Kellyn Roth's Blog: Kellyn Roth, Author, page 12

Dear 2021,

First of all, how dare you?

Okay, but more seriously … I AM IN DENIAL. IT IS NOT 2022!

I always feel a little gobsmacked by the new year, but this time, it feels doubly so.

2021 was a wild year. Like, I always say that, but this time, it is so true. I have always had hopes and expectations (see my 2021 beginning post) for the beginning of the year. To quote last year’s post:

My expectations are based on reality. On things that I see (I mean, foresight is a thing). I can’t see my hopes; I don’t know how they could happen or if they could happen. I’m afraid to believe they would happen!

I actually am going to address some of my hopes for 2021 and how they went later in this post, because I did vaguely type some out.

2021 was a crazy year for me. I mean, I got married! Not only did I get married, but I had no clue I was going to get married until like … April. Of course the actual wedding happened in August. I was crazy busy all summer, and then August and September were crazy, then since then I’ve been bored out of my mind. So yeah.

I’ve moved out of my parents’ house, had job shifts, gotten used to being married, and … well, it’s been crazy but overall pretty good after some adjustments.

Let’s talk about 2021!

My 2021 Goal WrapupFinish my synopsis, outline, and write my second project for the YWW Author program.Kind of. I did everything but finish writing it, as I put it on hold to get married.Edit The Duke’s Twin.Check. Not too hard to do!Launch my “pop-up” business for Author and get my first paying customer.Check. Launched – and ended up closing again.Finish At Her Fingertips and Beyond Her Calling.Check. And launched one and the other is launching later this month.Exercise, exercise, and exercise some more.Kind of. Ehhh … I did part of the year, and not the other part of it. Spend serious time in prayer.Check. I have gotten a lot better about praying one way and another. It was really a hard challenge, but I did it!Keep a careful tab on my spending.Check. In part because of my marriage, this was easier, but I also didn’t save as much as I’d like.My Year in WritingI started My Fair Marchioness, an Author Conservatory project, earlier in the year with 23,983 words, but I didn’t finish it.I wrote The Duke’s Firstborn (aka The Duchess Imperative) at 25,721 in September.For NaNoWriMo, I wrote After Our Castle and A Prayer Unanswered with 124,450. I finished A Prayer Unanswered with an additional 27,637 words.I edited: At Her Fingertips, Beyond Her Calling, A Prayer Unanswered, The Duke’s Twin, The Duke’s Firstborn (aka The Duchess Imperative), Souls Astray, and The Lady of the Vineyard.I also outlined four projects with the Author Conservatory, which I may share about at a later date! Oh, and I outlined and planned for a lot of personal projects. So yay!Despite the fact that I got married and edited dozens of projects, I still managed to only write 50k or so less than last year. My total word count for 2021 is 201,791. This is not including thousands and thousands of words added to At Her Fingertips, Beyond Her Calling, etc.My Year in MediaI only read about 57 books this year, and I think at least 10 of them were just my own books (which are on Goodreads), which I’ve written, edited, etc.However, I did read some fiction, and some of those weren’t rereads! A few that stood out were The Mistletoe Countess by Pepper Basham (10/10 recommended), Forget Me Not by Sarah M. Eden (more like fluff but still fun), The Heart’s Charge by Karen Witemeyer (excellent story!), Winning the Gentleman by Kristi Ann Hunter, and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë (which I am ashamed I never read before; it’s glorious). I also enjoyed A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis because apparently I love even the incomprehensible.A few books I was less-than-thrilled with (including linked reviews because I still need to write reviews for most of my positive ones but I spit out bad reviews like a rotten bite of apple): You Who?, Marrying Miss Milton, and To Marry An Earl.I reread quite a bit this year, and like I said, I also added several of my own novels to Goodreads. This year, I was ruthless with the “DNF” (did not finish) button. I just didn’t have time for a book I wasn’t going to enjoy thoroughly.As far as movies go, I saw Black Widow in theaters, Encanto recently (there is no LGBT+ stuff in it so everyone shhh), and then rewatched a lot of TV shows and movies. I also saw The Atonement (not rec’d because of content but my gosh I’m broken) for the first time. I watched the TV show Victoria (still crossing my fingers that they’ll make more!) and learned a lot about Victorian history that I hadn’t known since I never have much paid attention to anything between 1820 and 1855 before this year, at least in England. Oh, and I watched Scrubs (a TV show – still not sure what I think of it but boy, did I ever binge it). So that was interesting.I rewatched Chuck, Community, The Mentalist, parts of Psych, Downton Abbey, The Office, a lot of Parks & Recreation, All Hail King Julien, Gilmore Girls, The Andy Griffith Show, parts of Perry Mason, a lot of The Paradise, and … yeah, basically, I’m alone in the apartment all day, and I NEED some background noise or I’ll go crazy. I also am at least halfway through Poldark with my brother (cannot get into it but we keep trying).For music … I don’t have Spotify, so how would I know? But I did listen to a lot of Taylor Swift (evermore stan), some Sea Shanties (My Son John is a whole vibe – I mean, can you hate the British but quietly?), a lot of nostalgic music, and of course more Hamilton and Six and a lot of country music.2021 Hopes Wrapup

To quote and respond to last year’s post:

That I’ll find a way to move out or at least develop a new trajectory for my life that feels a bit more structured/less self-contained.I mean … yes? I’m 100% on a new trajectory.That I’ll legitimately learn and grow as a person in Christ.I feel like I have. It’s hard for me to be the judge of that, but other than Christ, no one really can be the judge of that.That I’ll be able to spend more time with my friends, particularly Bailey, and that we’ll be encouraging to each other.Ehhhh … in the first three quarters, yes. In the last, no. But I’m working on getting back to seeing friends!That I’ll develop new friendships – or at least stability in the friendships I have.I feel like this has happened more or less. I still want to work on it, though.That Americans will begin to grow a pair and stand up for what is right.I think more people are, but just not enough. That people all over the world will turn to God in the fray.I’m hoping this is happened. I’ve seen some changes …That God will extend grace to my country, even if we don’t deserve it.We’ll see.That I’ll look back at 2021 and go, “Wow, I really filled that year well!”I think I can!The Story of 20212021 started with me feeling beaten by 2020 in some ways … and in others, just kind of sad.In the first months, my depression came back full force.I determined to be a better friend – but had several big conflicts and several major disappointments. They eventually resolved themselves, but I felt dispirited by them, nonetheless.Late snows, puppies, and adventures with Bailey highlighted my early 2021. I also had some fun times with a couple other friends.But I still remember often feeling hopeless and friendless. I kept a prayer journal through about April where I wrote a total of 104,813 words to God, and there’s a lot of angst there.Of course, in March 2021, I started dating Matthew Langdon. We were engaged at the end of May, and we got married in August. It was nuts, frankly speaking, but so far it’s been fine.One of my goals for 2022 blogging/Instagram posts is actually to talk more about my marriage on here, and elsewhere, because I feel like I’ve figured out enough that self-isolating is no longer necessary. That may seem ridiculous, as it’s only been slightly longer than four months, but you know. I feel settled. I can talk.I definitely had a number of points in 2021 where I felt hopeless and lost. Right now, though I still wish some things had happened that didn’t, I feel like I have a fairly positive trajectory. That may be because I exercised today, though. (Let’s just say that my depression decreases when I take care of my body by about 50%. Who knew?)In October, I ran out of state funding (it’s more complicated than that but …) and am no longer working with Matthias. Which was tough. Tougher than I expected. Especially since I have these lovely spiraling thoughts while I’m alone.However … I also got so much done in November and October of this year. Like, half of my word count from the year was from November and December. That’s insane. I’ve written two novels and edited like four.I’m actually not beating myself up as much as I used to. I’m not sure why this is. Maybe after years of doing so, God finally got through to me on how ridiculous it is to constantly abuse and discredit the human being He created! I mean, I’m not just my sins. Christ redeemed me. There’s more to me now than that, through His grace.

I feel like I have a lot more to say about 2021, but let’s move on to 2022 anyway. Despite my denial, it is here, and I must address it!

2022 Hopes & Expectations

2022 has some awesome things coming down the line! I’m hoping to go to at least one writing retreat – and in addition, if it happens, I’ll go to a writing conference (West Coast Christian Writers). Or I may just attend online.

I’m also excited for Year 2 of the Author Conservatory program! We have a lot of fun critique coming up, and y’all know I love critique. Also, the business side looks super fun this year! Oh, and I want to work on outlining a bunch of fun projects while I have the opportunity.

By the end of 2022, I’ll either be on the way to having a baby or be dealing with doctor appointments. Both of which are big things – one good, one not so good.

We’ll see what happens. We’re also looking for a house to rent. Once we do that, we could potentially have a dog (namely, Bonnie), which I would really appreciate.

I’m hoping to spend more time outside, spend more time with friends and family, and be more helpful to other people. At least, that’s the end goal.

My 2022 GoalsPublish Beyond Her Calling (January), A Prayer Unanswered (July), and After Our Castle (October). This will mean my first six novels in The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy are launched!Relaunch the Kees & Colliers series with new covers.Attend writing events! I have at least one planned.Wherever possible, prioritize physical health (exercising, eating, etc.), using my bullet journal to keep track.Write the McAllen Brothers series.Get a job! Whether this is pursuing an old job, if the opportunity presents itself, or taking on a new one, I need to earn income in some way.

I’ll probably add more goals later, but for now, those are the main ones! As I mentioned, I was a bit sideswiped by this year, and I’m not prepared.

However, I have time. There’s no need for anything to hurry!

2022 Word of the Year

I don’t usually do a word of the year, but last year, I chose “persevere,” which I really liked, and now I’m going to do it again because, even though I kind of think it’s weird, I want to do it. Besides, I like to link it to a Bible verse (last year was Hebrews 10:35-36) which I think try to work through as the year progresses!

My 2022 word of year is:

Sustained

(Past tense, because I already am sustained!)

My verse:

Sustain me, my God, according to your promise, and I will live; do not let my hopes be dashed. (Psalm 119:116)

So, we begin the year!

TTFN!

~Kell~

P.S.

What did you do in 2021? What do you want to do in 2022? SAY SOMETHING TO CONVINCE ME THE TIME HAS ACTUALLY PASSED BECAUSE I CAN’T ACCEPT IT!

NOTE: click here to go to the first post in the tour because you’ll need it for the giveaway.

Hey everyone! I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m a student of the Author Conservatory. To quote the website, “The Author Conservatory is an affordable three-year program that launches Christian students into sustainable writing careers.”

I’m part of a student-run, instructor-supported-ish (lol) review tour (that features an epic giveaway!) to share more about the program, so yeah, I am a little biased, but I’m also a huge skeptic. As you know, I enjoy trashing things.

For this reason, I hope you’ll realize that me taking time to tell you about this program is something special and unique.

I honestly a not the most enthusiastic student in this program (more on that later), but I still gush a little because I believe in what Brett Harris and Kara Swanson are doing with the Author Conservatory.

My Story

As a lot of you know, I’m an indie author who has been published since January 2016. As such, I’ve spent the last seven years trying to understand the confusing and difficult career of being an author.

I’ve written dozens of books (literally – I did the math, and it is officially into the dozens category). I’ve read all the blogs, tried all the programs, joined various groups, attended a couple events (not so much my speed since I started so young).

But more than that, I’ve been writing since I was seven, and that is now an entirety of thirteen years. I’ve been writing SERIOUSLY (meaning literally almost every day for at least a couple hours) for about eight years, during the biggest changes, biggest transitions, biggest learning periods of my life.

This is not the case for a lot of Author Conservatory students. Yes, the age range in the program is probably anywhere from 13 to a scattering in their early 30s, and some of them (like Faith Blum) are super advanced.

Most of them are not. I think a lot of my friends from the Conservatory would freely admit to you that they did not enter this program as experienced writers. Just as talented writers who needed instruction.

Folks, at this point, though I still need improvement (my plots are not always super tight, my writing can be a bit too old-fashioned) and am not rich from writing by any means (this year was the first when I’ve made a significant profit, and even then, I’m not about to buy a Ferrari), there are a lot of ways in which this program felt, as I looked at it, too basic. (Well, that’s kind of their biggest selling point to me now, but more on that later.)

Originally, Brett Harris and Kara Swanson had launched what was then the “Author Program” tract of the Young Writer’s Workshop to get individualized mentorship (September 2019), and I’d joined just for the mentorship from these amazing professionals. Little did I know then that this was just the beginning of Brett and Kara’s plans!

I took a break over the winter, and when I returned in June 2020, I learned that the program had been majorly revamped. Brett and Kara were launching the Author Conservatory for real.

I wasn’t sure at first if I wanted to be a part of it. I talked to Brett a couple times on the phone, trying to decide if I wanted to join. 

After all, instead of the more advanced stuff they’d been teaching before (which had been primarily platform/marketing/etc. things that I’d be able to use at this stage in my career with books already out), I’d have to learn about writing craft, start a side business, et cetera.

I felt like this might slow me down.

Brett basically told me (though don’t quote me on this because I don’t exactly remember what all was said) that they’d love to have me but he also wasn’t sure what I’d get out of this. Still, he thought there was a lot anyone could learn from this program.

I was a Founding Member, so I wasn’t paying full price, and I really do think Brett and Kara are amazing, so I decided to renew my membership and give it a try. Kind of not expecting much, frankly. I thought it’d be fun, and maybe I’d try the first year and see what happened, but like … how much could I possibly learn? I already knew all that stuff.

But in June 2020, I entered the first year of the YWW Author (now Author Conservatory) 3-year fiction program.

And you know, though I enjoyed it, I was still kind of skeptical.

Brett and Kara’s full plans hadn’t been entirely realized at this point, so everything was getting reorganized.All the students felt, at that time, younger than me, in a different place in life and in writing than me. Also, I didn’t know them well, so I didn’t understand yet that they were rock stars. I’m a judgmental curmudgeon. Leave me be.Though I someday want to traditionally publish, I’m in no rush & am perfectly happy being an indie author, but all the students at that point were 100% set on traditional publishing.I also felt a bit out of the loop because so many big transitions had happened while I was gone.

Plus I was Dealing With A Lot that summer, so I’m sure I was like 80% out of it.

Then I started attending critique calls. And I loved those! And then the business tract started getting on its feet. And I loved that! And the program kept improving, sharpening itself, becoming better and better … until now, in November 2021, well, it’s frankly quite impressive.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Let’s talk about what the Author Conservatory coursework entailed for me.

My Experience with Year 1The goals of year 1 are to write an awesome novel and launch a simple business. I have already written many novels and launched several businesses, so I was kind of like, “Do I have to?” Of course I had to. Here’s what I learned.There are a number of “fundamental” craft trainings that I was able to watch right off. I really enjoyed them, though the information wasn’t new to me. I was further a little irritated at having to learn some elements “their way” (mostly just needing to label plot structure with the terms they used instead of my own), but I adjusted once I stopped being stubborn.I really appreciated that the craft trainings were fundamental – teaching everything you need to know in a way that’s simple but advanced. I truly believe you can watch these, implement them, and not spend the 10 or so years I did scrambling from writing program to blog to book like I did. This is all you need on writing craft. Then you can be done. Just like school – but without all the fluff that school generally includes. So like … homeschool. It’s just like homeschool. Plus, it’s true that a lot of authors DO NOT master the fundamentals. Their books are FUNDAMENTALLY flawed, like a beautiful bridge with shaky construction. Brett and Kara’s approach to teaching writing craft like engineers are taught bridge-building is fantastic.In year two, I took two novels from a basic concept to a completed draft. I’m the type of person who was pretty stuck in my own process – and yet, I added another step, sharpened the way I write synopses and outline … and the drafts I wrote were very tight and quick.Then came the business trainings. I’ll talk about this more, but this was the first time I realized that my fellow students are insane. I’ve adjusted to this, but y’all, if you read this, know that I am impressed and frightened by your enthusiasm. How on earth can anyone sincerely be this excited about anything?! Okay, but back on track.I was also skeptical about the business trainings. (You’re nodding along at this point because I am skeptical of everything, lol. I’m starting to realize, reading the other student reviews, that I’m really the jerk of the program. I do not know how I feel about that fact.) However, they turned out to be super awesome. I learned some new things, but mostly, I’d already grasped a lot of these principles. That said, I deeply value the lessons learned there!However, what I really did learn from here was not the principles but the action steps inspired by them. Though I didn’t run a typical business, and I don’t know that I ever will, I really appreciate what we’re learning through the practical steps of the business training. I think anyone, not just writers, should have this type of mentorship! (P.S. Gregg Harris came on to handle the business side along with Brett, and I was legitimately excited about this and enjoyed working with him on my business!)They started bringing in new instructors and guests like Katie Phillips, Nadine Brandes, Mary Weber, Andrew Peterson, and Sara Ella, and I was an unimpressed historical fiction author until I realized how wise and amazing they are. Now, I’m so grateful they were able to bring on every one of these people to pour their amazing knowledge into us!Then they also brought on Joanne Bischof, and I was VERY HAPPY with that. Plus I’d already adjusted to the idea of new people.I was majorly impressed by Steve Laube. He is … literally the best. So much wisdom and insight! I love listening to his stories.However, the biggest thing I was impressed by is the process itself. The Author Conservatory three-year program … itself. The efficiency and care with which writers are easily turned into authors through this course absolutely blew my mind.The more I understood Brett and Kara’s idea here, the more impressed I was. And as the program has expanded and grown and clarified its purpose, I’ve become more impressed still.This is it – the program that teaches writers exactly what they need to learn to have a successful author career. This program eliminates the struggle, the confusion, the wasted time. It takes writers on a simple, easy-to-follow path that, though not for the faint of heart, is absolutely ground-breaking.

Then Came Year Two

*cue me not understanding my fellow students’ reticence here*

I felt like I’d been waiting for Year Two for forever, and I’m so excited about it! In Year 2, we’re writing and editing a novella. I’ve already finished one and am working on a second just in case, so yeah, I’m thrilled!We’re learning more specialized writing craft stuff which has been fun. Again, I’m struggling to take anything away from it, but I’m definitely loving the reminders.I’ve enjoyed the craft critiques! I like getting my work picked at … don’t @ me.I’m also finally having time and energy to critique other peoples’ works, join all the calls, et cetera. And let me tell you … what I’ve gotten out of it has really increased by leaps and bounds as I put more into it! Not so much in learning, though that, too, but in what I’m getting out of having this community. It is amazing.I loooovvvveee the novella I think I’m going to publish! Can’t wait to share it with you!So far, not a lot of Year Two thoughts (I’ve been a little too busy to engage as I’d like to), but I’m so excited for our many critiques and edits toward the end of the year!

Some Random Observations About The Author Conservatory Community

One of the coolest things about the Author Conservatory is that you have this built-in community of like-minded writers (and of course instructors) who are working together to achieve similar goals – namely, to create a sustainable and successful writing career.

These contacts are not going away. You’re basically working with the next bestsellers as you work to become a bestseller yourself. And I absolutely value every one of our awesome students for that reason!

However, let me share some things that I find funny about our community.

Everyone is WILD enthusiastic. Okay, I’ll admit it. Maybe this is because I’d heard a lot of the information before or because I’m just a calmer personality, but I find it HILARIOUS how all of them are so crazy positive about the new trainings! Honestly, even when I learn something hugely ground-breaking for me, I am not … like that? But it’s cool how hard everyone celebrates every little thing (even though I will never join in on this – I just don’t have that much emotional energy, ever, for anything).Everything is a blessing. I’m also apparently a lot less grateful than all the other students. Which I probably need to work on as a spirit of gratitude is so important. As someone who wasn’t born happy about anything, ever, for any reason, this is definitely inspiring to me!There are SO many inside jokes! Honestly, I’ve seen where most of them started, and sometimes, it makes sense, and sometimes, it doesn’t, but frankly, I find them hilarious and enjoy repeating them. I also love how, due to the recorded trainings, so many new students are able to share the inside jokes, too!I love how there’s virtually no difference (besides knowledge level, perspective shifts, etc.) between the newbies and the more Year 2/Year 1.5 writers. We all help each other, we all work together, we all are friends. I never see that in communities! Usually, eventually there get to be little cliques, and it’s hard to make friends, but in the Author Conservatory, this hasn’t happened. (Maybe those cliques will come in time, but it’s certainly not because of anything done by us Founding Members. Y’all are gonna have to join and start your own cliques.)

It’s definitely a unique and special place!

Actual Accomplishments

I wasn’t going to talk about this, but I decided I might as well because I know I would like to know what ACTUALLY is done, so here’s that information in case you’re like me.

I’ve drafted a novel and a novella. The Duke’s Twin and The Duke’s Firstborn (might be renamed The Duchess Imperative) are a slightly different genre for me, and they are a lot more twisty and complicated than other stories I’ve written. However, I was able to draft both of them seamlessly thanks to all the feedback I got!I’ve gotten two completed outlines that I was supposed to write but didn’t! Okay, more or less. I’ve started one novel and am debating when I’ll prioritize fixing it. They are both super strong outlines, and once my life stops shifting, I’ll write them pretty easily, I’ll bet! Especially with Author Conservatory support.Launched a business! Despite the fact that it was one of the busiest seasons of my life ever, I was still able to launch and support a virtual assistant business that raked in probably about $1,500 for me for very little effort over six months. Granted, I have probably the least impressive business on the community, and I shut it down after just a few months because I didn’t love the workload, but the process we go through to launch businesses is easy to follow and so perfectly un-scammy while also marketable. I love this process and wish I’d been able to dive into it a little more!

Random Fun Story Time:

When I first started at the Author Conservatory and began working on The Duke’s Twin, Brett (who was still doing critique calls at that time) and Kara kept pushing me to find a better plot thread. Yes, it was fine, and I’d actually drafted an outline a while ago that I would’ve written if left to my own devices.

However, Brett and Kara didn’t let me do that.

Instead, they kept pushing me to make the characters likable, the plot make sense, the twists more crazy, the ending more satisfying. They pushed and pushed, and frankly, I wasn’t sure how to reach the ending of this stupid story.

Then, one night, Brett woke up (possibly in a cold sweat, because that sounds more dramatic) and scribbled down this perfect ending for the novel that I couldn’t seem to end.

On our next critique call, he went, “Kellyn, have I got the plot for you.”

And … that’s what I wrote. Frankly, I’m half of a mind to split royalties with him because I think most of the other students had to, um, actually come up with their own stories???

Anyways, it was genius, and I’m so grateful for him for putting that much thought into my novel. (Also, apologies for Ana for any annoyance that came from this. You have my sincerest apologies. I am super blessed by it, though. Every time I reread those last few chapters, the hilarity strikes me again.)

So tell me this. WHEN DOES THAT HAPPEN IN ANY OTHER AUTHOR PROGRAM EVER?!?!

But the thing is, we all support each other like that. It’s not just the instructors. It’s the students. They are all helping each other make their stories into the best ever.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. This is an amazing program, and I’m so happy to be a part of it.

Overall Thoughts

The Author Conservatory is ground-breaking. It just is. I’m proud to be a part of this program, and every day I become more and more amazed by how awesome it is.

The instructors and students are all going above and beyond to create and participate in the most amazing course ever. Already, so many authors, agents, editors, and even publishers have expressed interest in our project. Already so many amazing accomplishments have been made by students.

I am so happy I became part of the Conservatory!

Information on the Epic Giveaway

For anyone who participates in the tour, best-selling authors Brett Harris and Kara Swanson will be hosting a live Office Hours where you can ask your questions about writing, careers, Author, and more! Brett & Kara co-founded the Author Conservatory to help writers reach their dreams of becoming self-sustaining authors.

At the end of the tour, you’ll be directed to a Wrap-Up post (on Coralie’s blog) with details on how to register for the Office Hours. Additionally, you’ll find a link to submit your name for two giveaways!

The first giveaway is for six winners. Josiah DeGraaf and Coralie Terry (the admission advisors) will host individual 20 minute coaching sessions via Zoom. Josiah is the co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of Story Embers as well as the Program Director of the Young Writers Workshop. They will each pick three names and spend 20 minutes with each winner to discuss your writing goals and questions. This prize is open internationally.

The second giveaway is for one grand prize winner! Each Author student is required to start a business, so the grand prize is a physical pack featuring products and services from our very own Author students!! The grand prize includes:

A beautiful wooden engraved bookmark from Charis’s shop A hand-painted hardcover copy of Kara Swanson’s Dust from Amie’s shop Painted Prose DesignsA tree-themed book sleeve from Zoe’s shop Sleeves By AnastasiaA custom funko pop (which you get to design!) from Ryan’s shop Storystar CreationsAn Author Conservatory sticker from our Young Writer Merch Shop run by ParisAn Author Conservatory journal from our Young Writer Merch Shop run by ParisA 25% discount on Jenny’s Life Story Book ServicesRULES

You must comment on each of the blog reviews in order to be entered in the grand prize giveaway (and the 20 minute coaching session giveaways).

You must submit the google form at the end of the tour (on the Wrap-up post here) so we can draw your name from the submissions!

The grand prize is open to US participants only. The coaching sessions and Office Hours are open internationally.

Next Post

To find the next post in this series, click here. (It will go live on Monday, 11/22.)

TTFN!

~Kell~

p.s.

Are you a writer? What kind of ed-u-cay-shion are you putting yourself through? Would you ever consider a college-level alternative like this one? Let me know in the comments!

Hey everyone!

It’s time for part 2.

Y’all, I can not speak enough on how valuable children are. I cannot speak enough on how wrong it is to kill a child. And I cannot tell you how scientifically inaccurate it is to say that modern-day abortions do not take the life of a precious baby.

If you believe that abortion is only done on early-term babies who couldn’t survive outside of the womb, you are wrong. This book discusses one of such abortions that is “botched,” allowing the child to be born alive – something that happens more than you would think.

Which is why it means so much that people, like this author and others, are speaking up on the subject!

About To Save a Life

Book 1 of Natty’s Warriors, this book tells the story of two young couples: one with big questions and one with the answers they need. When a baby is born alive after a botched abortion, the parents are faced with questions they have never considered.

This story follows their journey to the Answers they need regarding Christ, the value of Life, and what they must do to turn their lives around.

ORDER ON AMAZON

Find the Rest

There’s a bookstagram/blog challenge, author interviews, character spotlights, and more!

See the Rest of the Prolife Tour

Join the Honor Life challenge by posting on your blog or Instagram! Post a photo, or a quote, or a book, or a caption that features one of the prompts, and use the #honorlifechallenge hashtag. Don’t forget to link back to restinglife.com and lifeofheritage.com on a blog or tag @erikamathewsauthor and @lifeofheritage on Instagram!

I was so excited to have been given the opportunity to participate in this tour! <3 This is a cause near and dear to my heart, though I don’t get to talk about it much (mostly because I don’t talk about much of anything on here anymore!), and it’s wonderful seeing so many people sharing about it.

Keep fighting for life, y’all.

TTFN

~Kell~

Hey everyone!

I’m back from my yet-another-unofficial-hiatus-sorry-I’m-busy to talk about the Write for Life Blog Tour. (You can find out more about it here.) I’m so excited to be included, even in a small way, in this awesome celebration.

Today I’m spotlighting a story written by one of my dear friends, Erika Mathews. Her book debuted earlier today, and you can check out her launch day post HERE. (Definitely click through and check it out! And congratulate Erika on this awesome launch and awesome book!)

About Sustainer’s Smile

Learn the Basics

It’s Book Four of Truth from Taerna but it can easily be read as a standalone.It’s a prolife novel.It tells the story of Liliora Ellith, who makes peace with her past and discovers her future among the cradles of Taerna’s unwanted babies, born and unborn.It’s a kingdom adventure fiction novel.It’s clean and family-friendly, though it’s recommended for teens and up due to dealing with the issue of abortion. It’s available on Amazon right now!

The Blurb

Suffering suffocates her soul. 

How can she ever smile again?

A helpless newborn…that’s exactly how twenty-four-year-old Liliora Ellith feels in her efforts to speak up on behalf of the youngest members of Taerna’s pleasure-driven society. Her tender heart for the defenseless and deep aversion to conflict throw Liliora’s soul into turmoil when tragedy opens her eyes to the quiet yet heartrending war on Taerna’s babies—both born and unborn. Adon Olam’s Word coupled with a secret in her own past fuel her determination. All she wants is to make peace with her past and discover her future among the cradles of unwanted babies. However, the challenges ahead of her threaten to send her spiraling into hopeless depression time and again. Saving innocent lives from the crush of the destroyer and raising a generation in the ways of Adon Olam seem more impossible than ever. At the very end of herself, will the sufferings of her and her babies prove to be anything less than the catalyst for complete disaster?

Enter the Giveaway

Win a signed paperback of Promise’s Prayer (Truth from Taerna #1) and other fun prizes! Enter here.

Find the Rest

There’s a bookstagram/blog challenge, author interviews, character spotlights, and more!

Add to Goodreads

View or Buy Sustainer’s Smile on Amazon

See the Rest of the Prolife Tour

Join the Honor Life challenge by posting on your blog or Instagram! Post a photo, or a quote, or a book, or a caption that features one of the prompts, and use the #honorlifechallenge hashtag. Don’t forget to link back to restinglife.com and lifeofheritage.com on a blog or tag @erikamathewsauthor and @lifeofheritage on Instagram!

Tomorrow I’ll be back with info on the other book in this tour, but for now, grab yourself a copy of this meaningful book and check out some of the other info!

TTFN

~Kell~

I just wanted to post here really quickly and say … I’ve been blogging for six years.

And for a twenty-year-old, that’s a lot of my life!

This blog has lasted through high school, my first job(s), learning to drive and getting my license, every book launch I’ve done, my first and second/last boyfriends, and my marriage.

I’ve had this blog just a couple years longer than I’ve known my best friend.

I went from never having shared my stories with anyone outside of my dearest friends to having sold thousands of dollars worth of books in paperback, ebook, and audiobook form. On Kindle Unlimited alone, I’ve had a third of a million page reads (which is how I’m counting things at this still-somewhat-early-stage in my career).

I went from having never earned a dollar as an entrepreneur to having mentored writers, worked as a virtual assistant, and helped authors with blog tours, cover designs, and more.

I made and lost dozens of friends. I’ve had people come in and out of my life.

I’ve written millions upon millions of words.

And, though I don’t know how many blog posts I’ve actually published since I’ve deleted dozens of old ones and bad ones and ones that no longer relate to my current topics …

Well, I’ve written at least 646. And those 646 posts comprised of 577,327 words.

On those posts, there have been at least 10,000 comments, 30,000 views (and 10,000 visitors), and 1,000 likes (because likes aren’t really a thing on the new version of WordPress and of course all my old ones were lost when I switched to hosted in late 2019).

Basically, I know I have way more comments, views, and likes, but, um, I can’t tell you how many.

We have over 1,000 followers, give or take, across various channels.

Since switching over in 2019, the best views EVER were on September 10th, 2020 (I think due to the Growing Writers launch)

Anyways, I’m so excited about this milestone! Last year was obviously a bigger “even number” milestone (5), but this year, at 20, as I look back and realize I was just 14 when I started, well, that’s something special.

TTFN

~Kell~

P.S.

What’s a big anniversary you’ve celebrated? For context, depending on what it is, you can view a year or even a month as a big anniversary. Despite the fact that “anniversary” comes from the same root word as “annual” meaning it’s … yearly …

Heyyyyy, y’all! I’m back and ready to blog! Though we’ll see how long I keep at it. My new goal is to post on this blog every other week (on Wednesdays except when special events come up).

Today, I’m sharing some wedding photos, stories, and other updates of my life! It’s a bit of a wild ride, and I probably won’t be able to communicate everything, but … I SHALL TRY!

ALSO, I MISSED YOU ALL! And I missed blogging. I’m really wanting to get back into the things I enjoy about authoring, and BLOGGING is aBsoLuTeLy one of them. So let’s get to it!

Well, I got married!

Legally and before God, on August 14th of 2021, I became Mrs. Matthew Langdon! And as soon as I get some name change stuff figured out, I’ll be Kelly Lyn Langdon officially.

Which is … insane.

(Note to anyone whose curious: Kellyn Roth will always be my pen name.)

I still kind of can’t believe I’m married, and it’s been almost a month. But I am, and I’m moved into a new apartment, and I’m working on all the various things that need to be sorted.

The wedding was horrible, as I expected (I say that with utter seriousness and yet with no malice – I hate weddings – and more on that later) and the honeymoon was fun except I was insanely sick.

Let’s start with …

The Apartment

We had some scares with this thing, as we weren’t even sure we’d be able to get into it right up until like four days before the wedding (and we weren’t able to find anything else that would work).

I’ll be honest and say I was not happy about this place when I first went in it. I basically wanted to call it quits right then and there!

But it has turned into a cute space that actually looks vaguely like an apartment!

I’m very thankful to my parents and in-laws who did loads of hard work on my apartment, which is a converted semi-office space, to get it set up and livable. It’s actually turned out super cute!

Check out these before and after shots:

I obviously stole those from my Instagram, and we obviously were still missing a few things when those pictures were taken.

I actually haven’t taken a picture since we got the bed-frame, lamps, and nightstands, but here are a couple better pictures of the apartment:

We still have a few missing pieces (end tables, for one), but mostly, it’s put together, and I love how beautiful it is!

Now that we’ve discussed my home, let’s talk about the wedding.

The Wedding

As of now, I’ve only got a scattering of professional early photos! But I’ll soon have more. In the meantime, here’s what we’ve got of this beautiful day!

The day was beautiful. My photographer is an utter professional, and I can’t wait to see the whole gallery!

That said … I was a wreck, I felt horrible, and I of course HATE WEDDINGS. I cannot express to you how much. They’re just … everything I hate about being a woman? And about commercialism? And about the way beautiful, God-ordained things have been turned into modern nonsense trash?

Anywayyyysssss, that rant can wait for another day. I didn’t enjoy my wedding, but I’ll look back on the fact that I got married with fondness. Because marriage means a lot to me even though getting married is, in my opinion, silly and over-emphasized.

Marriage > wedding, every time.

Afterwards, we went on a honeymoon.

Throughout most of which, I was sick. It was part hormones, but the other thing is that …

According to some sources (mostly my opinion and some of my friends’), my body had been so used to being sick that actually fixing some of the things that were making me sick (e.g. removing dairy, lessening the gluten somewhat, eating more of the healthy things, trying to be more careful about rest, taking lots of pills that do who-knows-what) has put my body in mild shock (combined with, of course, the stress, big changes, and so on).

And being in shock, as I am now learning, sucks. Really ready to be done with it.

That said, I’ve lately noticed some positive changes, which I’m quite happy about. In the long term, this is a good thing! Right now, it’s not fun. (If you think of it, pray that I’ll get better! Though, as I mentioned, I am a lot better now.)

That said, Montana was so pretty! And I am determined to move there some time in the future due to the politics and the whole vibe. Though, of course, it would be very hard to leave my family and home.

If you want to see pictures, check out this Facebook album! It’s public, and you should be able to view it without an account unless Facebook blocks you. I also shared some photos to my Instagram.

Random Marriage Tidbits

As a romance/relationship author, I’ve been over-analyzing everything, which is fun.

I mostly just have this need to be improving my relationship every moment of every day – my motto is “it could always be better” – which is very bad. If you catch me doing that, be sure to squirt me with a spray bottle and tell me to go sit in the corner.

Though it’s a lot worse to not want to improve at all, honestly. I just feel, when I think about it hard enough, that it’s very important to move toward self-improvement in a slightly less goal-oriented way than I do it.

The focus should be on Christ, not on leveling up as a person. Christlikeness, not self-improvement, is the goal.

Apparently I talk down to people a lot. And it’s not best to say, “That’s because you’re dumb” in response to having this said about you.

For a while, I kept waiting for the honeymoon stage to be over (like how a dingo watches a human baby) and us to start fighting constantly, only to realize that we’ve never really had a “honeymoon stage,” we are already “fighting constantly” (in a manner of speaking – we have conflicts to work through every day), and I’m just so used to feeling miserable that I don’t always notice.

However, it is better than I expected, really.

Conflict and of course my ongoing issues of various kinds don’t go away post-marriage. But I knew that. And hopefully you knew that, too.

However, there being more at stake has pushed me, and I actually have functioned and worked and communicated more than I would’ve expected. Granted, not a ton. But let’s have a little celebration for Kell exceeding her usual lameness in even the little ways. *confetti*

There’s so much that’s unique and good about marriage that I can’t help but feel optimistic at the end of the day.

The only problem is, of course, that I’m the perfect wife and Matthew needs house-trained.

*everyone pulls out the spray bottles*

OKAY, OKAY. Sorry. You’re right. Eesh. You give people a little power …

ANYWHO, overall, so far I’ve enjoyed marriage because it has literally been less than a month, and I’ve had no time to hate it at all.

But I need to be more positive. I cast doom-and-gloom vibes wherever I go, and that’s no way to be. Just because I’m being a realist about everything (including marriage) does not give me an excuse to be a huge pessimist.

And, really, there’s so much to hope for!

Well, I’ll leave you for now. Thanks for reading!

TTFN

~Kell~

P.S.

HOW HAVE YOU BEEN? Do you enjoy this kind of update? Also, how does one incorporate rubber duckies into a blog? Asking for a friend … who rediscovered her love for rubber duckies lately …

Also, I am now a marriage expert and will be taking questions.

Y’all …

It is time …

For the Beyond Her Calling cover reveal and preorder launch!

Coming January 22nd, 2022 is this historical romance set in Scotland and featuring our beloved Ivy and our soon-to-be-even-more-beloved Jordy.

About the Novel

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

I’m terribly excited about this cover reveal! Isn’t it gorgeous?

TTFN

~Kell~

p.s.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?! Do you like it? Feel free to ask me any and all questions about the book, characters, etc. in the comments of this post!

Hey folks! Time for the giveaway wrap-up! Let’s do this thing!

ABOUT THE BOOK

She’s willing to do anything to follow her plan.

Debutante Alice Knight is ready for her first social season in London. She’s determined to impress society and her mother with an affluent match, at last escaping her past and embracing a future of her own making.

Peter Strauss, an American reporter visiting England, isn’t exactly what Alice had in mind. However, his friendship proves invaluable as Alice faces the challenges of her debut. Almost immediately, she attracts the attention of a well-born gentleman—perfect save for the simple fact that he’s not a Christian.

The life she longs for is finally at her fingertips, but between her own heart and the convictions of her faith, she isn’t sure she ought to grasp it.

Buy on Amazon | Add on Goodreads

SCHEDULE

Wednesday, July 14th

Introduction Post // Kellyn Roth @ Reveries & Lilacs

Review // Hannah E.M. @ Precious Book Stacks

Thursday, July 15th

Introducing Alice // Kellyn Roth @ Reveries & Lilacs

Interview with Gibson Ashfield // SawyerMarie @ SundropGirls

Review // Kristina Hall, Author

BONUS POST: Review // Esther J. @ ‘Neath the Hackleberry Reading Club

Friday, July 16th

Introducing … Love Interests!? // Kellyn Roth @ Reveries & Lilacs

Interview with Ivy Knight // Grace A. Johnson @ Gabbing with Grace

Review // Jenavieve Rose @ Living Outside the Lines

Saturday, July 17th

Launch Day // Kellyn Roth @ Reveries & Lilacs

Review // Loretta Marchize @ Just Writing

Interview // Vanessa Hall

Sunday, July 18th

Themes // Kellyn Roth @ Reveries & Lilacs

Interview with Alice Knight // Katja L. @ Little Blossoms for Jesus

Monday, July 19th

Siblings // Kellyn Roth @ Reveries & Lilacs

Guest Post // Andrea Cox @ Writing To Inspire

Review // Tara Savanna @ Tower in the Plains

Interview with Nettie Jameson // Ryana Lynn @ Life of Heritage Corner

Tuesday, July 20th

Mothers // Kellyn Roth @ Reveries & Lilacs

Character Spotlight with Peter Strauss // Abigail Kay Harris @ Read Review Rejoice

Wednesday, July 21st

Wrapup Post // Kellyn Roth @ Reveries & Lilacs

Review // Michaela Bush @ Tangled Up in Writing

Saturday, July 24th

Giveaway Wrapup // Kellyn Roth @ Reveries & Lilacs

GIVEAWAY!

For the blog tour, I’m giving away this special prize bundle!

And the winner is …

Heidi

I’ll be contacting you shortly!

#ATHERFINGERTIPSBOOKISHTAG

To celebrate this relaunch, I’m hosting an Instagram tag!

RulesFollow the tags to enter the giveawayTo make sure your entries get counted, tag @kellynrothauthor!If possible, use the tag #AtHerFingertipsBookishTag

Participants will be entered to win a $20 Amazon gift card and an ebook copy of At Her Fingertips.

Post Ideas:

3rd — Sweetest Couples

Books that contain sweet (romantic) couples or thoughts about what makes a sweet couple.

10th — Platonic Love

Books that contain awesome platonic relationships or thoughts about platonic love.

17th — Launch Day

A post about At Her Fingertips launching (could work as a freebie day).

24th — Emotional Reads

Books that made you cry or thoughts about emotional reads.

TTFN

~Kell~

This is the last post … and therefore appropriately named “the wrapup.” Wow. That week went so dang fast!

Note that the giveaway announcements, etc., will come later, so this is primarily a blog post wrapup. So excited to share with you some of the fun posts we had! (And some of my favorite reviews, too!)

ABOUT THE BOOK

She’s willing to do anything to follow her plan.

Debutante Alice Knight is ready for her first social season in London. She’s determined to impress society and her mother with an affluent match, at last escaping her past and embracing a future of her own making.

Peter Strauss, an American reporter visiting England, isn’t exactly what Alice had in mind. However, his friendship proves invaluable as Alice faces the challenges of her debut. Almost immediately, she attracts the attention of a well-born gentleman—perfect save for the simple fact that he’s not a Christian.

The life she longs for is finally at her fingertips, but between her own heart and the convictions of her faith, she isn’t sure she ought to grasp it.

Buy on Amazon | Add on Goodreads

POSTS OF THE DAY

Review // Michaela Bush @ Tangled Up in Writing

SCHEDULE

Wednesday, July 14th

Introduction Post // Kellyn Roth @ Reveries & Lilacs

Review // Hannah E.M. @ Precious Book Stacks

Thursday, July 15th

Introducing Alice // Kellyn Roth @ Reveries & Lilacs

Interview with Gibson Ashfield // SawyerMarie @ SundropGirls

Review // Kristina Hall, Author

Friday, July 16th

Introducing … Love Interests!? // Kellyn Roth @ Reveries & Lilacs

Interview with Ivy Knight // Grace A. Johnson @ Gabbing with Grace

Review // Jenavieve Rose @ Living Outside the Lines

Saturday, July 17th

Launch Day // Kellyn Roth @ Reveries & Lilacs

Review // Loretta Marchize @ Just Writing

Interview // Vanessa Hall

Sunday, July 18th

Themes // Kellyn Roth @ Reveries & Lilacs

Interview with Alice Knight // Katja L. @ Little Blossoms for Jesus

Monday, July 19th

Siblings // Kellyn Roth @ Reveries & Lilacs

Guest Post // Andrea Cox @ Writing To Inspire

Review // Tara Savanna @ Tower in the Plains

Interview with Nettie Jameson // Ryana Lynn @ Life of Heritage Corner

Tuesday, July 20th

Mothers // Kellyn Roth @ Reveries & Lilacs

Character Spotlight with Peter Strauss // Abigail Kay Harris @ Read Review Rejoice

Wednesday, July 21st

Wrapup Post // Kellyn Roth @ Reveries & Lilacs

Review // Michaela Bush @ Tangled Up in Writing

Saturday, July 24th

Giveaway Wrapup // Kellyn Roth @ Reveries & Lilacs

GIVEAWAY!

For the blog tour, I’m giving away this special prize bundle!

Enter Now!

#ATHERFINGERTIPSBOOKISHTAG

To celebrate this relaunch, I’m hosting an Instagram tag!

RulesFollow the tags to enter the giveawayTo make sure your entries get counted, tag @kellynrothauthor!If possible, use the tag #AtHerFingertipsBookishTag

Participants will be entered to win a $20 Amazon gift card and an ebook copy of At Her Fingertips.

Post Ideas:

3rd — Sweetest Couples

Books that contain sweet (romantic) couples or thoughts about what makes a sweet couple.

10th — Platonic Love

Books that contain awesome platonic relationships or thoughts about platonic love.

17th — Launch Day

A post about At Her Fingertips launching (could work as a freebie day).

24th — Emotional Reads

Books that made you cry or thoughts about emotional reads.

TTFN

~Kell~

P.S.

What was your favorite part of the celebrations? And what more could we do to celebrate the new book?

Y’all, we now have just one more official launch day date before we dive into the wrapups, and wow … how has it already been almost the full week!?

I’m really excited for today’s post, although it’ll be brief, because we’re able to talk about mothers … and I love talking about mothers. Particularly two of the mothers in this story – Claire and Nettie.

ABOUT THE BOOK

She’s willing to do anything to follow her plan.

Debutante Alice Knight is ready for her first social season in London. She’s determined to impress society and her mother with an affluent match, at last escaping her past and embracing a future of her own making.

Peter Strauss, an American reporter visiting England, isn’t exactly what Alice had in mind. However, his friendship proves invaluable as Alice faces the challenges of her debut. Almost immediately, she attracts the attention of a well-born gentleman—perfect save for the simple fact that he’s not a Christian.

The life she longs for is finally at her fingertips, but between her own heart and the convictions of her faith, she isn’t sure she ought to grasp it.

Buy on Amazon | Add on Goodreads

POSTS OF THE DAY

Character Spotlight with Peter Strauss // Abigail Kay Harris @ Read Review Rejoice

SCHEDULE

Wednesday, July 14th

Introduction Post // Kellyn Roth @ Reveries & Lilacs

Review // Hannah E.M. @ Precious Book Stacks

Thursday, July 15th

Introducing Alice // Kellyn Roth @ Reveries & Lilacs

Interview with Gibson Ashfield // SawyerMarie @ SundropGirls

Review // Kristina Hall, Author

Friday, July 16th

Introducing … Love Interests!? // Kellyn Roth @ Reveries & Lilacs

Interview with Ivy Knight // Grace A. Johnson @ Gabbing with Grace

Review // Jenavieve Rose @ Living Outside the Lines

Saturday, July 17th

Launch Day // Kellyn Roth @ Reveries & Lilacs

Review // Loretta Marchize @ Just Writing

Interview // Vanessa Hall

Sunday, July 18th

Themes // Kellyn Roth @ Reveries & Lilacs

Interview with Alice Knight // Katja L. @ Little Blossoms for Jesus

Monday, July 19th

Siblings // Kellyn Roth @ Reveries & Lilacs

Guest Post // Andrea Cox @ Writing To Inspire

Review // Tara Savanna @ Tower in the Plains

Interview with Nettie Jameson // Ryana Lynn @ Life of Heritage Corner

Tuesday, July 20th

Mothers // Kellyn Roth @ Reveries & Lilacs

Character Spotlight with Peter Strauss // Abigail Kay Harris @ Read Review Rejoice

Wednesday, July 21st

Wrapup Post // Kellyn Roth @ Reveries & Lilacs

Review // Michaela Bush @ Tangled Up in Writing

Saturday, July 24th

Giveaway Wrapup // Kellyn Roth @ Reveries & Lilacs

GIVEAWAY!

For the blog tour, I’m giving away this special prize bundle!

Enter Now!

#ATHERFINGERTIPSBOOKISHTAG

To celebrate this relaunch, I’m hosting an Instagram tag!

RulesFollow the tags to enter the giveawayTo make sure your entries get counted, tag @kellynrothauthor!If possible, use the tag #AtHerFingertipsBookishTag

Participants will be entered to win a $20 Amazon gift card and an ebook copy of At Her Fingertips.

Post Ideas:

3rd — Sweetest Couples

Books that contain sweet (romantic) couples or 

thoughts about what makes a sweet couple.

10th — Platonic Love

Books that contain awesome platonic relationships or thoughts about platonic love.

17th — Launch Day

A post about At Her Fingertips launching (could work as a freebie day).

24th — Emotional Reads

Books that made you cry or thoughts about emotional reads.

Nettie and Claire’s relationship with Alice is one of the most fun to write.

Of course, Nettie/Alice is the most obviously fun (and twisty!), but Alice/Claire and then Claire’s relationship with Nettie also adds a lot to the stories.

During this rewrite, I really wanted to do two things:

Highlight how much Alice relies on Nettie, andStill give some involvement to Claire.

The truth is, Nettie and Claire just have very, very different mother styles … and they also seem to pick up on different aspects of Alice’s character and parent to those very specific aspects.

Claire sees and values Alice’s drive. Her aggression. She gives her advice to be a woman right where she’s at – without asking her to work on some of the harsher aspects of her character.

She encourages her to value sense, to trust her gut, and to seek a comfortable and safe life.

And most of all, Claire worries. She worries Alice will have to face the same hardships and difficulties she did. She seeks to push Alice away from the scary situations and heartwrenching scenarios that she’s imagining based on her own experience.

Nettie isn’t there to protect Alice, though. Well, yes, she is … but she also wants her to be a grownup because she knows, inevitably, grownup things are going to happen.

Nettie has a bit more perspective as someone who has accepted her own helplessness – and her need to seize at joy and contentment even in the fact of that helplessness.

Claire learned to fight when she was pushed down. Nettie learned to surrender all to God.

So Nettie pushes Alice to surrender. To take a deep breath. To accept a simple hug and a cuppa and talk through her problems. To listen, listen, listen … and stop this endless noise that she lives in.

No escaping reality. What is, is. What will be, will be.

I see the validity in both of their parenting styles, though I’ve never had a reader say Claire was a good mother. Perhaps I see a little how hard Claire is trying to push Alice in the direction she feels is best.

And Claire is still, truly, a young Christian – she’s probably only about six in Christian years.

Meanwhile, Nettie has a good thirty years behind her!

And Nettie has her failings. She covers up the truth until it becomes an outright lie – she protects in all the wrong ways. She still hasn’t been honest with Claire about what some of her friend’s choices have cost her.

But it’s so easy for my readers to have grace for Nettie (no pun intended) and none at all for Claire (no pun intended). Because Nettie is softer and wiser and less … Claire.

Anyways, I’d be interested in hearing your interpretations of these two characters! How do you feel about Claire and Nettie … and why?

TTFN

~Kell~

P.S.

Do you have an amazing mom? (I definitely do!) What’s an area where she’s really come through for you? Also, what are your thoughts on fictional mothers in general?