Just in case "An Invitation" came off as disrespectful or "snotty", I do wish to clarify. I write love stories with a passion. I include all the trappings of attraction, physical and otherwise, flirtations, and the feelings and emotions those attractions elicit. Even those individuals who are less emotional, perhaps more "practical" in their assessments of the opposite sex, must agree that somewhere along the line that object of their affection and attraction caused a spark to ignite. Whether or not that flame turned into a roaring fire that led to temptation to abandon any moral code they might have had, that temptation is often present as a result of the attraction.
In the world's view of that temptation, there's normally little hesitation in its leading to a "logical conclusion" which is a sexual encounter. For them: no big deal. This is the obvious result - and aim - of flirting.
For the Christian, it is - or should be - the opposite of that worldview. Why? Simply because God has selected people for each other, and He insists that physical union be anointed by a commitment first to Him and then to each other. That physical union is not just a romp in the hay, a one-night stand, a temporary bargain between two strangers turned lovers. No. To God, the act of love is the joining and bonding of bodies and souls, a pledge of honor to God and to each other, a spiritual and physical contract between two people in love and the perfect act of fulfilling that contract. I don't think it's possible to understand the depth of that promise to one another without knowing the Lord. Don't get me wrong: there are many in the world who understand the contract of marriage and desire and work to hold up their end and stay in love. However, when the spiritual element of adding God to the mix is absent, that marriage lacks its final seal.
So. Christians engage in the game of romance, knowing the risk, learning the temptations, succeeding or failing in the process. We're no less humans, not immune to the minimal or total failures of succumbing to the sexual thrills of falling in love. We're just more aware of the consequences of failing each other while disappointing the One who is Love and wants the ultimate best for us.
My novels portray the efforts, struggles, conduct, failures, and successes of romantic relationships. The reader sees it from both sides of this journey - and sees it from the reality of contrasting views. For some readers, that is not pleasurable reading.
It seems there are 3 types of romance novel readers. One: the romance reader who will read any kind of romance from the general market (secular); Two: the romance reader who will read both the general market and inspirational/Christian Fiction; Three A: the romance reader who wants their romance with Christian faith elements and less content relating to physical attraction and what that "causes", in other words: "Clean" labels; Three B: the romance reader who wants their romance and Christian faith elements written real.
"An Invitation" was written to point out that I'm a Three B Author as both a proclamation and a caution to some readers.
Father, I write the stories you so graciously give me. May I always honor you in the process. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus.