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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

A Beautiful Historical Romance Set in an Unusual Part of California

by Chautona Havig · Leave a Comment

Kathleen Denly has written a fabulous series, The Chapparal Hearts, and her latest release, Harmony on the Horizon is the best yet! via @chautonahavig

Author of the Chapparal Hearts series, Kathleen Denly talks about her series, the books, and the wonderful stories of San Diego during the Gold Rush era.

Don’t miss my review of Harmony on the Horizon. I hadn’t read it as of this interview, but I did after it was over and wow…. Just wow.

Kathleen Denly

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

A Beautiful Historical Romance Set in an Unusual Part of California

After finding Kathleen Denly’s website a few years ago, I knew I wanted to read her books, but I had no idea what I was in for.

This series features an underrepresented part of California–San Diego county. Most historical California fiction features the areas north of Monterey, but not Kathleen’s.  And in this book, you find so much that is relative to today’s issues, just dressed in the world of yesteryear.

Kathleen discusses what parts of her books she personally relates most to and she even gives us a bit about what’s coming up next!  Great news. It’s more books.

Harmony on the Horizon denlyHarmony on the Horizon by Kathleen Denly

Her calling to change the world may be his downfall.

On the heels of the Great Rebellion, Margaret Foster, an abolitionist northerner, takes a teaching position in 1865 San Diego—a town dominated by Southern sympathizers. At thirty-seven years of age, Margaret has accepted spinsterhood and embraced her role as teacher. So, when Everett Thompson, the handsomest member of the School Board, reveals his interest in her, it’s a dream come true. Until her passionate ideals drive a wedge between them.

After two decades of hard work, Everett Thompson is on the verge of having everything he’s dreamed of. Even the beautiful new teacher has agreed to his courtship. Then two investments go south and a blackmailer threatens everything Everett has and dreams of.

As Everett scrambles to shore up the crumbling pieces of his life, Margaret unwittingly sets off a scandal that divides the small community and threatens her position as teacher. With the blackmailer still whispering threats, Everett must decide if he’s willing to risk everything for the woman still keeping him at arm’s length.

You can learn more about Kathleen (and all her amazing stuff) 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 599: A Chat with Frank McKinney
byChautona Havig

Few people tackle the topic of hell in Christian fiction, so I was curious to see what Frank McKinney would do with it in his Hell’s Heaven. Listen in as we talk about his inspiration and what made him tackle this tough topic.

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

Hell’s Heaven by Frank McKinney

Once damned to Hell, it’s forever…or is it? Three “good and godly” people die in the same instant on December 19, 2037: 94-year-old Alexander in Germany, 29-year-old Carolina in Brazil, and 64-year-old Eddie in Butte, Montana. Eagerly, they find themselves in line together outside the Pearly Gates, expecting to be recognized for their sanctified lives and then welcomed into Heaven. Instead, they are violently plucked out of line by angels-turned-demons and cast down into Hell, where they are met at one of the three fiery gates by Judas, Jesus’s betrayer. What lies on the other side of Hell’s gates is beyond comprehension: a sprawling, stench-filled, cavernous realm with a low ceiling of opaque, thick, colorless glass. The voices of the damned release a chorus of everlasting despair. It’s said that no one ever wakes up in Heaven surprised that they are there. Well, Alexander, Carolina, and Eddie are shocked and dismayed that they have been condemned to Hell after the exceptional lives they believe they have led. This must be a mistake! Is this really their fate – forever? Even as they are subjected to Satan’s diabolical and unrelenting mental and physical torments, Alexander, Carolina, and Eddie discover cryptic signs they believe are sent from their loved ones in the heavenly realm. Then when they witness rare bolts of brilliant light wherein a few condemned seemingly disappear, they start to wonder … During the three days between His crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus went to Hell and freed countless condemned sinners. Could there be a way out of Hell for Alexander, Carolina, and Eddie?

Learn more on Frank’s WEBSITE.

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

  • Apple
  • Castbox
  • Google Play
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  • and more!
Episode 599: A Chat with Frank McKinney
Episode 599: A Chat with Frank McKinney
October 31, 2026
Chautona Havig
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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
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Episode 593: A Chat with Thomas Goodman
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Episode 591: A Chat with Jenny McLeod Carlisle
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Episode 590: A Chat with Shilo Creed
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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
hidden chalet where a courageous woman keeps hunted children safe, fed, and far
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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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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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Meet Mitchell Bogaert (yes, that was a bit on the Meet Mitchell Bogaert (yes, that was a bit on the nose, but come on! I had to!). He's a great guy, if a bit of a drifter. But he has a storytelling degree, and an inheritance--under one condition. He must participate in the New Cheltenham Annual Christmas
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Meet Mitchell Bogaert (yes, that was a bit on the Meet Mitchell Bogaert (yes, that was a bit on the nose, but come on! I had to!). He's a great guy, if a bit of a drifter. But he has a storytelling degree, and an inheritance--under one condition. He must participate in the New Cheltenham Annual Christmas
Storytelling Contest to receive said inheritance. What could go wrong? Get it FREE through Wednesday, October 21st HERE: https://amzn.to/3WfPj22 #Affiliate
#ChristFic
#ChristianFiction
#ChristmasFiction
#Matchmaking
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