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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

How Many Times Can Someone Get Beaten Down Before She Gives Up?

by Chautona Havig · Leave a Comment

Craig Hastings uses the difficulties of life to show hope and comfort that faith brings when you learn to trust the Lord. via @chautonahavig

Author of Moose Ridge: Ending to Beginning, Craig Hastings speaks candidly about the difficulties of life, how God is faithful in the middle of it all, and why he wrote a book about a young woman beaten down by life so much that she’s ready to give up.

The Moose Ridge series looks at difficult issues through the eyes of faithful Christians and an atheist and inspires readers to place their trust where it’s safest–in the Lord’s hands.

craig hastings

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

How Many Times Can Someone Get Beaten Down Before She Gives Up?

When Craig Hastings told me he’d run across Francena Arnold’s Not My Will during a difficult time in his life and shared the profound effect the book had on him, I knew my first impressions of Moose Ridge were spot on.

Craig opens the interview with a solid backstory for his character, Jazmine, that allows readers a quick intro into the opening scene. The synopsis gives you a hint that Jazmine is going to get hit with something hard, but as that opening scene unfolded, every idea that came to me was the wrong one.  I loved that it wasn’t predictable (at least to me, anyway).

Great, realistic characters, a fish-out-of-water story, and an appeal to faith.  What about Moose Ridge: Ending to Beginning isn’t to love?

Listeners will want to know that Craig Hastings speaks candidly of a difficult time in his life when he lost his infant son just a few months after birth and how that loss became part of the impetus for this story (although there’s nothing similar about the events).  Craig’s heart for people and the Lord shines through the entire conversation, and in the end you’re left ready to read more.

And this is only the beginning!

Craig has already written two more books and this one just released!  WOOHOO!  I’m eager to read more.  I’m especially eager to read book two and see if I agree with the publisher on things being “preacy.”  I suspect that a candid look at faith is the root of that label, and if so, I disagree. Craig said he has other books planned, so stay tuned for more information about those.

I’m also intrigued by his spy novels. He said some have criticized him for the lack of smut and foul language in them, but all I can say is, “Bring it on!”

Craig Hastings Moose RidgeMoose Ridge: Ending to Beginning by Craig Hastings

All beginnings lead to endings, but some endings bring beginnings.

Attending Harvard was the first positive thing in Jazmine’s life in a long time. While a member of an affluent New York family, her mother died when she was five and her father went to jail when she was twelve. Jazmine lost everything leaving her a ward of the state and becoming a foster child.

Meeting Michael, a medical student was the second positive experience. Now she’s looking forward to the perfect life she dreamed about. Leaving Boston and New York behind, the only cities she’s ever known, she’s on her way to join Michael and start their new life together in Wyoming where he will complete his neurosurgical residency. She’s had a lot of hard blows, but now all her hard work and dedication are going to pay off. The day has arrived for her and Michael to start the beginning of their future life together. Jazmine just knows, for once, everything is going to be exactly how she always dreamed it could be.

Then she’s handed the letter.

You can find out more about Craig Hastings and his books on his WEBSITE.

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 559: A Chat with Lisa Phillips
byChautona Havig

One of my favorite series is Lisa Phillips’ Brand of Justice. Listen in as we talk about the final book (Psst… it can be read as a stand alone) in this sixteen-book series!

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

I’ve been holding out on finishing the series since I finished book three. IT’s time. So once we got done talking, I loaded up the next book on my phone and wheeeeeee! here we go!

Now Until Forever by Lisa Phillips

**The Epic Stand-alone Finale**

Born into a legacy, Eliana must find her own brand of justice.

After moving to Chicago to work at the mysterious Shrine museum, Eliana is determined to uncover the family secrets she’s never been told. When she stumbles upon her first ever dead body, everyone around her believes she should try and solve the murder. But taking cases isn’t what she came here for. Despite her plans, things are about to turn far more sinister, and the path she’s on seems determined to drag her back into a nightmare. Chicago PD Officer Carlos Ryson was born into a legacy of his own. He’s here to look for his missing sister, Luci, and wants to enlist Eliana’s help. This is a family problem, and only family working together can solve it. But Eliana has never forgotten the way Carlos shredded her heart. If he wants them to team up, he’ll have to confront the damage he did and find a way to repair it. While the city around them descends into a chaos that resembles the end times, someone has seized the opportunity to get what they want from the Shrine. Only Eliana stands in their way, but if she’s going to figure this out she’ll need to trust that the people around her have her back. Before it’s too late. Now Until Forever is the stand-alone finale to the Brand of Justice series, and is set in the near-future. It features a happily ever after romance mixed with high-stakes suspense in this gripping crime fiction story.

Don’t miss The Lazerus Protocol preorder, too1

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

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

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  • and more!
Episode 559: A Chat with Lisa Phillips
Episode 559: A Chat with Lisa Phillips
July 11, 2026
Chautona Havig
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July 6, 2026
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Episode 556: A Chat with Sharon Wilharm
June 29, 2026
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Episode 555: A Chat with Jil Koller
June 27, 2026
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Episode 554: A Chat with Gloriaea
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Episode 553: A Chat with Chris Underwood
June 20, 2026
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Episode 552: A Chat with Laura Ashwood
June 17, 2026
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Episode 551: A Chat wth Kayla E. Green
June 15, 2026
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Episode 550: A Chat with Joan Lovestrand Farley
June 13, 2026
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