Many of you know I will have a new novel releasing soon. This post is an invitation to those readers who either love, like, or occasionally read love story/romance novels.
But . . . if you need that "squeaky clean" label attached to the novels you read, chances are you're not the audience for this Christian novel.
The reason being - or the disclaimer - for that is romance and love are not "dirty". Literal graphics of sexual activity are neither "clean" nor necessary, particularly in a Christian novel. However, sexual attraction and desire are natural and inherent in romance and love. When written respectfully but real-ly, this author finds nothing offensive about their depiction.
The second reason for readers' consideration is the world's behaviors are generally the opposite from those who follow Jesus. Nevertheless, those behaviors are real and should be shown as such with a few exceptions. If the very occasional use of "hell" or "damn" and the allusion to cuss words by characters either in the world or struggling to get back to the Lord offends you, my novels are not for you.
And three, why would I not press with the hard sell for Then . . . you, my new novel? I've seen the destructive and self-righteous reviews on Amazon posted by self-proclaimed Christians for beautifully written redemptive novels where not only is the sexual attraction criticized, the author's theology is attacked. I would prefer to avoid those readers for this novel - and my others as well. They are not "my" audience.
There are literally millions of romance novels out there - many, many to choose from. Plenty with the "clean" labels, plenty more that are R-rated. This is why I chose these three words to label mine: Raw Romantic Redemptive. To those with discerning tastes those three words should either point them in my direction or away from my novels.
You're invited.
Father, thank you for every inspiration, every story, every word. Only you. Apart from you, I can do nothing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.