Kellyn Roth's Blog: Kellyn Roth, Author, page 5

As some of you may know, Wild Blue Wonder Press is launching a new anthology (like Springtime in Surrey) next November, and our submissions are open now!

Though that information has been shared in other areas, I decided I’d better make use of my blog, too, so here are the facts!

[image error]

From the Wild Blue Wonder Press Submission Page:

Our second anthology, Novelists in November, is now open for submissions!

Submissions will close in April 13th, 2024 at which point authors will be selected.

What are we looking for?

Christian fiction short story featuring a fiction writer as the main character. Novelists only, please! Published or unpublished, as long as they write. It doesn’t have to be the main plot thread; however, it should still actually be a part of the story.5,000-10,000 word range. We’re looking for short stories rather than novellas this time.Can be set in contemporary or historical era. We’re still not equipped to publish speculative fiction. Soon, I hope!May have romantic elements, but they are not required. However, do know that we’ll be writing adult Christian romance; therefore, other stories in the collection may contain clean but realistic romantic elements. However, they may not contain any explicit sexual content or crude sexual language.Discusses all its themes from a Christian perspective, not shying away from the tougher questions. This means some stories may discuss subjects of a more mature nature.Adhere to our statement of faith and are Biblically sound. Our statement of faith (and content guidelines) can be found here. These stories should be free of crude language and blasphemy, explicit sexual content, or gratuitous violence.Set in November. At least a good 50% of the story should take place during this month.

Formatting guidelines for the short story are as follows:

Standard 8.5″x11″ pages.Times New Roman font, 12 point, body text justified, double spacing.Use a 0.5″ indent rather than tabs for paragraphs. Center align any chapters.Divide scenes with three pound signs (###), center aligned (no indent).If your story has chapters, use the “header” function at 30 point and have each start on a new page. Please format them as “Chapter One,” “Chapter Two,” etc.No headers or footers.Label document/save document “name” as “Author Name – Story Title.”

How to Submit:

Submit the form below and email your completed short story as an attachment to [email protected].

SUBMISSION FORM

There’s a little extra information you can read on our submissions page, too!

[image error]

But that’s boring. I wanted to dive a little more into some of the aesthetics we hope to embrace in the collection.

Simply put, we’re looking for short stories that have a bit of a dark academic (or romantic academia) aesthetic. The Evermore to Springtime in Surrey’s Folklore. The moody autumn day with a cozy interior cottage to the teatime in the English countryside of Springtime in Surrey.

View the Rest of the Pinterest Board

Anyways, that’s the basic information!

TTFN!

~Kell~

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

Disclaimers & Introduction

I went back and forth on the content of this post so many times because it’s kind of a downer, but also, I’ve kind of decided that there’s no purpose whatsoever in not discussing the fact that Matthew and I are struggling with infertility (which by the way, serves as your content warning if you’re not comfortable reading about this subject).

There are a lot of reasons why I don’t want to be too private about it, but the primary one is it’s just not my style. I’m not a very private person; I’m pretty unbothered by people knowing what I’m going through because I’ve discovered that, whether I don’t say much or whether I say a lot, I’m generally treated about the same.

I’m not the kind of person who DOESN’T like people to know what I’m going through. If we ever have a baby, or adopt, or foster, I will probably write about it on this blog, so why not? At this point, me not sharing has become more hope avoidance than maintaining healthy privacy.

Now, at the start of this post, I am going to disclaim what I want to include throughout the post. Guilt drives me to say we have not dealt with this that long at all. We are still in the diagnostic stages, though we have a fairly clear idea of what’s going on, and unlike so many other couples, we have not dealt with this for twenty years or even ten. We were only married in August 2021. I know it’s been a short period of time. I know that my grief and anger is just another sign of my immaturity and my impatience.

And once again, that guilt, that feeling of “other people have it worse,” makes this post seem selfish and little of me. But I want to clarify that I’m not writing this to complain or to say, “I’ve got it so bad!” I don’t. I’m actually very blessed to be young, to have excellent health, to have every chance of becoming pregnant with minimal interference (even though we of course don’t know what that could look like or if it would work; nothing is guaranteed).

But this is our third Christmas without a baby, and at this point, there are some relevant changes in how I view holidays, family, and myself in the context of what we’ve been going through, as well as some big breakthroughs that I so desperately want to share with y’all. So even if it’s not typical, just let me share? Please? I want to!

Here we go!

[image error]

Christmas is a children’s holiday, right?

Oh, I know it’s not. It’s a holiday for celebrating the birth of Jesus, a holiday for being thankful for His salvation, and a holiday for creating community around this central idea of “Christ risen; we His people.”

Basically, it’s the only time of the year where I feel like the Christian Church (community) does a half-decent job. Okay, that’s way too judgmental, I guess, but does anyone else feel this!?

Anyways, that’s beautiful, and I 100% agree that’s the true purpose of the holiday, but for me, it’s also tied so irrevocably with childhood. Nostalgia. That feeling you have when you’re such an included and wanted part of a family, where nothing could be wrong because you have loved ones around you.

I might not feel like this if I hadn’t had such a fantastic family and extended family, and further, I certainly wouldn’t have felt this way if my family were as it is now when I was young. But there is something so beautiful and innocent about a child’s approach to Christmas when raised in a Christian household.

You can say it’s all about the gifts, but I disagree. I’ve known too many children. And yes, it is a little about the gifts … but it’s also about the way adults (in the right kinds of family) refer to and celebrate Christmas. Advent, carols, and stories of long ago meld together into this beautiful example of passing on traditions and Christ’s love to each other.

I’m an overthinker, so of course I went through several identity crises throughout the Christmas holidays. They always served to remind me of the changes in my family. The marriages, the births, the deaths. And they always served to make me sit and think about myself … my growth, my lack of growth, my place in the family hierarchy, and how that was never (in my self-perfectionism) what I wanted.

Now, that makes it sound like I don’t like Christmas, doesn’t it? But no, I do love it. And for me, the epitome of family was how people acted around the holidays.

This is not a sentiment shared by many, and I understand that. I keep hearing about how families behave at their worst around the holidays because there’s so much stress (plus often this involves seeing extended family you wouldn’t otherwise see), but as a kid, I held the delusion (well, it was mostly accurate from my perspective, which is what mattered) that it was true of my family.

I know this is not logical or sensible. I know it’s not even true. That said, I wanted to set up my personal thought process on this because I thought it was rather interesting after I tore it apart.

So all this to say, as you can see, I have pretty clear ideas about Christmas and about its meaning to me. These are not logical or helpful; very little about the subconscious is. But I thought they would be helpful to set the stage.

[image error]

Christmas with Matthew

After getting married, I had a very clear idea of what I wanted the holidays to look like in my head. A sort of “here’s what our family should look like.”

I think I brought up where we’d be every Christmas just two or three dates in; I wanted to establish early on that we’d spend Christmas Eve with my family and Christmas Day with his. We discussed what would be “just us” (our own family) and what would be with one family or the other.

And of course, because I always go way too far, I knew exactly what traditions I would prioritize. I knew what songs we would listen to. I knew the stories we would read, the way I would introduce Christianity to Christmas. I knew exactly what I would do to make Christmas “magical” for my children.

As a basically unhealthy person who has a tendency to spiraling thoughts, this made even the first Christmas with my husband (literally three months into my marriage) without a positive pregnancy test miserable. I mean, “I’m in a constant state of mental breakdown with a side of heart-wrenching sobs” miserable.

The second year was a little better, but in a numb, heartbroken way. A “God, why?” kind of way.

I don’t know if you’ve ever said, “God, why?” and how no other words to add because something just feels so devastating. I’ve had a few of those moments throughout my life. Losing my granddad, lost friendships, relationships that didn’t go the way I hoped. I don’t like these moments, but I think they are vital to our growth and development as humans.

No life is without trials. Mine are very much “first world problems,” and they’re not even the biggest “first world problems” one could have.

And this Christmas, I’m surprisingly okay. Oh, yeah, I have my moments of the “whys.” But I’m doing better.

The only contributing factor is God, for our external circumstances have not changed much from last Christmas.

Yeah, I’m sure part of it is that we’re finally moving forward with testing, and that feels like progress. But it’s also both giving myself permission to be upset and to feel like this is a big deal.* It’s also growth and acceptance of the place we’re at now. It’s also knowing that there are people who care about us and our rooting for our baby to come whenever God wills it to happen.

*Believe it or not, it was hard for me to feel that way until this year because I knew so many people had it worse. That said, I know that this will ALWAYS be true and does not negate my own suffering.

And here’s the thing. I am unwilling for Christmas with Matthew to always be unhappy because of my own unwillingness to let go of what God has given us a “not yet” (if not a “no”) to. I don’t want to lose that magic.

I don’t want to live the rest of my life without Christmas, Christmas as I have always known it. Hey, I don’t even want to live the rest of this particular Christmas without Christmas as I have always known it.

So I won’t.

[image error]

In Conclusion …

I’m not going to say I’m in a place of complete acceptance. I’m more in a discovery spot – finding out what I’m like in a position I never thought I’d be in (due to family health history and perhaps my own naivety), finding out how I can follow God and give up my own wishes to focus on what He wants in my life.

But I do know I can’t and won’t be one of those women who makes their entire life about their infertility.

Moreover, I’m not going to let myself be sensitive about it. Yes, there’s a space for being gentle with yourself, with choosing to avoid people or situations that will cause pain. I’m very cognizant of the areas where I do need that … but this is not one of them.

If anything, God is asking me to lean in. To focus on my health. To spend more time with children and mothers. To serve. To accept and to heal. To not make a massive deal about it and write long blog posts making a big deal about it. Whoops.

So that’s my goal for this Christmas … and for the year to come.

TTFN!

~Kell~

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

Heyyyyy everybody!

I’m back with the CONTROVERSY. *puts on sunglasses and walks slowly away from an explosion as the beat drops*

Not so very long ago, I wrote a short version of this post and shared it to Instagram. It resonated with a lot of people and doubled my determination to write THIS post, so here we go!

Well, actually, before we go, disclaimers.

First, I am not writing this post to attack clean fiction. In fact, I’m going to be talking about THAT a lot in this post, too, because I do feel “cleanliness” (depending on your definition) is a big aspect of what makes Christian fiction a genre.

That said, I will be challenging the idea that “clean” is our standard for godliness in Christian fiction (and general market works written by Christians).

Second, I am primarily writing this post for Christian fiction writers. Christian fiction is a genre and an audience combined into one, but not all Christians writer Christian fiction for a wide variety of reasons. This does not make their stories less God-honoring. It just makes their purpose different.

That said, my post is geared toward Christian fiction writers, so if you don’t write that genre, this post may not be entirely applicable to you … and if you’re not a Christian, this post has nothing for you. (You’re welcome to stick around and read it, just to see what we’re up to, though!)

Without further ado, let’s talk.

[image error]

The “Controversy” Part

People talk to me, and I talk to people. Therefore, I hear a lot of what has been going on in the Christian fiction community.

Honestly, there’s been so much random upheaval, and it’s exhausting.

My DMs are flooded with young Christian writers who are confused & worried about the future of the genre and how they can honor God in the midst of the constant arguments. And I keep seeing authors of all types and from all backgrounds declaring that the future of the genre, or of their specific niche, is not bright.

To which I politely say … nope. Christian fiction is not going away. And no, your particular way of writing Christian fiction is probably not going away.

If you write squeaky clean, family friendly, or just following-your-convictions Christian fiction, you’re still needed.

If you write so-called “edgy” themes and discuss tougher issues, you’re still needed.

This is no either/or situation.

That said, I’m half-convinced that a lot of this “controversy” is more a matter of people (myself included) speaking in a very black and white manner about a very nuanced subject. I don’t think there’s as much push back for one side or the other as people think.

But the loudest voices are the ones that are heard in a lot of cases, and bullies are very loud. For instance, a lot of the pushback against clean fiction I’m seeing comes from outside the Christian community … and frankly, who cares?

Meanwhile, there are the arguments about what clean is, how we personally define clean fiction, whether or not writers are justified in writing whatever they want and what those standards are as Christians, etc. It keeps going, but in truth, none of it matters so much as deciding what you’re going to do … and doing it … with God as your one and only Guide.

Beyond that, it’s semantics.

However, for me, the best way to describe what I’m trying to write isn’t clean fiction because that definition can mean pretty much anything anymore. For me, it’s God-honoring fiction.

That said, let’s talk about God-honoring fiction.

But first, let me clarify something …

[image error]

Another label, Kell? Seriously?

Before you get up in arms about this, I am not suggesting we STOP marketing our fiction as clean and START marketing it as God-honoring.

I do not always place a “clean” disclosure before my books, but in the right audience (the one who interprets that as “free of graphic sex and graphic language”), I will do so.

Further, I think trying to change the labels isn’t going to work. I’ve known communities who have tried (Flinch-Free Fiction, anyone?), but in the end, we seem to have settled on “clean” to describe … a wide variety of books, but in general, a common idea:

No graphic sex. No filthy mouths. No gratuitous violence.

And though, again, clean fiction has its issues (lack of definition, largely), it does help a lot of people find their community and describe what they write and/or read.

The problem is, we need to do MORE than that. I don’t want to replace clean fiction; I’m not taking anything away. I’m adding.

A lot, a lot, a LOT of Christian writers are doing this already. We are not lacking in God-honoring fiction if you search for it.

Granted, it’s not as plentiful as “just” clean, vaguely Christian fiction, but there are so many authors who are doing this that I couldn’t begin to name them all.

And they’re not just indie authors – traditional authors are (and have been for years) stepping up. Anyone who believes otherwise might not have read a ton of Christian fiction (or have not read enough).

So why does this matter to me? Well, because if we don’t define something, we can’t teach it, and we can’t implement it ourselves.

Well, okay, yes, we can, and we might not know we’re doing it, but spreading the word and making sure we’re not just defining Christian fiction as “clean fiction with a dash of Christianity.”

But what does God-honoring fiction mean to me?

[image error]

What is God-Honoring Fiction?

All of us Christians are ascribing to one goal even though we’re doing different things.

(Kind of reminds me of some Bible verses about the Body of Christ, but whatever …)

Do we have a definition of what that “one goal” is?

Yes. We’re all trying to honor God.

In this graphic below, I break down a little of what I see as God-honoring fiction. (Spoiler alert: it doesn’t NOT include cleanliness by the looser definitions!)

To be honest, I think MOST Christian fiction authors are writing God-honoring fiction as long as our main focus is pleasing the Lord … not pleasing our audience or pleasing ourselves.

Of course, some of it is about your heart. You have to be follow God to write Christian fiction.

If you’re pursuing the Lord, you’ll be able to pursue writing excellent fiction and discern what kind of books you should be writing. It’s not like God is a “leave you in the lurch” kind of Leader!

And for all the little details …

Well, we’re all called differently.

I’ve heard a lot of talk about how Christians are being pressured to “change with the times,” and how this is affecting the Christian fiction genre.

In many ways, “changing with the times” doesn’t really happen when it comes to God’s leading. Regardless of how the Christian fiction genre adjusts over the years, YOUR approach must be your own.

The Lord equips us to write “in such a time as this,” and that is not a promise that has an expiration date. We won’t need to follow trends … again, we just need to honor the Lord.

All other feedback, all other hatred (or love), matters little next to that.

As I noted in my post not too long ago, Christians should be focusing their marketing on the audience God is leading them to serve. This means we will have different things to say as Christians depending on who our audience is.

It’s not about people-pleasing. It’s about pleasing the Lord by obeying His guidance in our life.

[image error]

So what does this mean for us writers?

Honestly, I’d like to see more confidence in the average Christian fiction writer.

Less need to constantly explain ourselves.

More focus on doing whatever the individual is led to do. To sharing whatever message the Lord leads them to share.

This doesn’t mean never taking criticism, nor does it mean not continuing to improve and grow as a person and as a writer. In fact, a big part of writing in a way that honors God is writing well AND growing as people, following God’s leading wherever it takes us, even if it’s somewhere unexpected.

But it does mean being willing to stand by what God tells you to do, even if it’s unpopular … or unpopular in certain groups, which is what I see more often.

In summary …

We’re writing for the Lord.

This should be a joyous, happy, freeing thing!

Why can’t we act like it?

Honestly, of all the genres in the world, this is the one that’s going to cause the most worry unless we take a hold on it.

I mean, there’s a lot of pressure in writing as a Christian fiction author. There’s a lot of pressure amongst Christians to do it a certain way. And there’s a LOT of intolerance toward any slight variance to the norm, whatever “norm” you ascribe to.

I guess, simply put, there’s a lot of asking legs to be arms and arms to be noses and heads to be toes.

Let’s work on refining our marketing and confidently proclaiming what the Lord has led us to proclaim rather than worrying about the opinions of others who you are not led to serve.

There are probably readers for almost every niche out there. So find yours … and don’t go whining about it or pursuing readers who aren’t in your niche. It’s that simple. Even if your niche is smaller, it’s better to focus your marketing and reach less people than try to sell books to people who won’t get anything out of them.

I’ve given up worrying about what readers who I’m not writing for will think of my books. I wish you would, too! Because after all, do those thoughts (and worries) really benefit you? Do they help the people you actually want to help?

Or do they just serve to distract you from God’s actual leading in your life?

Dear Christian fiction writer, you let yourself become this battered and bruised. In 90% of the situations I’m told about, it’s either all in the author’s head … or they’re letting one negative voice amongst many positive ones rule the roost.

We are not the average person, though. We have Christ’s Spirit to help us. This, too, can be overcome.

Let’s overcome it.

[image error]

Honorable Mentions

… not sure that header works, but whatever.

There are people in this world who are trying to promote God-honoring fiction in a really cool way! A couple organizations that I wanted to mention are Glory Writers and Protect Clean Fiction.

Though I am not associated with either of these organizations, and I’m pretty sure we’re doing slightly different things (YAY! We need all the different things), I do feel that the people behind these groups have the best interest of the Christian fiction market in mind in what they’re promoting.

So if you need some encouragement, there’s a place to start!

Anddddd of course I’ve loved working with young writers through the Author Conservatory (#dayjobshoutout) because they are all truly emulating this desire to honor the Lord … even if that path is not through the traditional (non-traditional?) Christian fiction route. Y’all (along with my many author friends) inspire ME!

TTFN!

~Kell~

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

I haven’t done a life update on this blog in forever, and granted, I will probably recycle some information from my email list (which you should subscribe to now!), but now feels like the time. So let’s not hesitate. Let’s get into it!

[image error]

NaNoWriMo 2023

NaNoWriMo 2023 … did not go as planned.

But I did win! For the 10th time in the row! (Or the 9th, in terms of years, as I started in 2014, but it’s been 10x in 9 years … I know, it’s confusing.)

Let’s talk about that.

The Novel

As some of you may know, I was writing the second novel in The Hilton Legacy trilogy, Like the Air After Rain – AKA Lorelei’s story. I’m not quite done with it yet, but I’ve made some significant progress in it.

Below is the original blurb.

the original blurb

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.

Unfortunately, that is not longer exactly the plot of the novel. XD

WHY, you ask?

Well, Lorelei is UNCOOPERATIVE.

She is the WORST.

SHE IS MORE ANNOYING THAN PATRICK AND MORE STUBBORN THAN CASSIE.

Seriously, Lorelei has DECIDED she will have a DIFFERENT plot and theme and character arc and just EVERYTHING, and I cannot stop her. She’s off doing her own (traumatized) thing, and I can’t control her.

Normally, I beat my characters into submission. But Lorelei is special.

And here’s the truth. Beyond all this joking, I am determined to write a quality novel. So I will finish writing this novel and then rewrite it. I will polish it until it shines.

And whether Lorelei likes it or not, she will have a formulated, completed, properly structured story.

But I’m doing discovery writing to a degree. Oh, I still have the loose structure of the outline, but I’m chasing character arcs and themes as I go now, as the ones I had planned got tossed out the window.

And honestly, that is a slower process than I would prefer. I’m a draft-fast-off-a-solid-outline girl. Though I probably wouldn’t choose to do this again, I am rolling with the punches (as with everything else this year, haha).

My NaNoWriMo

This NaNoWriMo, I completed my goal of 50,000 words with 51,757 by midnight on the 30th. That said, I am so accustomed to 70,000+ months that this feels weird to me.

I should be writing more. And yes, adding 51,757 words to my project (bringing it to a grand total of 66,897 with maybe another 10-20k to go) is a big win, but it’s not as much as I wanted. I hoped to finish this novel in November and then maybe write a little short story at the end of the month.

That didn’t happen.

Further, the progress was not exactly linear.

I started out keeping up with my goals, actually got pretty far ahead, and then … I flatlined. I wrote maybe 50 words one day, 20 another, 10 another, 100-some another.

It was so frustrating.

Three days before the end of the month, I looked up and realized I was more than 15,000 words behind.

As you can see, I wrote between 4,000 and 6,000 words for three days in a row to make up for it. And I did this while sick with the flu. Because you know what? NaNoWriMo means a lot to me, and I’m not about to give up on a challenge. Especially this one.

So yeah, I won my 10th NaNo in a row (though I’ll officially be celebrating 10 years next year). And honestly, it’s both a BIG achievement – and a small one.

It’s a small one because my biggest NaNo was 118k. It’s a small one because my other NaNos have averaged far above 50k. It’s a small one because I didn’t finish the book. It’s a small one because I didn’t do what I wanted to do.

But it’s also a big achievement because I persevered. It’s a big achievement because I won even when I was sure I couldn’t. It’s a big achievement because it proves to myself, at least, that I haven’t lost it – that magic touch, that feeling of wonder at coming out the champion once more.

I’m proud of this NaNoWriMo – and I want to do better in the future. These two ideas can exist simultaneously because we are not robots tied to one black and white way of thinking.

Further, it’s okay if my not-really-a-success is your “would be beyond successful.” We all do things at different paces. It’s both okay for me to feel like this is not the biggest success – and for you to feel like writing 5,000 words in one month is a wondrous, beautiful, party-worthy achievement. The desire to compare is strong. Don’t give in to it.

How did your NaNoWriMo go, if you participated in the challenge? If not, anything you’re proud of yourself for accomplishing in November?

[image error]

Life Updates

I won’t linger on this section, as I intend to talk more about some of these topics here in the future, and I don’t want to make this post overlong.

That said, November was kind of a tough month for me.

Due to very stressful circumstances beyond my control which caused me no small amount of frustration, I was (and am) off work with Matthias, my little bestie, and I really missed (miss) him and his whole family (especially his mom, who has become a dear friend and mentor to me).

Meanwhile, Matthew and I are going through fertility testing to try to determine why we haven’t been able to have a baby yet – and I found that it both awakened old hurts and added a new level of stress and frustration. I’ve found that there’s fear in the tests coming back with something big, something that means we can’t have children together … but there’s also fear in the tests coming up with nothing, being left with that big empty hole and no “this is the reason.” So far we don’t have any obvious answers, but God knows exactly what, why, and when.

Because of this stress, and because I also got sick for the first time at the very end of the month, I haven’t been feeling great. My nerves are a wreck, and though I know the practical steps to get this under control, the application is tough. Trusting God is tough.

But I’ve found a way to help myself through it.

Lately, I’ve been ticking back through my life, with a mindset of “everything happens for a reason.” I find myself thinking back to the days when I was single and way too young to be worried about it … but still somehow concerned that with every man that wasn’t “the one,” I had somehow missed it. Failed relationships, messages left on read, finally leading me to something so seamlessly effortless that it just … happened. And now I’m in the midst of what I couldn’t bear to pray for, knowing my own obsessive nature would make it an idol.

Now, I pray for for children, and I would do anything to have a family – to have even one baby – but I cannot make it happen. This lies beyond my hands in some magical, faraway realm. (Has anyone ever told you that infertility makes the concept of natural conception unreal? It’s mystical to me. I can’t imagine a world in which I just one day have a positive pregnancy test for no particular reason except that I do. But who knows? It could be next month. I really can’t say.) But as with every other aspect of my life, if it is meant to be, it will happen.

Will it be seamlessly effortless someday just because it’s time … or will God show us another path? Well, I’m not sure. I can’t know. Things never happen the same way twice, after all. So for now, we wait.

I remember jobs I got that I didn’t deserve … and jobs I didn’t receive but felt, at the time, I totally deserved. I don’t think too much about those failed opportunities, but what HAS been brought into my life by God’s Unfailing Hand has been entirely providential and perfectly timed.

The gymnastics secretary job? Perfect timing, perfect first job.

Working with Matthias? Still one of the biggest blessings God ever could have provided me, one that fills me with such wondrous gratitude. (Being on the receiving end of the Lambert family’s love is such a gift. If you’re a local friend who knows them, you get it.)

And now I’m working for the Author Conservatory, and I love it. Literally, I am working my dream job! I’m not sure I could’ve even imagined this a few years ago.

These are only a few of the many examples. Things work out. Even as recently as earlier this year, I can think of things that came together despite seeming impossible (or that, at least, were bearable even in their unpleasantness). God’s timing is perfect.

At this point, there are still some job uncertainties for Matthew and me both, along with all the various baby woes, but as I look back on the life God has ordained, and think of what He may have ordained in the future, I realize that my stress, my worries, my angst are not getting me anywhere. Cheesy as it sounds, God is.

[image error]

The Upcoming Christmas Season

I think my original intention with this section was to share a little bit about my thoughts for the upcoming Christmas season, but I’ll share that for a different post down the line.

For now, I will say that the holidays are tough for me right now. That said, God is altering my perspective on them, a little bit at a time, from a focus on me, and how I dislike the way my life is going, to an opportunity to serve.

I suppose everything is an opportunity to serve, but more on that later. Like I said, I want to write a full-length post on that, so expect it to come in the next couple weeks!

[image error]

Anyways, I’ll talk to y’all later. I hope you enjoyed this post! I’d love to hear how you’re doing and what your life looks like!

TTFN!

~Kell~

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

That title may have bemused you, and honestly, I’m not sure I have the writing talent to communicate these ideas clearly, so if you don’t understand this, blame me. I can only say I did my best.

The other day, I was reading 1 Corinthians 9, and I found myself confused. Not an unusual thing for such a weak Bible scholar as myself, but when I’m learning that when I run into a natural limitation, the answer is not to feel like an idiot—it’s to find a way around my idiocy.

Therefore, I looked up sermons on 1 Corinthians 9 and found this one, which I really enjoyed. And, of course, because I am incapable of NOT making the Bible all about my current struggles, rather than taking it at face value, I applied it to my own life.

And lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about audience, and positioning myself, and all those fun things that are entirely too vital for a Christian fiction writer’s life (in part because it’s important for all writers, but also because Christian fiction readers are probably the most difficult audience to write and market toward).

1 Corinthians 9, simply put, is taken up with Paul explaining why he’s qualified as an apostle of the Lord and also diving deeper into his personal response to concepts he explained in greater detail in 1 Corinthians 8, such as the whole “if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble” we are all so familiar with. Essentially, Paul is telling us how the concept of “making your brother stumble” works out in his own life.

What caught my attention during my reading and during the sermon itself was the following verses (19-23) in chapter 9:

“For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.”

I circled this in my Bible before even listening to the sermon and made the somewhat judgmental comment in the margins of my lovely floral journaling Bible that “This is what Christians with their variety of denominations refuse to do. They are incapable of preaching the Gospel to those who are not convicted or called exactly as they are.”

I discussed this in a post on my Instagram lately, but all Christian fiction writers have essentially the same motivation: they seek to honor the Lord in their writing. (Technically, all Christian writers, regardless of if they write Christian fiction or not, have the same goal, but I’m limiting this discussion to Christian fiction writers as that is what I myself write. However, for the most part, the same concepts apply universally to Christian writers! And to say that it’s not true of Christian writers who don’t write Christian fiction is to ignore both historical Christian writers and simple common sense about how representing our faith works.)

Yet we give into quarrelsomeness. We lose track of our higher calling, and the true ways the Lord may be leading us, to fight over the small details—refusing to admit that, perhaps, we’re comparing apples to oranges (or Greeks to Jews, if you will) as we all write things that WE feel led to do … and then stomp on those who are not similarly led, as if there is only one type Christian culture—the “good” type, YOUR type.

Now, as you read these verses, and hear my thoughts on them, you may be going, “Now, wait, Kell, Paul didn’t mean that he was just going to abandon all morals and do all the evil things whoever he was with was doing to fit in.” Nope, and I know that. In the sermon I linked to above, the pastor did a far better job explaining this, but when Paul says he has become “all things to all people,” there are many examples throughout the New Testament of how he sacrificed the freedom he gained through his salvation, through his knowledge, and through his strength of spirit to serve the people he was delivering the Gospel to.

Essentially, what Paul is saying is that if he is faced with a situation where his personal lack of convictions on a subject get in the way of preaching the Gospel, he would far rather not eat meat (or make Timothy get circumcised) than do anything that stood in the way of his calling.

When he was with the Jews, he observed their ceremonial laws. When he was not, well, he dropped them. Simply put, Paul was unwilling to let neither legalism or the personal convictions of others get in the way of sharing the Gospel. He emptied himself, becoming a vessel to bear the Lord’s grace and truth.

If you know Paul at all, you know he does NOT mince words. He is not a wishy-washy writer, nor does he stray from what may offend people. I think Paul’s writings contain some of the most controversial takes in New Testament, even today! But he sticks to the essentials. He’s not getting caught up on issues that don’t matter. He’s not arguing with the Jews about whether or not circumcision is still a thing. Poor Timothy.

I’m concerned you’re going to take my Timothy jokes too seriously, but please don’t. I am being facetious.

I have chosen to do the same thing from time to time, and any WISE Christian fiction writer will, too. There are some subjects I don’t publicly discuss, and the ones I do are becoming more and more refined as I look at what will hinder my message—and what will more clearly communicate it.

[image error]

The Power of Writing

Words are powerful, and writers are the wielders of words. When another name for Christ is “the Word of Life,” I think we all know that what we will be held accountable for what we write, especially as we are inherently placing ourselves in a position of authority with our platforms and our novels.

It’s not about lying or not being honest about what we truly believe. It’s about sticking to what’s relevant. What would be totally irrelevant to you might be an issue that I feel led to speak about—and vice-versa. Intentionality is the name of the game here.

I have certain subjects that I could speak about less or more that I do not. I could talk more about LGBT+ subjects. I could discuss politics. Science. Current culture. I could probably talk about border collies all day and turn it into a meaningful message that serves God, but I don’t. So many things … but because these subjects are not relevant to the audience I’m serving, I am not a writer about “so many things.”

This doesn’t mean some of my messages won’t have a wider audience. Truth is truth … it has a more universal appeal. My books and blog posts have been read by a wide variety of people who take from it what God will have them take from it.

But the way I’m framing things will always be with specific people in mind. Others will take different sides, discuss different issues, come at it from different angles. And we NEED those. Because there is an infinite supply of people in this world, and that means we need an infinite supply of other people who are working for God to serve those people.

Now, as is again pointed out in the sermon I referenced at the beginning of this post, the office of a pastor—or Apostle—is a specific one. You have to be strongly led to be willing to undertake what Paul (let alone Timothy) did. But even for us laypersons, generally not led in the same way Paul was, we can still apply these tenets.

Who are the people we’re sharing our message with? What is at the heart of our ministry? Is anything we’re doing or saying getting in the way of serving that audience? Have we niched down so much that we are actually incapable of serving anyone at all? Or perhaps our audience is too broad, and we need to take a step closer?

Yet does this mean that as writers, we are to become all things to all readers just as Paul became all things to all men? Well, if we are speaking to all readers, sure, but we’re not, are we? We are only speaking to our market, our audience.

Paul was not “all things at all times.” He’s not God; Paul lived under the human limitations of time, place, and surroundings. When he was with the Jews, he became like a Christian Jew; when he was with the Gentiles, he became like a Christian Gentile.

Similarly, when we are speaking to our audience, we represent Christ, and all related messages, to them in a way that they can understand. We speak to them honestly and clearly from the place they are in. We use words and terms and references they will understand; we don’t show off our knowledge at their expense. And we don’t try to be something else, because that is not what they need.

[image error]

A Tangent about Identity

On a less specific-to-writing note, I will admit that I have often been terrified by the notion of not being myself. I want to be so myself that everyone who meets me immediately sees me for who I am—and I have often failed.

I was horrified by the way I turned into a chameleon for different groups. That wasn’t me, after all. How could it be?!

A goof in one group of friends; the straight man in another crowd; introverted in one area and seemingly more extroverted when in my element. And I saw some versions of myself I liked better, and some I liked less, and yet I sometimes couldn’t seem to fit those versions together in a way that made sense.

Now, this can be a bad thing—if your focus is only on pleasing the other person, if you become a chameleon in an attempt to please others. People-pleasing is a real issue, and one we all need to avoid, but I’m not talking about that today.

Because as in my case, if you are more focused on the authentic self than serving authentically, well, that’s just as bad.

I have tried to manufacture a better self by combining all my versions, but sometimes that leads to the wrong foot being put forward at the wrong time.

And here’s what I’ve realized: authentic self, that great American ideal, that Taylor’s version, Disney-princess thought process is nothing compared to living for Christ. I have often equated the two together, knowing that the Lord created us all individuals and our most true self will emerge through the Lord.

But that’s not as much done through careful self-reflection and cautiously trying to sort out what v0ersion is most godly. No, it’s best done through obeying God … and knowing He will not let the beautiful individual He created disappear.

I’m not going to become less me by focusing on God. I have always known this. Yet it’s so easy for me to get caught up in being myself, because after all, God did make me for a purpose, that I lose sight of what’s most important.

The message. The truth. The thing that cannot be taken away. And even if you’re not sure what that message is, you can start using your strengths now to serve God, and you can certainly obey whatever He tells you without question, now.

That’s the right step. Not the step you take ten years from now once your ducks are in a row. And you know what? Once you get to Heaven, it’s all going to make sense.

Even what might have seemed like a side road or a distraction at the time will turn into a beautiful portrait of God’s care and love for you … and for those He has put you in this world to serve.

TTFN!

~Kell~

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

Hello folks!

Look around you! You’re looking at a brand-new website!

I mean, it’s still the same old website, in some ways, but updated by Plethora Creative! They did a fantastic job updating the website, and it looks sooo good! If you want, take a moment to just browse around and see all the pretties.

I especially love the home page! But the book pages are great, too, as are the all the other pages. Definitely recommend Plethora Creative for your web design needs. They did the Wild Blue Wonder Press website, too.

[image error]

The Random Thoughts Portion of the Post

As you can see, I updated my author photos while I was at it.

Snuck in a couple varieties:

All taken by Matthew at our latest Oregon Coast trip. Because, you know, the Peter Iredale obviously crashed to provide me with a photo op. (Also, Fort Columbia was just THERE.)

ANYWAYS.

It’s coming up on Thanksgiving (… very rapidly … tomorrow), and that’s always a FUN time of the year for me (which I’m going to talk more about in further blog posts – and don’t worry, it’s not family drama; it’s Kell-specific drama), so onward and upward, as they say.

You’ll have to comment below and tell me what you’re doing for Thanksgiving. We’re going to my parents this year (we swap years – Matthew’s parents will be next year), and it should be pretty standard Christmas stuff. I’m going to attempt to wear a dress, meaning I will have worn a dress once since August.

Excellent. I am woman.

[image error]

Future Posts ~ Coming Soon!

For the sake of accountability, I decided to tell you what my plans for the next couple weeks are. Because, you know, it would be helpful for me to not just add to my bookmarks tab of “projects” every time I write a blog post. I actually need to edit and publish them.

So let’s talk about what we’re doing next!

Also, I will probably get a post out sometime this weekend to talk about the Black Friday Book Sale, but you know, that’s not exciting. I mean, it is, but not in the sense that most of you don’t know at least something about it. A lot of my books will be going on sale, though! And I’ll also let y’all know if I have options open for Christmas gifts or such, but that’s rather unlikely this year.

The Apostle Paul & Speaking to Your Audience as a Christian Writer

I promise it’ll make sense once I post it on 11/29/2023

NaNoWriMo 2023, the Christmas Season, and Kell’s Life

To be published on 12/06/2023. This is just a life update with a few added things I don’t think I’ve talked about on here too much. (Plus, I wanted to say SOMETHING about NaNo, which is almost over now.)

Shifting the Focus: God-Honoring Fiction vs. Clean Fiction

Based on a post I shared to Instagram a while ago, this will go live on 12/13/2023.

A New Sort of Christmas

… in which I’ll share some musings I’ve been having about the holiday season, methinks. Though we shall see if this one doesn’t get swapped out, depending on how long I talk.

I’ll be publishing this post on 12/20/2023.

Novelists in November ~ a complete breakdown of my plans for the anthology

… will come out on 12/27/2023, ideally speaking. I know I should be publishing something Christmasy, but I didn’t want to delay it any longer, and yet, I also didn’t want to publish it this month because … I’ve been busy.

I guess technically the right way to word that would be “I did want to publish it but didn’t have time,” but meh.

Welcome to 2024 (a nd how 2023 went)

01/03/2023 will be my annual year wrapup as well as goals and plans for 2024.

After that, I do have more posts planned, but honestly, I’ll probably shift them around a time or two, so revealing them ahead of time won’t provide accountability for me so much as frustration for you.

That said, I’m hoping to be more active on this blog in the future, so we’ll see how that goes!

[image error]

As always, I’d like to remind you that my email list houses the majority of my entertainment and is the best way to keep in contact with me … and also, that I’m so close to 800 subscribers that I can taste it, so do me a favor and help me out.

There’s a special email list just for writers, too, if that’s your thing.

TTFN!

~Kell~

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

Happiest of launch days to Among the Great by Amy Ullrich!

I’m so excited to share a little bit with you about Amy’s debut novel, Among the Great, which is set in medieval England around the reign of King Alfred (AD 877). Like a story I shared with you last week (Cabin Girl), it’s also somewhat reminiscent of my childhood reads, specifically when we were studying medieval history, which is what first attracted me to the story.

It’s the kind of book I wish I had a book-loving young man to pass it on to, though of course, it can be read by anyone!

About the Book

The year is AD 877, and King Alfred has succeeded in driving the marauding Danes from his kingdom – for the time being.

Edwin and his sister Edith are just beginning to enjoy their liberty when, one terrible night, their lives change forever.

Separated from one another, and caught up in the turmoil of their times, Edwin and Edith must learn to discern between truth and falsehood, friend and foe, or be swept away on a tide of treachery.

A blind bard, a lame blacksmith, and an ambitious warrior all have their role in this tale of courage and true heroism set during the reign of Alfred the Great.

To find out more about the book, buy a copy, or subscribe to the author’s email list, head over to https://amyullrich.com/!

So what do you think? Does that sound like the type of book you’d like to read?

Honestly, I really hope I can grab a copy soon and find time to sit down and read it. Y’all know how tough reading time is to find these days, but hey, we prioritize what actually matters. And reading is a thing that certainly does matter!

TTFN!

~Kell~

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

Recently, E.G. Bella launched a novel called Cabin Girl. It’s so reminiscent of books that I read as a kid, and though I haven’t personally had a chance to read it yet (soon, I hope!), I really am enjoying learning more about it, and I’m loving how well-received it’s been!

So let’s talk a little bit about the book and see if I can’t convince you to read it.

Also, make sure to subscribe to her email list!

About the Book

Sickness. Sharks. Sabotage. Secrecy.

In the rolling hills of 1600’s Ireland, young Éirinn O’Connell learns all she can of medicine, struggling to care for her starving family—until the night Barbary pirates raid her village, and she’s dragged from the only home she’s ever known.

Set on a course to the slave markets of Morocco, and amidst a crew as turbulent as the ocean around her, Éirinn searches for a way home. But who can she trust? And how will she survive the Captain’s constant torment? Éirinn soon discovers the danger in trusting appearances and learns that it’s never too late for a second chance.

Even for the unlikeliest of people.

Buy on Amazon ~ Add on Goodreads

Well … what do you think? Have you decided to read it?

Before I go, because I wasn’t able to share a review myself this time, I thought I’d go ahead and share some brief reviews the author collected:

“The context was intriguing and exciting. It had me hooked on page one!” ~Skylar Bennett

“Cabin Girl is a wonderful novel, full of pirates, subterfuge, a quest for identity, and poignant redemption. A great read for anyone looking for hope, adventure, or a light in the darkness.” ~Rachel Underwood

“E. G. Bella does a superb job of crafting despicable and lovable characters. Her nuances are perfectly captivating and surprising. The story is well thought out, and the plot keeps you guessing. There are characters you will root for forever. She does a delightfully good job at keeping you guessing. I appreciate that you never fully know what the next step is. This is an up-all-night, page-turning, on-the-edge-of-your-seat work of art. She does a beautiful job of crafting faith, family, and delightful characters.” ~Sarah S. 

“Cabin Girl is among my favorite novels. E. G. Bella has done an amazing job weaving her characters, plot, and theme into an exciting adventure that showcases the power of faith in the most difficult of circumstances.” ~J. F. Michaelis 

“I loved this book, especially the interesting relationship between Éirinn and Captain Gills. Once I got started, it was very hard to put down.” ~J. A. Wood

TTFN!

~Kell~

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

Hey folks! Today I’ve got another blog tour for you for a novel called A Bird in the Snow, which was written by M.C. Kennedy. You can purchase the novel here … or you can just scroll down to find all about it first!

A Bird in the Snow is the second novel in the Feyfolk Trilogy, the first being A Wolf’s Rose.

About the Novel

Title: A Bird in the Snow

Series: The Feyfolk Trilogy (Book 2)

Genre: YA Fantasy, Christian Fantasy

Release Date: September 9, 2023

Content Warnings: Mentions of pre-marital sex; mentions of abortion

Synopsis:

Can even the worst mistakes be forgiven?

Ean Cochall has lived in the wilderness for two years, providing for the needy by day and assassinating rogues by night. It’s all in pursuit of one thing: justice. So when he’s approached by a mysterious figure and asked to kill a fae accused of crimes against the Gwyns, he readily accepts.
Murrin has fled to the wilderness to hide from someone who seeks her life. She has the name of a fey who can protect her: Ean Cochall, leader of the outlaw band the Green Company. What she doesn’t know is that Ean already knows about her–and he was just hired to kill her.
As dark secrets come to light and old ghosts rise from the dead, will Ean uncover the truth? Or will his own mistakes come back to haunt him, making justice something not even he wants to achieve.

Purchase the Book: books2read.com/u/3GG5NL

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61386666-a-bird-in-the-snow

About the Author

M.C. Kennedy fell in love with fantasy at nine years old after reading The Lord of the Rings. She now strives to reflect her Creator by dreaming up fictional realms that point readers to His truths in the real world. When she’s not roaming through fanciful forests, struggling to understand Greek and Hebrew, or geeking out over one of her many fandoms, she loves to connect with readers on her website or her various social media platforms.

Find Her On …

Instagram: @mckennedy.author

Facebook: M. C. Kennedy, Author

Pinterest: M. C. Kennedy

Goodreads: M. C. Kenendy

Website: mckennedyauthor.com

Newsletter: https://hustling-painter-5596.ck.page/4c3187e992

The Giveaway

And at last, the thing you’ve been waiting for … the giveaway!

There will be two giveaway winners–1 U. S. and 1 international.

Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/bc7fb7dd3/?

Prizes:

U.S.

–1 paperback copy of ABITS

–3 themed bookmarks

–1 character card

International

–1 ebook copy of ABITS

–3 printable themed bookmarks

–1 digital character card

TTFN!

~Kell~

Are you interested in getting to know me & my books better?

I want to invite you to my super secret club. I mean, it’s not really a secret, because I’m telling you about it now, but here goes.

Join Mrs. Roth’s Society Column, my street team! We’d love to have you along for the ride!

For the final day of the launch tour, I’m discussing book 2 in The Hilton Legacy trilogy, Like the Air After Rain.

Before that, here’s the normal launch tour stuff . . .

About Like a Ship on the SeaIf God asks you to confront a storm, how dare you stay in the harbor?

Lady Mary Cassidy O’Connell has a dream that can be summed up in three connecting ideas: a loving husband, adorable children, and a home of her own. Her mother’s lack of care makes life difficult for Cassie, and an escape is necessary. The plan? Marry Aubrey Montgomery, the man her parents have chosen for her, and find the peace she craves.

Unfortunately, Cassie is uneasy about marrying Aubrey. Her apprehension grows as she witnesses her dearest friend’s loving marriage take place. At this wedding, she catches the eye of Patrick Hilton, son of a wealthy American. Like Cassie, he’s also set to marry a woman chosen by his parents—only, Patrick claims, he is content with this choice.

Torn between her desire for happiness and the knowledge that God is leading her in a different direction, Cassie confronts the impossible decision. Is a loveless marriage of obligation better than being alone, or will she set sail on a voyage without a safe harbor?

Like a Ship on the Sea is the first novel in The Hilton Legacy, a stand-alone trilogy featuring characters from the author’s first series, The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy.

AMAZON ~ GOODREADSAbout The Hilton Legacy

The Hilton Legacy will be a trilogy (with perhaps one standalone spin-off, depending on how I decide to do this!) set in 1880s and 1890s America and Europe.

The first novel, Like a Ship on the Sea, which is the one we’re celebrating today, features Patrick Hilton and his eventual love interest, Cassie. Of course, we know all about this novel!

The second novel, Like the Air After Rain, will feature Lorelei Hilton and her love interest and will primarily take place in England. There’s going to be a marriage of convenience angle that will be a lot of fun, methinks!

The second novel, Like Lightning in a Bottle, will feature Gwendolyn Hilton and her love interest and will primarily take place in England and America. This one is a little bit of a wild card, but we’re gonna have fun with it.

The Schedule

Monday, September 4th

“Why You Should Read Like a Ship on the Sea” by Kellyn Roth

Book Spotlight by Abby Johansen

Review by Coralie Terry

Author Interview by Naomi Sowell

Tuesday, September 5th (LAUNCH DAY!)

“All the Launch Day Celebrations” by Kellyn Roth

Book Spotlight by Faith Blum

Book Spotlight by Natasha Joy

Book Spotlight by E. G. Bella

Wednesday, September 6th

“About the Gilded Era” by Kellyn Roth

Review by Anna Galicinski

Review by H.S. Kylian

Review by Cassie Porath

Thursday, September 7th

“Tackling Tough Topics with Tact” by Kellyn Roth

Review by Faith’s Bookshelf

Friday, September 8th

“A Guest Post by Alice Strauss” by Kellyn Roth

Book Spotlight by M.C. Kennedy

Review by Reviews from the Stacks

Book Spotlight by Bizwings Book Blog

Saturday, September 9th

“Introducing the Hiltons of Boston” by Kellyn Roth

Review by The Rivers of Words

Monday, September 11th

“How The Hilton Legacy Fits in with The Chronicles of Alice & Ivy” by Kellyn Roth

Author Interview by Amy Ullrich

Review by Pens, Pages, and Pulses

Author Interview by Jane Mouttet

Book Spotlight by Rhys-Marie Whitnell

Tuesday, September 12th

“All About Book Two, Like the Air After Rain” by Kellyn Roth (YOU ARE HERE!)

Review by Katja H. Labonté

Book Spotlight by Grace A. Johnson

Review by Naomi Sowell

Interview & Review by Saraina Whitney

The Giveaway

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway! There will be a USA and International Winner, so even if you don’t live in my country, ENTER ANYWAY, because I made a prize just for you!

US-Only Giveaway: a signed paperback copy of Like a Ship on the Sea, a themed candle, two bookmarks, three character art prints, a themed charm bracelet, and extra special bonus scenes.

International Giveaway: an ebook copy of Like a Ship on the Sea, extra special bonus scenes, a themed phone wallpaper, and the first chapter of book 2.

ENTER NOW!

Or paste this link into your browser: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/cbb544c921/ 

The Bookish Tag

With the help of Grace A. Johnson (who is way too kind to me), I am hosting a bookish tag! This can be done on any social media profile (or even your blog) and is a fun way to join together to celebrate the launch! Starting today!

I’m doing the prompt on my Instagram and Facebook profiles, and I may try to repost some of these to Twitter, too!

The Prompts

Sept. 4 //  a book set in your dream destination

Sept. 6 // your favorite swoon-worthy romance

Sept. 8 // a book with themes that inspire you

Sept. 11 // a most remarkable heroine

Sept. 13 //  a beloved mentor character

Sept. 15 // a hero with an inspiring arc

Sept. 18 // your favorite fictional sibling dynamic

Sept. 20 // a ship that took you by surprise

Sept. 22 // a theme that touched your heart

Sept. 25 // a series spinoff you loved

Sept. 27 // a topic you love to read about

Sept. 29 // your favorite historical time period

RulesThere are prompts for every other weekday in September, but you’re welcome to share whenever you can and catch up at any time.Feel free to use any social media, including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, your blog, and Youtube.Share about books that fit into the categories, and have fun!  Don’t forget to use the hashtag #likeashipontheseatag and tag Kellyn (@kellynrothauthor on Instagram & Facebook or @kellyntheauthor on Twitter) to be shared!All About Book Two, Like the Air After Rain

The most simple way I can share about the book? How about a blurb!

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.

*nervous laugh* Well, um, what do you think? I admit I’m a bit nervous about pulling off some of these elements, but I’m excited.

Other than that, I won’t ramble on too much. But here are some elements this book will include:

Lorelei hating tea for however many thousand wordsEnglish coast (specifically Dorset)Younger sisters getting in trouble (and matchmaking, again)B A B I E SSwimming in the ocean (and getting dunked into the ocean)The fact that something about marrying an English gentleman triggers the Violet Crawley in LoreleiExploring themes of marital harmony, what marriage really entails (& why you can’t just NOT CARE though we all know that EXCEPT APPARENTLY THESE TWO IDIOTS), et ceteraAlso, PPD is explored once more, so that’s going to be … why do I keep writing these sadnessesLorelei sharing every thought that comes into her head before she’s properly thought it throughThis is my Pinterest for the story and this is my playlist for Lorelei, by the way.

A few favorite pictures from the Pinterest board:

To cap it off, let’s share a (very early draft) excerpt of what is Lorelei and Aubrey’s first conversation because she gets straight to the point, as per normal.

For a moment or two, they danced in silence while he scrambled to remember some fragment of small talk that might interest her. Nothing came to mind, and it was Miss Hilton who spoke first.

“You were engaged to my sister-in-law, weren’t you?” Her voice was quiet but cutting. It held a forcefulness, an abruptness, that most women didn’t possess—or didn’t wish to show, if they did possess it.

Aubrey narrowly avoided stumbling over his own feet. “Excuse me?”

Her head dipped in acknowledgement, as if this were the most average conversation subject on earth, but her gray eyes, light and dancing, held what looked like amusement, as if his being flustered was a matter of hilarity. “My sister-in-law. Cassie—well, Lady Mary O’Connell, I suppose. You were her fiancé, weren’t you?”

“No, I was not.” He steered her around another couple before he spoke again. “I asked her to marry me, and she refused.”

“Ah.” Another slight inclination of her head. “I see.”

Then she said nothing. Absolutely nothing. Did she want an explanation? Did she want to humiliate him? What a frustrating situation. If it were not for the fact that he was loathe to cause damage to a young lady’s reputation, he would return her to her mother and leave.

Yet that was not an option. So instead, he began to talk, not sure what he was saying or why—only knowing that he couldn’t bear the silence, the potential judgment.

“We had courted for several years,” he said, pausing to clear his throat, “and I had been quite sure of her. I knew there was something between us—but I believed it was my reluctance to commit. I have never been one to move quickly, not when I can measure my steps and make intelligent decisions. I suppose I made her feel as if I didn’t care—and that’s a fact for which I am eternally sorry. She shouldn’t have had to doubt me, if she did. Perhaps you know more of this than I do, or perhaps you do not. As for me, I was not given an explanation, nor do I need one, I suppose. Her decision was final enough. I don’t begrudge her that. I wish I had loved her well enough to make her stay, but I don’t want you or anyone else to believe that I wished to hold her against her will.”

Miss Hilton was silent for a moment then slowly nodded. “I don’t think I ever believed anything about you at all. Of course, I think my brother made the right decision in marrying her—and I think she was made for him, in all honesty. But I don’t care what you do. I don’t think I ever did. I think Cassie should have left you sooner, of course, but that’s not personal. I just like her better as a sister.” Her chin raised as her eyes met his. “I suppose you could find any number of women here who would serve your purpose just fine.”

His brow furrowed. “Whatever do you mean?”

She stared at him, unblinking, as if what she said was the most logical thing on earth. “I mean there are dozens of women in this room alone who I’m sure would make you a perfectly decent wife. I doubt you want anything special, and the kind of woman you’re looking for is bred here. I suspect you’re overthinking it.” Her tone was casual.

How old was she, anyway? Maybe eighteen? Why did she feel she had the right to speak to him so openly?

Yet he curbed his offense—he’d been learning more and more that the natural prickling of his pride was not an emotion he wanted to cultivate. Certainly, with two young sisters tempting him to frustration every day, he had to adjust—or suffer the loss of their affections, which he could not bear. No, anything but that, regardless of how tempestuous their emotions.

So he replied calmly, his tone even and soft, the same voice he used when Constance was being particularly irrational, at least in his view of things. “I’m overthinking marriage? As in, the life-long decision, ’til death do we part?” Perhaps the logical statement of matters would call the girl back to reality.

Yet apparently not, for her eyebrows arched, and what could only be called a grin appeared on her face. “Oh, that marriage. Sorry, I was talking about the union of Minneapolis and St. Paul.” She rolled her eyes. “No, of course ‘that’ marriage.”

“And why would you ‘suspect’ that I am ‘overthinking’ it?” She didn’t know him, and she felt qualified to make such broad judgments?

“Because I saw enough of you at Alice Strauss’s wedding to know you do not take risks, and because when a man is ready to get married, he marries. You proposed to Cassie; therefore, you are ready to be married; therefore, you are delaying unnecessarily from seizing what you ought.” She said this as if it were the most practical thing in the world rather than wild speculation. “It’s a simple matter, really.”

He frowned. “Well, who would you recommend?”

“As a wife?” She laughed. “Surely you can make that decision yourself.”

“As you seem to know everything, I am hardly foolish enough to neglect your keen advice.” Aubrey couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of his tone. “What should I be looking for, at least?”

Small tendrils of nut-brown hair bounced about her head as she laughed. “What do you want?”

He moved his shoulders in the slightest of shrugs. “Someone who will stay, primarily.”

She shook her head, another grin dancing about her pink lips. “Not a jab that hits its mark with me, but I get your point. That’s simple, though. Just propose to someone. If you marry them, they’ll have to stay.”

“Ah, so you’re suggesting kidnapping?”

“If that’s what it takes.” She turned from him as the music ended, tossing, “A real man would do it,” over her shoulder.

He didn’t know why he followed her. He could’ve escaped, exited stage right, never had to speak to her again.

Instead, he trailed her back to the Knights like an obedient pup on a leash.

TTFN!

~Kell~

P.S.

Well … do you like the sound of that? Are you surprised about … anything?

Are you interested in getting to know me & my books better?

I want to invite you to my super secret club. I mean, it’s not really a secret, because I’m telling you about it now, but here goes.

Join Mrs. Roth’s Society Column, my street team! We’d love to have you along for the ride!