Book Interview / Christian

Souls Astray | Interview with Kellyn Roth

God's Warrior5 Comments

Hello everyone, today I’m not doing a regular blog post but something entirely different. Recently, I had the privilege to take part in a blog tour for Christian and Historical fiction author Kellyn Roth’s latest book: Souls Astray. Today, I’ll be interviewing the author herself to gain an understanding as to her thought process behind her latest book and the entirety of the Kees & Colliers series.

Down below is the synopsis for the novel:

Adele has been lost for a long time now …

Adele Collier has sought a carefree lifestyle ever since her tragic childhood. Determined to never allow anyone or anything to control her life or emotions again, she consistently seeks distraction in gaiety. But shaking her ghosts isn’t as easy as she’d like.

Troy Kee has been alone in the world since the Great War took his parents and left him in care of his younger sister. When she marries, he’s left to seek after his goal of a healthy, complete family. But how can he focus on his dream when trouble plagues his family vineyard?

When Adele and Troy meet, a whirlwind romance begins—but can two lost souls have a healthy relationship?

Ok. So now that you’ve read the description for the book, are you ready to listen to the interview itself? I am.

1). What inspired you to write the Kees and Colliers historical series?

Well, the first book, The Lady of the Vineyard, just came from wanting to write a book about a situation where a little girl was torn between her mother and father. But eventually, I decided to turn it into a series! I decided I wanted to share different sides of peoples’ lives as they worked through tough situations – both those specific to their era and those that people today are still going through.

2). For your character Troy, what was it like writing someone who was off to war?

Right, Troy goes off to war in Flowers in Her Heart, which is book 2 in this series! Well, it was a bit scary, frankly, because I love Troy – and I didn’t want to write him scared. But he was scared, as he should be. And because his father was a pacifist, it was a tough decision for him to make. There were a lot of different issues to explore – patriotism vs. loving the world? Being a peacemaker vs. defending your country? Bravery vs. cowardice? Are wars moral at all?

3). What made you choose WW2 England and France as the setting of your novels?

That’s a very interesting question because I actually did consider setting this book in the Victorian era (the 1870s) when I first began working on planning it. But originally the main thing was the divorce laws. I need the 192os-on ability to just get out of a marriage, sad as that is.

4). What inspired you to write the character of Adele in Souls Astray?

I think seeing people who live in this world in difficult and troubled situations, especially those of their own causing, inspired her. Lots of people are lost in this world. It’s easy to be – we’re sinful, the world is sinful, and God can seem far away in our stubbornness.

5). Are you planning to do any other historical fiction novels? If so, what eras?

Oh, definitely! That’s my main genre. I’ve written everywhere from the 1850s through the 1940s so far. And for the most part, I’m sticking to those eras (Victorian, Edwardian, the Roarin’ 20s, the Great Depression, WWII). But I’m also interested in writing a novel set in Roman times – though that’s a way off! Right now I’m working on a lot of WWII novels and some set in the Victorian era (my other series, The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy).

Alright, everyone. I hope that this interview made you want to know more about these characters that Kellyn has created and the world in which they live.

If you’d like to learn more about Kellyn Roth, her current work-in-progress books, and more; you can find her in the various links below.

Reveries Co: reveriescompany.com
Facebook: krauthor | reveriesco

5 thoughts on “Souls Astray | Interview with Kellyn Roth”

Any Thoughts?