If you’re an author, or even a reader who pays attention to genre discussions, you’ve probably felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of terms floating around in the bookish community. We’re constantly asked to define our stories with labels that are meant to simplify things, yet somehow make them more complicated.
Clean.
Wholesome.
Christian.
Closed Door.
Low Spice.
No Spice.
It’s a lot.
And the truth is, many of these labels are nuanced and subjective. What feels “clean” to one reader may feel uncomfortable to another. What one person considers “wholesome” might feel unrealistic or sanitized to someone else. Trying to take a complex, layered story and squeeze it into a single box, one that keeps everyone happy, is simply not possible.
And that tension shows up.
If my reviews are anything to go by, I’ve upset a few readers along the way. That’s never been my heart. But I’ve learned that clarity is kindness, and setting expectations matters. So I want to be as clear as I can about what my books are...and what they are not.
I write Closed Door Christian Romance.
That means there are no explicit scenes in my books. Romantic intimacy happens off the page.
But “closed door” doesn’t mean the absence of struggle.
There will be love, yes, but also mistakes. There might be a glass of champagne or a beer. You may encounter the occasional “hell” or “damn,” but you won’t find f-bombs or explicit language. My characters are broken people. They wrestle with lust, pride, darkness, past wounds, and unresolved pain...because that’s real life.
What you will find is God.
There will be prayer.
There will be conviction.
There will be repentance.
There will be redemption and grace.
As a writer, I technically have the freedom to include many things. But freedom isn’t the same as calling. For me, the question is no longer “Can I write this?” but “Should I?” and “Does this build up?”
Sin will be present in my stories because Scripture never pretends it isn’t, but it will not be glorified. Darkness may appear, but it will never be the destination. Everything ultimately points back to God, His faithfulness, and His redemptive power.
I know this won’t be the right fit for every reader. And that’s okay.
My hope is simply that by being clear, the right readers will find these stories and the wrong expectations won’t.
That’s my promise.