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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

So, Just How Awful Are Old Secrets Really?

by Chautona Havig · Leave a Comment

The Bookshop of Secrets by Mollie Rushmeyer releases in just a week, and you won't want to miss this wonderful novel! via @chautonahavig

When I saw the cover of The Bookshop of Secrets, I knew I had to read the book. And seriously, yeah. This book, guys!  This book! Listen in as Mollie Rushmeyer and I chat about how this book came about, what kinds of things you’ll find in it, what I thought was way over the top and then I realized I was SOOOOOOOOO wrong about… all the things. (Psst… even a hint about the book coming up next summer!)

Mollie Rushmeyer

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

So, Just How Awful Are Old Secrets Really?

Awful.  Most of them, anyway. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never heard of a “good” old family secret. In fact, I know things about my family that people in the family don’t know about themselves! And really, if you think about it… a lot of secrets are lies. People are told things that aren’t true or lies of omission–not told things they should know so that they don’t make reasonable assumptions that are in fact untruths.

Well, Mollie Rushmeyer has written a book chock full of secrets that leave destruction behind and before. Misunderstandings, lies, expectations, and more.

Scripture warns us that every secret will be laid open… but what about personal secrets–things that are nobody’s business but our own? Are we obligated to share that information just because someone thinks they need/want it?

So many questions came to mind as I read this book. It’s multi-layered and oh, so engrossing. I even had a moment where I thought something was off… until I figured out that something wasn’t the story… it was me. BEST part of the whole thing for me unless… well, unless it was that Jane Eyre discussion I talked about.

And then Mollie told us about her upcoming novel next summer. EEEP! I’m just saying that with this book, Mollie Rushmeyer became an instabuy for me.

The Bookshop of Secrets by Mollie RushmeyerThe Bookshop of Secrets by Mollie Rushmeyer

A collection of lost books holds the clues to her family’s legacy…and her future.

Hope Sparrow has mastered the art of outrunning her tragic past, learning never to stay anywhere too long and never to allow anyone control over her life again. Coming to Wanishin Falls in search of her family’s history already feels too risky. But somewhere in the towering stacks of this dusty old bookshop are the books that hold Hope’s last ties to her late mother—and to a rumored family treasure that could help her start over.

Only, the bookshop is in shambles, and the elderly owner is in the beginning stages of dementia and can’t remember where the books lie. To find the last links to the loved ones she’s lost, Hope must stay and accept help from the townsfolk to locate the treasured volumes. Each secret she uncovers brings her closer to understanding where she came from. But the longer she stays in the quaint town, the more people find their way into the cracks in her heart. And letting them in may be the greatest risk of all…

You can learn more about Mollie on her WEBSITE.

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 603: A Chat with Cindy Morgan
byChautona Havig

Sometimes, a book title grabs you and demands you pay attention to that book. The Dogwood Gospel is one of those titles. After talking with Cindy Morgan, I went out and bought the audiobook right away. Listen in and see why!

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

People used to talk about how someone “ran off to join the circus.” Well, in this one, it’s not a line someone says. It happens!

The Dogwood Gospel by Cindy Morgan

A talented young trick rider finds unexpected community in a traveling carnival, only to discover secrets in the shadow of the Big Top.

Kentucky, 1954. Sixteen-year-old Charlie has no memory of being abandoned as a toddler—only the life she’s known with Mama Rose and Papa Arlo, the rigidly devout couple who raised her as their own. But when Papa Arlo’s rules begin pressing tighter by the day, and Mama Rose reveals a long-buried secret, Charlie realizes the truth of her past lies elsewhere. So she runs.

Disguised as a boy and dreaming of a future beyond the hills, Charlie follows the Ohio River to the Southland Carnival, where her fiery red curls and daring trick riding skills catch the owner’s eye, and Charlie is transformed into a featured act. As “The Irish Princess,” she soars beneath the Big Top, thrilling crowds and finding family among the carnival’s kindhearted misfits and wounded souls.

Back in the hills of rural Kentucky, police chief Curtis Cates has his hands full with the disappearance of three local girls when he receives the call that Charlie has gone missing. As he begins investigating, the evidence leads in a shocking direction, calling to mind an unsolved murder that has haunted him for thirteen years. When the trail takes him to the Southland Carnival, Charlie’s hard-won freedom collides with the secrets she fled, forcing both of them to face truths that have waited too long to be told.

Award-winning singer-songwriter Cindy Morgan, author of “mesmerizing” and “atmospheric” (Historical Novel Society) Southern fiction, delivers a coming-of-age story threaded with mystery and heart that’s perfect for fans of Donna Everhart and Ellen Marie Wiseman.

  • Standalone Southern women’s fiction in the vein of Kim Michele Richardson and Lisa Wingate
  • Captivating historical fiction set in the 1950s that’s perfect for book clubs
  • Features a horse-riding heroine, a cold-case mystery, and themes of adoption, forgiveness, belonging, and found family
  • Includes discussion questions

Learn more on Cindy’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
  • YouTube
  • and more!
Episode 603: A Chat with Cindy Morgan
Episode 603: A Chat with Cindy Morgan
November 14, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 602: A Chat with Paul Headworth
November 9, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 601: A Chat with Glenn Patrick O’Turner
November 7, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 600: A Chat with JPC Allen
November 2, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 599: A Chat with Frank McKinney
October 31, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode : A Chat with L.J. Long
October 28, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 597: A Chat with Alison Treat
October 26, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 596: A Chat with Katheen Rouser
October 24, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 595: A Chat with Jeremiah Friedli
October 21, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 594: A Chat with Joy Crain
October 19, 2026
Chautona Havig
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Over halfway there! 🎉✨ I just crossed the 50,000-w Over halfway there! 🎉✨ I just crossed the 50,000-word mark on Dear Uncle Nick, and you know what that means… it’s time to open Box 4 of my Archer & Olive Advent Box! 🎁
Nothing motivates a writer quite like a stationery treat every 5,000 words. Just like an Advent calendar builds anticipation for Christmas morning, each little box gets me one step closer to bringing this 1934 farming community and their heartwarming advice column to your bookshelf on Black Friday! 🎄✍️
There’s no preorder for this one, so we are counting down the days and words together until launch day.
👇 Your turn: At 55,000 words, I get to open Box 5! Leave your best guess in the comments—what stationery surprise do you think is hiding inside next? 🖊️📓
#DearUncleNick #ChristFic #ChristianFiction #HistoricalFiction #ChristmasBooks #1930sFiction #AuthorLife #WritingCommunity #BookLaunch #ArcherAndOlive #CozyReads
G'night! G'night!
When Mom makes pepper jack bread and you butter an When Mom makes pepper jack bread and you butter and fry it. Yum.
With 45,000 words "on the page," it’s time to cele With 45,000 words "on the page," it’s time to celebrate with Box #3! 🎁☕

I am officially halfway through writing my upcoming historical Christmas novel, Dear Uncle Nick! Writing this story—which centers around a cozy, small-town advice column in a 1934 farming community—has been such an encouragement even to me!
To keep my momentum going so this book is ready for you by Black Friday, I’m treating myself to a little joy: opening a beautiful @ArcherandOlive Advent Box "gift" every time I complete 5,000 words. 45K means Box 3 is officially MINE! But now how to use this amazing journal? HELP!
Because this book releases on Black Friday without a preorder, I’d love for you to follow along here so you don’t miss the release day announcement. Your prayers and encouragement mean so much to me (and to Eddie Morten--I'm sure of it!)
#DearUncleNick #HistoricalFiction #ChristianFiction #ChristmasNovels #InspirationalFiction #AmWriting #CozyReads #BlackFridayRelease #HistoricalChristmas #AuthorLife #ArcherAndOlive
Dear Uncle Nick, Our town has a lot of people in n Dear Uncle Nick,
Our town has a lot of people in need—no mistake about that.
We can’t meet them all, but we can do what we can to help.
Everyone loves a good box social, but that can be expensive, especially this time of year.
I propose a “dessert social.” We apply the same premise, but the boxes only hold enough dessert for two. Penny bids can be augmented by work or other goods. Folks can even buy the “augments.”
What do you think?
Hungry for cinnamon rolls!

Ever heard of a box social? 📦✨ In 1934, during the height of the Great Depression, communities had to get creative to help neighbors in need.
This "unprinted letter" from the archives of my upcoming historical Christmas novel, Dear Uncle Nick, shows the exact heartbeat of a small farming town trying to survive winter with a little sweetness and a lot of grit.
✍️ The Question: If you were bidding on a dessert box for two tonight... what dessert would you hope is inside? Let me know in the comments!
#HistoricalFiction #AuthorLife #DearUncleNick #FountainPen #1930s #ChristmasNovel #ChristFic #HistoricalRomance #BookReels
Awesome movie. Don't remember a single foul word, Awesome movie. Don't remember a single foul word,  despite rough subjects and scenes. Well done.
#jimmymovie
Writing with white gel ink on kraft paper just hit Writing with white gel ink on kraft paper just hits different. 🖊️🤎
I’m currently sitting at 42k+ words for Dear Uncle Nick, plotting a storyline that is giving me all the feels.
Meet our Banker dude. He can handle the town's finances under the pressure of the Great Depression, but put him in a social setting and he completely freezes up. He is incredibly shy. But winter is coming, and he's being pressured into a marriage of convenience to save his late friend's daughter from the freezing 1934 streets. ❄️💍
Despite his quiet, protective pining and our main couple's semi-secret admirer flirting through the newspaper columns, this book is more than just romance. It's a huge found family of cast that I'm loving.
Only a few thousand words left until the 45k milestone and Box #3! Let’s go! ⌨️✨
#archerandolive #writinggoals #historicalromance #blackfridayrelease #writingprocess #cozyvibes #stationery
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