To celebrate the release of her new historical fiction book, Like a Ship on the Sea, Kellyn Roth is doing a blog tour!

Today I have the privilege of welcoming her to my blog for an interview!

Interview

AMY: Welcome Kellyn! First of all, tell us what your brand new book, Like a Ship on the Sea is about?

KELLYN: Given that it can be painful to answer this question with no prompts, I’ll go ahead and share the blurb:

Lady Mary Cassidy O’Connell has a dream that can be summed up in three connecting ideas: a loving husband, adorable children, and a home of her own. Her mother’s lack of care makes life difficult for Cassie, and an escape is necessary. The plan? Marry Aubrey Montgomery, the man her parents have chosen for her, and find the peace she craves.
Unfortunately, Cassie is uneasy about marrying Aubrey. Her apprehension grows as she witnesses her dearest friend’s loving marriage take place. At this wedding, she catches the eye of Patrick Hilton, son of a wealthy American. Like Cassie, he’s also set to marry a woman chosen by his parents—only, Patrick claims, he is content with this choice.
Torn between her desire for happiness and the knowledge that God is leading her in a different direction, Cassie confronts the impossible decision. Is a loveless marriage of obligation better than being alone, or will she set sail on a voyage without a safe harbor?

AMY: What inspired you to write this book?

KELLYN: As always, a mix of things … but the primary one was realizing that I wanted to write more about Cassie. I’d written about her briefly in my other series, but there was more to her story. Plus, who wouldn’t want to write a story with an Irish heroine, an American hero, and the things that keep them apart? It was just plain fun!

AMY: The title is intriguing! What aspect of the story does it draw on?

KELLYN: There are a few aspects that played into the title! The first was simple: the hero’s family runs a massive shipping company, and it has a massive impact on his life, guiding all his decisions and practically forming the man he is. Our heroine is also a bit of an adventurer, in her own quiet way, having made a few voyages of her own … plus both hero and heroine cross oceans over the course of their story. But the reason I like the title is because a ship on the sea can be all sorts of things … peaceful and quiet or, more often than not, a stormy mess of waves.

AMY: Why did you choose to write historical fiction?

KELLYN: You know, the thing is, I just started without even knowing that’s what I was doing. I suppose because it’s the genre I like to read. But I stayed because I love historical eras, and in particular learning more about how people thought and acted back then, and because I find most contemporary fiction rather boring (though not all contemporary fiction authors write boring stories, of course!).

AMY: How long have you been writing for?

KELLYN: I started when I was seven and started taking it more seriously when I was eleven. My first novel was published at fifteen! So depending on your start date, fifteen-odd years.

AMY: As a Christian author, how does your faith impact your writing?

KELLYN: In every way! I write Christian fiction, so including faith elements is a part of my genre. But in general, I make sure to prayerfully consider whatever element of my faith that I include in my novels. Usually, the most natural way to do so is by developing complex characters whose faith shows through their words and actions.

Where and when will Like a Ship on the Sea be available?

It’s available on Amazon now!

How can readers connect with you?

There are a lot of ways! I’m most active on Instagram (https://instagram.com/kellynrothauthor/), and I’m working on developing my newsletter (https://kellynrothauthor.com/newsletter/)

To celebrate the launch of her book, Kellyn is hosting a giveaway! See below for more detail!

The Giveaway

US-Only Giveaway: a signed paperback copy of Like a Ship on the Sea, a themed candle, two bookmarks, three character art prints, a themed charm bracelet, and extra special bonus scenes.

International Giveaway: an ebook copy of Like a Ship on the Sea, extra special bonus scenes, a themed phone wallpaper, and the first chapter of book 2.
Click the link to enter: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/cbb544c921/

It’s been a pleasure to host Kellyn today! Please consider purchasing a copy of her beautiful book! And if you’d like to see more of the great articles, interviews, and reviews that are a part of this blog tour, click the image below to access the blog tour schedule! 🙂