Not intentionally, I've become a rebel in Christian Fiction. And I've yet to find my audience. Yes, I have those who read my work. And they actually enjoy it. Perhaps that makes them rebel readers.
Why "rebel"? Well, the current (for the past five or ten years, maybe longer) trendy label for Christian works of romance, cozy mysteries, regular mysteries, and suspense has been "clean". Notably because you can't really count on "clean" literature from general market/secular fiction in any genre including those geared to young people. The ominous cuss words, profanity, swearing, often graphic descriptions of sexual acts and encounters, etc., will often appear in non-Christian novels. So Christian fiction adopted the "clean" label to mark the difference between the two markets. The rebel in me figures that label implies unnecessary restrictions in those stories.
I in no way want to read - or write - graphic descriptions of sexual encounters. I've read enough secular literature to be disgusted and skip the pages of those descriptions or bag the books in which they appear because they contribute zero to the story - and if the story isn't strong enough to make me continue, that book is history and goes unfinished.
Having said that, I do believe in the reality of sexual temptation. Yes, even among Christians. I think it's an important factor in a love story or the romance genre. Especially for Christians. And that is where I differ from many Christian readers and authors. I've spoken with many women, young and old, along my life's journey. Those who were raised in the church, those who fell away for a season, and those who came to know Jesus later in their lives - as I did, after all the ugly mistakes, the sinful ways, the wrong decisions, etcetera. The experiences are all unique, some much harder, some much sadder than others.
I write for those readers who love inspirational fiction and aren't afraid to see the raw aspects of falling in love, the tantalizing temptation of sexual attraction, the beauty of experiencing romance, all addressed with the contrast of that experience in the world compared to it under God's direction clearly in evidence in the story. I've thought Christian readers would expect and enjoy the characters and the struggles that challenge their love and romance. I write what I want to read. Apparently, that makes me a rebel writer and a rebel reader.
If my design for the Christian fiction I write of the love stories heavy on the romance with the aforementioned contrast portrayed realistically appeals to you, try one my novels and discover if you're an undisclosed "rebel reader" too.
Raw Romantic Redemptive
Writing love stories with a passion.
Father, thank you for each book, every inspiration, everything. Apart from you, I can do nothing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.