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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Is There Room for Love in My Heart for Air BnBs?

by Chautona Havig · Leave a Comment

Room for Love by Marguerite Martin Gray introduces us to a Suamalie Islands innkeeper and takes us on a faith-filled journey to love. via @chautonahavig

Christmas 2016. Some might say that in a bid for “room for love,” the family and I all converged on a house in Ramona, California. The place was enormous and sat on a hill overlooking a steep drop-off below. An infinity pool ran right out to the edge of that drop-off, and a hot tub sat to its left.  Anyone who has read my book Sand & Mistletoe knows the rest of the story.  For the uninitiated, I’ll tell it from my point of view (since it’s the one I experienced).

There I was in our bedroom, typing furiously away on a book that released the following week, when I heard a shout. It’s the Havigs. We’re like the Big Fat Greek Wedding folks–without the Greekness (we save that for my dear friend instead). So a shout could be anything from someone pouring ice cubes into the hot tub to #2son chasing down one of the bestekids, or any number of other issues.

Then my bedroom door banged open. I don’t remember who stood there because the words, “Dad fell down the hill” kind of drove all other thoughts from my mind. I raced out of the room and to the hot tub where, no joke, my kids were using phones for flashlights to help my mostly blind (without his glasses) husband try to get back up. He’d fallen at least fifteen feet onto some boulders.

room for love

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you

How, you might ask?

Well, that’s the fun thing.  Pretend there are air quotes around “fun.” Air quotes the size of tiger claws. See… there was zero lighting around the pool. And when you climbed out of the hot tub, it was onto a narrow ledge… a slippery, narrow ledge.  With nothing to prevent him, my husband’s foot went, WHOOSH!… and down he went.

Seriously, I kind of felt sorry for the poor gal who rented us the house. I know she thought we’d sue. When we left, #2daughter let her know about the slipperyness and the lack of lighting to know where not to go and she had it installed before any of us got home.  No, we didn’t sue.  We’re not big fans of the whole lawsuit thing.

But… it makes for a great Christmas story… no really, I fictionalized it into a story that is nothing like that actual weekend and yet has enough of the family personalities (hopped up on literary steroids) that people sometimes say, “I can see (insert daughter here) in it, but she’s not like that!”

Exactly how I hoped it would be!  It was my first time renting an Air BnB… and shocker… wasn’t my last!  But those (including the one that had the scariest tub I’ve ever nearly broken my neck getting in and out of!!!) are stories for another day.

So what’s the thing with this story?  Well… I’ll tell you.

Room for Love Marguerite Martin GrayRoom for Love by Marguerite Martin Gray released yesterday!

God gave her peace then; maybe He’ll do it again.

When Amy Lee’s son heads off to college, the bed and breakfast owner finds life even lonelier and emptier than she had after losing her husband. She needs something to occupy her mind and heart while she reinvents her life again. What more could she ask for than an after-school program for local children and a renewed interest in painting?

Then the arrival of a professor of archeology shakes her world and makes her yearn for the way things were only a few short months ago.

Still grieving the loss of his beloved wife, and ignoring the warnings and protests of his grown children, Professor Walker Standish escapes on a six-month sabbatical. His heart, barely beating these past months, jerks to life again when he finds more than a room at a B & B.

Where an ocean meets the shore, love has room for one more.

Take a trip to the Suamalie Islands where palm trees sway, the sand and sea pulse with life, and the people will steal your heart.

The authors are all sharing their Air BnB stories, complete with giveaways, so you don’t want to miss them!

Marguerite Martin Gray: July 25

Chautona Havig: July 26

Rachel Skatvold: July 27

Susan K. Beatty: July 28

Tabitha Bouldin: July 29

Amanda Tru: July 30

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 448: A Chat with Nancy Naigle
byChautona Havig

 I fell in love with Nancy’s writing with The Shell Collector. Imagine my joy when I discovered she has a SEQUEL! Eeep! Listen in and discover which characters you’ll find in To Light the Way Forward and what’s coming next for one of America’s favorite authors!

note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

It’s been three years since Nancy and I had a chance to talk, and in that time, she’s been BUSY.  So in addition to falling in love with her character, Tug, and wanting to give him his own story, she’s written a small-town duet (and maybe we talked her into a third?) as well as a romcom duo!  Think we can talk her into a third of that series as well?  Because… SPOILER ALERT… we’re getting a third Shell Collector Series book, too! EEEP!

To Light the Way Forward by Nancy Naigle

A novel of overcoming deep loss, taking risks, and learning that life—and love—often surprises you when you least expect it, from the USA Today bestselling author of The Shell Collector. “Bringing to life characters you can’t help but fall in love with, Nancy Naigle goes straight to the heart with this story of tragedy turned to triumph. A poignant reminder to never give up hope.”—Sheila Roberts, author of The Best Life Book Club Feeling adrift after the loss of her husband, Rosemary sets out to visit an old friend on Whelk’s Island, undeterred by the threat of a hurricane. Before the storm hits, she finds herself at Tug’s Diner where she quickly connects with the owner, Tug. But the storm destroys the diner, compounding Tug’s grief from losing his love the previous year. The longer Rosemary stays, the more she sees Tug’s deep sadness and resolves to help him. Together with Tug and friends Amanda and Paul, they all pitch in to help the close-knit community recover and rebuild. As Amanda and Paul reconnect after losing touch during the storm, their plans to take things slow seem increasingly impractical. While Rosemary and Tug help the young couple navigate their relationship, they also find themselves building a friendship that begins to restore them both. But can that friendship convince them that love is possible for anyone who’s willing to take a risk—even those who never hoped they’d find it again?

Learn more about Nancy on her WEBSITEand follow her on GoodReads and BookBub.

Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

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Episode 448: A Chat with Nancy Naigle
Episode 448: A Chat with Nancy Naigle
July 19, 2025
Chautona Havig
Episode 447: A Chat with Cate Touryan
July 14, 2025
Chautona Havig
Episode 446: A Chat with Rachel Chamberlayne
July 12, 2025
Chautona Havig
Episode 445: A Chat with Michelle Griep
July 7, 2025
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Episode 444: A Chat with Rosey Lee
July 5, 2025
Chautona Havig
Episode 443: A Chat with Yvonne M. Morgan
June 30, 2025
Chautona Havig
Episode 442: A Chat with Liz Johnson
June 28, 2025
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Episode 441: A Chat with Shannon Sue Dunlap
June 23, 2025
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Episode 440: A Chat with Jordan Millsaps
June 21, 2025
Jordan Millsaps
Episode 439: A Chat with Laura Thomas
June 16, 2025
Chautona Havig
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