Guest Post: Why Christian Romance is an Important Genre (with Kellyn Roth)

Heyo everyone! I am so excited to share this post with you guys! Novelists in November​ released on Tuesday (November 19) and to celebrate/hype its release, Kellyn Roth is guest posting on this week's edition of The Southern Story Scribbler! Okay, I'll let Kellyn talk now. Without further ado, the post!

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​Why Christian Romance is an Important Genre

Hey folks! I’m Kellyn Roth, and today I’m sharing a guest post on Cate’s blog to celebrate the release of Novelists in November, the second anthology out with my indie publishing company, Wild Blue Wonder Press. Today I’m here to talk about why Christian romance—one of the genres featured in this collection and the primary genre I write—is an important genre! Because it is!

I’m not much of a romantic … but I do love romances! A little because I am always driven to understand anything that immediately feels “beyond my ken.” But also because I think romance is an invaluable genre. More on that later.

That said, I do think there are some romances that have fallen away from the original intention of the genre. When romance novels (in the modern sense of the world, as “romance” started out as a synonym for “adventure”) began to be written, it was an opportunity for both men and women to write a genre that specifically catered to women … and though some were shallow, not all were.

Here’s my perspective on this: romance is the perfect genre for women writers to share Biblical truths about life and relationships … and not just within the “romantic relationship” category.

Why? First, I believe romances offers a gentle and relational way to approach deep topics with the audience uniquely eager to read about these topics … all the while sometimes not being so realistic that the reader is not able to detach themselves from their personal perspectives, convictions, and so on to hear another side of the story (or whatever the case may be).

Second, romance is a genre most marked by female influence. And don’t get me wrong; I love the men in my life. However, I feel less called to speak to men than to women with my novels (or in general), so the fact that the genre is woman-dominated doesn’t bother me. In fact, it’s kind of a perk because I feel like I’m speaking directly to those the Lord has specifically led me to speak to.

Third, I love exploring emotions, people, and how relationships work. Though romance is of course marked by its focus on romantic relationships, I believe a good romance discusses every aspect of the main characters’ lives, and that includes other relationships … parents, siblings, and friendships, included!

Of course, I also am approaching romance from a purely Christian perspective. My books are written by a young Christian women for young Christian women! So everything I write is marked by a desire to share my experiences in a way that I hope is helpful for others. I believe that to be called “Christian,” a romance ought to include strong Christian themes and characters who represent Christ well—but also, primarily, represent the Christian life well in a way that is encouraging and edifying to Christian readers.

That said, it’s worth noting that, more than anything, “Christian fiction” is an audience, not a genre. And what does the audience of Christians that majorly makes up our Christian readers need? Honestly, I think romance is on that list.

There is an unfair dislike of romance amongst Christians—and yes, in other audiences, too, but especially amongst Christians. Romance is simply a relationship. That’s all it is. And more than that, it’s a very important relationship! After all, a romance was the first human relationship God ever created and blessed, and it continues to be the foundation of all marriages.

If it’s important to God, it’s important to me. Further, Christians can’t rightly claim to have the authoritative word on all things romance and then refuse to talk about it. I believe that by writing healthy, godly, clean romances, we will do more for the world than we ever could if we avoided talking about the subject completely. In fact, I have seen first hand the damage that avoiding romantic stories and treating romance as an evil, alienated thing can cause people.

Now, with all this rambling out of the way, I leave you with a question: how do you feel about Christian romance? Is it a genre you enjoy or is it not for you?

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About Kellyn

Kellyn Roth is the author of ten historical romance novels with strong
Christian themes, a touch of humor, and messy situations that put the main
characters through the wringer and force them to face hard questions. Her
stories include The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy, a Christian Victorian family
saga. Her 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. When not building her
author career, Kellyn is likely drinking iced coffee with her husband, getting
lost somewhere in the Pacific Northwest with her friends, or watching period
dramas and facetious comedies with her border collie.

Website: kellynrothauthor.com/
Newsletter: https://kellynrothauthor.com/newsletter/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/kellynrothauthor
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/kellynroth
Instagram: https://instagram.com/kellynrothauthor/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/kellynrothauthor/​

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Blog Tour Schedule

​Monday, Nov. 11th
Intro Post by Kell @ Lilacs & Reveries
“Write Into Fall Tag” by Andrea @ Andrea Renee Cox & screenwriter87 (Twitter/X)
Anthology Spotlight + Interview with Andrea Renee Cox  by Sara G. Miller @ Baking Up Stories 
Interview with Heather Flynn by DevotedToHope @ Devoted To Hope
Interview with Shira J. Rodriguez by Moriyah Cordova @ Fable Rose
Tuesday, Nov. 12thAnthology Spotlight by M.C. Kennedy @ Graceful Reflections & Instagram
Anthology Spotlight by Faith Gilliosa @ Faith on the Farm
Interview with Andrea Renee Cox by DevotedToHope @ Devoted To Hope
Wednesday, Nov. 13th
Anthology Spotlight by Faith @ FaithDCox.com/blog & FaithDCox (X/Twitter)
Anthology Spotlight & Interview with Faith D. Cox by DevotedToHope @ Devoted To Hope
Interview with Faith D. Cox by Cate VanNostrand @SouthernStoryScribbler
Interview with Bethany Willcock by DevotedToHope @ Devoted To Hope
Thursday, Nov. 14th
Interview with Andrea Renee Cox by Alena @ Alena Mentink 
Anthology Spotlight by Lorelei Angelino on Facebook
Interview with Katja H. Labonté by DevotedToHope @ Devoted To Hope
Friday, Nov. 15th
Resharing of “Write Into Fall Tag” by Andrea Renee Cox @ screenwriter87 (Twitter/X)
Anthology Spotlight by Riley G. @ Nerd of the Arts
Guest Post from Kellyn Roth by Rachel Leitch @  ProseWorthy   
Anthology/Story Review by Moriyah Cordova @ Fable Rose
Monday, Nov. 18th
Interview with Kelsey Bryant by Faith Blum @ faithblumauthor (Instagram) 
“Release Day Tomorrow” by Andrea Renee Cox @ Andrea Renee Cox & screenwriter87 (Twitter/X)

Tuesday, Nov 19th (LAUNCH DAY)


“Introducing . . . Novelists in November” by Kell @ Lilacs & Reveries
Anthology/Story Review by M.C. Kennedy @ Graceful Reflections & mckennedy.author (Instagram)
Interview with Bethany Willcock by Faith Gilliosa @ Faith on the Farm
Anthology Spotlight by Moriyah Cordova @ Fable Rose 
Anthology/Story Review by DevotedToHope @ Devoted To Hope 
Wednesday, Nov. 20th
Guest Post & Giveaway by Faith D. Cox @ Deena Adams’s blog
Anthology/Story Review  by Emma @ Emma Crooks + newsletter & Anthology Spotlight on emma.crooks.books (Instagram) 
Thursday, Nov. 21st
Guest Post from Kellyn Roth by Cate VanNostrand @ Southern Story Scribbler 
Anthology Spotlight by Naomi Sowell @ naomisowellwrites (Instagram) 
Friday, Nov. 22nd
Wrapup Post by Kell @ Lilacs & Reveries
Resharing of “Release Day Tomorrow” by Andrea Renee Cox @ screenwriter87 (Twitter/X)
Interview with Katja H. Labonté by Riley G. @ Nerd of the Arts 
Guest Post from Kellyn Roth by Moriyah Cordova @ Fable Rose