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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Want to Know Why I Write? My 2 Main Reasons

by Chautona Havig · 10 Comments

The email drops in my inbox, and just from the subject line, I know what’s coming.  It’s usually something innocuous enough like, “I just had a question about your books” or “Something’s been bothering me…” 

There’s really no indicator, but it’s like I’ve developed a “Spidey sense” about it or something.

I click, and there it is. “Why don’t you share the plan of salvation in your books?  How will people know how to get saved if you don’t share it?”

Reasons Why I Write

Note: Links in this post may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense for you.

It’s a good question, by the way. A valid one.

Now, it rarely is worded exactly like that, but if you condense the questions into two main sentences, that’s what you get. 

My answer, I think, surprises them.

I don’t write evangelistic fiction.  My target audience isn’t the seeker, the atheist, the agnostic, or the floundering.  That sounds so horrible when I type it out, but it’s true.  I have one primary reason why I write.

I write to encourage the body of Christ.

That’s it.  That’s my goal.  My target audience is comprised of Christians who need, ache, love to see how other Christians (through fictional characters) live out their faith.  The reason why I write is to show that Christians are real, flawed, hurting, struggling people who have messy lives.  I don’t write what I call edgy fiction as a general rule.  That’s not my strength.  I leave that to authors like Tammy Gray.

The next question inevitably follows.

“But what about people who are searching for Jesus?” 

They still read my work.  I have a Jewish reader, several pagans, and  I have people who inform me that they “aren’t religious” but they love the characters and storylines.  You know,  I receive emails (sometimes on the same day) that say, “Your books have brought me back to Jesus” (I almost weep over those, and I’m not a crier!) and emails that say, “It’s so nice that a religious book doesn’t shove the Bible down my throat.”  When Doctorow said that writers are schizophrenics, I think he got it right.

That’s not to say I don’t ever share Gospel elements.

Effective Immediately (Agency Files Book 3)Of course, occasionally, someone in one of my books will come to Jesus.  It happened in Discovering Hope, it happened in Not a Word, and it happened in Effective Immediately.  It’s gonna happen sometimes.  

But when I write those stories, it’s kind of how I love my romance–as a natural outpouring of a life lived rather than center stage.  Because I think Christians often wonder how to share Jesus with others without ramming Him down their throats.  They don’t want to be timid.  They don’t want to be a “Bible thumper.”  They just want to share Jesus. 

So sometimes, people in my books share Jesus.  But I write that scene to encourage Christians.  If it helps someone who isn’t a Christian see Jesus as his or her Savior and repent, well hallelujah!  I am thrilled.  It’s just not why I wrote it.

I write to “stimulate one another to love and good deeds.”  This is what my characters do.  They are faced with situations and eventually approach the solution as they see Scripture advising.

Got a secret for you: 

I don’t always agree with their solution. But the point is, they look to Jesus–His Word–for that solution.  And that’s my goal as an author. 

To encourage the body of Christ–to turn to the Word of God, the Bible, for the solutions and inspirations in their lives. 

To use story to draw people back to the feet of the Master Storyteller.

That’s it.

Okay, I have one more reason (hence, why I said two!). 

I also write because I have these stories filling my head. Sometimes, I feel like I’ll explode.  I get new ideas daily.  Most are easily adjusted to be parts of other stories, but then I scroll through stock photos in search of an image for a blog post (like this one) and there it is.  A photo.  And with it comes an idea–a fun idea. 

The Spectacles: Book 1- AverilI pop it in a lightbox (a fancy word for a file folder on the stock site).  Then I come back later for it.  Or that’s the theory, anyway.  My most recent one sent me in search of another picture.  And another.  Why?  Because I instantly saw a trilogy–three women, friends, who met on the same day in the 7th grade and now each is facing a huge fear in her life.  THREE BOOKS. This is how my brain works every day. 

So, the 2 main reasons why I write?

One is deep, spiritual, and meaningful–I write to encourage the body of Christ. I use story to point Christians back to the Master Storyteller. The other… well, that’s just a feeble attempt to de-clutter my overstuffed brain shelves.  It’s hopeless, isn’t it?

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Comments

  1. Marie Mox says

    November 25, 2020 at 7:18 pm

    Thank you. Have a very Happy Thanksgiving

    Reply
  2. Emma says

    July 2, 2015 at 12:10 pm

    I certainly appreciate what you are doing. I have only read the Aggie books and Decluttering Junkie so far, but loved them. The books are so real. I am a homeschooling mother of eight, and can tell anyone who is wondering that Aggie and her adventures with eight children rings true! These books have really encouraged me in my life; I really appreciate how you wove tips for training children in to the story so naturally. You really have a gift for that, I believe; keep exercising it.

    Reply
  3. Lucinda says

    July 2, 2015 at 11:18 am

    Wonderfully put, Chautona! I know when I open a work of yours, that I will be blessed. Challenged. Entertained. Thank you for doing what you do, so very, very well!

    Reply
    • Chautona says

      July 2, 2015 at 12:00 pm

      Awwww thanks, Lucinda!

      Reply
  4. Lucinda says

    July 2, 2015 at 11:17 am

    Wonderfully put, Chautona! I know when I open a work of yours, that I will be blessed. Challenged. Entertained ???? thank you for doing what you do, so very, very well!

    Reply
  5. Laurel Anderson says

    July 2, 2015 at 10:52 am

    I have enjoyed all of your books that I have read so far. I am a Christian, and I do find them encouraging. Keep it up!

    Reply
    • Chautona says

      July 2, 2015 at 12:01 pm

      That’s my goal! WOOT! Success! 😉

      Reply
  6. Flo says

    July 2, 2015 at 9:16 am

    I am a Christian and in all honesty there are few Christian authors that I connect with (I know bad grammar :-b ). You are one that I really connected with, ever since I started reading the Aggie series and then when I “met” Willow. I have sometimes wondered the same thing, but I also know that it is important to “feed the sheep”. There is a Pastor that my husband and I listen to and he always says, “Feed the sheep and the sheep will come”. As people read your books, those that will follow Jesus, will certainly find Him. It’s not so much about “saying the sinner’s prayer” (which has created droves of false converts), but it is about living a life of repentance and humility, being completely submissive to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And fighting the battle, falling on our faces, getting scraped up, but running back to our Lord. You have done an awesome job portraying that kind of lifestyle. I have been richly blessed and have grown in compassion for others and in a desire to honor my God in simplicity and beauty by reading your work. Keep it up!!!!

    Reply
    • Chautona says

      July 2, 2015 at 12:02 pm

      YES! That’s exactly it. It’s not that I think evangelism isn’t important, it’s just that I know my strengths and those are to encourage Christians in their walk. I can TALK to anyone about Jesus. But I WRITE to Christians about holding fast to Truth.

      Reply
  7. Rebecca says

    July 2, 2015 at 7:41 am

    You are awesome! What a great reaponse 🙂 i know your books are ones i can recommend to both my Christian and non Christian friends and not worry that my non Christian friends will feel the pressure to convert. Thats holy spirits job anyways. Its our job to obey with what He gives us.. the gardening part planting and watering 😉 i bet you have an enormous cloud of witnesses cheering you on daily! Dont give up!

    Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 231: A Chat with RomCom author, Shannon Sue Dunlap
byChautona Havig

Shannon Sue Dunlap isn’t new to rom-coms, and her first book in the Sweetheart Series promises to be a literary riot, and it lives up to that promise. I’m only halfway through it and am thinking mean, ugly thoughts of everything keeping me from being able to escape into the crazy small-town politics and quirky characters. So far the com far outweighs the rom, which makes me thrilled to bits. Listen in to discover what makes Lone Star Sweetheart so much fun.

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

Why Did This Author Write a Rom-Com about a Loveable Shrew?

Well, I think we can safely blame Shakespeare for that. Shannon Sue Dunlap has taken inspiration from Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew in her Katherine, but unlike Katerina, Dunlap’s character is actually trying to learn to tame the tongue. Maybe someone should send her over to the book of James. There’s that whole bit about not being able to tame it, being an “unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”

Kate’s isn’t that bad, but not for lack of trying. Or something.

Shannon Sue Dunlap isn’t joking when she says that her Katherine is a “loveable” shrew. Seriously, I love this character. She’s forthright, no-nonsense, and “what you see is what you get” in her approach to life. I respect that. Add to that her boss who has shaken up the town of Sweetheart, Texas, and you’ve got the makings of a great story. I’m loving Lone Star Sweetheart.

But this isn’t all Dunlap has written.

Under the pseudonym, Shannon Kent, you can find her sweet and clean romances (including one Christian romance) inspired by Korean dramas. If you said I’d be not only chomping to read a sweet and clean romance about Korean tour guides and all that entails but also ready to watch a Korean drama on Netflix… Okay, I might not have laughed in your face, but I’d’ve been laughing on the inside.

Best part… one of them ties into her Sweetheart Series

Lone Star Sweetheart by Shannon Sue Dunlap

Katherine Bruno’s passionate, unfiltered temper makes her the shrew of small-town Sweetheart, Texas. When she’s drafted to help the mayor’s wife run against her own husband, Katherine meets opposing big city political consultant Ryan Park. The good-looking, flirtatious campaign manager gets under her skin, but fraternizing with the enemy is off-limits.

Katherine must battle her lack of experience, campaign sabotage, and her growing feelings for Ryan as she strives to succeed. His unprejudiced acceptance of her strong-willed character beckons her heart, but his jaded rejection of God is an insurmountable barrier. Will Ryan return to his faith and stay with her in Sweetheart or leave when the election ends?

You can find out more about Shannon Sue Dunlap AND get that first novella in the Korean Crush series free on her WEBSITE.

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Episode 231: A Chat with RomCom author, Shannon Sue Dunlap
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