Kellyn Roth's Blog: Kellyn Roth, Author, page 4

Today I have a kind of unusual post—I’ll be comparing Patrick Hilton and Cassie O’Connell from my novel, Like a Ship on the Sea. There’s a dichotomy between them, surely, but also so many similarities that I didn’t even realize existed until the revision stage. At which point, I was, of course, delighted.

As we know, both Patrick and Cassie deal with neglectful or even cruel parents. Patrick’s mother and father push him around and force him into situations he’s not comfortable with. He sees his mother as a distant but unloving figure, and his father as the harsh, tyrannical force that guides his every action.

Their relationship couldn’t be called close, but it was certainly one of close observation. They had watched him with eyes like a hawk over the years, his every action recorded and measured. He would receive regular reports of how his activities had measured up. If he was really deserving of the title of eldest son of the Hiltons. If he was putting his parents to shame. If he was acting too Yankee or Southern, depending on the parent. All things he couldn’t bear.

What’s funny is, despite the fact that his parents are often fighting and constantly at odds, Patrick sees them as a united front—both equally the villains. Throughout the story, he sees himself as wrestling with both of them, and he never wins—Patrick doesn’t believe he ever can win.

He has to maintain the status quo, do the things they want him to do, marry the girl they want him to marry, work until he’s exhausted, push himself just a little further, or irreparable harm will come to his sisters—but, I think, if he were honest with himself, there’s a heavy degree of selfishness there, too.

He loved his sisters. He loved working at the Hilton Shipping Company. So why was it so difficult to rouse the energy to put on a smile and a laugh and get through day after day of doing just the type of thing he had always wanted to do? That should be simple.

He likes certain aspects of the life he has with his parents’ approval intact—the wealth, the position, the job. He legitimately has the skills and talents to go far in his father’s company even on his own, which he has more than proved, as the Hiltons are definitely more of a reverse-nepotism family, if you will. But it’s not the right thing to do, even if he can tolerate it, and it takes the jump start of meeting and falling for the wrong woman to make him see that.

He shook his head as they rounded the corner, and he caught his father’s expression. The glare told him that his eyes had lingered overlong on the young woman in the hall, enough that he’d been caught. Yet he didn’t flinch—he never flinched when, inevitably, he failed his father’s idea of a faithful, steady man who was practically betrothed. But he wasn’t betrothed, not officially. Though his parents expected that he would marry Blanche Linden, to the general public, he was not a chained man—yet.

Meanwhile, there’s Cassie. Her parents are similarly cruel to her, but in that she doesn’t have much of a relationship with either of them. As opposed to Patrick’s controlling father, she barely knows her father at all—and what she does know of him is not necessarily benevolent. She knows he doesn’t care about her.

It’s clear that the closest thing she has to a father-daughter relationship in her life comes from her brother, Freddy, but even he seems to forget about and condescend to her—the same goes for her older sister, who is married and moved away by the time Like a Ship on the Sea takes place.

As for Cassie’s mother, she’s that mother who is never content with her daughter. Cassie’s older sister was the Golden Child, and Cassie can never meet that exacting standard—not in appearance, not in behavior, not in marital prospects.

“As a child, she’d been passed about from place to place, person to person. She couldn’t remember a time when summers and most holidays weren’t spent with some distant relative or schoolmate’s family. Her parents had not wanted a third child. They had had her brother, Frederick, the proper heir of the title and estate. They had had Catherine—dear Catie, with her big, blue eyes and her dark curls, a great beauty like their mother. Catie had always been wanted, and she had appealed to Mother’s vanity. Cassie loved her sister, but she couldn’t help but feel that it wasn’t fair that Catie was Catie whereas Cassie was, well, Cassie.”

Cassie describes herself as staid, but she has a bit of a wandering soul. I sometimes wonder if I achieved the balance I wanted to with her—both to be seeking contentment where she is and excited to explore the next horizon. The thing is, it’s a response to her mother’s controlling nature—a way of seeking something of her own that cannot be easily taken away. Whether that’s wandering through the streets of an Italian city on her own, having escaped her governess, because she just needs a few minutes alone—or creating habits and routines for comfort’s sake.

“Cassie was a creature of habit, after all. Habits were the secure, small actions that made the mundane feel bearable—that allowed her to find peace and quiet in the hasty rush of life that so often was far beyond her control.

Due largely to their parents’ influence on their life, both Cassie and Patrick are conflict averse, to the point that they often get themselves into situations that they then feel unable to extract themselves from—parent-arranged relationships being the #1 issue, of course! It’s a tendency they both need to face throughout the story—Cassie first and Patrick later on.

But honestly, the main reason that I love them both is their mix of confidence and utter lack of self-esteem.

… this sounds insane, but … hear me out.

Cassie is withdrawn and anxious for her childhood and much of her girlhood. Throughout The Dressmaker’s Secret (after she’s introduced) and At Her Fingertips, Alice views her as so painfully shy that she’s nearly incapable of functioning … and I think to a degree, that’s true.

Yet Cassie has a wry sense of humor and a deep understanding of what’s going on around her that I believe Alice sometimes misses—much as Alice missed so many things in those stages of her life. A lot of what Cassie was displaying was more fear and reluctance to be open—but we all know that once she was forced to be brave, well, Cassie can be very brave indeed. And in her element, she’s a force of nature.

… okay, a quiet force of nature, but a force of nature.

I mean, she’s been Alice’s friend for a long while, so obviously she’s got some grit.

Of course, Cassie’s confidence develops in time—and it’s all from God. On her own, she has none.

I don’t have to look into your heart to see that your behavior does not align with God’s commands.

With Patrick, it’s different. He’s anxious, sure, but it’s more nervous energy than anything. He’s obviously at ease in all the various types of social situations that his parents have raised him in, but you can tell that his constant need to please is just … wearing at him.

I mean, of course it is. It’d be wearing to anyone.

And like, Patrick is a mess, as we all know. He took fOrEvEr to grow, and I think that comes from a fear and stubbornness (another thing Patrick and Cassie have in common; they are both the most mule-headed fools in their own ways … though to be fair, I write stubborn characters in general because I am in general a stubborn person …).

If he were honest, he would admit that his prayers were hindered by his lack of obedience. God was trying to lead him somewhere, and Patrick was unwilling to stumble his way to somewhere. Especially if that accidentally led him to Cassie. That was where his thoughts wandered more often than not, and he wasn’t sure why. After all, she was just a temptation to be avoided. His feelings toward her must be deceptive. The very idea of allying himself with her was rooted in a long stream of poor choices. Ones he must not repeat.

Patrick’s confidence is not quite the God-derived kind at first—it’s more like arrogance. He’s foolishly certain he’s right, for one thing, in many areas he oughtn’t to be. He’s condescending at times, to the point of rudeness, and it all comes from seeking to maintain the status quo. And when anything shakes his path, even a little bit, he’s a mess. An utter mess.

Having never seen another side of Patrick, Cassie hadn’t been aware that, to his sisters’ eyes, Patrick was “acting strangely.” To her, it seemed like all his words, all his actions, were centered around a consistently confusing personality.

But I believe we see, in small measures, Patrick become confident in the right things. His work, yes, which he deservedly takes a measure of pride in. But then there’s also confidence in the Lord … the most important kind!

So yes, Patrick and Cassie are pretty similar—and I love it about them.

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Anyways, thank you for biding with me for my rambles! And let me know if you’d like to see more posts like this, because I can definitely do them, but I often feel like they provide no actual value to my readers, which is … not so good.

But then, I always struggle to provide value regardless of what I do, so maybe I’d better play with it a little more.

What do you think?

TTFN!

~Kell~

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GUESS WHAT?

I’m getting published in an anthology.

AND …

There are a couple things that make this story and this anthology really important and really fun.

This story features a character you know and love, if you’re a long-time reader.Even if you don’t know and love the character, you’ll want to support our mission.

Because specifically, my story is being published in the Author Conservatory‘s second Voices of the Future anthology: Stories of Courage & Compassion!

Let’s start with the “supporting our mission” bit. I’ll circle back around to the “character you know and love” another time.

Voices of the Future is a collection of short stories written by students of the Author Conservatory FOR THE PURPOSE of supporting young writers.

To describe the purpose a little better:

Voices of the Future is our beacon, a platform where our voices as young aspiring authors are heard for the first time. It’s our chance to share our dreams, our hopes, and our tales with the world.

100% of every purchase of this anthology goes to help Author Conservatory students attend writing conferences so we can pitch our books to agents and editors.

That’s right! This book not only allows us to share our work with the world, but also paves the way for this writing dream to become a reality.

Though I’m not necessarily pursuing traditional publishing, the other writers are, and I want to see this anthology go far. We’re launching on April 23rd, 2024, and we’ll have a cover reveal in March.

For that reason,

Okay, I kid, I kid. (Though hey, if you feel led to buy a copy when the book goes up for preorder later this month, please do!)

No, actually, my real request is that you join my street team, Mrs. Roth’s Society Column. If you’re already in the group, great – you’ll receive an email soon with details.

If not, fill out the form below:

FILL OUT THIS FORM!

Link to copy/paste into your browser: https://forms.gle/K4zrhS1mxE4G1FeT6

If you don’t know, a street team is a group of people who want to support this release and help us reach our writer conference goal. You don’t have to be a writer yourself or a social media influencer or anything like that to join up.

In fact, I’d be more than welcome to have my Uncle Ernie on this street team … if I had an Uncle Ernie, which I don’t.

(Will you be my Uncle Ernie?)

It’s not a big commitment; it’s just a “do what you can” kind of thing. You can do it whether you have social media or not, whether you can commit to buying the book or not, etc. (That said, of course, if you’re able to purchase a copy of the book, that option will definitely be made open to you!)

As a part of the street team, you’ll get to read the anthology before anyone else. ALSO … if you’re a member of this street team and participate, there will be prizes, goodies, and so on made available to you.

If you want to know more, just hit reply and let me know!

Otherwise, just stay tuned! I’ll be sharing the cover and more exciting news soon!

Thank you so much!

TTFN!

~Kell~

Are you interested in getting to know me & my books better? Join my email list!

Kellyn Roth here, and today I’m joined by H.S. Kylian to talk about Romance in Christian Fiction. Our first two posts were published here (about chemistry in Christian romance) and here (about kissing in Christian romance), but so definitely take some time to read those next time you get a chance!

However, in this blog post, Hannah and I will be discussing how to handle romance when hearts are broken in the event of sexual sin or other transgressions—specifically, we’ll explore some pitfalls Christian romances tend to fall into when taking on these subjects.

Hannah: Christian readers and authors alike seem to have this tendency to not like reading about romances gone wrong—and that’s totally understandable. We don’t want our favorite couples being torn apart or having conflict with each other; we just want them to be happy and healthy as a couple!

Alas, we live in a fallen world … and yet that factor doesn’t really seem to appear in a lot of Christian fiction out there. Like sure, it’s talked about, but there’s never really a gravity to it. It’s kind of given a Sunday School treatment. 

Kellyn: It seems to me that we Christians are more equipped than any other person could possibly be to both portray those situations in a realistic light—and yet provide abundant hope through even the darker situations in life.

Since a romance is a relationship that requires a great deal of vulnerability between the couple, it’s the perfect relationship for highlighting both the importance of truth and honesty (including the fact that sin exists and is damaging) while showing how great God’s love and grace for us is.

Hannah: It doesn’t make sense to me when I see authors say they want their readers to be left hopeful yet the story itself comes across as more fluffy than hopeful, and it all boils down to this: the issue of sin is danced around. Which just isn’t a biblical way of dealing with it. At all.

Kellyn: The thing about hope is that it can’t really exist unless we live in the real world. Fortunately, we all live in the real world! So we all have hope. But I understand the temptation to write light, happy things believing that that will give our audience the most hope. However, that’s simply not true.

The conflicts don’t have to be big in every story, but if conflict doesn’t exist at all, we don’t have anything to hope for. The goal is to show how God’s light and love redeems darkness—not to pretend that darkness doesn’t exist at all!

Hannah: Look at the Book of Judges, for example! There’s a reason the pastor at my former church said that if it were a movie, it’d be rated NC-17, and it’s not hard to see why. There’s war, dismemberment, human sacrifice, someone’s guts are spilled … yet despite Israel sinning again and again, there is still the hope of salvation.

Kellyn: In a romance context, we have an opportunity to show sins but then also portray healthy relationships in the face of such situations, but how do we do that? Well, there are three things to keep in mind:

Reality. We want to make sure we’re portraying how both Christians and non-Christians, depending on the situation, approach whatever sin they’re involved in, whether it’s a sin they committed or a sin that was committed against them. This requires careful, unbiased research.Repentance. Especially if your character is already a Christian, showing them actively repenting—both by admitting their sin and asking God and any involved parties for forgiveness and by moving forward and “sinning no more”—is an important step. I highly recommend bringing Scripture into this as you address the issue! It’s a must in Christian fiction, truly.Redemption. Show the character moving on from their sin and living in the joy and freedom of God’s grace as well as showing other characters (especially the love interest!) offering them similar grace and love. Though of course there will always be people in our lives who refuse to forgive us, or who are stuck in legalism, but that person should not be the love interest!

Hannah: I’ve got a few examples from my stories: in one (which I’ll call Story A), a young couple sinned in having sex before marriage, leading to their first child’s conception; in another story (which I’ll call Story B), before he became a Christian, the man (who I’ll call J) sexually sinned in the past and it led to his child being aborted – which really messed him up. He later meets another woman (who I’ll call L), who comes from a legalistic background and was sexually sinned against, leading to her becoming pregnant. And if you’ve already read For Better or For Worse, then you caught the references to Will’s alcoholism after he returned home from Vietnam and to Susie remaining faithful to him even though people thought she would be better off leaving him. 

Kellyn: Similarly, I seem to end up in an abundance of situations where sin has led to broken hearts and a need for redemption. Of course, the biggest example that comes to mind is that of Ivy and Jordy from my novel Beyond Her Calling. Jordy has a past containing sexual sin, and he feels immense guilt over it. Given that he has already repented and is being typically Jordy-McAllen-Drama-King, a lot of the story involves the redemption Jordy needs to experience. It’s not that he needs to forgive himself so much as he needs to trust God!Of course, I have written other books where situations like this come up … though he’s a minor character, Riley Farjon from the same series is another example of a person who has a past, though his story more concerns his relationship with our actual hero, his best friend/cousin Peter! And I won’t go rambling on forever, but given that I’m currently outlining a series I’m joking referring to as “the 7 deadly sins,” well, I have definitely been thinking about this concept of redemption in Christ a lot!

Hannah: I’m fairly certain I’ve read stories where a character undergoes a supposed redemption arc yet it doesn’t come across that way, because again, there seems to be this unspoken rule that ‘Thou Shalt Not Write About Tough Topics’ circulating around the Christian writers-sphere and that if you do talk about tough topics, then ‘Thou Shalt Dance Around The Subject’—as in, “Gloss over it, don’t actually show the long-lasting consequences of said sin, or portray it as the heavy weight it is,” etc, etc.

And then the writers who dare to actually treat such topics with actual gravity and seriousness are the ones who get lambasted. All because they don’t believe in sanitizing reality.

When it comes to redemption arcs in romance novels in which the circumstances involve sexual sin, it can definitely be a painful process. In Story A, the couple hesitates (for at least the first few years of their marriage) to try for another child because of their past sin. Though they repented and they see their son as an undeserved blessing—proof of God’s grace in fact—they still struggle with the guilt that crops up from time to time, especially when their son asks why he doesn’t have little brothers and sisters.

In Story B, as J is learning how to rightly love a woman through his relationship with L and cares for her child as though said child was his own, he still struggles with the guilt over having had sex out of wedlock, resulting in a child who was killed in the womb. On L’s side, she’s struggling with her worth as a person due to what happened to her, and has doubts she can bond with her daughter. And amidst this struggle, she’s learning to trust that J genuinely loves her and her daughter.

Kellyn: I think sometimes the lasting spiritual effects of past sins are glossed over more than anything. We like to wrap things up in a nice, tidy bow, but that’s just not the truth of life. I understand that for story purposes, some things do have to be resolved—but not if it means ignoring the healing process because, at the end of the day, our sins (and the sins against us) are damaging. God doesn’t just ask us not to sin because He randomly decided to do so—amongst other reasons, the law exists for our own good!

In a lot of my stories, I’m dealing with this concept in other situations—such as various ills of the entire The Chronicles of Alice & Ivy series, honestly, which is 90% “and then we had to deal with that small lie or one event for twenty years.” In truth, that’s why I love writing family sagas! It gives you space to expand these concepts. But even in standalones, you can make this work. It just takes a slightly different set of skills.

Hannah: Another thing to consider if you’re going to tackle sexual sin in a romance novel is to acknowledge where the root of that sin comes from—the heart.

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” — Jeremiah 17:9 | ESV

Holding hands, hugging, and even kissing isn’t what led to the couple in Story A sinning, and abstaining from it didn’t prevent L from being raped; it was lust and the lack of self-control that led to both, which is sin.

(As a side note, whether people want to admit it or not, those three things—hand-holding/hugging/kissing—can indeed be done within the boundaries of self-control—though admittedly, every couple is different when it comes to physical affection before marriage and need to be seriously prayerful about that stuff)

Ultimately, the couple in Story A sinned because they’re sinners. Sinners saved by grace, but still sinners. And ultimately, L was raped because of sin.

I think that’s another thing that sometimes gets missed in Christian fiction—the fact that we are a) born with sinful hearts, and b) even after being saved, we still struggle with sin every single day.

Kellyn: I feel like there are a lot of ways Christians fail when it comes to the discussion of sins, especially sexual sins, in Christian fiction, but one of the main ones I see is just that … it’s the excuses. “If you had just done it this way, the right way, the Christian way, this wouldn’t have happened!” or “It was just a mistake!” are the two opposite ends of the extreme. Neither of them actually address the deeper heart issue or provide a lasting solution.

But it’s simple: turn to God in all matters and surrender to Him. Treating it as a matter we could easily resist and turn from without the help of God AND treating it like a simple mistake that isn’t really a big deal are both forms of sinful pride.

Hannah: Mh-hm. It’s quite frustrating when I’m reading a book and the Gospel presentation comes across as a sales pitch rather than the life-giving truth it is. And it’s even more frustrating when baby Christian characters start acting mature all of a sudden … like excuse me, where did the sanctification go???

Kellyn: In conclusion, there are a lot of things to be discussed when it comes to this complex topic—more than could possibly go into a single blog post—but the primary concern is always to seek God through prayer and Bible-reading!

What do you feel needs more discussed in Christian romance?

TTFN!

~Kell~

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Do you enjoy kissing books?

Well, maybe you do, and maybe you don’t!

Either way, you can read a collaboration on the subject over at H.S. Kylian’s blog, The Writerly Worm.

Click Here to Read!

Happy Valentine’s Day! I don’t really celebrate, per se, but it is interesting. And in case you didn’t know, no, it’s not a greeting card holiday; it’s a historical holiday based on St. Valentine, who was a real Christian man who lived in Rome. So. The more you know.

TTFN!

~Kell~

Are you interested in getting to know me & my books better? Join my email list!

Hey folks! I’m Kellyn Roth, and I’m here today with H.S. Kylian to talk about chemistry in romance. (If you don’t know, Hannah writes a bunch of cool serieses in the family saga arena, and you arguably can’t have a family without chemistry. More on that later.) This is the first in a series of romance-novel-writing posts to celebrate Valentine’s Day!

Today, we’re discussing how banishing chemistry in Christian romance (or treating it like smut/spice) is a mistake—and how it can be done well.

Hannah will also be weighing in on this topic, but I’m going to start off with an intro and some context for this discussion. Basically, Hannah and I are both fairly passionate about writing romance well—and further, at writing romance in a way that doesn’t make all Christian romance an arranged marriage between two people who decided they might as well further the human race, no other factors involved.

That is no fun. For anyone. And though I loved the arranged marriage and marriage of convenience tropes, part of the point of those tropes is watching two people fall in love. Which they indeed must, if they’re following God’s plan for marriage.

The point of this post is basically that chemistry in romance is good and necessary. But we’ll also get into how chemistry in romance is NOT the same as lust and sometimes is not even about physical attraction (though it can be).

What is Chemistry?

Chemistry is how their personalities work together—and it’s also a bit of attraction, a bit of “we work well together, don’t we?”

It is not how much they stare at each other’s lips or how muscular the guy is or how beautiful the heroine’s eyes are. Though these factors can influence chemistry, they are not chemistry itself.

Basically, with chemistry, you must convince the reader that these two people need to be together not just because they were trapped together in a coal mine but because God kind of had a plan for them to get hitched.

Hannah: I’d like to add that chemistry is this sort of sense, like a sixth sense if you will, lingering in the background as the relationship builds, helping to convince the readers that yes, these two knuckleheads should be together.

And, one of the ways that you can show a fictional couple has chemistry is in their first meeting. Right off the bat there should be some sort of zing! to the way they interact with each other. Think of Darcy & Lizzy in Pride & Prejudice or Eugene & Rapunzel in Tangled, for example. 

Do Romances Need Chemistry?

Yes. In two ways, actually.

Chemistry is necessary in romance & marriage, but it’s also a good shorthand for a writer to use to show that the characters are at ease around each other, are attracted to each other, and feel safe being themselves around each other.

So a part of it can be tongue-in-cheek flirting, if that fits the characters, but it’s also how well they do together in different scenarios.

Hannah: When I read romance, I expect romance. I expect to be grinning like a sap and squealing with delight when Guy & Girl finally get together. I expect swooning over a manly man who protects his lady. In short, I expect to be shipping them hard, as in OTP hard. 

If I’m reading a romance and I’m not shipping the characters, or if I’m shipping A and C with each other and they each end up with someone else, then something, at least to me, is wrong. There has to be a reason behind why these characters should be together, and if I can’t see that reason, then there’s no cheering when the couple finally gets together.

Is Chemistry Spice or Smut?

Is “chemistry” the same as “spice”? No, and I argue it’s not even the same as physical attraction in some ways.

Some of the best chemistry in the world is, to me, between Emma Woodhouse and Mr. Knightley in the book (and the movie—I’m thinking of the one with Gwyneth Paltrow), Emma. But they don’t even touch in the book, or mention physical characteristics of their romantic interest much at all, and in the movie, they’re pretty chaste, too. Like, you don’t see them gawking at each other, and there’s no random “man has to be repeatedly filmed while covered in water” portion in that particular movie.

Yet here we are, convinced (at least from my perspective) that this couple belongs together. And that has to do with their chemistry. They fit together. Their personalities jive. They both have something to offer each other.

I think this idea that chemistry = sex comes from the word itself. I mean, especially in the 1950s and 1960s, movies used “chemistry” as a way to refer to all those fun hormones that do drive sexual relationships.

This is obscure, but there’s a 1950s musical called “Guys and Dolls” which is … a wild ride … But it basically addressed purity culture from a pseudo-secular standpoint before there was purity culture or a “secular standpoint.”

But anyways, there’s a repeated emphasis on the term “chemistry” referring to sexual awakening (… I swear it’s so subtle in the musical) and specifically the verse from the song “If I Were a Bell”:

“Ask me how do I feel

From this chemistry lesson I’m learning;

Well sir, all I can say is

If I were a bridge I’d be burning!”

But again, this is not what we’re talking about here. We’re discussing chemistry as a writing term. As an aspect of romance. And there’s not a good, well-written romance that doesn’t include actual chemistry.

Because at the end of the day, romance is about marriage, and marriage is about the melding of two souls. If I read a book and think, “These characters are like water and oil!” then you have failed to give them proper chemistry. (Man, I feel so scientific.)

Is Chemistry Lust?

As far as physical attraction, we need to draw a sharp line in the sand here between physical attraction and lust.

Lust is selfish attraction that exists for the sole purpose of taking, owning, possessing, and generally leads to sin (and is a sin all on its lonesome). Whereas, physical attraction in and of itself can be controlled and between a committed couple is necessary.

I wrote a whole lot about this in my post “The Case for Physical Attraction in Romance,” but simply put, physical attraction is a blessing, not a curse, and not portraying it in our romances does a disservice to romantic relationships as a whole.

Hannah: I’d like to add that there could be a sort of Gnostic thinking to readers/authors not liking any physical attraction at all, which is just silly because Gnosticism isn’t Biblical. It’s rooted in the belief that all the physical is bad and only the spiritual is good, which is heresy, because…GOD CREATED THE PHYSICAL WORLD INCLUDING THE HUMAN BODY.  The Book of Genesis clearly states, “And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.” 

In conclusion, dear reader, we hold that chemistry is a necessary aspect in romance—and should not and must not be confused with sexual sins such as lust.

We need more healthy romances both in the Christian romance category and in general, and as we write those, we cannot ignore chemistry as a vital proponent of the relationship.

Do you enjoy writing or reading romance? What to you constitutes romantic chemistry?

Stay tuned for more posts on the writing of romance with Valentine’s Month from both of us!

TTFN!

~Kell~

Are you interested in getting to know me & my books better? Join my email list!

Hey folks!

Today I wanted to share five updates! They’re short and sweet, so let’s dive right into them.

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Like the Air After Rain: Publication Dates

My new goal is to publish Like the Air After Rain in May 2025.

A little about the book …

Lorelei Hilton is on the cusp of an arranged marriage to a spineless boy chosen by her father for the purpose of maintaining the family business. After years of being manipulated and talked down to, Lorelei has had enough. Determined to remove herself and her sister from the constant supervision of her parents, she set out to find a man with the gumption to stand up to her father.

Aubrey Montgomery has three problems: the care of his adolescent sisters, the managing of his household, and his own loneliness. Over two years have passed since his first proposal was rejected by Cassie Hilton. Although he no longer trusts himself to love a woman properly, he could settle for an amicable, emotionless partnership—if the right woman came along.

After a chance meeting with her sister-in-law’s former suitor, Lorelei discovers she has an ally in Aubrey Montgomery. A marriage of convenience to Aubrey would solve both their problems—provided neither of them becomes emotionally attached.

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Time of Grief: Potential Publication Dates

At this point, I’m seriously considering publishing Time of Grief after Like the Air After Rain but before I publish book 3 in The Hilton Legacy, which would mean it would come out some time in 2025. That could be super exciting! It would mean cutting up The Hilton Legacy. (As a reader, what do you think of that idea?) I’m still considering it, but if all works out, we could be looking at a summer or fall 2025 release date.

As a sidenote, there’s a slight chance Time of Grief will swap titles, but maybe it won’t.

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Other Projects That I’m Working On (way too many)

At present, I’m working on way too many projects! This is always the case, but in addition to Time of Grief (drafting) and Like the Air After Rain (rewrites), I’m working on …

A Regency romance for the Regency romance MAP.In the outlining stage.A seven-book Regency romance series, The Seven Sinclairs.1 in the outlining stage, the rest in the brainstorming stage.A six-book Regency romance series, The Ladies of Lilac Lane.1 in the outlining stage, 5 in the brainstorming stage.A five-book Regency romance series, The Lords’ Literary League.1 written, 1 partially written, 1 outlined, 2 in the brainstorming stage.A related three-book Regency romance series, The Gentlemen (working title).1 outlined, 2 in the brainstorming stage.Plus the anthology projects below!

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Four Seasons, Four Anthologies

I’ve officially announced that the first four Wild Blue Wonder Press anthologies will be:

Springtime in Surrey (available now!)

Novelists in November (submissions open)

Fingerprints in Frost

Whispers in Waves

More information to come soon!

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Romance Blog Series with H.S. Kylian

Coming next week and then releasing every week throughout February, H.S. Kylian and I are publishing a series of romance-themed blog posts with advice and thoughts! I’m super excited about this! H.S. Kylian writes historical and contemporary family sagas with a heavy dash of romance.

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Anyways, that’s all I’ve got for now.

What are you working on at the moment?

TTFN!

~Kell~

Are you interested in getting to know me & my books better? Join my email list!

Today I have an exciting announcement for all your authors, particularly all you romance authors!

Wild Blue Wonder Press will be hosting and publishing a multi-author Regency romance series. The books will be slotted for 2025-2026 publication, and we are currently looking for authors to write for us!

“Rescuing Regency Romance” (working title – we’ll come up with something better, most likely!) is a somewhat tongue-in-cheek series of standalone novellas written with the goal of bringing reality and Christianity to romance tropes that have a known tendency to stray away from common sense and morality.

Our goal is to provide good, God-honoring stories that are entertaining to read and don’t cause readers to scratch their heads in confusion. However, we are not here to bully or poke fun at other authors or books, nor do we claim that there aren’t books that do almost every romance trope well. That would be a blatant falsehood.

If anything, we want to celebrate those kinds of great, well-written stories. Further, we do not seek to discourage readers from reading or writers from writing whatever they want to read or write. There is an audience for every book containing every trope.

However, that doesn’t mean we don’t have some specific requirements ourselves! So read on!

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What Kinds of Novellas Are We Looking For?

The novellas will technically fall into the Regency romance subgenre but may include stories set in different countries (e.g. America or Europe rather than England) or fall slightly outside of the 1811-1820 range (1800-1825). The books may also be marketed as Georgian-Era Romance for this reason.

The novellas can be comedic or serious, can contain elements of different genres as long as they are non-magical and are as historically accurate as possible. Subgenres such as mystery or adventure are welcome but not required.

Authors can include strong Christian themes or not but must come from a Christian worldview and not go against the Wild Blue Wonder Press “Statement of Faith” and “Content Guidelines.”

As for word count, we’re asking for 20,000-45,000 words with some flexibility on either side. The idea is to do long novellas or short novels.

Our primary goal is to write these romances in a realistic, God-honoring way. A lot of our authors will be taking a trope that they’ve seen done badly before and doing it well or twisting it in some manner, but that is not a hard and fast rule.

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What Will the Arrangement Look Like?

Authors in this multi-author series will write their projects with the support of other authors in the group and have them ready for printing on a timeline most agreeable to them within reason in cooperation with Wild Blue Wonder Press and the other authors in this series.

Authors will retain a large amount of creative control; however, as Wild Blue Wonder Press will be operating as the publisher of the series, final decisions will be discussed between the author and publisher. In the event that no compromise is arrived at, the author may be released from all obligation. For this reason, the author must write a draft of the novel and allow Wild Blue Wonder Press to review the work before being provided with a contract.

As the official publisher of the series, Wild Blue Wonder Press will provide cover design and interior formatting. Wild Blue Wonder Press will also handle publication details and organize a street team for the book launches.

Individual authors are obligated to take care of their own editing—it is up to the individual whether that involves beta-readers and critique swaps or if they work with a professional editor. However, Wild Blue Wonder Press will do two internal passes—one with beta-readers and one proofreading pass after interior formatting.

As contract will be provided to the authors upon the establishment of a publication date. This contract will lay out royalty information and other pertinent details. Please email [email protected] for more information on how this process will work.

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How Can You Join?

If you’re interested in joining this project, please fill out the form linked below to receive monthly update emails from me.

You will receive a monthly email through 2024 with any news on the project and requests for updates on your process if you are writing a novel for this series. In late 2024, decisions will be made regarding publishing timeline, with the goal of launching the first book in the series in summer 2025.

FILL OUT THE FORM

At this time, filling out the form is not a commitment to participate in the series; it’s just a way to receive regular updates about this Regency romance series.

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My Story (potentially)

Right now, I’m thinking that I’ll be covering a couple fun tropes, including second chance romance, rivals (sort of enemies?) to lovers, scheming against each other, “independent woman who refuses help from a man for virtually no reason” (but done well), and “broody hero who is selfishly stuck in his ways” (but done well). I’ll throw in some good old-fashioned “denying that you’re in love out of utter stubbornness” for the heck of it.

Plus, you know, I’m sure other tropes will pop up as I go!

It’s a little farcical and comedic, but it has some more serious elements, too: dealing with widowhood and being a single mom (in the Regency era, no less), grieving, moving on from war-related and l0st-your-best-friend-related trauma (to a small degree), letting go of expectations and embracing what comes … even if it’s not what you want.

I don’t have a working title, and some of the plot details are up in the air, but I think I’ll be setting it on the coast because broody man needs ocean to stare at, so I know what it looks like. The visual is very much in my head!

But more than anything, it’s another shameless opportunity to write about small children. Because why not?

Are you interested in joining our Regency romance multi-author project? What sorts of Regency romance tropes do you hate … or love, for that matter?

TTFN!

~Kell~

Are you interested in getting to know me & my books better? Join my email list!

A Very Bookish Romance is launched! This is a 5-book novella collection which features stories centered around the holiday of Valentine’s Day and a classic novel (inspired by more than strict retellings, though they sort of count as both).

My story is a WWII home front romance featuring a single mother and a limping farmer. Honestly, it’s one of my favorite stories I’ve ever written, so without further ado, let’s talk about the collection … and my book in particular!

About A Very Bookish Romance

Daisy is determined to help her brother thrive,
Jeremiah seeks a second chance with Pace,
Katy longs for adventure and romance,
June finds herself seeking solace at church,
Lore makes a new friend …

… all at Valentine’s Day.

Join Abigayle Claire (inspired by Charlotte’s Web), Sarah Holman (inspired by Pride and Prejudice), J. Grace Pennington (inspired by Northanger Abbey), Kellyn Roth (inspired by The Tenant of Wildfell Hall), and Kate Willis (inspired by Little Town on the Prairie) as they share stories full of hope, faith, and love.

Buy it on AmazonAbout My Novella, The Artist of Hearthstone Cottage

 January 1944.

June Halsted moved her son to Hearthstone Cottage to escape the memories of her failed marriage and estranged family.

A struggling artist in the midst of one of the coldest winters in Yorkshire, she finds herself seeking solace at church … only to meet Mark Hayes, a kindly farmer with a limp and a knack for cheering up her son.

The “Pinterest Board” (graphic)

(because why not)

… I haven’t actually made a full Pinterest board, so I thought a little sampling would be fun. Maybe I should sometime, though, in case I choose to publish it on its own after the books go out of print.

Speaking of which …

Limited Time Offer

A Very Bookish Romance will only be available as a complete collection through March 2024 after which rights will return to the authors! This means that if you don’t grab the book now … um, well, it won’t be available for long, so get on that!

But as always, let me know if you have any questions! If you would like to share about the collection, feel free to let me know.

TTFN!

~Kell~

Are you interested in getting to know me & my books better? Join my email list!

Hey folks!

I’m popping on today to write a post that I hope you will take seriously … but no, it is not meant to be taken seriously. After all, at the end of the day, you may write what you want …

But allow me to ramble about a personal-taste-thing as if it’s a law. Which indeed, it should be. Because again, epilogues (or at least some kind of continuation) should be MANDATORY for romance novels (and a few other genres, arguably, but meh).

mAnDaToRy

*I say again entirely jokingly*

But before we get any further, well, let me define terms.

What is an Epilogue?

An epilogue is a chapter of a novel that does not concern the main plot of the story but instead exists to wrap up some portion of the plot, provide more context for what “happily-ever-after” looks like, or simply show the reader that all is well … even after a little time has past. They generally take place some time after the final chapter, but this is not always the case.

What Novels Should Include Epilogues?

ALL novels.

In my august opinion, most novels should include an epilogue where someone has had a baby. However, that is a highly subjective fact. The novels that really seem to benefit from an epilogue include:

Romances, particularly romances that are not a part of a series. Why? Because I argue that we really need to see that happily-ever-after. Even if it’s just a snippet!ALL other novels in ALL other genres. Specifically, though, novels that need to show that happily-ever-after because people are wondering how Katniss and Peeta did after the games, etc.

Now, I’ll go on to address the title of this article.

Why Babies, Though?

Because babies are the ultimate happily-ever-after.

*sigh*

Okay, I know they’re not for EVERYONE. In fact, in some situations, it may not even be what the characters want or need to tie up their story arc. It makes sense in some cases – but in others, it makes more sense to show the satisfaction of another aspect of their arc.

The business they started remains successful after the trying first year or whatever the case may be. What started continued. The happily-ever-after was truly ever-after.

If I were to give honest tips (and despite the overall farcical tone of this article), I would say that the epilogue often exists as a way to show that, even after time passed, the truths that were shared in the book remain true and to offer satisfaction to both the characters and the reader.

But if you’re writing romance – the story of two characters falling in love and getting married – and like me, you write Christian romance … you’ll see what I’m getting at here.  Though this is not universally true – and though you are more than welcome to choose NOT to have your characters have children – after all, not everyone is led to have children or CAN have children … I’m just saying, I really like it.

A Side-Ramble About Children in Romances

One of the reasons I mention babies is because apparently there’s a trend amongst secular readers of NOT liking the soft epilogues with babies. Traditional values do, after all, typically include a nuclear family, and that’s a great evil in today’s age – we simply MUST stop reproducing!

(And also, this has to do with people hating the “secret baby” trend, which to be fair, can be done very badly.)

Never mind that the world’s population needs children to sustain itself. Never mind that there’s no truth to overpopulation. Never mind that, from a Christian perspective, none of that matters beside God’s commands to – when we can – multiply. Humans have decided that all humans are evil, and therefore, to further our own interests in any way is impossible.

So I like to write characters who want or desire children – a lot of children, even – and who then go on to have them. And since I write historical fiction, it makes sense to portray a lot of my characters having children because that was historically more accepted (plus, now fertility rates are declining, but even now, only about 1 in 8 couples have difficulty conceiving).

It’s also some wish fulfillment on my part, as I desire children more than anything, but let’s just pretend I’m a smart author whose own desires don’t influence my decisions.

And again, for the sake of not causing any harm to those who are dealing with infertility or simply are not led to have children (or are single), no, having children is not the Single Great Purpose of humanity, and further, if you don’t have children, you’re not actively disobeying God (unless you are, but that’s a personal thing, not something I dare to comment on).

But … why not have your characters want children?

How I’ve Utilized Epilogues

Okay, after all that rambling, I’ll admit it: I have seldom used an epilogue to show “and they had babies!!!”

*cough cough* hypocrite *cough cough*

In fact, in my published works, I have only done this in one book (though that will change as I keep writing).

However, that is largely because I write full-length novels instead of epilogues. Beyond Her Calling doesn’t have an epilogue at all because the story continues in After Our Castle. The Dressmaker’s Secret and At Her Fingertips both have epilogues that change the way the reader views relationships in the story. A Prayer Unanswered isn’t exactly over yet – book 7 will continue the story.

Oddly enough, Time of Grief (book 7) will probably be my book that has an epilogue that … well, we won’t get into it now.

Actually, come to think of it, of all of the published novels in The Chronicles of Alice & Ivy, Ivy Introspective is the one which has essentially what I’m describing here; it exists to give the reader a flash-forward into the “happily-for-now,” if you will.

But if I’m writing slightly more typical romance novels – Like a Ship on the Sea being one example – I opt for a sweet little epilogue. In fact, I even wrote one for Courage to Stay (though it’s mostly available as a giveaway prize for now) because I just couldn’t help myself!

As I work on my draft of Like the Air After Rain, I am considering adding an epilogue set a few years later … and I keep thinking that first I have to hash out the dynamics in the actual novel. That said, I am seriously considering writing the epilogue first! Why? Because that will give me a road map to follow!

In Conclusion

Epilogues are GREAT!

And epilogues with babies are even GREATER!

… but maybe they’re not for everyone? SHUT UP WE’LL BE HAVING NONE OF THAT HERE.

I guess the main point I’m trying to make is that, as Christian romance writers, what’s stopping us from adding a soft epilogue with babies? What’s stopping us from writing books with alllllll the babies? I am most confused.

Speaking of which …

My next anthology, Fingerprints in Frost, will feature CHILDREN. Why? Because I can do whatever I want. It’s my anthology. And I like books with children in them.

You can find a little more about that here.

TTFN!

~Kell~

Are you interested in getting to know me & my books better? Join my email list!

Welcome to 2024, a year that I like the sound of much more than 2023 (I hate odd numbers)! As 2023 came to a close, I realized that it had only been a month long, and that disturbed me. I should have had more than a month to do all the things I had to do in a year, though!

In truth, this year felt simultaneously so long and so short, and I’m glad to be moving on from it. Honestly, my feeling upon the end of the year is just “bleh.”

As you read in my 2022 recap/2023 goals post, I had as many high hopes for 2023 as always, and though things didn’t go as planned in some ways, I’m so grateful for the ways that God blessed us and the adventures I was able to face in 2023.

In August, for my birthday, I wrote this post, which discussed most of 2023, but I’ll go ahead and still wrap it up in case you didn’t read that post … and because September, October, November, and December were a thing!

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A Wrap-Up of 20232023 Goal Wrap-UpsWrite at least three books. I ended up finishing Like a Ship on the Sea, writing Like the Air After Rain (yes, I finally finished a draft!), two novellas (Courage to Stay for Springtime in Surrey – published in July – & The Artist of Hearthstone Cottage for A Very Bookish Romance – coming out in two weeks!), and a short story (If Ye’d Only Say for the Author Conservatory’s second anthology). I did a lot of other writing, but none of it was terribly productive – bits and pieces of Time of Grief (The Chronicles of Alice & Ivy, Book 7) and a LOT of rewriting for books in my Regency romance series. Not to mention outlines a-plenty.Publish one book. Done! Like a Ship on the Sea launched in September … and so did the Springtime in Surrey anthology.Complete the launch of Wild Blue Wonder Press. Yay! Done!Publish two anthologies with Wild Blue Wonder Press. Just one, though Novelists in November is open for submissions now!Have a successful NaNoWriMo and Camp NaNoWriMos (April/July). Sort of? I got 50k+ written in November, but I did very little for both camp seasons.Successfully host a writing conference (YWW 2023!). DONE!Pitch my Regency romance novel. Not really done? I’ve made progress in this direction, though.Progress in the Author Conservatory. Yup! Set to graduate with the first round of students in June, too!Exercise regularly. Meh. No.Learn to cook. Though I cooked more, I wouldn’t say I’m good at it.Responses to my 2023 Hopes & Expectations

[Original “Hopes & Expectations” quotes are in italics.]

In 2023, I hope to write more and stress less.

Meh. I feel like neither happened.

That is an oversimplification. However, I still have hopes that the contents of 2023 will resemble that simple sentence. After all, I definitely do need to write more, and I definitely do need to stress less.

True, and it would’ve been great … uh, if it’d happened.

I am also undertaking a crusade of personal health. More and more, I believe it is vital to prioritize physical, mental, and emotional health, with the fourth and most vital part of this equation being spiritual health. Of course, this is not an easy assignment. There’s a lot that goes into every one of these factors.

I talked a lot about this in my August post, but this hasn’t happened … and yet should. I’m … I’m working on it.

2023 Word of the Year

Determined

“Man who is born of woman

Is of few days and full of trouble.

He comes forth like a flower and fades away;

He flees like a shadow and does not continue.

And do You open Your eyes on such a one,

And bring me to judgment with Yourself?

Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?

No one!

Since his days are determined,

The number of his months is with You;

You have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass.”

~      ~      ~

“For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”

Oddly enough, both of those “meanings” based on the verses showed up a lot in 2023.

I had to trust that God has made plans concerning me—even when everything felt random and disconnected.

I dealt with multiple job changes for me (some of which I was not happy with at the time!), multiple job opportunities for my husband that fell through at the last moment, potential moves that got abruptly canceled, disappointments on professional and personal levels, deadends aplenty in my health and in my husband’s health … gah, it was frustrating.

It felt like I kept getting my hand slapped for reaching for simple things. Always, the cup dashed from my hand by my favorite falcon, if you will. (Does anyone even know that story? Is that too obscure a reference?)

But I have been coming to peace with some things … and accepting that God’s plan really is better. In the long run, the things He has allowed to work have been fantastic.

The timing for the Author Conservatory job and how seamlessly that has worked into my life. Even some of the less-than-pleasant comings and goings of other jobs have worked out—even if it’s not always what I wanted.

My husband is finally starting a job that will provide us a living wage—and that may allow for some other opportunities to just have a better life overall. And you know what? It was just dropped in our laps. We didn’t have to fight for it. We didn’t even have to spend weeks begging God to work it out. He just … did it for us. Isn’t that great?

It gives me confidence that other things may work out. There are so many things that are unsure. We don’t have great housing, we’ve had lots of unexpected financial worries, and of course there are the ongoing “baby troubles,” if you will, that are never not on my mind.

But I’m growing and learning, and I felt so blessed to read over posts from last year and realize all the ways God has blessed me. I don’t deserve this—especially after all the desperate “why are You doing this?” kind of prayers I’ve thrown out there.

But I’ve been blessed anyway. And I must believe, even though life is not going the way I want it to go, that He has determined my paths, and He is trustworthy (especially given the whole “willingly sacrificed His life for me” thing, you’d think I’d have this a little more ingrained, but I am definitely a questioner by nature, lol).

Other 2023 Updates

Actually, in terms of updates for 2023, this post still has the most compact series of updates, so I won’t attempt to talk too much about how things were through August. In September, October, November, and December, we had:

Somehow, two trips to the beach (one with Matthew’s family, one unexpected one with just Matthew due to the sickness of a friend),Fertility testing for me (unfortunately or fortunately, haven’t found anything during the tests we’ve done so far),Publishing Like a Ship on the Sea,Getting my wisdom teeth out,Miscellaneous trips with friends to the beach and the mountains and the desert,Lots of random stuff with friends,& Matthew getting a new job!

That one’s the biggest update, of course!

Matthew will be starting a new job in January, and it’s going to be a huge blessing for us. God truly worked things out in a way that is truly amazing. I’ve been forcing myself to use it as a reminder of His care for us whenever some of the darker thoughts invade.

Of course, we’d appreciate prayers that this goes well, if you think of it!

Miscellaneous 2023 Pictures

(entirely out of order, but perhaps that’s more fun)

 

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Looking into the Future: 2024Goals for 2024

In truth, I, the Queen of the Dares and the Lady of Determination, am a little tired of goals.

It’s not that I don’t think they’re great, and that they haven’t served me well in the past. I’m sure they’ll serve me well again in the future! But I’m disillusioned with goals of late.

I feel like a lot of my dreams have been dashed, and though my dreams were not goals, they were close enough to my heart that something seemed to break inside me. Something that made me feel like productivity was no longer purposeful. It’s as if I broke whatever psychological trick I was using into smithereens.

It’s as if I broke my belief in the mind tricks I’ve been using to accomplish what I needed to accomplish because I (subconsciously) applied them to areas where I had no control.

And that’s silly. My professional/writing life is going well, after all, in its own way. Any failures there are due to my lack of progress which are again due to my lack of motivation.

So what then?

Well, I keep making goals and keep moving forward. Because again, I’m kind of obsessed with them. (Did you think being disillusioned would mean I wouldn’t do it? Hahahahahahaha … you underestimate my stubbornness.)

I’m just going to try to do it in a more sustainable (um, shorter) way??? Maybe?

The List of Goals (Finally)

~ Writing ~

Edit Like the Air After Rain (The Hilton Legacy, #2) with the help of my talented alpha reader team and editors.Write a first draft of Like Lightning in a Bottle (The Hilton Legacy, #3).Write (or rather, finish) a first draft of another writing project of some sort. If I get more writing done, good. However, two books is enough!Graduate from the Author Conservatory.

~ Marketing ~

Publish at least twice monthly on Reveries & Lilacs (& ideally, every week, but I’ll probably take at least a few breaks!).Put monthly)effort into growing my email list as well as maintaining semi-consistent emails (occasional breaks being a good thing).

~ Publishing ~

Publish If Ye’d Only Say, my short story in the second Author Conservatory anthology (spring or summer 2024).Publish The Artist of Hearthstone Cottage (January 2024), my novella, with the A Very Bookish Romance collection.Publish Novelists in November (November 2024), Wild Blue Wonder Press’s second anthology.Open submissions for Fingerprints in Frost, Wild Blue Wonder Press’s third anthology.

~ Personal ~

Improve my intake of certain nutrients (e.g. eat well).Find a way to be in bed for a reasonable amount of time (e.g. sleep well).Learn more about God every day.2024 Hopes & Expectations

I’m trying to put less pressure on 2024 to be a certain way.

You know I’ll always be hoping for a baby … but I can’t make that happen. Similarly, I hope Matthew’s job will go well, and it will allow us to save up money and move forward in our life (eventually renting a house on our own separate from family or even buying a house, though that feels pretty impossible with prices right now). 2024 is more likely to be a growth area than anything.

I hope I’ll be in a better place in 2025 (or rather, the end of 2024) than I am now. But I just don’t know exactly what will happen.

There are some fun things that are happening in 2024, though! I have a friend getting married in June, and I’ll be traveling a couple times for various events, so that’s exciting. I’m sure many other lovely things will happen in 2024 … it just remains to be seen what they are!

2024 Word of the Year

I wasn’t going to do this because I only want to use “words of the year” in the most biblical, godly way possible, and I sometimes worry that they come close to the unbiblical ideas of “manifesting” or something like that.

For that reason, my “Words of the Years”

My Word of the Year 2024 is a simple one:

Trust

Basically, you know, what I need to learn.

Of course, I am greatly inspired by this snippet of Psalms, which was a memory verse my mom had us learn at some point:

Also, desktop background for now. Even though I usually like something either more complicated or more simple. Also worth noting that it had me removing my humpback whale, so you know I love it.

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TTFN!

~Kell~

Are you interested in getting to know me & my books better? Join my email list!