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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

15 Bloggers Share How They Fell in Love with Christian Fiction

by Chautona Havig · 6 Comments

The Jolly Farmyard- little golden booksSaid Farmer Brown, “Tra-la, tra-lee…”

Ahh… Little Golden Books.  They might not have been the first books my mother ever read to me, but they probably were. My first mystery. Nancy Drew. My first “western”? Well, I consider Little House on the Prairie to fit that bill!

But remembering all the books I’ve read over the years, and there’ve been thousands upon thousands, I thought about my own primary genre as an author—Christian fiction. I wonderd about Christian fiction introductions–who.  How?  Why?

You know, Christian fiction as a genre is rather new. That said, although not a unique genre in its own right at first, Christian fiction goes all the way back to books like Pilgrim’s Progress.

Through the centuries, “religious” fiction highlighting Christian faith and principles has always been there. In the 1800s, “Pansy” (Isabella Alden) wrote encouraging stories to encourage fellow Christians to live godly, faith-filled lives.

Later, her niece, Grace Livingston Hill took up the beacon. I remember reading an article about how for a time, Grace Livingston Hill allowed her publishers to dictate the content of her work, removing much of the faith and adding a great deal more of the romance. Not My Will by Francena ArnoldLater, she decided that she cared more about the content of her work than the popularity and chose to return to her more faith-filled roots. I wish I could remember where I found the article and if could prove it to be true or not.

And she’s not the only author to do something similar.  If I recall correctly, author Terri Blackstock purchased some of her backlist from her publishers and rewrote them.

But as a specific genre, I don’t remember anyone using the term “Christian Fiction” until 1985 when a friend gave me a book to read, Not My Will by Francena Arnold. That made me wonder what other book lovers recall their first Christian fiction introductions, so I asked a few! I’ve linked their names to blog posts that might interest you.

Christian Fiction Introductions

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

Let’s get with the Christian fiction introductions

15 Bloggers Share How They Fell in Love with Christian Fiction

Past Forward CollectionAlicia:

You introduced me to Christian Fiction via Past Forward, then through your blogs and talking back and forth about books and life in general. And as I read more of your novels and learned more ways to connect to other Christian authors and eventually to Celebrate Lit, I started reading more and blogging more.  (Note: Alicia’s link takes you to a post just about this topic.)

Jessica:

Years ago, can’t think of how many exactly, maybe 14??? My husband bought me a couple of Karen Kingsbury books for Christmas because he thought they sounded interesting. I was hooked.

From there, I branched out little by little. I started reading Amish fiction because we have tons of Amish communities around us and I was curious. Then I actually made friends with an Amish woman and we started sharing books with each other. Over the past three years, I have really started to add to the genre list through reviewing opportunities. Have loved every moment.

Petra:

Growing up, all I knew of Christian fiction was Grace Livingston Hill. I thought that it was all about love and winning the unsaved “Partner” to the Lord. But I began to seek out other Christian authors. (There are too many to mention right now). They were good, no, they were great! I had such fun reading them. But something happened.

I wanted to read a certain historical fiction series “The North and South.” I remember sitting at a picnic table and getting to so sexually graphic part. I quickly closed the book and prayed. What exactly I prayed I can’t remember, but the Lord told me to put that book where it belonged. I turned and saw a trash can and commenced to obey. When I returned to my seat and remember thinking, “There just HAS to be some good Christian writers. I recalled the Christian fiction I had read before, and the Lord directed me back. I then began to diligently seek out all genres of Christian fiction and found that they actually, in my opinion, exceeded the secular authors. I haven’t looked back since.

Debbie:

I don’t know who introduced me Just remember liking books since I was a baby! My grandma said I would read books in my crib and not tear them up or chew on them or anything, but I remember liking Helen Steiner Rice (poetry ) and Grace Livingston Hill. 

Rachel:

My aunt actually introduced me to Christian fiction when I was a teenager because she would give me the books that she would read after she was done with them. What really hooked me was when my grandmother let me read her Love Comes Softly series. I have branched out a lot in the last three years because I started reviewing. I have found a ton of amazing authors that way.

Chronicles of NarniBecky:

My mom read the Narnia books to me when I was a kid, and I started reading the Mandie books at age 6 or 7, but I clearly remember my introduction to adult Christian fiction: I was in the 6th grade and had been begging my mom to let me check books out of the adult section of our public library. She finally agreed, provided I only checked out Christian books. (At that time, all Christian fiction was marked with a green sticker on the spine.) I started with Janette Oke and Gilbert Morris, and the rest is history!

Kristine:

I honestly don’t know who lead me to Christian Fiction. I guess the first that I can remember reading was Ernest Angley’s Raptured. 

Becca:

I’ve been reading for pretty much my whole life. 2nd grade is when I remember reading more. But by 6th grade, I spent all my free time reading. I used to walk up & down the aisles of the library looking for books. (Chautona’s note: Can you imagine Christian fiction your whole life. WOW!)

Amy:

I grew up on the mission field. Not much Christian fiction available there, so we read and re-read and borrowed and shared with other missionaries. I was also homeschooled and we had no TV so reading was the pastime. I could not go anywhere without taking a book. I was a regular bookworm!

Then as I got older, married, working, I pretty much quit reading, but about seven years ago, I was going through a very trying time and a friend of mine sort of re-introduced me to Christian fiction and encouraged me to pick up a book and read! I did, started blogging, and haven’t quit since! Now, I really need to lay off a bit. ?:-)

Lori:

I can’t remember what drew me to reading Christian fiction. I just know I wanted to try something different than young adults and children’s books

Canadian West SeriesStacie:

(From her linked blog post) “When I was growing up, my mother had a closet full of books. One series in particular always caught my attention, and I finally worked up the idea to ask my mother if I could read these books. She made me promise to take care of them, but pulled out the first book in the series and handed it to me. It was titled When Calls the Heart by Janette Oke, the first book in her ridiculously popular series Canadian West. (Now the books have these insanely gorgeous covers, but when I was a kid, they had these cheesy illustrated covers. And I adored them.)”

Elizabeth GailKristin: 

My grandmother introduced me through the Elizabeth Gail series by Hilda Stahl

Kathleen:

My mom introduced me to Janette Oke when I was in high school. Then a year or so later, I went to a Christian bookstore looking for a study bible and discovered there was a whole other world of Christian fiction I had never known about.

Virginia:

I think one of my first Christian authors was Beverly Lewis.

Sophie's heartChallice:

I think my first Christian fiction book was either Roses for Mama or Nana’s Gift. I was a teenager who wanted to be grown up, so I read anything my mom would let me get away with.  As a teen, you’re trying to relate to something a little deeper than the whimsical kid stuff you’d been reading, you want more of it.  So, that was a big part of my “why” as a teen.

Sophie’s Heart probably grabbed me more than anything else. That’s when I fell in love with the genre for its own sake.

As for me… You know, I think I’ve told people that Michael Phillips’ “Secret of the Rose” series was my introduction to Christian fiction, but I was wrong. First came the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis when I was seven.

Found TreasureThen, at fourteen, that book by Francena Arnold—and a few more by her as well. And then I read a Grace Livingston Hill book in 1987—The Angel of His Presence. That book is exactly why I didn’t read anything else by her for a very long time.

Fortunately, friends introduced me to her better works like The Obsession of Victoria Gracen, Cloudy Jewel, Aunt Crete’s Emancipation, and our family’ personal favorite, Found Treasure. My eldest granddaughter was named after the heroine.

What about you? What or who was your first introduction to Christian fiction?

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Comments

  1. Amy says

    July 8, 2017 at 6:07 am

    That was a great post. I read some Nancy Drew as a kid, Love Comes Softly, and Grace Livingston Hill. I did forget to mention what type of Christian Fiction we had on the mission field 🙂
    I really enjoyed reading all the comments.

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      July 11, 2017 at 1:24 am

      It both surprised and absolutely did NOT surprise me that GLH and Janette Oke were the two most popular “introductions.”

      Reply
  2. Rebekah says

    July 7, 2017 at 8:58 pm

    I grew up with an entire church library of Christian fiction. CS Lewis, the Mandy books, then Janette Oke and Lori Wick. I haunted the public libraries nearby, well before the idea of interlibrary loan, for any book by a publisher I recognized as “safe”.

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      July 7, 2017 at 9:36 pm

      I didn’t think of C.S. Lewis as a Christian Fiction author any more than I did John Bunyan, but of course, he was. Weird how we do that

      Reply
  3. Lori Parrish says

    July 7, 2017 at 6:11 pm

    Chautona, I love this!! I thinks it’s awesome that you used us to make this happen

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      July 7, 2017 at 6:25 pm

      I am just so grateful for all of you! Thanks!!!

      Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 234: A Chat about The Chosen Kids with RM Ruiz
byChautona Havig

Remember when you were a kid and you wanted to help with whatever the family was doing, so Great Aunt Tissy gave you a stack of napkins and told you to put one at each plate? Remember how she commented on what a  “big girl” you were?  And then, as if that weren’t bad enough… remember how you were fourteen and a “big girl” was the last thing you wanted to be? 

RM Ruiz’ The Chosen Kids Saga does just the opposite. She has a cast of related characters who are given real work by God–important work. They’re pulling on the armor of God and doing real battle with real enemies of the Kingdom of God and all while He works out their sanctification. Listen in to where she got the idea and where the Chosen Kids are going next.

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

What if God Decided to Use Ordinary Kids to Battle the Underworld?

Can I just say that I love the respect Rosemary shows her characters? These kids, as young as eleven, aren’t told to fold napkins and praised as if they saved the world. They’re given tools and assignments and do save the world… or at least a piece of it and with the real help of the Holy Spirit. How cool is that?

And she does it with a tortilla in one hand and some eye and mouth-watering chili stuffs in the other.

Oh… and don’t forget the research for Encounter at Paradise that sent her up a literal slippery slope into frozen tundra. In July. #BecauseResearch.

And the result is book two of the Chosen Kids Saga! (To listen to the first episode where we talked more about the first book, go HERE.)

The Chosen Kids: Encounter at Paradise by RM Ruiz

A thrilling adventure for middle-grade readers, showcasing the supernatural powers of God, His son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.This is the second book of The Chosen Kids Saga.The Chosen Kids are ready for their second mission!

It’s been two weeks since Caiden and his family’s summer of fun turned into a secret quest for God. After their first mission, the Chosen Kids step into their new roles without fear or reluctance. With revived faith and God’s blessed tools, they embark on their second hunt—ready to track, capture, and expel the enemy.

But the day turns into a tedious game of hide-and-seek as the family races to get ahead of the fiend. When the unthinkable happens, and their mission becomes personal, they must keep the faith and trust God’s plan. They could set things right with the Holy Spirit’s guidance, but only if they obey His commands completely. Caiden thinks he’s uncovered the answer, but no one ever listens to the youngest cousin…

With nightfall quickly approaching, the Chosen Kids set a trap.

But if their plan fails, they could lose one of their most valuable assets, and their quest will end in heartbreak and disaster.

In this next chapter of the Chosen Kids Saga, readers will see the cousins in action as they take on their new roles with renewed spirits. Just like the first book, this fast-paced adventure includes family love, kid banter, and humor with even more adventure, danger, and spiritual growth!

This series mixes fantasy and adventure elements with transparent Christian themes for young believers who want a story that includes gospel truths without reading through symbolism.

Middle-grade readers will follow along as these flawed, relatable characters—still finding their way in Christ—embark on a life-transforming quest to save humanity. With family love, spiritual growth, kid banter, and humor all mixed in for a fun and exciting journey.

The adventure starts with Encounter at the Dunes and continues in Encounter at Paradise. Grab a copy of both to begin the redemptive journey today! Book three, Encounter At Ambrose, coming summer 2024.

Learn more about the series, the characters, and Rosemary at TheChosenKids.com

And the series she mentioned was The Son of Angels.

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

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Episode 234: A Chat about The Chosen Kids with RM Ruiz
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June 6, 2023
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June 2, 2023
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