Christian writers stay faithful

The books deal with down-to-earth people without using bad language or explicit sex.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
Readers of romance novels generally know what's in them -- bodice-ripping, heavy-breathing sex, told in erotic detail.
Readers of Christian romance novels generally know what's not in them -- bodice-ripping, heavy-breathing sex, told in erotic detail.
But that doesn't mean they can't tell a good love story, say the writers of these inspirational romantic tales. And what's in them that general romance lacks is a Christian message or faith element woven into the story.
"The perception is that romance means lurid sex novels," said Karen Kingsbury, a Christian novelist. "Those of us who have lived more than 20 years know that romance is not sex. Sex should be romantic, but our point of view is that it should be within marriage.
"You can have incredible romance and sexual tension within a faith-based novel."
Tracie Peterson, a Christian romance writer, agrees that sexual scenes are unnecessary to the story.
"We bring them to the door and close it," she said. "I don't want the physical to be the focus of my story. I don't think I need to show that, beyond developing the characters and their love for one another. Intimacy is built on so much more than just sex."
Growing in popularity
A growing number of readers apparently agree. Romance, in general, accounts for about 35 percent of the total popular fiction market, according to Romance Writers of America. And Christian romance "is a consistent area of growth," said Phyllis Tickle, contributing editor in religion to Publishers Weekly.
More and more publishers have recognized the potential. For example, Harlequin Books, publisher of general romance, six years ago started Steeple Hill to meet the growing demand from its readers for inspirational fiction, said Tracy Farrell, Steeple Hill's senior editor.
"Our readers for years were asking for inspirational romance," she said. "We tested it and did very well, so we decided to jump into it. Christians read secular romance, but they also wanted to see Christian romance."
Many in the industry say Christian romance is floating on the rising tide of Christian fiction in general, such as the "Left Behind" series and Christian suspense.
"When Jesus wanted to touch a heart, he told a story, and that's still true today," Kingsbury said. "The question is, how do we tell that story."
Creative writing
She said Christian romance writers have to consider such things as: How do you deal with relationships and sexual tension? How do you tell about sin without tantalizing? How do you stir the heart? What is and is not appropriate?
"A lot of time, using foul language and gratuitous sex is a lazy way of writing," Peterson said. "I've had to learn to be far more creative, like developing characters who have bad attitudes without using bad language. This is a battle because people do swear and lose their tempers. So I've used things like, 'He said a curse under his breath.'"
Dorothy Featherling, coordinator for the recent national conference of the American Christian Romance Writers, said, "People will find that the stories are about down-to-earth people who have the same problems as everyone else but have a faith source who can help them get through them."
The authors say they often receive mail from readers who are relieved to read a romance novel that doesn't contain bad language and explicit sex. Like her readers, Peterson is happy the genre has developed.
She loves romance stories and wanted to write romance, but when she started writing in the early 1980s there was little Christian fiction on the market.
"I feel like this is the place where God wanted me to share what he had done in my life," said Peterson. "I thought of it as a way to give back the hope that I had through my faith. And this has proven to be a tremendous blessing to me. I totally feel that it's a mission field."
Kingsbury, who is a former journalist with the Los Angeles Times, wrote general fiction and crime novels before starting to write Christian fiction five years ago. She said she was a little leery at first because writing perfect characters with the perfect ending was not her style. But then she found Christian fiction that was not like that.
"God directed me to the Christian market," she said. "I thought it would be second-best. But for me, it has been first-best."