"I See the 'Sweet', But Where's the Faith?"

A few readers have complained that Mail Order Regrets had no "moral" to it, or that there was no religious subtext to the book.  I figured other readers might be curious, wondering the same thing.

First, as I mention both in the book description and in the very beginning of the book, Mail Order Regrets is NOT an inspirational book.  I'd say a majority of my readers are Christians of some type (whether conservative or more liberal, I couldn't say--but I suspect it runs the gamut), so because of Amazon's algorithms, it frequently ends up in the "also bought" recommendations on the book "buy" pages for many inspirational authors, as well as ending up in the bestseller and Hot New Releases lists for inspirationals.  But that doesn't change the fact that it's not inspirational--it's just a plain old sweet romance, and I try to make that clear in my description, so readers can make a well-informed buying decision.

Unfortunately, some people don't read the whole blurb before buying.  Or the warning at the front of the book, which can be clearly seen in the "look inside" preview.  :-(   Oh well.  I try.

So as I said, there is no religion in the book.  There may be a passing mention of God or prayer--as it may pertain to a particular character's general belief system--but religion, God, and spirituality are not the focus nor the theme of the book.

Why?

1.  I don't want it to.  I want to write whatever comes to mind, without having to be restricted by the unwritten "rules" of inspirationals (i.e. no gambling, drinking, dancing, etc).  While I try not to portray excessive gambling or drinking in a positive light, I want the choice of having such things happen in the book, when it feels right for the situation.  My personal belief is that dancing isn't a sin, nor is a glass of wine or buying a raffle ticket.  I understand some people disagree, and that's fine--that's why I don't write inspirationals, so we can avoid the debate.  :-)

2.  There is a dearth of historical books that don't have sex and are not inspirational.  It seems the big thing nowadays is to either have erotic/spicy historical romance, or inspirational historical romance.  Not a lot of "in between."  So I'm here to fill the "in between."  I read inspirationals all the time, but sometimes you just want a plain ol' romance, without a "moral" to the story, you know?  No conversion, no momentous life decisions about religion--just regular old romance and life problems.  Just for a change of pace.  Also, there are a lot of readers who enjoy a "sweet" romance (no sex), but either they aren't Christian, or don't make their Christianity a large part of their life.  So my books are a good fit for anyone who wants a sweet romance, but doesn't want (or wants a break from, or doesn't require) Christian themes.  If you must have a religious theme, I recommend any Bethany House author...they are wonderful.

3.  I like being able to include descriptions of the full range of emotions/feelings that a person in my character's place would be feeling.  I like characters that are more realistic, so for me to pretend that people never felt attraction back in the "old days" just seems...hollow.  I mean, just because society tells you not to give in to certain feelings doesn't mean you don't feel them, right?  People may have controlled their behavior and emotions, but they still had them!

So I slip in just enough attraction/sexual tension to give a hint of realism, without it being "too much"...at least, not too much for the average reader, I think.  That way, you get a well-rounded view into what the character is actually experiencing--the rush of hormones, the flush of excitement you get when you meet someone new, the embarrassment of feeling things that society says you shouldn't feel, and how it feels to be around someone you admire and are falling in love with, and not be able to just kiss them whenever you darn well feel like it!

And that's why I don't write inspirational romance!  Even though I love reading it.   :-)