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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Ready for the Great Stories from This Exciting Contest?

by Chautona Havig · Leave a Comment

Classics, fairy tales, genres... All about an exciting contest. Don't know about you, but I can't wait to see what kinds of submissions Celebrate Lit gets. via @chautonahavig

This week is the final episode in our three-part series on classic retellings, continuing stories, and mashups with Sandy Barela from Celebrate Lit Publishing. Before we get to the brainstorming session (the last part of a nearly two-hour recording that I broke up),  I gave a short, mini-gush about one of the books we discussed in Episode 13 (about the great ones already in print).  I loved the book, Dust, by Kara Swanson and had to rave about it for a few minutes.  My review for that book is HERE.

Then… onto our brainstorming session and a reminder about the contest!

brainstorming with Sandy Barela and exciting contest

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

Ready for the Great Stories from This Exciting Contest?

One thing we didn’t remind authors of in this episode is that anything we came up with in this brainstorming session is fair game. If you liked any of the ideas or suggestions, please do feel free to run with it—either for the contest or just because you want to write it!

In no particular order, I know we discussed:

  • Alexander Dumas and his Three Musketeers, Count of Monte Cristo, Man in the Iron Mask, and some of his family history.
  • Dickens, of course (in passing).
  • Edgar Allen Poe
  • Shakespeare (we pretty much turned everything of his into something)
  • Louisa May Alcott (Come on… Eight Cousins?  Please!)
  • Lewis Carroll
  • Sir Walter Scott:  Particularly Ivanhoe… in space!
  • Both The Scarlet Letter (Amish?) and The Scarlet Pimpernel (WWII?).
  • Jules Verne
  • Jack London
  • H.G. Wells
  • Frankenstein
  • So many more!

I wrapped up the episode with a couple of things.

The Celebrate Lit Story Mashup/Retelling Contest!

exciting contest

To enter:

Fill out THE FORM for this exciting contest with

  • Name
  • Email
  • Story idea
  • What inspired you

By August 31, 2020.

Then, by December 31, 2020,  Send in the following:

  • The first 3 chapters (as clean as you can edit them)
  • A full editor’s synopsis (tell everything that’ll happen—share all the spoilers)
  • A marketing plan

To learn how to make a good marketing plan, join the discussion at Christian Authors Anonymous over on Facebook.

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

  • Apple 
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Filed Under: Because Fiction Podcast

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 543: A Chat with Stephanie Cardel
byChautona Havig

I love it when YA deals with real issues kids face, so I was crazy excited to hear about Stephanie Cardel’s This Isn’t Shakespeare. From what direction her life should go to peer pressure of various kinds, Cardel weaves a story that I feel is important. Listen in and learn why.

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

This Isn’t Shakespeare by Stephanie Cardel

To be or not to be…a professional dancer. Seventeen-year-old Madison is a hopeless romantic who loves quoting Shakespeare and dreams of becoming a professional ballet dancer—a dream she hides, afraid of disappointing her mom and her boyfriend. But when her dreams fall apart, she believes it’s a sign from God that she should commit to her boyfriend and make a new dream. When she realizes God wouldn’t give her a sign that points her to sin, the happily-ever-after she’s planned crumbles. Now Madison must confront the lies she’s told herself and all the red flags she’s ignored. In the process, she begins to understand that seeking God’s will may not lead to a perfectly scripted ending—but it might just lead to something real.

Learn more on Stephanie’s WEBSITE and follow on GoodReads and BookBub.

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

  • Apple
  • Castbox
  • Google Play
  • Libsyn
  • RSS
  • Spotify
  • Amazon
  • and more!
Episode 543: A Chat with Stephanie Cardel
Episode 543: A Chat with Stephanie Cardel
May 19, 2026
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Episode 542: A Chat with Megan Schaulis
May 16, 2026
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Episode 541: A Chat with Demi Griffin
May 11, 2026
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Episodd 540: A Chat with Dana Mentink
May 9, 2026
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Episode 539: A Chat with Jane Kirkpatrick
May 4, 2026
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Episode 538: A Chat with Elizabeth Goddard
May 2, 2026
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Episode 537: A Chat with Meg Calvin
May 1, 2026
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Episode 536: A Chat with Samantha Roman
April 27, 2026
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Episode 535: A Chat with Suzanne Woods Fisher
April 25, 2026
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Episode 534: A Chat with Joanna Davidson Politano
April 20, 2026
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