Guest Post – Why Christian Fiction is an Important Genre – Kellyn Roth – Scavenger Hunt

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Today I want to welcome Kellyn Roth to the blog. She is the author of Beyond Her Calling which recently released.

Hello everyone!

First, thank you, Jane, for welcoming me to your blog! With my seventh Christian fiction novel relaunching today, you chose the perfect subject for a guest post—and further, something I’m passionate about.

Second … well, let’s talk about the subject in question!

I’m Kellyn Roth, and I write historical women’s fiction and romance. My books so far all fall under the Christian fiction umbrella, and I love writing to a Christian audience!

From the earliest days of my youth, I’ve been frustrated by preachers who share only or primarily gospel messages. I was beyond that at five! What I had no idea how to do was grow in my faith. When Christian fiction seemed to primarily feature salvation stories, well, I got a little frustrated. Especially since the only examples of Christian fiction not written in this way were things like Elsie Dinsmore, which I personally found depressing when I was a middle schooler.

All that said, I eventually found Christian fiction that appealed to my stage of life—and more—and I was beyond thrilled! God has used fiction so many times to speak to me, but it was years before Christian fiction, the stories meant to do that, touched my heart. When it happened, that made me realize these were the types of stories I wanted to write.

Though there is a lot of value to writing books that fall into general market, writing Christian fiction is a unique calling for some writers. But I do want to clarify before I ramble more that Christian fiction is not something every Christian needs to write. In fact, if that’s your specific calling as a writer, that means you’d better not try to squeeze your books into Christian fiction! God has different plans for you.

That said, you can’t discount Christian fiction as a genre. Though a lot of people will say that all Christian fiction is cliché and boring, well, that’s not true. There are a lot of Christian fiction authors who are doing their best to write amazing stories—as they ought to.

All that explanation aside, let’s talk about my main reasons why Christian fiction is an important genre.

1: Because we need to see healthy, thriving Christians.

When we live in our own broken bodies with our wild emotions and sinful thoughts, staring into a mirror that can only reflect our backwards selves, broken by sin and redeemed only by impossible grace, it can be hard to believe that God can redeem us.

Christian fiction contradicts that idea. It shows us stories of hope, of healing, of moving past sins, of moving into God’s grace and love, of the Holy Spirit’s changing influence on the human soul.

2: Because we need to see imperfect, broken Christians.

Equally as important is seeing that we’re not the only one. To live is to suffer … uh, kinda. That’s a little too dark of a view for reality, but “on this world we will have trouble.” There’s a ‘but’ there, an important one that we remember well even if we don’t always know it.

However, sometimes we can forget, even if we weren’t raised with some kind of twisted prosperity gospel, that everyone is imperfect, everyone is broken. It’s vital for Christian fiction authors to create flawed characters because all humans are flawed. Period. And saying elsewise is unrealistic and unbiblical.

3: Because it should make you think and challenge your beliefs.

Good Christian fiction should make you think. It should legitimately have you wondering if lies aren’t truth. It shouldn’t be simple; it should be incredibly complex, adding something to the already intricately-woven narrative of Christian life.

Though there is definitely a lot of slush in the Christian fiction market, the truly great authors who write truly great stories in this genre should be treasured, for they challenge everything about your life—and yet bring you back to the perfect love and truth of God.

4: Because surrounding ourselves with light is important.

Say what you will about the comparable quality of general market fiction, but without Christ, where is the hope?

There is none. Much like we need to attend church to be surrounded by our fellow Christians, surrounding ourselves with Christian thoughts and ideals is also vital.

5: Because Christians should be more dedicated to creating quality works than any other writers.

Dear writers …

God can sustain us through anything, but we should tremble at the incredible responsibility we have when we write Christian fiction. We are putting His Holy Name onto the spines, the sale pages, and the descriptions of our books. Though we should rejoice in His grace and strength and pray for His wisdom, we should also carry out our work with fear and trembling.

If you’re not putting your all into writing, I have to ask … do you fear nothing? What kind of idiot are you? What are you gonna say when you stand before the Creator of the universe with a book that resembles a Hallmark movie more closely than a work of any real depth and value? “This is what I created for You …” It’s comparable to taking God’s name in vain if you’re not putting your all into your novel.

Let’s just say that I firmly believe a firm dedication to the craft of writing is vital!

So those are my five points for today! I hope you found them enlightening—whether you’re a reader, a writer, or both.

Thank you again for this opportunity to post here, Jane!

TTFN!

~Kell~

Thanks for joining us Kellyn. Now here’s a little more information about Kellyn and her new book.

Book Information

Title: Beyond Her Calling

Series: The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy, Book 4

Genre: Christian Historical Romance / Victorian Romance / Scottish Romance

Setting: Scotland

Era: Victorian

Specific Dates: Late 1881

Blurb:

Ivy Knight feels that her life may never start. Though her loving family assures her that her place in the world is close to home, she still feels a push to move out of her comfort zone. Hoping against hope, she travels to her old friends at McCale House, seeking a purpose.

Jordy McAllen has just returned to Scotland after his education in London. He fears that what everyone has always said about him may be true: he can’t be a good doctor, let alone a good man. Determined to prove himself, Jordy snatches up the opportunity to become the doctor in the village of Keefmore near his parents’ farm.

When an old friend decides to travel to Keefmore and visit a relative, Ivy follows. She soon finds herself drawn to Jordy, but as their attraction grows, they both face doubts. A relationship between the two of them feels improbable—and might just require a step of impossible faith.

About the author – Kellyn Roth

Kellyn Roth is a historical romance & women’s fiction author who writes about the empty places where hope has the most room to grow. Her novels include the inspirational Victorian family saga, The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy, and the Kees & Colliers series, which follows a broken family in the tumultuous years of the first half of the 20th century.

Kellyn is a student of the Author Conservatory, a virtual assistant, and a writing coach. When not building her author career, she is likely getting lost somewhere in the Pacific Northwest with her friends, watching period dramas and facetious comedies, or spending time with her husband.

Website: https://kellynrothauthor.com/ 

Blog: https://kellynroth.blog/

Facebook: https://facebook.com/kellynrothauthor/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/kellynrothauthor

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kellynrothauthor

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Kellyn-Roth/e/B01B0W0O7U

Milkshake: https://msha.ke/kellynrothauthor/

Purchase Beyond Her Calling (The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy)

Giveaway

Prize:

Beyond Her Calling in paperback

The first three novels in Audible (audiobook) format

A painted ornament by Painted Prose Designs

Tea (!)

Register for the Giveaway

Scavenger Hunt

Grand Prize:

$25 Amazon Gift Card

The first four novels in The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy in paperback

Bookish socks

Rules for the Scavenger Hunt

• Begin at Stop #1 and continue on to the final post. At the end of each post, you’ll find a CLUE and a LINK to the next stop. Progress to each stop in order.
• Collect all the clues and submit the full phrase at the last blog stop via the linked form to enter the giveaway.
• While you’re at each stop, be sure to comment, as each comment wins you another entry in the Blog Tour Giveaway.
• Deadline for entries is Monday, January 31st, at 10 AM Pacific Standard Time.

Your word for this post is – WAS

You will find the next post here on Sunday, January 23, 2022.

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