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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

How Is a Fabulous Freakshake Related to Murder and Mayhem?

by Chautona Havig · Leave a Comment

If you love a good cozy mystery, or if you love a great ice cream shake, and especially if you like both, this is the new series for you! via @chautonahavig

If I have a favorite genre, it’s definitely mystery and/or suspense, and cozy mysteries like Pint of No Return by Dana Mentink is a perfect read–especially with summer coming.  Add to this fun, quirky whodunnit, a release fun FREAKSHAKE contest, and what more could you ask for?

This mystery in Upper Sprocket, Oregon will have you in a fine kettle of… corn-y situations and laughing about silly things like… well, metatarsals for one!

Find out about this series featuring the Shimmy and Shake Shop, Trinidad Jones, and her weasel of an ex-husband’s superfluity of ex-wives! (who knew?! She didn’t!)

cozy mystery

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

How Is a Fabulous Freakshake Related to Murder and Mayhem?

When I learned that Dana Mentink had a new cozy mystery series coming, I knew I’d be the first in line to read it. When I discovered that the publisher’s name was Poison Pen Press, well… I’ll admit it. The temptation to write a cozy and submit it just to be under that name came over me.

Never fear. I didn’t do it.  But man, I was tempted.

Enter your next favorite cozy mystery sleuth, Trinidad Jones!  This woman has been through some rough stuff, but with her service dog school flunkee dog, Noodles, she’s taken Upper Sprocket, Oregon by storm!

Or, at least has shimmied her way into a new career as a shake shop soda jerk.  Or something like that.  Upper Sprocket, home of some fabulous kettle corn and an “Alpine Fest” we’ll see in book two, has a new business!  The Shimmy and Shake Shop and their awesome freakshakes are here to keep your dentist in business and your insulin levels at an all-time high!

So how else would Dana celebrate but by having a freakshake contest?!

Find out all about the freakshake contest that goes with the release of Pint of No Return, the first in this new cozy mystery series, in this video:

…and get your entries in HERE (hurry, there are only four days left!)

The prize package with an Amazon gift card, shake glasses, apron, syrups… all the stuffness!!! You want this, guys!

Meanwhile, as you wait for Pint of No Return to release, don’t forget Dana’s first cozy mystery series, Finny’s Nose. Or, if your tastes run to suspense, THIS EPISODE talks about her latest that takes place in Death Valley!

About Pint of No Return

The first in a new dessert cozy mystery series! A murder in town is bound to shake things up…

After her divorce from her thrice-married embezzler husband, Trinidad Jones is finally ready for a fresh start. So when she’s left one of ex’s businesses in Upper Sprocket, Oregon, she decides to pack up her dog, cash in her settlement, and open her dream business: the Shimmy and Shake Shop, introducing the world to her monster milkshakes. And even with a couple of sticky situations underway, namely that the other two ex-wives also call Sprocket home, Trinidad’s life seems to be churning along smoothly.

That is until she discovers her neighbor, the Popcorn King, head down in his giant popcorn kettle. When one of Trinidad’s fellow ex-wives is accused of the murder and Upper Sprocket descends into mayhem, it’s going to take a supersized scoop of courage to flush out the killer.

You can find Dana at danamentink.com or at her  Facebook Group.

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 601: A Chat with Glenn Patrick O’Turner
byChautona Havig

Don’t know about you, but an allegory about the Armor of God? That’s right up my alley. Listen in as I talk with Glenn Patrick O’Turner about his Armatura!

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

I really enjoyed this conversation, but even more, I love the premise of the story. I have a copy here that he sent me, and I can’t wait to read it.

Armatura by Glenn Patrick O’Turner

Armatura is a gripping Christian allegory that pulls back the curtain on the unseen war described in Scripture. Through intense trials, brotherhood, and moments of revelation, it challenges readers to reconsider the nature of the struggles they face—and what it truly means to be prepared.

This is not just a story. It is a wake-up call.

Through a progression of symbolic drills and demanding exercises, the story mirrors the journey of faith itself; what it means to be called, what it costs to follow, and how we are shaped along the way. As Vic and his platoon are pushed beyond their limits, they begin to understand who they were before the call, who they are becoming, and why their past trials were never wasted. Each lesson builds toward a deeper purpose, revealing not only how to wear the armor, but why it matters and what it truly means to stand when the final battle comes.

More than an adventure, this is a story that is meant to challenge, sharpen, and prepare those who are ready to see the battle for what it truly is.

Learn more on Glenn’s YouTubeChannel 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
  • YouTube
  • and more!
Episode 601: A Chat with Glenn Patrick O’Turner
Episode 601: A Chat with Glenn Patrick O’Turner
November 7, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 600: A Chat with JPC Allen
November 2, 2026
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Episode 599: A Chat with Frank McKinney
October 31, 2026
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Episode : A Chat with L.J. Long
October 28, 2026
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Episode 597: A Chat with Alison Treat
October 26, 2026
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Episode 596: A Chat with Katheen Rouser
October 24, 2026
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Episode 595: A Chat with Jeremiah Friedli
October 21, 2026
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Episode 594: A Chat with Joy Crain
October 19, 2026
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Episode 593: A Chat with Thomas Goodman
October 17, 2026
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Episode 592: A Chat with Heidi Main
October 14, 2026
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Dear Uncle Nick,
Do you remember last year when the water main burst and flooded the picnic grounds near the town square? Everyone had so much fun skating on it once it froze over.
Why can't we do that again, but deliberately this time?
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October 1939. They fled Vienna looking for sanctuary.
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Following the Anschluss, Austria is no longer recognizable.
For its Jewish citizens, survival means listening to the whispers—whispers of a
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from Nazi hands. Driven by desperation, parents face an agonizing choice: part
with their children forever, or risk their lives by keeping them close.
Hans Hartmann arrives at Chalet Versteck with a hardened
heart and a terrified little girl in tow. He found young Grete abandoned at a
train station and couldn't leave her behind. But the chalet is far from the
haven they were promised.
The air here is thick with secrets. Children vanish in the
dead of night. And before Hans can uncover the truth, a high-ranking Nazi
officer is murdered right inside their sanctuary.
With the Gestapo closing in, the chalet becomes a pressure
cooker of suspicion. To save Grete and escape with his own life, Hans must
untangle a web of deadly lies. In a place where trust is a liability, Hans will
have to find a glimmer of faith to guide them out of the darkness—before the
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FREE through November 3, (and it takes place mostl FREE through November 3, (and it takes place mostly in autumn!)

October 1939. They fled Vienna looking for sanctuary.
They found a trap.
Following the Anschluss, Austria is no longer recognizable.
For its Jewish citizens, survival means listening to the whispers—whispers of a
hidden chalet where a courageous woman keeps hunted children safe, fed, and far
from Nazi hands. Driven by desperation, parents face an agonizing choice: part
with their children forever, or risk their lives by keeping them close.
Hans Hartmann arrives at Chalet Versteck with a hardened
heart and a terrified little girl in tow. He found young Grete abandoned at a
train station and couldn't leave her behind. But the chalet is far from the
haven they were promised.
The air here is thick with secrets. Children vanish in the
dead of night. And before Hans can uncover the truth, a high-ranking Nazi
officer is murdered right inside their sanctuary.
With the Gestapo closing in, the chalet becomes a pressure
cooker of suspicion. To save Grete and escape with his own life, Hans must
untangle a web of deadly lies. In a place where trust is a liability, Hans will
have to find a glimmer of faith to guide them out of the darkness—before the
killer strikes again.
https://link.amazon/B04ONq0y4 #AffiliateLink#ChristFic
#HistoricalMystery
#FairytaleRetelling
#HanselAndGretel
FREE through November 3, (and it takes place mostl FREE through November 3, (and it takes place mostly in autumn!)

October 1939. They fled Vienna looking for sanctuary.
They found a trap.
Following the Anschluss, Austria is no longer recognizable.
For its Jewish citizens, survival means listening to the whispers—whispers of a
hidden chalet where a courageous woman keeps hunted children safe, fed, and far
from Nazi hands. Driven by desperation, parents face an agonizing choice: part
with their children forever, or risk their lives by keeping them close.
Hans Hartmann arrives at Chalet Versteck with a hardened
heart and a terrified little girl in tow. He found young Grete abandoned at a
train station and couldn't leave her behind. But the chalet is far from the
haven they were promised.
The air here is thick with secrets. Children vanish in the
dead of night. And before Hans can uncover the truth, a high-ranking Nazi
officer is murdered right inside their sanctuary.
With the Gestapo closing in, the chalet becomes a pressure
cooker of suspicion. To save Grete and escape with his own life, Hans must
untangle a web of deadly lies. In a place where trust is a liability, Hans will
have to find a glimmer of faith to guide them out of the darkness—before the
killer strikes again.
https://link.amazon/B04ONq0y4 #AffiliateLink#ChristFic
#HistoricalMystery
#FairytaleRetelling
#HanselAndGretel
FREE through November 3, (and it takes place mostl FREE through November 3, (and it takes place mostly in autumn!)

October 1939. They fled Vienna looking for sanctuary.
They found a trap.
Following the Anschluss, Austria is no longer recognizable.
For its Jewish citizens, survival means listening to the whispers—whispers of a
hidden chalet where a courageous woman keeps hunted children safe, fed, and far
from Nazi hands. Driven by desperation, parents face an agonizing choice: part
with their children forever, or risk their lives by keeping them close.
Hans Hartmann arrives at Chalet Versteck with a hardened
heart and a terrified little girl in tow. He found young Grete abandoned at a
train station and couldn't leave her behind. But the chalet is far from the
haven they were promised.
The air here is thick with secrets. Children vanish in the
dead of night. And before Hans can uncover the truth, a high-ranking Nazi
officer is murdered right inside their sanctuary.
With the Gestapo closing in, the chalet becomes a pressure
cooker of suspicion. To save Grete and escape with his own life, Hans must
untangle a web of deadly lies. In a place where trust is a liability, Hans will
have to find a glimmer of faith to guide them out of the darkness—before the
killer strikes again.
https://link.amazon/B04ONq0y4 #AffiliateLink#ChristFic
#HistoricalMystery
#FairytaleRetelling
#HanselAndGretel
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