Kellyn Roth's Blog: Kellyn Roth, Author, page 9

Some time ago, I made a post in my street team, Mrs. Roth’s Society Column, discussing imaginary name changes in the Kees & Colliers series.

My street team was NOT pleased. Because apparently they love the original names. Which, to be fair, they are memorable names, but if I had it to do all over again, I would definitely choose different memorable names. In general, there are a lot of things I would change about the Kees & Colliers series.

However, for the sake of argument, let’s talk about what I would change character names to if I were writing the series right now. Which, again, is largely copy/pasted from my street team and therefore in quotes.

Enjoy!

I’m working on some Flowers in Her Heart edits tonight, and I’m just thinking, “Why on earth did I have to name these people when I was a child!?”

If I had of named them now, I wouldn’t have used Troy. I would’ve gone with Nick as I had originally intended. I love Troy on him now, but he’s always seemed like a Nick with the option of “Nicky” when he was young. He has that The Thin Man vibe, you know?

Never mind Nick/Judy from Zootopia (the trailers came out in 2015, which was when I originally firmly decided on Troy!). I could’ve made it work.

Besides, Nicolas is so French, and Troy is so terribly American.

Granted, I’ve been able to find it used around the time he was born, but still. Not my favorite thing.

I would’ve had Lola go by Lilou. I might’ve stuck with my original choice for Adele, too – Adelia. It’s more flowery, which I think fits her, though it’s not as harsh, either. Hmm. I don’t know. It would’ve been a subject of debate.

I also would’ve picked a different name than Judy (Judith Ann is all right, but it doesn’t really sound like something Adele and Troy would pick). Probably something flowery if not something more directly related to Kenneth. I made it work, but I could’ve done it better if I’d given myself time to think it out.

I did play with the names Elise, Dahlia, Daisy, Lilly – and in the original draft, she was Alise/Alicia. I originally settled on Judith/Judy because it sounded so very 1930s.

As for Camilla, she would’ve become Camellia. The flower name would’ve still somewhat honored Millie while remaining true to Adele’s personality.

I think they still would’ve named their son Kenny.

If I’d been smart and brave, Millie would’ve been Millicent. It feels more British than Camilla (despite the fact that the name is very commonly used in the British upper class for reasons we won’t get into again shut up Harry & go away).

Because of when I wrote Souls Astray, and my deliberately non-detailed writing in first drafts of the other two books, I DID name Troy’s parents later in the game, which is where Estelle and Eben showed up. Estelle feels French nobility to me, and Eben is good for this quirky randomly-went-to-France-and-got-married-to-some-girl-he-met-there guy.

I do wish I hadn’t done double E names, because that makes their family Eben (or Ebenezer), Estelle, Eloise … and Troy. Poor planning on their part. Or mine, but whatever.

See, this was so much simpler when they were Claire-Marie (then Adelia then Adele), Philippe (then Nick then Troy), Alise (Alicia then almost straight to Judy), Henri (disappeared him), and Yvette (disappeared her).

Gosh, I miss The Sapphire of the Seine.

(Also, can you imagine a Peter/Alice story where Peter has known Alice since she was eight years old, meeting her every time he visited Paris as a struggling writer who visited Paris just ’cause he had friends there, and had one of those “oh, she’s a woman” moments when she turned sixteen because GiGi fueled my childhood? Because I have written a story in which that happened before I trashed it. It was super cheesy but also weird. ALICE kissed PETER of her own free will just because she could & knew it would mess with him, and she also at one point tossed his hat into a river, so like … not our girl. Peter was always Peter, though. He was confused and enamored and frightened, but very sure of himself once he figured things out.)

ANYWAYS, all this to say, just for funsies, here’s what I would do if I weren’t just doing a quick proofread & wanted to entirely overhaul this series (probably much to the fury of all my friends who love Troy and Judy as names, as I do, too, in some ways, if only because of affectionate familiarity).

Troy Ebenezer Kee would become Nicolas Gabriel “Nick” Kee.Adele Elizabeth Collier-Kee would still be Adele Elizabeth Collier-Kee. Much as I like Adelia, it just isn’t right.Judith Ann Kee would become Liliane Elizabeth Kee, called Lily by her mother. It’s the perfect combination of French and traditional English, and I can totally see there being a battle over Lili vs. Lily. Troy would pronounce it “lee-lee.” It’d be adorable. (Also, then Troy would have a part of his heritage in Judy because Lili and Lilou are similar nicknames and Liliane feels like a smoother version of Leanne even though they are completely different names.) An alternative for her middle name, with the assumption that Kenneth had a different middle name, would be Liliane Georgia Kee or Liliane Roberta Kee.Eloise “Lola” Kee-Cole would become Eloise “Lilou” Kee … and then some traditional English surname that wasn’t Cole. I also don’t remember if she had a middle name, and I can’t find it in any of my notes, so I’m going to assume no. Maybe Leanne like her mother, so Eloise Leanne Kee-Taylor?David “Dave” Cole would just be David “Dave”, but with a last name that sounds a little less weird hyphenated with Kee. Let’s say David “Dave” Taylor.Adele’s family would still be the same. There’s nothing wrong with Louis, Elizabeth, Louis Jr., and Kenneth. I might change Kenneth’s middle name to something more traditional as I was trying to do something with “Judah.” Perhaps something like Kenneth George Collier or Kenneth Robert Collier.Of course, this means Kenneth Kee would still be a thing, but I’d consider something closer to Kenneth Nicolas Kee or Kenneth Gabriel Kee.Troy’s parents would be something more traditionally English and something more traditionally French that didn’t clash so much with Eloise. Maybe John and Leanne. Alternately, Nicolas Kee and Leanne Martel-Kee. I know Estelle’s brother is Henri Martel now, and I can believe Leanne and Henri as siblings.This would make Camilla Estelle Kee into Camellia Leanne Kee. Which I think is so cute! Could still do Cammy, though I can see Adele insisting that her NAME is CAMELLIA.Millie I might keep as Camilla or change to Camille, but that still sounds very foreign to me despite the fact that it’s pretty traditionally English. I think the best option would be to have Millie be short for Millicent or Mildred. Millicent Lark isn’t so bad.There is no changing Harrington. Never, ever, for any reason.So yup, those are some random thoughts I just needed to get out. Everything is staying the way it is, but my, do I wish it were this way. The aesthetic is so great!

I’d like to note that unlike other situations when I’ve suddenly gone off onto a rant about how I wish things were different, this is one case where I’m legitimately tied to my messy differences, so don’t worry. This all stays the same.

Do I wish it were different? Sure. But the Kees & Colliers series has always been my messy, imperfect series. I love it for what it is … a chaotic story of real-life drama surrounding real-life events.

And in real life, we don’t get to carefully curate a name aesthetic. People do weird things like name all their children “T” names except one, and choose honorific names that aren’t precisely related but sound similar, and use a mix-and-match set of nationalities.

They also do things that are actually bad, but this is what upsets me because I’m entirely shallow.

So we’ll leave the fantastic names in The Chronicles of Alice & Ivy and be happy with what is with this already-published series.

TTFN!

~Kell~

p.s.

Well, what do you think? Do you like the current names better or do you wish for a better name aesthetic? Have you read the Kees & Colliers series?

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!

Wild Blue Wonder Press is launched, and I realized I haven’t officially chatted about it on my blog, so here we go.

Wild Blue Wonder Press has always been my main imprint, but I’ve wanted it to be something more, well, forever! In particular, I wanted it to serve as a way to help indie authors which has always been one of my main goals with everything, from my blog tour services way back when to Reveries Co. and onward to more recent services like Growing Writers.

So let’s get to it!

What is Wild Blue Wonder Press?

To quote our website:

Wild Blue Wonder Press was established in January 2016 by Kellyn Roth for the purpose of independently publishing her historical women’s fiction series, The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy.

Based on a special location on her family’s property and a childhood stumbling over phrases, Kellyn chose the name to evoke feelings of wonder in a world full of dark valleys. After all, where there is snow and ice, there will be chickadees, and in the midst of the darkest woods, you can often find a cozy cabin.

As of January 2023, Wild Blue Wonder Press is beginning working with other creatives to expand its outreach and help other independent writers achieve their dreams in a professional manner.

In the long run, my goal is to provide an alternative to indie publishing on your own for people who still want to indie publish.

Now, indie publishing is meant to be an … independent … experience. It’s in the name, after all! However, I have often noticed a similar trend when I watch newbie indies launch their first book. And sometimes their second book. And their fifth. And so on.

There’s a lack of guidance, and oftentimes that leads to a lack of quality. It also will generally lead to wasted money, time, and disappointment. Some indie authors give up, and others truck along, feeling hopeless and worried about their future. Most give up on a career. Some don’t—some stick it out and figure it out.

But is there an easier way?

My long-turn goal with Wild Blue Wonder Press is to provide an alternative source of support that mentors authors through their first launch and even provides financial support. Afterwards, some authors may stay with Wild Blue Wonder Press—and others may move on to do the process by themselves.

That said, everyone has an option to do what they want. I just want there to be another option for newer indie authors who want to get a start in a realistic way while learning about the process. Of course, we can’t help a lot of indie authors to start with, but in the long term, I want us to expand to help many authors get their start.

And that all starts with a successful anthology launch.

Springtime in Surrey, Our First Anthology

Our first big project will be at least two if not three anthologies (also known as “short story collections). #1, which is now open for submissions, is Springtime in Surrey.

You can find out about Springtime in Surrey on our anthology page. In particular, please see the “your submission” section to see what you will be submitting. (It’s not exactly your average collection of stories!)

There are also further submission guidelines and a Pinterest inspiration board available for the project.

The main idea is you’re pitching YOURSELF as much as your story (which does not have to be written—just outlined—at the time of submission.

Stories included in this collection will be:

Women’s fiction, generally aimed at young adult or adult audiences.

Vintage in style if not in setting.

Real-life characters & therefore real-life problems.

Heavy Christian themes.

May be historical or contemporary.

Featuring stories set in County Surrey, England.

Desired word count: 10,000-20,000 words. Flexibility may be available.

To submit for the collection, your story does not have to be completed—but you will have to submit a full synopsis, so if you are a pantser, it may be a good idea to write the story ahead of time. You can view our official submission page here. But here’s what you’ll submit:

An introduction to yourself, written in first person, which should include past writing experience, any details about your platform, and other applicable information you wish to share about your time as a reader, writer, and member of the “bookish community.” Note that beginners are welcome; however, it is helpful to know how much you have done, even if that answer is “practically nothing.” It’ll help us know how to help you!

A brief description of the types of books you enjoy writing or would like to write and a brief summary of your dreams for a writing career. This way we can understand better what your goals are.

A “pitch” of a short story idea that could theoretically fit into our collection. This does not have to be written. However, we want a full synopsis or rough outline that gives us the beginning, middle, and end of your story idea, a decent understanding of who your main character is and why we should care about them, and a brief summary of the main theme.

A snippet of a book, short story, or other piece of writing that you have worked on in the past, preferably something that has received no professional edits (edits from friends or family is fine!). At least 3,000 words preferred.

To submit, you can email the above in a PDF or Word Document to [email protected]! Note that on the anthology page, you will find a link at the bottom of the page to view further submission guidelines that are worth the read!

We can’t do any of our grand plans for bringing change to the indie community if the anthologies flop. So if you’d like to join us, or support us, please consider doing so!

That said, this is all in God’s hands. This is really my variation of “putting out a fleece.” I’ve had a lot of difficulties as I’ve been preparing to launch the press, particularly with my health and with other things going on in my life. I am prayerfully watching how God chooses to realize this dream.

As you can read about on the “about” page, our mission is “to share fictional stories full of grace and truth. Our goal is to create stories that matter, to delve into the deepest and sometimes the saddest parts of life, and to return from the darkest valleys resplendent in the light of hope and the fullness of joy.”

TTFN!

~Kell~

P.S.

Are you submitting for our anthology? Anyways, I’m really excited about this, and I can’t wait to share more! Be sure to follow along by heading over to our website and joining our newsletter or checking us out on Instagram or Facebook. We could really use the support!

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!

The year has long ago come to a close, and I can’t help but be a pessimist.

Oh, I know, that’s not the RIGHT thing to do. But I don’t always do the right thing. I’m a human, and despite my knowledge that trust in God is the way to go, pessimism sneaks in, the voice of the Devil (or is it my own sin nature?) tempting me to look back at 2022 with a mix of indignation and depression.

Yet I know that’s not the godly way to respond. So I force myself to look back on accomplishments. I mean, I published three full-length novels and a short story in 2022. Honestly, my pessimism wasn’t even allowing me to see that, but it’s true.

God takes care of me. I see it in the little moments, when I pray for help and am met with a clear answer. I see it in the big moments, when I scream and, even if I don’t like His answer, it is the one that is for the best.

I see the way my needs are met as they arise. I can’t stand the apartment I’m living in? A beautiful new living situation was provided. I couldn’t find a job, and after struggling for several months, God provided me with one. I wasn’t sure I could realistically get projects done in time so many times, and yet, God pulled me through.

Yeah, I suffered a lot … and with God’s help, I hope I grew up a lot.

With all this in mind, let’s talk about 2022 and move forward in 2023 with joy and purpose, ready to tackle whatever God brings us.

Looking Back at 2022

2022 was a rough year for me. I had a number of moments when I didn’t feel like I could keep going, or when I feared that God was not with me after all. I had failures and triumphs. I often felt torn and unsure what I was doing. It was so, so easy for me to lose sight of all the amazing things that had happened, even recently, in all the mixed up emotions and thoughts I was experiencing.

I feel like I didn’t come as far as I wanted, but in some ways, this was a huge growing year. The fact that I didn’t make a ton of forward progress means that I learned a lot of new skills, did a lot of thinking, and reflected on every moment that passed me by.

Though I am disappointed in the way 2022 went, I know that God created this year to a purpose, and the incredible things He did throughout this year despite the overall “blah” feeling I have about it cannot be discounted.

Where I see dead ends, God sees me walking along the path He has intended me to walk on all along. He is guiding me toward a perfect future—and though I can’t see it now, I am grateful for what blessings I can see and excited to discern how He will use me through the good and the bad of the year to come.

On the Blog

Just 10 days in 2022, I posted this blog post about conundrums. This is one of my favorite posts to look back on, actually, because it’s rambly and introspective in a Very Kell Way, and it’s just … well, a snapshot into my life.

To quote that post:

Right now, in this period of my life, it is enough to trust God.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

And, for today at least, that is enough.

A year and some later, that still is true.

I went right into the Beyond Her Calling relaunch then. I didn’t feel like the launch went as well as I’d have liked, but it was still fairly successful. I think I wasn’t in a headspace, though I didn’t know it at the time, to really launch product. I was very lonely, very unsure what my direction for the next five years or so was going to be, and very sad about a variety of things.

I also got sick, so that doesn’t help.

But anyways, here’s the wrapup for the launch period, if you want to see it.

With book 5 coming out in that year, after that launch period, I decided to share about the story behind the rewrites of The Dressmaker’s Secret. If you’re a fan of the series and missed this post, definitely give it a read!

After this, I accidentally went on a significant break, apologized for the accidental break, and then shared this amazing guest post by Grace A. Johnson about writing romance which is actually one of the highlights of my blogging year! It’s also just an amazing post about romance in general. A follow-up post to this is my “enemies to lovers” trope post, which was so much fun to write and share!

And the year was challenging, so here’s another post that had be talking about challenges.

One of my favorite quotes from that post is:

“Never would I imply that hope comes simply from an emotional response. In fact, quite the opposite. Hope comes from being firm. From standing up for the light, for what’s right, and turning away from the dark, the evil. From taking small steps and being faithful to your calling.”

And this post is honestly great because it summarizes, in a baby way, one of the big lessons that has stuck with me throughout 2022. Things don’t go as planned. I know this—things rarely go as planned in my life. However, there is a way to roll with that that DOESN’T require me to either not care or slip into depression.

I learned to trust God a lot more in 2022. Before, I assumed that my own weakness WOULD lead me to slip into spiraling thoughts, and I WOULD find it impossible to get on my feet for months and months, and I WOULD always end up in a place of ongoing sickness for a period of time before getting halfway up the “healing” ladder … and then failing again.

But that’s not true.

Last year, my word was “sustained.” I forgot about that literally a couple months into it, but somehow, God still sustained me.

Isn’t that funny?

I chose the word hoping to keep it at the center of my heart. Yet I quickly forgot it. And yet …

Here I am. Totally in awe of how sustained I was.

Anyways, moving on, this went right into the A Prayer Unanswered launch. This is an underappreciated post which introduces the new characters who appear in book 5, so give it a look if you’ve read the first four books and want an intro to some of the newbies before diving in!

There were only a few miscellaneous posts in between before we dove right into the After Our Castle launch in October, but here’s a post I really enjoyed writing that is a great one for those who want to know about Victorian birth control/family planning without having to read the dirty details.

As has been my pattern, I posted another melancholy post right before the After Our Castle launch. This one was called: “What I Do Have I Give You: A Tale Of Paralyzation And Ongoing Healing.”

To quote the post:

“It’s not been an easy couple months. It’s not been an easy year. But that’s not surprising, because human life is not easy, and if you expect it to be, well, you’ll be disappointed.”

This post talks a lot about my worries over publishing After Our Castle, which was honestly a huge challenge for me.

But nonetheless, I went into the launch. Here’s the wrapup, in case you’re curious about what people said, what I did, etc. (Also, this is my favorite launch post because it tells you what some of my future plans are!)

As you probably know, one of my post popular (and only) posts lately was a review of Redeeming Love. It was … interesting … for sure.

Then we had the launch for my short story, The Knights of Pearlbelle Park.

And that’s about all I did last year. (Obviously I skipped some blog posts in between, but that hit the highlights for sure!)

Wrap-Up of My 2022-Is-Beginning Post

Okay, let’s start with some things I thought were coming up in 2022.

Going to the Writing Retreat

That was so much fun! I was blessed to be included in the February Glory Writers retreat, and I enjoyed it so thoroughly. It really helped me solidify my desire to spend more time with Christian writers.

Going to the West Coast Christian Writers Conference

This didn’t happen in person, but I did attend online, and I was able to pitch a couple times, which was great because I’ve been wanting to “practice pitch” for a while. It’s a great skill to have as a writer, regardless of your career plans!

Year 2 of the Author Conservatory Program

The remainder of Year 2 of the Author Conservatory Program was pretty crazy for me, plus things changed up a number of times. It was an exciting adventure and had lots of plot twists. However, I’m excited for Year 3, whenever it officially starts, and wrapping up the Author Conservatory journey.

A baby … or health testing

This is the thing that really didn’t happen. Obviously, we don’t have a baby, but we haven’t done a lot of health testing yet. I assumed we do that in August, but a variety of factors have put it off. I hope that we’ll be able to get a little testing done in the New Year to hopefully figure out if there are any obvious factors at work here other than God’s will.

I haven’t talked about this a ton, but obviously this weighs heavily on me. Sometimes I’m okay with it—and other times I am an emotional wreck. Regardless, it’s never far from my mind, and Matthew and I could absolutely use prayers about it.

(^ Above are pictures of our new house! Do you like? I certainly adore it!)

A house to rent? A dog?

I wasn’t sure what the year would bring, and at the beginning of the year, I’d probably have been less than pleased about what it did bring. We did not end up taking Bonnie home—instead, we have a border collie named Stanley who is a special fellow we really love. We didn’t end up renting a new house, but we are instead renting a cabin from Matthew’s parents. At the beginning of the year, I probably would’ve considered this a step back, but it’s been amazing and has presented us with so many opportunities we wouldn’t have had otherwise.

(^ Stanley! Isn’t he the cutest pup?)

More time outside, more time with friends and family, and becoming more helpful to other people!

I’m not sure I did a great job at this! I tried, certainly, but I probably could’ve done more to be out of doors. That said, I was happy with the way my relationships have proceeded in 2022, and I’m hoping to be more and more helpful to people as time goes on.

Speaking at the 2022 YWW Conference

This was honestly such a blast! And another huge highlight of the year.

(That’s ^ me with my fellow student speakers, Charis Rae and Juliet Artman!)

My 2022 Goals RecappedPublish Beyond Her Calling (January), A Prayer Unanswered (July), and After Our Castle (October). YES!Relaunch the Kees & Colliers series with new covers. YES!Attend writing events! YES! x2!Wherever possible, prioritize physical health (exercising, eating, etc.), using my bullet journal to keep track. Somewhat. I didn’t use my bullet journal, and in terms of progress, I didn’t make much progress. But I actually am happy with where I am now, continuing to slowly improve.Write the McAllen Brothers series. Didn’t happen. I didn’t write much in 2022, actually.Get a job! Whether this is pursuing an old job, if the opportunity presents itself, or taking on a new one, I need to earn income in some way. YES! I ended up doing a few part-time things, getting an old job back, and then starting a brand-new job!

(^ Christmas 2022)

2022 Word of the Year

My 2022 word of year was:

Sustained

(Past tense, because I already am sustained!)

My verse:

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

As I mentioned, I forgot my 2022 word of the year just a few months in … but it nonetheless became an interesting theme as I navigated those twelve months.

It seems like, at every turn, when I expected the worst, God turned it into something good—or better than I could have even imagined. This was never more exemplified that in the case of the cabin, the puppy, and more. There were many times when I was behind on deadline and stressed beyond all belief, and God still sustained me through those times.

I’m so grateful for the ways in which God sustained me through 2022!

2023 Goals

In 2023, I hope to:

Write at least three books.Publish one book.Complete the launch of Wild Blue Wonder Press.Publish two anthologies with Wild Blue Wonder Press.Have a successful NaNoWriMo and Camp NaNoWriMos (April/July).Successfully host a writing conference (YWW 2023!).Pitch my Regency romance novel.Progress in the Author Conservatory.Exercise regularly.Learn to cook.2023 Hopes & Expectations

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

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.

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.

 But I am determined. So much so that I’m even meeting with a health coach! And waking up at 6 AM!  I mean, for me, can you get any more DETERMINED?

 which brings me to my 2023 word of the year:

2023 Word of the Year

Determined

This word means two different things to me.

First, there’s the Job 14 version:

“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.”

Not only am I sustained throughout all my days; my days are also determined. In spite of all my planning, I am living within certain wondrous limits appointed by the Lord. I can but do my best to serve Him.

However, I also think of 1 Corinthians 2:2:

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

My focus this year is on living God’s plans out for me, but also focusing on serving Him and “niching” my life down, if you will, to be more focused on Him.

Further, without knowing it and before I chose this word, I added this line to my laptop background:

“God decides the timing; you just determine your responses.”

Is seemed so fortuitous when I saw that! How did I know? Well, I didn’t, but God did. And I certainly need to learn to temper my responses to God’s movement in my life.

So, with a feeling of hope, I look toward 2023, determined to take what God brings to me with joy and perseverance.

May all you be blessed in the year to come.

TTFN!

~Kell~

Hey folks! This will be a short-ish post, but I had to get on here and let you know my Christmas short story, The Knights of Pearlbelle Park, is now available on Amazon. It’s only $0.99 if you want to buy it, or you can borrow it for free on Kindle Unlimited.

Also, for a limited time (e.g. until I run out), you can shoot me an email at [email protected] and request to purchase a paperback copy of the short story. There are only 15 copies printed that will ever exist, and about 10 of those are available for sell.

It costs just $10 (including shipping) for me to send one of these to you! It won’t be there before Christmas, but if you want it for yourself, well, there ’tis, while supplies last.

Note that these ones will all have the incorrect title, as you can see in the images. (It’s PEARLBELLE, not Pearbelle. But I printed them with the incorrect title several weeks ago before it got fixed. Literally no one notices until it’s posted online, so just don’t take tons of pictures of your books … basically, don’t do what I do! There will probably not be corrected titles at any point because the only reason I ordered them in the first place was for a couple friends, not for general consumption.)

They’re super cute and tiny, and also, since I never intend to have them readily available, they’re somewhat of a collector’s item. (Also, just so you know, my other short stories will someday be available in such a way. It will just take me a while to get those sorted!)

But back to the information about the book itself.

About the Book

Enjoy Christmas with the Knights of Pearlbelle Park …

Claire Knight‘s two youngest sons have come down with a mysterious illness just before Christmas, and she can’t focus on a thing but them, despite her many duties. Everything is so utterly overwhelming—yet relying on others, especially her husband, for comfort and aid seems impossible.

Lois Chattoway is finally married to the love of her life and expecting their first child. She should be perfectly content. If only her husband were as enthusiastic about their upcoming arrival as she is. When her niece, Posy, arrives at Pearlbelle Park with her neglectful father, Lois longs to convince her husband to adopt the child. Yet she knows he’ll never agree to it. Not likely.

Ned Knight is frightened. His mother is afraid, and there’s only one person he can tell—Mama. Oh, not his mother. He means Mama, who Ned never properly met but whose portrait hangs in a locked bedroom all by itself. Finding his place in the family is hard, but she makes it easier because she always listens—always. If only everyone else wanted to remember Mama as much as Ned does.

Buy on AmazonAdd on Goodreads

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If you’re not a part of my street team, Mrs. Roth’s Society Column, consider joining in the next week!

We’ll be having a Christmas party celebration on the 28th (next Wednesday) with giveaways and time chatting with my characters (no, really, they’re sentient beings) running throughout the rest of the week.

If you’re like to join, FILL OUT THIS FORM. That’ll get you in. Make sure you check the “add to Slack” option so you don’t miss out on the party.

Mrs. Roth’s Society Column is such a fun place to be, and we all have a lot of fun! Particularly, because my characters join and get in trouble, but also because I really like my street team and spend way too much time trying to make things fun.

Like the awkward, needy, trying-to-be-fun-but-hardly-succeeding auntie I am.

I’d love to see you there!

TTFN!

~Kell~

P.S.

I have some fun things coming up in January, including the launch of Wild Blue Wonder Press which I can hardly wait for! Are you excited?

I never know what y’all will get upset about and what you’ll be supportive about, so today I’m taking a risk. I have no idea how this post will be received. But that’s okay.

So let’s dive in.

When I heard that there was going to be a Redeeming Love movie, I frankly didn’t care. I’ve never read the book, and I probably won’t (just … not interested), and there just wasn’t anything about the movie itself that looked particularly appealing to me.

Then the controversy started. It’s all died down (at least in my circles now), but at the time, it was overwhelming. At least for me. I refrained from taking a definitive stance, but I must say, I thought both sides of the argument were being somewhat silly.

And I’m sorry if when I say that, you’re offended, but goodness, y’all. It was dramatic. It was either “you are a prude who can’t enjoy a good movie with a deep theme because purity culture has blinded you to seeing sex in a healthy light” or “you are actively watching pornography and therefore destroying your chances of having healthy sexual relationships with your husband.”

Both sides thought healthy sexual relationships between married Christians were at risk (either because you watched the movie or because you didn’t), though, which interested me because I believe in healthy sexual relationships between married Christians.

And it further interested me given that I had a somewhat vague idea of what the book was about. And it didn’t seem like a plot that should worry about that too much.

But I still didn’t care and still didn’t want to watch it. Unfortunately, one day a couple months ago, now that all the controversy has died down, I was bored, and when I am bored, I do strange things. Like watching awful movies.

And I’ll give you a spoiler alert: though I fall into neither of the exact camps precisely, I saw little that was redeemable about Redeeming Love. So if that’ll just rile you up, this is a good post to avoid.

However, if you’re interested in a post discussing, in depth, exactly what happens in the movie and what inherent worth I (some random chick on the internet who knows nothing about nothing) thinks it has, well, you’re welcome to read on.

Let’s start with a plot summary.

NOTE: this plot summary is inaccurate, but it’s what I observed while watching the movie. If I missed details or added details that weren’t there, I apologize.

The Plot Summary

(NOTE: this is meant to be taken in a tongue-in-cheek manner.)

The story opens on a western town during the Gold Rush. A huge crowd of minors are essentially drawing lots (picking numbers) to decide who gets to sleep with the most popular prostitute, “Angel.” She apparently takes a certain number of patrons a night and is owned/prostituted out by a madam (later found out she’s called “the Duchess”) who cares about her not one mite.

Here, Angel flashes back to her childhood where she’s actually called Sarah. Apparently Sarah’s “Papa” is not married to her mother (has another family) and sends presents but hates that Sarah’s mother gives Sarah the presents rather than keeping them for herself. Sarah’s “Papa” then has an argument with her mother after sending Sarah away during which he tells Sarah’s mother she should’ve had an abortion and slaps her around. Great thing for a kid to overhear, right?

Sarah is of course upset because … well, everything. She even asks her mother if perhaps it would be best if she died so “Papa” could hang out with Mother again. Mother, of course, rejects this notion because she loves Sarah.

Then we come back to Angel in “present time” who is hanging out with a couple prostitutes, some of which are trading tales of abuse/how they became prostitutes. It’s not terribly graphic, and it made me feel bad for the other prostitutes. (Not so much Angel, but meh.)

We’re also introduced to the main male lead who we later find out is called Michael. He’s your typical Christian good boy. I personally didn’t find him super interesting (here or later). He’s introduced working hard on his farm and hanging out with his dog with a golden filter placed over the scene.

He goes to a church and prays within the first 30 seconds of his introduction in a rather cliché way—and he asks for a wife or at least some guidance/a sign on how to get one. Because you know. It’s very, um … well, it’s typical of this kind of story but not necessarily of how Christians actually act. But it’s perfectly fine and is an example of a character seeking the Lord’s guidance on something. At least.

This whole thing takes too long, in my humble opinion. I was ready to get into the plot because we were almost 15 minutes in at this point.

When Michael goes into town, he sees Angel walking through the streets (since she goes walking twice a week with a bodyguard to show off the wares). A storekeeper dude who Michael knows explains that Angel is a prostitute and that there’s a lottery to sleep with her.

And Michael, being so smart, suddenly goes, “That’s the girl.” While gazing dreamily at her. Yeah, I … I am very interested to see how cringey this can get. Because this is already a pretty cringey understanding of romance.

I do understand theoretically that God CAN hop down from Heaven and tell you what to do in this way, but something about the portrayal of the characters and the way Michael went about winning Angel after this made me feel like God would not approve of this. But whatever. That’s just one woman’s opinion.

Then we flash back again to young Angel/Sarah who is having a conversation with a servant lady who tells her that her Papa is an evil man, “nobody cares about anybody in this world,” all men just want to use you, et cetera. The servant lady terms this as “God’s truth.”

Then we seem to skip forward a mite in the flashback. Apparently Sarah’s mother has now been tossed out by her lover/Sarah’s “Papa” and is having to support herself and Sarah with further prostitution which is shown pretty vaguely. (By the way, the actress who plays Young Sarah is adorable and pretty talented for a child of that age. Totally bought her performances. She is the best actor in this film.)

Then Sarah’s mother is dying now as mothers are wont to do. She coughs a lot and Sarah tries to nurse her to health. Sarah’s mother encourages Sarah to pray, repeating The Lord’s Prayer. And then she goes ahead and dies. Again, as mothers are wont to do.

Then we flash forward to the present where Sarah/Angel gets drunk and is manhandled by her bodyguard. He swears she has something she’s hiding (this just confused me?) and tosses her into a tub and attempts to drown her and/or teach her a lesson (while she’s like, “do it” which is what I’d say in her position, too—but girl, are we ever going to address the constant string of suicidal thoughts coming from your mouth because …? You sound really depressed). She then gets slapped around by the madam.

So far neither Angel nor Michael have really made me like them, but maybe that’s coming. 22 minutes in, and I don’t care about anything.

Then Michael just shows up in Angel’s room while she is naked. We see her naked back and then her naked front with her hair hiding a small portion of her breasts to keep that PG-13 rating. After all, modest is hottest. Meanwhile, Michael just stands behind and acts all pure in a secular sense when really a true Christian man would be a: averting his eyes out of respect to this absolutely naked woman and b: considerably more awkward especially as presumably this is the first time he’s seen a naked woman. But whatever.

But apparently Michael just wants to talk. They have a kind of pointless conversation for a bit while Kell impatiently waited for the plot to start. Michael really sucks at getting to the point. Which Angel clearly thinks too because she’s like, “Can we just get this thing over with?” But Michael proposes and won’t stop insisting she should marry him until Angel kicks him out.

Michael, you see, is convinced that Angel should marry him. In fact, that it is God’s will that he marry this prostitute that he knows nothing about and has only just met. He pays double in the lottery to get to see her again the next night. They talk and Michael repeats his offer. (At least they’ve talked some at this point, but he’s still annoying, so healthy relationship? Nope.)

And Michael hasn’t given up because apparently “no” is not a word a real Christian man understands. It’s supposed to be romantic that he’s willing to pay that much gold to see her night after night, but really it’s just creepy and overbearing.

I suppose you could say it’s a theological quibble, but my personal belief is that sometimes God closes a door and you can tell because you keep banging on the door and it doesn’t open. Michael could stand to learn that.

Also, in another scene where Angel is talking with the other prostitutes, we’re shown that Angel is an utterly unlikable jerk. Really helping the plot along.

Then the next night, while Michael is on the way up to Angel’s room, another prostitute approaches him but Michael shakes her off and goes up to Angel. He seems to be mad at her because she sicked said other prostitute on him. (I can’t even with this man’s entitlement. What a jerk.) Anyway, he snaps at her, reminds her that she’s the best he’ll ever get, and then kisses her. Then when she of course is like, “Okay, cool, let’s do it and get it out of the way,” he tells her to stop like it wasn’t his idea.

He feels so unsafe. I’m just … so scared of him? He seems to have a temper, he doesn’t care what she wants, and he won’t take “no” for an answer. I actively dislike him AND Angel now.

So anyway, she insults his farm, and he walks off all angry because he is a pouty child. As we have another flashback to where Angel/Sarah is young and being taken care of by someone else after her mother has died, I remind myself that Michael is the stand-in for Hosea and therefore God. And I giggle with amusement.

So anyways, we have a scene where some man pretty much sells Angel/Sarah (who is a baby of maybe eight at the time) into prostitution even after someone begs him not to. It’s sad but not really graphic. I mean, the guy who brought Angel/Sarah is strangled by the New Bad Guy, but it’s pretty PG in my opinion. Dark but PG.

New Bad Guy then pours perfectly good brandy on said strangled man. Then the New Bad Guy asks baby Sarah/Angel to come over and I went, “Oh, this is it. She’s gonna get raped.” I was so worried for her! He has her sit on his lap and calls her his “Little Angel.” But he basically just says she has to do what he tells her and they’ll get along. However, it is of course implied that he’s going to groom her/abuse her/etc.

Then we see “Little Angel” learning to read. It looks like she’s put in somewhat sexualized costumes and groomed by the New Bad Guy (he has her do things for him, earns her trust by treating her fairly well, and when she grows older, he begins using her at his classy prostitute joint).

Unfortunately, one of her first patrons (?) was her Papa (?!?! oof) who kills himself immediately afterwards once he finds out who she was. We pretty much see the suicide up to the moment where he kills himself (he has bad form, by the way—that’s now how you shoot yourself to actually be painless) … and then we see Angel sitting next to a bed crying but pretty much clothed in our modern terms. Not terribly graphic but certainly dark. Not that dark is a bad thing.

Then the nice prostitute, Sally, who mentored Angel (?) encourages Angel to run, and she does and gets on a ship. Then Sally is seen dumped on a street, dead, after one of the Bad Guy’s henchman tells the Bad Guy she was the one who helped Angel run.

On the ship, Angel meets two other prostitutes who encourage her to also be a prostitute on the ship so to earn money, telling her they might “take it for free” otherwise. So Angel does. Not much graphic about this. We are seeing an awful lot of the top of this actress’s breasts, but oh well. Gritty Christian movie must gritty Christian movie.

As soon as they get off the ship, the other two prostitutes violently knock Angel out and steal her money, then leave her lying on the street. You do see some blood on her face.

Back to “present day.” Angel has a headache. (Sidenote: I’m going to stop commenting on the sheer amount of different angles of Angel’s twin angels that we keep seeing, but suffice to say, you get everything but the nipple in this movie. It’s a lot and oftentimes it’s just for the heck of it? I don’t mind it if there’s a reason, but there rarely is other than to sexualize this young woman. In a movie whose point is the exact opposite of that. But whatever.)

So anyways, Angel asks for “her gold” from the Madame so she can leave and get her own place or maybe even get married. Which Madame says is ridiculous because Angel can only “make a man happy for thirty minutes” whereas if she were married, she’d have to make a man happy all the time and have sex with him whenever he wants which is … worse than prostitution? Hmm. (I’m just saying, Angel presumably has a multitude of patrons a night, and yet one man would only …? Okay, I’ll stop, but I fault the lady’s logic is all.)

Angel then gets super angry and insults the Madame (her name is “the Duchess” but I’m not using tons of names here so I think I’ll stick with what I’ve been calling her) which was a mistake because it gets her slapped around, insulted, and then raped (or at least beat up badly?) by her bodyguard dude. Basically, bodyguard dude drags her to her bedroom and beats her because she won’t stop provoking him like an absolute idiot.

So this wakes Michael up in a cold sweat (?!!) and the next morning, he runs up to Angel’s room and finds her lying in bed, all beaten up. He literally pulls money out of his sleeves (lol why is it there Michael) and hands it to the madame to BUY Angel from her then asks the half-conscious Angel to marry him AGAIN.

That’s coercion.

So anyway, he puts her half-conscious self in his wagon and drives off.

Also, they have really beaten her into utter unrecognizable swollenness at this point.

So Angel wakes up in his cabin, and apparently they’re married (consent?), and he provides her with his dead sister’s clothes. Then he tells her he didn’t marry her for sex, and we flash forward to three weeks later when she’s pretty again.

Oh, and able to walk, but you know, I’m just reading between the lines.

So he’s off doing something, so she gets dressed and walks off with, apparently, no appreciation for the fact that he MARRIED her. Like, girl, you need to think about the legalities here. Not to say that she didn’t do the right thing, though, because Michael is scary, manipulative, and she did not agree to this.

Also, Michael rides his horse abusively. You can tell a lot about a man …

So Michael chases her down, and she slaps himself (deserved). He then gives her a coat and water and tells her she has two options: going back to prostitution and abuse or coming home with him.

No third option is offered so she ends up coming back.

Let us just remind ourselves that romantic relationships should not be based on an either/or fallacy.

He then washes her dirty, calloused feet. It’s actually … somewhat sensual? Not much, but enough that I was weirded out. Which is followed by him combing her hair and her offering sex and him refusing and them talking about God briefly. Including restating Angel’s untrue belief that God is evil and Michael’s untrue belief that God told him to marry Angel.

The next day, they enter into a few fantasy scenes in which farm work is charming and would actually help someone fall in love. Anywho, we see his bare chest because #handsomehunk—and he is still resisting having sex with her still. “Cold showers” (dips in a lake) and all.

Then Angel has a dream about the dude who groomed her in which he tells her she can’t escape and is still his. When she wakes up screaming, Michael drags her out of bed and forces her to go on a sunrise nature walk, saying she has no choice. Super charming. And gives her a little speech about how he’s going to make her life so good.

Then she equates sex to love, and he smooches her. They get back to the cabin and have sex, and basically, we see some passionate kisses, the undressing, her leg hitched up over his back, them falling back on the bed, and there is panting and all that super uncomfortable stuff.

Then we fade to black.

It’s too much, and should’ve been cut off sooner, but it’s definitely a mild PG-13.

This one wasn’t awful, but it does eventually get worse, so hang in there.

My main problem with that scene, though, is that … well, y’all can say “we need more healthy relationships in fiction with healthy sex” but this isn’t a healthy relationship or healthy sex? Healthy sex is non-obligatory and not equated to love but rather an expression of love. It’s basically the works vs. fruits argument in which sex should be a FRUIT not a WORK.

So like? I don’t know. It doesn’t work.

On the other hand, since love is a choice, you can theoretically have a healthy sex life without being madly in love. However, there’s something about this that feels icky. I can’t express it—it’s not just the sex. There have been secular romances that have featured this much content and not felt icky.

This feels icky.

Anywho.

Michael’s brother-in-law, Paul, stumbles in. Michael introduces Paul to Angel who recognizes her. He doesn’t let on to Michael, but when he talks to Angel alone, she provokes him because of course she does. Of course, Paul isn’t really pleased about seeing Angel in his wife’s clothes—he feels like she doesn’t deserve the life she has now. And he’s just … threatening.

So Paul tells Michael things he already knows—and Michael defends Angel and then punches Paul in the face because he has anger issues. Also, I’m beginning to realize that Michael has unlimited cash because he is constantly throwing money at problems—such as when he offers to pay Paul whatever he wants if he just leaves.

Anyways, we flash back to Angel being forced to have an abortion back when she was a prostitute, triggered by Michael saying he wants children with her. (It’s not graphic, but we see some of the instruments they used to remove the baby and hear her screaming at them to not kill her baby.) Back in the current timeline, Angel then hops in the wagon with Paul, intent on going back to the town with him.

Angel then continues to provoke Paul, who tells her that she owes him for the ride to town. Angel agrees and off screen, it’s implied they had sex or … well, there was an exchange of sexual favors. I’ll leave you to determine the rest. *coughs* The good news is her hair still looks amazing afterwards.

I would like to note I’m not blaming Angel for any of this when I say “she provokes someone,” but she does tend to get herself into situations. Which feels unrealistic for an abuse victim and makes you wonder why, if she’s that brave already, she isn’t able to extricate herself from some of this nonsense.

I just feel like it’s not realistic for abuse victims, but correct me if I’m wrong. (Legitimately. I’m curious to know if anyone who has done a more in-depth study of sexual abuse victims has insights.)

Paul then drops her off outside of town because he “won’t be seen with her.” Angel insults him one more time just for the heck of it because it’s worth her time to tell him what a hypocrite he is. When Angel gets to the town, the place she used to work is burnt down, a couple prostitutes and the bodyguard dude are dead, and the madame is gone. Another dude offers her work, and Angel agrees as long as she handles the money.

I said I wouldn’t but I’m going to comment again on just how much of Angel’s body we keep seeing for no discernible reason.

When Paul gets back and tells Michael where Angel is, Michael tracks her down to the new place where she’s living. He finds Angel who is with a man and asks her if she wants to stay—she says “no” (heat of the moment, much? I’m not sure why she agreed to go with Michael this time, especially since presumably her situation is financially better). Anyways, he beats up a couple dudes.

Michael knows that Paul and Angel had sex, but he insists he loves Angel (not sure he knows the meaning of the word—really, he’s obsessed with Angel in an unhealthy way—even if he were a stand-up guy, this is NOT love) … and yeah, they go home.

Angel finds Michael crying in the barn that night. The next day, he finds her in a creek, self-harming (rubbing rocks all over her skin to try to “clean herself”). Michael drags her out and tells her he forgives her (because that’ll fix her obvious trauma response). Angel tells him that he needs to stop having expectations of her (fair) and Michael refuses to listen because he doesn’t listen to people.

This is a safe man to be in a covenant relationship with. Not.

Michael then tells Angel how his dad was a plantation owner, beat him, and told him that the slaves were animals, but an old slave told him about God. Michael’s dad sent him a slave girl to use as a prostitute one night, which was the final straw for him, and he packed up and left. Michael pulls a message of faith out of this, which would feel a lot more earned if he was a decent guy, but he’s not.

I am reminded once again as to how it is the duty of Christian fiction writers to make some sort of nod to the fact that they are not racist, and like, why do we always have to do this? I mean, I get it. I do. But it feels so performative. We all know slavery is evil. We don’t need ALL our characters to state this fact in every book.

Anyways, Angel starts settling back into farm life and seems to be doing better because, I don’t know, it’s time for that to happen in the movie. A traveling family shows up with a very pregnant mother and two daughters. Their dad needs help fixing up the wagon, so they stay with Angel and Michael and make friends and decide to stay forever.

There is singing. The plot has stalled.

The baby has come with no drama, thank the Lord.

Apparently Michael forgives Paul even though the right decision would be to never forgive the man who slept with your wife. According to me, I mean. (To be fair, my husband would probably have already committed some homicide at this point, so I never will have to worry about that, but meh.)

Angel is reminded by the baby that Michael wants kids. She is saddened. She tells Michael she can’t get pregnant because she was sterilized after her first pregnancy. He tells her he loves her, and later, they have sex on a hilltop out in the open. Mostly clothed, granted (she just pops off her top like a normal person having sex out in the cold—literally why, Angel? Look, not to get too graphic, but there is literally nothing that is more of a turn-off than COLD), but we get the whole thing—the faces, the panting, the movements. I’ve seen less in MA-rated shows. It wasn’t fade to black.

So that was just heavily disturbing.

Anyways, after this, Angel leaves one of the daughters who is staying with them a note saying she can have Michael (why do women always act like they can just pass men around?) and yeets, this time going all the way to San Francisco. And this time, Michael refuses to go fetch her, for some entirely unexplained reason. He’s also bitter, but this time he’s not doing anything about it.

So in San Francisco, Angel works serving food for a while, but then the place she works gets burnt down and the Bad Guy from earlier finally finds her.

Meanwhile, Michael keeps asking “Jesus” to “let him go after Angel.” I love how it’s not explained that Jesus told him not to go after Angel, nor that He’s told Michael to do anything, nor is it convincing that Michael has anything but a delusional relationship with God, but whatever.

This is giving Christianity a bad name. To quote my sister-in-law, “We’re not all crazy like Michael.”

So anyways, the Bad Guy takes Angel back to his prostitution parlor where he is grooming a child who is maybe eight or nine. Angel calls him out on this because provocation is a good idea. Granted, that is such a baby, and I would be defending that baby, but … Angel has never been accused of being smart. I would stealthily steal the baby and gave her safe. Poor babies.

The Bad Guy leaves and we hear little girls screaming in the background while Angel collapses to the ground, sobbing and probably having another PTSD episode, but the film will probably not address that PTSD in a healthy way, so let’s not think about that.

Anywho, they dress Angel up and drag her to the stage again. She prays for God to save her and the girls (children and teenagers) who are being made to perform. Then she tells the crowd what the Bad Guy has been doing with little girls and with her.

The Bad Guy drags her off the stage and wants to kill her, but a guy from the crowd pins him down so Angel can run. On her way out, she rescues the two little girls who the Bad Guy currently has in his rooms.

As Angel runs out with the girls, the crowd realizes that she was telling the truth and storms the building. They find the Bad Guy and hang him (his body is shown dangling on screen).

Three years later (YES THAT MUCH OF A TIME JUMP), Paul sees Angel in San Francisco where she is running a house/school/sanctuary for former prostitutes. (My sister-in-law says it’s not that, so before you @ me, read on) He comes there and sees her. We find out that Paul married the daughter Angel wanted to marry Michael while Michael remained single.

Because he’s still waiting for Angel, of course. This dumb—

Anyways, Angel tells Paul that he should go tell Michael she’s dead so he will move on. Paul bursts into tears and tells Angel he’s changed and is sorry for all he’s done and wants forgiveness. (Forgive, yes. Forget, never.) And yeah, she forgives him, because trauma is not a big deal, right?

Paul asks Angel to come back and end Michael’s suffering. Angel refuses because she’s needed at San Francisco. Which is true! The place she’s working now seems both safe and healing. (I don’t know how she afforded that, but you know. Whatever.)

I’ve just been informed, after making the above comment about affording things, that it’s just a school that she works at, not a safe house or anything. I am less impressed. Though I’m not sure if my sister-in-law or I are more right, so I’ll leave it up to y’all who read the book/paid more attention.

So anyways, Angel arrives back at the farm as a Lauren Daigle song plays and both my sister-in-law and I scream, “Noooo.”

Sorry, I just can’t get behind Lauren Daigle because I am not an emotional Christian by nature, and her songs breathe emotion to me.

I’m lame like that.

Anywho.

Angel tells Michael her real name is Sarah and apologizes, and Michael gives her the ring she left behind back because he’s apparently been wearing it on his pinky finger all this time. They pledge eternal devotion to each other. Michael again says he loves her even though I will repeat that this is not true.

If she wakes up some time to him making a sculpture of her out of her hair, I would not be surprised.

Then we flash forward to them with a baby son and her pregnant again. But like, I thought we established that she can’t have children? Whatever.

End of Movie. Thank The Lord Above That This Is Over.

Some Thoughts You Don’t Need

So that was … an experience I would not trade for all the world. I have lost some brain cells, and I love movies that help me lose brain cells. Because, you know, I am depressed and enjoy pain.

I came into the movie with an open mind, really wanting to like it because I’m obstinate, and so many of my friends disliked it. Further, so many of my friends called it sinful, evil, etc., that I couldn’t help but decide that that was an extreme view.

On the flipside, a lot of reviews from people who loved the movie were really judgmental about people who hated the movie, Which I, you know, also was all over.

I expected it to have vaguely sensual scenes, but we got sex scenes that I swear I have seen less of in MA-rated shows. I expected it to be mildly toxic, but we had creepy men and incorrect views of Christian marriage for days. I expected it to be somewhat badly-written and moderately low on plot, but it practically a dark Hallmark movie.

What I didn’t have a problem with? The accurate depiction of the trauma caused by sexual abuse, the evilness inherent in sex trafficking and sexual grooming, and all related aspects of the story. I thought it was tasteful and gave just the right amount of detail.

The problem is, the story didn’t go the extra mile to portray realistic healing from PTSD, the people around Angel were never safe people, and there weren’t a lot of proffered resources within the film to realistically address the situations at hand. I feel like the only thing that was really offered was “pray about it,” but that’s really not enough.

As I mentioned in the summary, they were forcefully given that “perfect ending” that felt both unearned and unrealistic (especially given that no explanation was given in the movie itself as to what kind of “sterilization,” effective or not, Angel went through and how that just magically resolved?! It feels like instead of healthily representing infertility, the movie just chose to let the main characters “pray it away,” and like, yes, the movie didn’t have to deal with infertility, but neither did it need to create artificial drama for like a few scenes only to immediately dismiss it? I guess I’m too sensitive about this topic, though).

Another aspect to address is that I have heard the book is supposed to be based on the story of Hosea. However, the movie did NOT get that across. I haven’t read the book. It probably got that across perfectly and is a great book.

But as an objective piece of media, this movie does not work in that way. There is no pointing toward God. There was no real belief in me by the time the credits rolled that there was an analogy, and I was actively looking for it. I can’t even imagine what it would look like to someone who didn’t know, all along, that Michael was supposed to be God in this story, and Angel us, the fallen bride.

Or you could argue that Michael is supposed to be Hosea, but that in the Bible itself is a prophetic analogy used by God to describe His relationship with Israel …? Hosea was a prophet, not some random dude with a troubled wife?

Because we are not God and husbands are not expected to do everything for their wives in the same manner God did everything for Israel. Husbands cannot forgive their wives’ sins. Husbands cannot stand in place for God to their wives; husbands cannot be a high priest for their wives.

In addition, the story wanders greatly from the original storyline of Hosea by including the child trafficking thread, correct? Therefore, why can’t the story just be something on its own? “Inspired by” is one thing, but I’ve had a lot of people tell me that it’s a retelling, which is a different matter entirely because then, again, it puts Michael in the position of either the Lord or a prophet of the Lord, in which case …

You are saying that the Lord needs us in the same way a man might desire to have sex with a beautiful woman. I’m sorry if that’s a little too crude an interpretation, but this is not a media excluded to the high-thinking amongst us, and as such, it needs to try a little harder to not make those direct comparisons.

At best, though, it puts God in the place of a human man, which is an analogy used in the Bible, after all. Marriage is one of the best representations of God’s love for us and relationship with His bride, the Church. But it’s not a perfect analogy.

To quote a reviewer of the book, “The popularity of this book and some of the comments are representative of the “God as love” or some kind of “divine romancer” beliefs that are prevalent, as if God needs us and is desperate for us, rather than the other way around. The author writes that God says, “Though you deny me, I love you with an everlasting love.” That is not in line with Scripture, where God does not love with an everlasting love those who deny Him. God hates sin (and sinners) and demands obedience. Yes, God loves us and forgives us when we sin if we approach Him through trust in Jesus, but that doesn’t give us a licence to sin or to presume upon His grace. Redemption (the supposed theme of this book) should lead to a complete transformation of heart and life.” (See review.)

Okay, I’ll stop. I can’t sort it out. I am not a wise woman. I am a simple one, with simple beliefs.

And I simply decided that this movie fails to be a good movie and therefore does not have the right to hid behind the “it’s a RETELLING of a book of the Bible” excuse. If anything, that means we should scrutinize it more closely, not give it free license to do what we want.

This is just not my type of romance. I love masculine, I-would-die-for-her, godly men who chase down their women and do what men are supposed to do—love them.

But I dislike men who treat women like chattel. Yes, that’s a thing, and yes, it’s bad!!! Michael treated Angel like a man treats a woman he doesn’t respect. Because all life deserves respect.

Is respect a necessary element of a man’s love for a woman in a Christian marriage? Yeah, it is. We both need and crave love and respect, just to differing degrees as we are, in fact, different. But women need to know that they are wanted for something more than their body, and they need to be brought into a relationship willingly.

And what about consent? That’s the buzz-word amongst non-Christians. Is it even important in a Christian relationship?

YES. In fact, it is even more vital amongst Christians because we should have higher standards. Not to the “you have to ask your wife every time you kiss her” way because that’s nonsense. In fact, if you’re doing that, well, either you’re dealing with some trauma responses (valid) or you might want to rethink your relationship.

But sexual relationships should not be an obligation. There should be no room for guilt in the marriage bed. And women should not be dragged back, kept inside, MADE to submit.

If you’re a Christian man, ask yourself, is her unwilling, fear-based submission really what you want? And if you’re a Christian women, if he makes you feel like that, how can I help you run?

Anyways.

TTFN!

~Kell~

P.S.

Well, what do you think? I’m legitimately curious, and I’m up for hearing all sorts of opinions! Though if you know me at all, you know calling me a prude is gonna get them eye-rolls.

Time for the cover reveal!

That’s … that’s it. That’s the whole post.

The Knights of Pearlbelle Park Enjoy Christmas with the Knights of Pearlbelle Park …

Claire Knight‘s two youngest sons have come down with a mysterious illness just before Christmas, and she can’t focus on a thing but them, despite her many duties. Everything is so utterly overwhelming—yet relying on others, especially her husband, for comfort and aid seems impossible.

Lois Chattoway is finally married to the love of her life and expecting their first child. She should be perfectly content. If only her husband were as enthusiastic about their upcoming arrival as she is. When her niece, Posy, arrives at Pearlbelle Park with her neglectful father, Lois longs to convince her husband to adopt the child. Yet she knows he’ll never agree to it. Not likely.

Ned Knight is frightened. His mother is afraid, and there’s only one person he can tell—Mama. Oh, not his mother. He means Mama, who Ned never properly met but whose portrait hangs in a locked bedroom all by itself. Finding his place in the family is hard, but she makes it easier because she always listens—always. If only everyone else wanted to remember Mama as much as Ned does.

Add on Goodreads

TTFN!

~Kell~

P.S.

Thank you for all your support, y’all. <3 I appreciate it! I’m hoping to get some more interesting (er, controversial) posts out soon, but in the meantime, thank you for hanging in there and actually reading this post.

It’s time for one last tour wrapup! The Celebrate Lit tour is still running (be sure to enter the giveaway), but my private blog tour is wrapping up, so all the links are now included in this post!

Before we get into that, though, I’d like to announce something important: a new cover reveal signup! Specifically, for The Knights of Pearlbelle Park! This will take place on Tuesday, November 15th. If you’re willing to share about the cover reveal, please sign up below:

SIGN UP!

I would love to have you!

About The Knights of Pearlbelle Park

Enjoy Christmas with the Knights of Pearlbelle Park …

Claire Knight‘s two youngest sons have come down with a mysterious illness just before Christmas, and she can’t focus on a thing but them, despite her many duties. Everything is so utterly overwhelming—yet relying on others, especially her husband, for comfort and aid seems impossible.

Lois Chattoway is finally married to the love of her life and expecting their first child. She should be perfectly content. If only her husband were as enthusiastic about their upcoming arrival as she is. When her niece, Posy, arrives at Pearlbelle Park with her neglectful father, Lois longs to convince her husband to adopt the child. Yet she knows he’ll never agree to it. Not likely.

Ned Knight is frightened. His mother is afraid, and there’s only one person he can tell—Mama. Oh, not his mother. He means Mama, who Ned never properly met but whose portrait hangs in a locked bedroom all by itself. Finding his place in the family is hard, but she makes it easier because she always listens—always. If only everyone else wanted to remember Mama as much as Ned does.

Add on Goodreads ~ Check Out the Pinterest Board

ABOUT THE BOOK

And they lived … well, happily ever after.

A year into a blissfully happy marriage, Violet Angel admits to a dose of skepticism. She’s not married, granted—but as the closest friend of the bride and groom, she feels she has a perspective no one but the people directly involved could have. There’s no such thing as a happy ending, and it’s only a matter of time before the castle in the sky plummets to earth.

If only Violet were always wrong instead of just mostly wrong. Ivy McAllen doesn’t believe she and her new husband are out of the honeymoon period—if they are, she isn’t going to admit it to herself—but there are certainly areas of adjustment that she hadn’t expected.

Changes at the village of Keefmore and in Ivy’s life lead to complications, and Violet spirals further and further from reality. When a castle in the sky turns out to be more cloud than stronghold, finding a foothold proves more than a little difficult.

Amazon ~ Goodreads

BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE

Wednesday, October 12th

Kickoff by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries

Book Spotlight by Ryana Lynn @ Life of Heritage Corner

Book Spotlight by Kristina Hall

Thursday, October 13th

Author Interview by M.C. Kennedy @ Graceful Reflections

Friday, October 14th

Book Spotlight by Jana T. @ Reviews from the Stacks

Saturday, October 15th (RELEASE DAY!)

Launch Day Celebration by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries

Book Spotlight by Emma @ The Book Dragon’s Alcove

Sunday, October 16th

Review by Hannah Martin @ Precious Book Stacks

Monday, October 17th

Review by Joy C. Woodbury @ Discipleship with Joy

Tuesday, October 18th

Review by Katja L. @ Old-Fashioned Book Love

Wednesday, October 19th

A Post About The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries

Thursday, October 20th

Book Spotlight by Grace A. Johnson @ Of Blades and Thorns

Friday, October 21st

Review by Vanessa Hall

Saturday, October 22nd

Wrapup (you are here!) by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries

I’d also like to share:

AFTER OUR CASTLE: CELEBRATE LIT TOUR

CLICK THROUGH TO VIEW THE SCHEDULE AND ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

TTFN!

~Kell~

P.S.

Have you entered the giveaway yet? Also, The Knights of Pearlbelle Park cover reveal … are you joining? Would you like to read this short story?

Today, before we talk blog posts and blog posts and a giveaway, I wanted to share some more about my plans for The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy. Why? Well, for one thing, people keep announcing that my most recent book is the last book in the series or, with less confidence, that they’re not sure if there is another book coming next.

That’s not their fault. Every book probably feels like a logical place to stop, and I’m also not officially telling people the launch date of book 7 – only that it will be a few years. (In utter honesty, I’m really hoping we’ll either have a baby or adopt some time in the next 5-10 years, and that’s given me wild anxiety about making any long-term plans. I’m a little more confident now that adoption feels the most logical option for us, but … you know. That’s still not super easy to plan on.)

That said, book 7, Time of Grief, is in the works, and I’m so excited to publish it and the rest of the series as soon as I can. For now, though, let’s talk about my plans for the rest of the series.

Of course, we’ve got the first four books and a novella published – and another novella (The Knights of Pearlbelle Park) coming this Christmas – but what next?

As you can see, we have four more full-length novels in addition to a couple more novellas. I’m really excited for these, even though it will be a while before they launch.

I of course can’t give spoilers, unless asked, but here’s some information you will want to know about the next four books in the series:

Book 7: Time of Grief Book 7 is going to be great for anyone who held out for Alice and Peter’s relationship/healing/etc.Because they are so adorkably cute and in love and I’m just … yes, it did take them like five years to figure it out BUT THEY DID and … *weeps* My babies.*ahem* We’re being serious here, methinks. Back on track.Book 7 will start right after book 6 ended. Actually, a few months before it ended, but basically, when Peter and Alice leave Ivy and Jordy, I start the novel. And it’s great.NED IS SO BIG. (And Jackie and Caleb.)For real, though. This is an except of the outline:

Ned (15), Caleb (11), Jackie (10), Rebecca (7), Malcolm (13), Ella (11), and Debby (8/9)

(That’s how I keep track of ages!)Also, Nettie and Alice’s relationship, even though it’s only there for like two scenes, is … <3 <3 <3And Alice being honest with Claire about EVERYTHING is pretty sweet, too. You can tell Claire respects her more for it.Peter gets dragged into closets a lot in this book. I promise that will make sense and only be moderately strange when you read the book.I am in love with Flick’s story in this book even though it’s sort of a short one.Characters are going to start deferring to their husband’s in healthy ways, at last, which will displease some and thrill others. Fair warning: Christian book here.This is just a series of tragedies, but I’m again so excited about it that I think about it as a happy book???Book 7 is purple.

And for this one, I can share a snippet, so let’s do it. (SPOILERS FOR BOOKS 5 AND 6 AND ALL THE BOOKS ACTUALLY. SERIOUSLY. If you want to not know stuff before you read it, stop now.)

A slight indent in his cheek indicated he was biting the side of his mouth. His shoulders moved again, almost a shrug. “I was actually wondering if you’d ever consider adopting.”

Alice’s chest compressed. Adopting? They hadn’t discussed that in years. At first, the idea had been floated around, in the depths of their grief as the longing for a child had gotten particularly acute. However, they’d both decided that it wasn’t a healthy desire—just an ineffective way to try to ease the grief—and tossed it aside. “I didn’t know that was something you were seriously interested in.”

Peter nodded. “More and more, I am, Alice. I want to be a father.” His voice caught, and he again looked away, but then his face turned back to her, and he set his shoulders as he did so, giving her his full attention. She reached across the coach and seized his hands so even an impulse wouldn’t pull him away from her again. “I’ve never made that a secret, but it seems to me that it’s more important now. I believe we would be good parents. I truly do. And though the Lord has not blessed us with children, we both know that there are many orphans in this world who need a loving family. Maybe we can make a difference that way.”

“Maybe.” Alice knew little about adoption. It was somewhat of a taboo in her social circles—orphans were looked down on, and even though a lot of them were simply the products of death from various factors, there was the stigma of illegitimacy tainting any association with an adopted child. Alice knew that more than anyone—she was the product of a perverted union, one of violence and great evil. Yet that was not always the case, and even if it were, it wouldn’t be the child’s fault. No one could control their origins—yet it was possibly for origins to control a person, to a certain degree.

“You don’t have to agree.” He tried to lean away from her, as she’d expected, though she wouldn’t let him. “I understand if that’s not something you’d ever be interested in, for any reason. But do consider it, Alice. I admit I’ve never quite shaken the feeling that we ought to have a child. Or many children, honestly. But if that’s not a desire you share, except within specific parameters, I will accept that without questioning and consider you to be the voice of God in my life—my helper, the first person I turn to for guidance and input.”

She nodded, taking his words in and letting them soak into her brain in a way she hadn’t learned to until the last year or so. Peter chose every syllable he spoke so carefully that Alice felt he deserved the return favor of marination.

What would it mean to adopt? How would they go about it? Was it simply the matter of showing up at one of the orphanages that seemed to exist in every large city and putting one’s name forward? She’d heard that some orphanages weren’t even looking to have their children adopted—after all, children could be a useful commodity, especially children no one cared about.

Yet as she looked into Peter’s eyes, saw him struggling to smother his hope and put his trust in her … She shuddered. How could he do that when she had failed him so many times? Yet here he was, trusting her. It was insanity, and it made her want to do things, insane things, grand gestures she didn’t associate with herself.

And she found nothing within her that protested at the idea of adoption. Cowered, yes. She didn’t have enough information, but with the knowledge she possessed, no shadow of doubt was yet able to enter. “I … I am open to the idea.”

His expression lightened, though he worked to control the upwards twitch of his lips. “It wouldn’t be immediate. We’d want to be home and settled. But I know there’s an orphanage or two in Cincinnati.”

Alice pressed her lips together. “The one I know of is Catholic.”

Peter laughed at that, though she didn’t see what was particularly funny about it. “I don’t think a baby’s religion should matter too much as we make a decision.”

“If they ever let us adopt,” Alice pointed out. Though, again, she was unsure what the situation with that orphanage was. Perhaps it wasn’t even the adopting type.

“But we’ll see when we get home, once we’re at peace again. And that’s a long way off. Come on. Let’s pray about it now, and every day, until we hear something. God’s going to figure this out for us, one way or another, Alice.”

Nodding, she bent her head over Peter’s hands, still clasped in her own, and listened to his quiet prayer.

Book 8: Love Once LostIf book 7 is one I’m looking forward to, book 8 is one I’m dreading.Y’all are gonna be so mad at me. If you’ve read book 6, you can guess some of it, but … yeah. Let’s just say it ain’t pretty, no matter how prepared you are.At least it’s not going to be as jarring as going from book 4 to this book without any kind of divider.I am thrilled about some things in this story, particularly about how the McAllen family has grown and changed. Of course, you’ll get my series about the McAllen brothers first, but … still. It’s going to be fun.“Death by a Thousand Cuts” vibes.Book 8 is light pink. Because Ivy is.

I can also share a snippet for book 8 which includes spoilers for previous books AND for a couple in-between books but if you can accept changes in Ivy’s family size … yeah, that’s the spoiler. You are spoiled. Go on and read it.

NOTE: this is a very early draft from about … July 2019? I think? So forgive it. Some details will have changed by the final draft.

“Oh, are you  going to Scarborough Fair? Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme …” Ivy McAllen hitched her daughter Addy higher on her hip and twirled in a circle in the kitchen until the toddler screamed with laughter. “Remember me to one who lives there. She once was a true love of mine.”

“What’s tha’, Mum?” Molly tugged imperiously at her skirts, and Ivy set her youngest on the floor.

“What’s what, Molly mine?”

“Scarborough Fair?” Molly’s curiosity had never been quite as developed as Letty’s, but suddenly she was wanting to know everything under the sun. Ivy sometimes struggled to keep up with the questions, but at least she could handle that one.

“It’s a town in Yorkshire—in England.” She turned to the stove to check the pot which was predictably not boiling. But she knew if she stopped watching for a moment it would. Ah, well.

“Have ye been there?”

Ivy smiled at her child’s brogue. Though to be quite fair, she had a bit of an accent now, too. “I’ve passed through it. Remember, Uncle Charlie is in Yorkshire. Where’s your sister?”

Molly blinked and pointed at Addy. Ivy wasn’t quite sure if she was developing a new sense of sauciness, as that was a Letty or Jordy thing to do.

“Letty, dearest.”

“Oh, I’ll get out of her.” Molly ran out of the front door screaming her twin’s name, and Ivy returned to the stove.

There! Perfect. Stew boiling, ready to be removed and cooled and consumed. She  glanced out the window—it looked out toward the hill over which was the clustering of buildings that was Keefmore, the tiny village in Scotland she called home.

Maybe just another half an hour. She’d wait that long and then feed the children. She could set something aside, so if he did come …

Surely there was a reason. Travel was unpredictable. Even if trains and coaches were on time, he might have missed one. He’d be here—even if he’d promised his arrival time would be late last night and now it had been over eighteen hours since.

Jordy, where are you?

Letty came running in, mud caked up to her knees, with Molly at her heels—thankfully still clean.

“Letty! Heavens, what happened to you?”

“Was exploring th’ burn.” She held out a fist. “Saved ye th’ best rock on purpose.”

Ivy held out her hand and had a wet little stone set in her hand. She turned it over in her fingers and smiled. “That’s lovely, dearest. Come now—I’ll put it here on the counter where I can see it, and we’ll get you cleaned.”

Fifteen minutes and a bucket of lukewarm water later, all three children were seated at the table—her four-and-a-half-year-olds on their chairs and her eighteen-month baby on her lap.

There was no use in waiting any longer, really, not with the food getting cooled. She said a quick prayer and helped the children get their food dished up.

“I thought Da would be here today.” Letty glared at her as if Ivy had kept him at bay somehow. “Ye said.”

“I know I said. I’m sure he’s just running late.” Ivy smiled, though she worried it was a bit tight around the edges. “It’ll be a’right. I promise. Da will be here soon; you know he runs late sometimes.”

Letty nodded slowly and returned her eyes to her bowl.

“Da?” A big grin appeared on Addy’s face, and she pressed her face into Ivy’s shoulder, pleased. Her youngest was the most joyful child of her acquaintance—always smiling and giggling.

“That’s right, Sunshine.” She squeezed Addy close and kissed her forehead. “Da’s coming home soon.”

It had been too long. Ivy had a flexible schedule, really she did, but she couldn’t let her husband just wander around London for three months again. He’d have to make the trips shorter or take her with him. She missed him too much, and the girls could get overwhelming at times.

Yes, next time she would make him promise to visit or take her with him for a bit. That would do. There was no reason he shouldn’t take them along, or drop her off in Kent with her family where he could come down for a few days at a time.

Book 9: Steps Into Grace This is the one I know least about, actually, but I have the gist of it. Basically, babies. Babies, babies, babies. And I will not apologize for that.It’s blue because I thought that was ironic. #theproblemwithbeingAlice #actuallytheresmorethanoneproblem #butthisisoneofthemBook 10: A Stronghold of LightViolet’s dad dies in this one. Yay.Also, Violet comes upon a fortune (related to the above point – it’s a long story).McCale House needs funding …And I needed hope.So here goes.Purpley pink felt appropriate.And … About Those Three ShortsWhich may actually be four.The Knights of Pearlbelle Park is coming out this Christmas, and Only a Mother will probably release right before book 8 does.The untitled one … remains to be seen. I’m not sure how it’ll fit in. I actually have two separate ideas, and if things go well with both of them, it may just develop into four, and basically, I have a problem. 

And because I can’t help myself, let’s talk about spin-offs.

Some of you already know this, but I will likely be starting with a little series called The Hilton Legacy. The first one takes place right after book 5 starts (and ends … the timeline is giving me a massive headache lol because of a giant timeskip situation).

But if that doesn’t go well (it may or it may not), I may start with The McAllen Brothers. Because the first one takes place right after book 6 ends. Also, it’s super cute and has a border collie so … *shrug*

As for the standalones, Before a Fall comes directly after The Hilton Legacy, whenever that may be, and Cincinnati won’t be coming out until after book 7. (Based on timeline stuff, the Hilton stories need to come out before book 7 and the McAllen stories need to come out before book 8, so yup. That’s how it be.)

Meanwhile, Once a Stratton and Thou, My Soul’s Glory are probably gonna be like 2030. I’m not even joking. They’re prequels! About Peter’s mother and Alice’s mother, respectively. (Take that how you will.)

K&L will come out after all that (^). You won’t be able to guess what it stands for because it’s based on the cutesy nicknames the main characters have for each other, so. *shrug* I’ll tell you later, I guess.

Some time when I am an old woman, I will write these.

It’s so frustrating because I know the plots of every single one of these stories, but I can’t share anything! It’s going to be fun, though. I promise. And a little less dramatic.

These are … legitimately light-hearted? Really?

No betrayal, very little death (some death though), and I only cover two world wars and the Great Depression. Practically cheerful stuff. (First one will start in like 1900, though, so there’s that relatively peaceful era of suffragettes and labor union uprisings and prohibition rallies and … yeah. I’ll be in America about half the time and in Scotland some of it but I’ll also get down to the South Pacific in one book.)

Basically, I wanted to tell you about these because I want you to know I’m never going to wrap this up, but do know that I will be working on other projects in the meantime. Entirely unrelated projects. I sincerely mean it when I say I will be an old woman when I work on these.

But let’s move on because y’all ought to be bored by now.

ABOUT THE BOOK

And they lived … well, happily ever after.

A year into a blissfully happy marriage, Violet Angel admits to a dose of skepticism. She’s not married, granted—but as the closest friend of the bride and groom, she feels she has a perspective no one but the people directly involved could have. There’s no such thing as a happy ending, and it’s only a matter of time before the castle in the sky plummets to earth.

If only Violet were always wrong instead of just mostly wrong. Ivy McAllen doesn’t believe she and her new husband are out of the honeymoon period—if they are, she isn’t going to admit it to herself—but there are certainly areas of adjustment that she hadn’t expected.

Changes at the village of Keefmore and in Ivy’s life lead to complications, and Violet spirals further and further from reality. When a castle in the sky turns out to be more cloud than stronghold, finding a foothold proves more than a little difficult.

Amazon ~ Goodreads

BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE

Wednesday, October 12th

Kickoff by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries

Book Spotlight by Ryana Lynn @ Life of Heritage Corner

Book Spotlight by Kristina Hall

Thursday, October 13th

Author Interview by M.C. Kennedy @ Graceful Reflections

Friday, October 14th

Book Spotlight by Jana T. @ Reviews from the Stacks

Saturday, October 15th (RELEASE DAY!)

Launch Day Celebration by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries

Book Spotlight by Emma @ The Book Dragon’s Alcove

Sunday, October 16th

Review by Hannah Martin @ Precious Book Stacks

Monday, October 17th

Review by Joy C. Woodbury @ Discipleship with Joy

Tuesday, October 18th

Review by Katja L. @ Old-Fashioned Book Love

Wednesday, October 19th

A Post About The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries (YOU ARE HERE, TECHNICALLY)

Thursday, October 20th

Book Spotlight by Grace A. Johnson @ Of Blades and Thorns

Friday, October 21st

Review by Vanessa Hall

Saturday, October 22nd

Review by Hannah Killian @ The Writerly Worm

Wrapup (which will publish in the evening!) by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries

I’d also like to share:

AFTER OUR CASTLE: CELEBRATE LIT TOUR

CLICK THROUGH TO VIEW THE SCHEDULE AND ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

Reviews Thus Far Were On:

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, October 18

lakesidelivingsite, October 19

Losing the Busyness, October 19

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, October 20

Texas Book-aholic, October 21

TTFN!

~Kell~

P.S.

Are you enjoying these little wrapup posts? What do you think of my many plans for book-ing? (Am I crazy? Yes. But determined.) Have you entered the giveaway yet?

Today I’m going to share an Instagram post I shared this Monday because I really liked it.

The day after launch day is always a good day to reflect.

To think back on previous books in the series and to wonder.

What was, what is, and what could have been.

I like to stare at old books and sip tea and wear fuzzy socks and think, because that’s the best way to think, when you are cozy and surrounded by what you love and properly mood-ed for the situation at hand.

Perhaps I can even pretend I am one of my characters, preparing for a big decision or dealing with a past trauma … and because my characters’ eyes must inevitably fall on God, so do mine.

Do you know how characters encourage their authors? You must live what you write. You must, or it will sound hollow … you must, or your promises are nothing … you must, or in the end, what did you do it for in the first place?

Live what you write, folks.

For me, that’s not an easy path. Sometimes, when I reread my writing and wonder how I am not there yet, despite the fact that, well, I wrote the book, I think, “God, why did you let me write this?”

Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps it’s not any good. It can’t all really be true or I would have been living it already. The contentment, the submission, the joy. Yet I’m not there.

Will I ever be?

Then I turn back to God and I say, “Well, You let me write the book. And I don’t know what to do. However, let me ask You, as ever, what am I supposed to be doing?”

Not, “What am I supposed to do?!” in accusation. But a request in submission and humility. For I do not know.

Maybe I don’t need to know. I keep sipping my tea and I keep thinking.

All will be well.

Anyways, the book is out, and I’m so happy about that.

Let’s talk about blog posts.

ABOUT THE BOOK

And they lived … well, happily ever after.

A year into a blissfully happy marriage, Violet Angel admits to a dose of skepticism. She’s not married, granted—but as the closest friend of the bride and groom, she feels she has a perspective no one but the people directly involved could have. There’s no such thing as a happy ending, and it’s only a matter of time before the castle in the sky plummets to earth.

If only Violet were always wrong instead of just mostly wrong. Ivy McAllen doesn’t believe she and her new husband are out of the honeymoon period—if they are, she isn’t going to admit it to herself—but there are certainly areas of adjustment that she hadn’t expected.

Changes at the village of Keefmore and in Ivy’s life lead to complications, and Violet spirals further and further from reality. When a castle in the sky turns out to be more cloud than stronghold, finding a foothold proves more than a little difficult.

Amazon ~ Goodreads

BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE

Wednesday, October 12th

Kickoff by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries

Book Spotlight by Ryana Lynn @ Life of Heritage Corner

Book Spotlight by Kristina Hall

Thursday, October 13th

Author Interview by M.C. Kennedy @ Graceful Reflections

Friday, October 14th

Book Spotlight by Jana T. @ Reviews from the Stacks

Saturday, October 15th (RELEASE DAY!)

Launch Day Celebration by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries (YOU ARE HERE!)

Book Spotlight by Emma @ The Book Dragon’s Alcove

Sunday, October 16th

Review by Hannah Martin @ Precious Book Stacks

Monday, October 17th

Review by Joy C. Woodbury @ Discipleship with Joy

Tuesday, October 18th

Review by Katja L. @ Old-Fashioned Book Love

Wednesday, October 19th

A Post About The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries

Thursday, October 20th

Book Spotlight by Grace A. Johnson @ Of Blades and Thorns

Friday, October 21st

Review by Vanessa Hall

Saturday, October 22nd

Review by Hannah Killian @ The Writerly Worm

Wrapup (which will publish in the evening!) by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries

I’d also like to announce:

After Our Castle: Celebrate Lit Tour

CLICK THROUGH TO VIEW THE SCHEDULE AND ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

TTFN!

~Kell~

P.S.

Have you read any of this series? Are you enjoying it? What are your thoughts on long series? (I’m a fan, obviously!)

After Our Castle is launching this weekend, and I don’t really know what to say except “thank you.”

Thank you to my street team, for being so sweet and kind. Thank you to my editors (Grace Johnson and Andrea Cox) for their dedication. Thank you to all the random people who have got excited (or angry) over this novel. Thank you to God, of course, for enabling this to happen in the first place.

Some of this will be shared in an Instagram post, but:

With book 6 coming out, I can’t help but look back on how Ivy has grown and changed over the course of the series.

In book 2, we had a gentle but smothered soul, unable to express herself, frightened of all around her …

And by book 4, though Ivy was at least convinced that she was important enough to deserve the love of her family and her own voice amongst personal circles, she certainly needed to learn a great deal about her own worth.

It’s in book 6, however, that Ivy learns to embrace her own validity. Her opinions, thoughts, and feelings can sometimes be smothered due to her sweetness, altruism, etc.

But sometimes there is a place for standing up for the person God desires you to be, and for you to, well, not allow EVERYTHING. There’s a moment at the end of the book that I think encapsulates Ivy’s journey.

I shall never write stories of “female empowerment.” The point of Christianity is to highlight God’s already-existing power, not to “empower” us. Sometimes the highlight of a Christian’s life may be an act of submission, an act of humility.

But that is one kind of story and this is Ivy’s. There are people who need to be humbled (like me!). And there are people who God works through by giving a strong dose of confidence.

This is one of the stories.

Of course, this is also Violet’s story, and Violet was a challenge to write. I enjoyed her so much, and yet, at the same time, she’s a painful character. A tough character. One of those eggs you have to crack … but even though it’s necessary, you really need to do it.

It’s also a rotten egg, but I won’t get into that now. This story was all about exploring Ivy, Jordy, and Violet’s relationship.

And, well, every possible combination: Ivy and Jordy, Ivy and Violet, Jordy and Violet. Basically, all of them together and apart and in couples and as a trio.

Yet there is one thing that’s kind of missing. You’ll notice that there isn’t really a scene with Ivy, Jordy, and Violet (with a few notable exceptions). Yes, that is intentional.

Anyway, I’ll let you get into the blog tour now!

 

About the Book

And they lived … well, happily ever after.

A year into a blissfully happy marriage, Violet Angel admits to a dose of skepticism. She’s not married, granted—but as the closest friend of the bride and groom, she feels she has a perspective no one but the people directly involved could have. There’s no such thing as a happy ending, and it’s only a matter of time before the castle in the sky plummets to earth.

If only Violet were always wrong instead of just mostly wrong. Ivy McAllen doesn’t believe she and her new husband are out of the honeymoon period—if they are, she isn’t going to admit it to herself—but there are certainly areas of adjustment that she hadn’t expected.

Changes at the village of Keefmore and in Ivy’s life lead to complications, and Violet spirals further and further from reality. When a castle in the sky turns out to be more cloud than stronghold, finding a foothold proves more than a little difficult.

Amazon ~ Goodreads

Blog Tour Schedule

Wednesday, October 12th

Kickoff by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries

Book Spotlight by Ryana Lynn @ Life of Heritage Corner

Book Spotlight by Kristina Hall

Thursday, October 13th

Author Interview by M.C. Kennedy @ Graceful Reflections

Friday, October 14th

Book Spotlight by Jana T. @ Reviews from the Stacks

Saturday, October 15th (RELEASE DAY!)

Launch Day Celebration by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries

Book Spotlight by Emma @ The Book Dragon’s Alcove

Sunday, October 16th

Review by Hannah Martin @ Precious Book Stacks

Monday, October 17th

Review by Joy C. Woodbury @ Discipleship with Joy

Tuesday, October 18th

Review by Katja L. @ Old-Fashioned Book Love

Wednesday, October 19th

A Post About The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries

Thursday, October 20th

Book Spotlight by Grace A. Johnson @ Of Blades and Thorns

Friday, October 21st

Review by Vanessa Hall

Saturday, October 22nd

Review by Hannah Killian @ The Writerly Worm

Wrapup (which will publish in the evening!) by Kellyn Roth @ Lilacs and Reveries

TTFN!

~Kell~

P.S.

How’s life? Also, are you excited for the launch? What’s a trio of characters from any medium that you love?