian Fiction Tropes” — Guest Post Written for Merie Shen @ Imperial Scribis
17 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Megan Jones @ Why I Read
18 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Katja L. @ Old-Fashioned Book Love
19 — Review of Beyond Her Calling by Alexa Mintah @ Thus Far
20 — Final Post by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries
Monday, January 31st
Wrapup Post by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries
Head over to my Instagram account to enter!
Giveaway 1This blog tour hosts two giveaways! The first is as-usual – a simple blog tour giveaway!
Prize:
Beyond Her Calling in paperbackThe first three novels in Audible (audiobook) formatA painted ornament by Painted Prose DesignsTea (!)Giveaway 2The scavenger hunt!
THERE – CLICK TO VISIT THE NEXT BLOG
Happy Hunting!
TTFN!
~Kell~
P.S.I can’t believe it’s launch day! I’m so looking forward to hearing what everyone thinks about my book. Have you read it – or will you read it? What are your thoughts on books set in Scotland? Do you have a favorite launch day activity?
January 10, 2022
A Post of Conundrums (in which I ramble about what God is saying to me)
Lately, I’ve been having a lot of thoughts, and it’s been a long time since I’ve rambled here. So I decided to talk about two things:
Being a control freak and being a lazy bum.
More or less.
So let’s talk about that.
The Self-Control ConundrumMy car has been in two accidents (I was in the car both times BUT I SWEAR BOTH TIMES IT WASN’T MY FAULT Y’ALL) in about two weeks in early December, and as someone who has never even got a speeding ticket and rarely even made a stupid driving choice (I’m cautious but efficient in my driving), I have been absolutely furious.
It’s a mix of things. Part of it is that I don’t want to be a poor driver. I take deep pride in driving well. I have gotten pulled over one (1) time several years ago, and it led to me breaking down and sobbing uncontrollably in front of my bosses at work. I can be very efficient in the moment, but later, I get more upset by that kind of thing than anything else.
The other thing, I think, is wanting to be in control.
Driving a car (or any other large machine— or guiding children—or writing stories based off carefully-structured outlines) is a matter of self-control. You do the absolute best to be in control of yourself and even elements outside of your control.
And because when you’re driving a car, every movement matters—and because when you’re herding children, every small expression matters—and because when you’re writing stories, every word matters—you become a bit bogged down because there are just so many elements you CAN control.
Yet, the entire point of humanity is that you can’t control everything. Because we live in a fallen, sinful world. Because we are fallen, sinful beings.
The Alice ConundrumI’m not much like Alice, really.
But since this is such a central theme in both books 3 and 5, I think whenever I mention my struggles with control, people go, “Ohh, right, like Alice!” People like to assume I only write characters based on myself when really nothing could be more untrue.
I write characters who aren’t like myself. Really, I’m a combination of a lot of my characters—and sometimes there is nothing or not much of me in certain characters, too.
But in this case, a lot of my characters’ struggles are fears of mine. I fear being that controlling, like Alice, so I pour my fears into her and speak to her gently (mostly through Nettie), as gently as I wish I would speak to myself.
I fear losing my identity in Christ in an effort to serve a great and powerful master: The Self.
Because guess what? I don’t have car accidents. I don’t let children misbehave, and I don’t let them feel unloved and underappreciated. I don’t write bad books.
On the surface, these are GOOD things. Which is actually part of what I want to talk about here today. But they can become BAD things if the accomplishment of such things is more important to me than the reasons behind them.
As always, the Great Because comes in here.
I don’t have car accidents BECAUSE I believe the way you drive a car says a lot about the kind of person you are (responsible, even-keeled, gentle but firm).
I don’t let children misbehave BECAUSE I want to be a good shepherd of them.
I don’t let children feel unloved or underappreciated BECAUSE they are beautiful small humans who deserve love and respect.
I don’t write bad books BECAUSE I do everything heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.
Which brings us to …
The Responsibility ConundrumWhat. We. Do. Matters.
IT MATTERS, OKAY?
Every action, every word, every thought. Seize it, for it matters!
As a Christian who believes that, without Christ, I am an utter imbecile, sometimes accountability can just go out the window.
We forget that Christ was full of both GRACE (we love that one) and TRUTH (icky, sticky truth).
Oh, folks, we need balance there, for we are RESPONSIBLE.
Christ has removed our sins, but if we drive our car off a cliff, we will have consequences.
If we don’t shepherd the children in our car firmly and lovingly, we will have consequences.
If we half-ass anything (pardon my French, but I want you to remember this), we are not giving God the glory. More than any other group of people on earth, we should be careful and intentional about everything we do.
Yet at the same time, the life of a Christian is one of immeasurable rest.
The Contradiction ConundrumIt feels like a contradiction, doesn’t it?
We need to rest in Christ, focused on His kingdom in Heaven, and yet we are obligated to do so many things on earth, just as Christ Himself did.
The truth is, the life is a constant conundrum of moderation.
One of the most important verses of all times is actually often misinterpreted. A lot of Bibles translate Philippians 4:5 as “let your gentleness be known to all men,” or some variation. However, the root word is truly “moderation.”
In other words, be reasonable. Be seasoned, be mature. Not gentle as in weak. No, not at all! Gentle as in patient, gentle as in mild, gentle as in … loving.
Huh.
Let your moderation, let your love, be known to all men.
You need BOTH complete rest in Christ AND strength from Christ to do the good work He has laid out for you, whatever that is.
The Christian life is full of contradictions that really work perfectly together. Christ was fully man and fully God during his time on earth. The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are three separate Beings combined into One perfect whole. A man and wife are one flesh and yet irrevocably separate humans.
Let’s see if I can’t illustrate it a little better.
The Driveway ConundrumA few weeks ago, when the first snowfall of the season happened (I’ve been snowed in more this year than any other year of my life and it’s only January), I couldn’t get my car up my parents’ driveway. If it wasn’t for the fact that I feared my ability to get back into town safely on the slick roads, I would have turned around and headed home.
As it was, though, I had to either get my car into a safe place at the bottom of the driveway, where I could leave it, or get the car up the driveway, which wasn’t working.
I remember praying, a bit scattered, hoping that someone would come along and tell me what to do, preferably one of my uncles. My dad was in surgery at the time, and my go-to brother at work, so I wasn’t sure who to turn to.
But I did know that just sitting at the bottom of the driveway wasn’t an option, no matter how powerful my prayers were.
Long story short, I kept trying. I tried five or six different times, even though after every try, I thought about giving up. However, I’m not sure what got me up that driveway … only that something did.
What I’m saying is that I wasn’t going to go barreling up that driveway—but neither was sitting at the bottom of the driveway going to help me.
The Inconclusive ConundrumThere are some things the human brain can’t know, but we hate it. We hate a conundrum. We want to solve things.
And that’s so hard because, at the end of the day, to be human is to not have anything but the knowledge of good and evil.
Sure, we got that, but we don’t know what to do with that knowledge. It was the original sin, the original falling-away from God, when we demanded what we assumed was wisdom instead of submitting fully to our Creator.
Yet it’s not wisdom. It’s not wisdom to know things. That’s just, well, knowing things. We know what’s right or wrong, we know when something feels off, we know that a lot of life cannot be black and white …
And yet we need it to be. We see darkness and light and want to draw a harsh divide.
I’m rambling now, and I’m sure there shall be a number of condescending comments explaining to me what I mean (I love when y’all do that!), but, well, y’all have to realize that I don’t want the answers anymore.
Right now, in this period of my life, it is enough to trust God.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
And, for today at least, that is enough.
The Peace ConundrumOnly an idiot would be at peace while the world spins around them, tragedies flying about like rocks tossed by a tornado.
Yet here we Christians are. We are supposed to have peace.
Remember:
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
I don’t really have peace right now. I’ll be honest and say that. I don’t understand why things are happening the way they are.
But I do know, with my head at least, that the things that are happening are happening for a reason. God has overcome the world.
And I am His child. He is on my side, and He is not punishing me for past mistakes or expecting me to make future mistakes. He is a Good Father, cheering me on.
I never want to forget to fear the Lord. A lot of idiots (if you are one, I’m not even gonna apologize) like to portray God as all-loving, but He is mighty and fearful, too. Only a fool looks into the mouth of a lion without trembling, and God is both the Lion and the Lamb.
So while I don’t want to be a fool …
Well, I trust that particular Lion to shut His mouth and not eat me alive. God’s strength is often more evident in His restraint. He has so much incredible power, so much potential to absolutely decimate us, and every right and ability, moral and ethical and physical and spiritual, to do so.
Yet He doesn’t. He loves us. He keeps us safe. He wants us to succeed, to be happy, to come to Him with everything.
Anyways, I’m getting off subject. Let’s wrap this puppy up.
The Conclusion ConundrumThe problem with conundrums is there is not always a conclusion.
Sometimes there can’t be a conclusion, and that’s okay. That said, I am learning things about trust and Who God really is that are annoying to me. As always, there’s an element of angsty teenager to my relationship with Christ.
However …
With that inspirational note, I leave you.
TTFN!
~Kell~
P.S.What would you ramble about if you were given the opportunity? (I mean, if you have anything to share, even a link, share it!) What has God been teaching you lately?
Also, Beyond Her Calling is going on tour!Kellyn Roth, Author
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