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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

If You Love Authentic Historical Fiction, Don’t Miss This Author

by Chautona Havig · 1 Comment

Pegg Thomas has written a riveting series about strong women in the forts of Colonial America. Find out what she writes and why! via @chautonahavig

I first “met” Pegg, when we started chatting over an amazing debut author.  Shortly afterward, I read her book in one of the Barbour collections (Lighthouses) and I loved her book (and it was almost if not the only one I loved in the collection).

Since then, she’s gone on to publish other historical books.  As a “Colonial to Post Civil War” author, her books span a good bit of history, but they all hold one thing in common–strong women, true history, everyone on all sides of coins coming out looking as bad and good as human nature can be and as history reflects.

Pegg Thomas

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

If You Love Authentic Historical Fiction, Don’t Miss This Author

One of the things I love most about Pegg Thomas’ writing is that she doesn’t shy away from things that aren’t exactly popular. If historical people did terrible things… she shows it.  If they did good things that don’t fit the current narrative… she shows that, too. Because of this, you see a raw, gritty side to historical fiction that is often glossed over in books that prefer to dwell on a kinder, gentler past.

In her first book of the Forts of Refuge series, Sarah’s Choice, I got a chapter or two in and realized that Sarah was about to be raped. I can handle a lot in fiction, but that one thing is just too hard for me to get past, so I tend not to keep going when I see it coming. I then email the author and ask how much is involved. While I want to read the books, I also need to ensure I don’t end up making my family deal with nightmares, you know?

Pegg assured me that her book wasn’t a “how-to” manual.  That cracked me up. And she’s right. I went back and kept reading and guess what?  We know the horror of what Sara endures without seeing too much of it play out on the page.  Thank you, Pegg.

While we chatted, Pegg Thomas told a bit about her writing process.

This included a fun tidbit… Sarah’s Choice was the first book that she can say “the Lord gave” it to her.  Usually, she struggles to get every word, but not with this one.  Alas, the other two in the series weren’t that easy, either.  Oh, well.  Also, Pegg hinted that there will be two more books in the series eventually.  (Note: each book in this series stands alone but some characters may crossover).

Pegg also pointed out that while this is Christian Fiction, it is also a bit of a “bridge” book between CF and mainstream.  The Christian themes are overt, and as one reader said (loosely paraphrased), “I didn’t see Jesus’ name written in the book, but Christ was definitely there.”  I love that.

Sarah's Choice Pegg ThomasSarah’s Choice by Pegg Thomas

Sarah Feight has her life planned with a loving husband, a promising new settlement, and big dreams to shape the future of trade on Pennsylvania’s frontier. An Indian attack at dawn changes everything.

When he pulls his freight wagons into Fort Pitt, Leith McCully never dreams he’ll be conscripted into the militia and ordered to defend the fort. Worried about trader friends on his delivery route, he rides to their settlement and returns with Sarah, the only survivor.

Fort Pitt is crowded to twice its capacity with the settlers who have taken refuge there and surrounded by the rising smoke of burned-out settlements. Tempers flare, disease breaks out, and the constant fear of the next attack has everyone on edge.

Cully keeps an eye on Sarah because he feels responsible for her. And, though he doesn’t admit as much, she tugs at his heart. Sarah sees Cully as the last link to her past. A friend of her husband’s family. She’s going to need someone she can trust, and she trusts Cully. Her rescuer.

Are trust and admiration enough to help them survive the siege and its devastating consequences? Is there any hope for a future beyond?

To learn more about Pegg Thomas (and to sign up for her newsletter and be entered into her drawings for a handknitted shawl!!!), visit her WEBSITE.  I love that she calls herself a “spinner of yarns.”  How well that fits TWO sides of her!

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Previous Post: « These 5 (or is that 7?) Books Are My Favorites of 2022 (So Far)
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  1. Rev. Andrea Stoeckel says

    March 16, 2022 at 11:36 am

    just picked up three of the. Thanx asalways Chautona

    Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 145: A Chat with Debut Women's Fiction Author, Sara Brunsvold
byChautona Havig

Debut Author, Sara Brunsvold, is bursting on the Christian Women’s fiction scene with an amazing book, The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip. With characters who have captivated my heart from page one (and enough quirkiness to keep my attention to the last), Sara Brunsvold is sure to become a favorite author, and this book is already on my top five of the year before it’s even released!

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

This Novel Isn’t Even Available Yet, and It’s in My Top 5!

If you’d told me that I’d fall so in love with two chapters of a book that it would push that book into my top five of the year so far, well… I’d have laughed.

The joke’s on me because it happened with Sara Brunsvold’s The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip. This debut women’s fiction novel has a bit of a split-time element and is set in Kansas City. Trust me when I say that meeting Clara was one of the most fun introductions to a character I’ve ever had. I just love this woman, and I’m drumming my fingers to get to read more about her.  Not surprising considering it won the ACFW Genesis’s award a couple of years back. 😀

Sara says her passion is intergenerational stories, and you definitely get this with Aidyn and her “assignment,” Mrs. Kipp.  But you also get inter-cultural and ideological influences in this book as well.

And then there’s that next book she has coming out.  You know, the one about a gal cooking her way through her grandma’s German cookbook?  Yeah.  The one we have to wait until early 2024 for?  Yeah. That one.  Sigh.

When Sara told us about her favorite authors, a lot of things made sense.  Just sayin’. Find out which of Katherine Reay’s books are her favorites and how she fangirled over Reay’s response to an email (and why you should email your favorite author!).

The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip by Sara Brunsvold

Aidyn Kelley is talented, ambitious, and ready for a more serious assignment than the fluff pieces she’s been getting as a cub reporter for the Kansas City Star. In her eagerness, she pushes too hard, earning herself the menial task of writing an obituary for an unremarkable woman who’s just entered hospice care.

But there’s more to Clara Kip than meets the eye. The spirited septuagenarian may be dying, but she’s not quite ready to cash it in yet. Never one to shy away from an assignment herself, she can see that God brought the young reporter into her life for a reason. And if it’s a story Aidyn Kelley wants, that’s just what Mrs. Kip will give her–but she’s going to have to work for it.

Debut author Sara Brunsvold delights with this emotional multigenerational story that shows that the very best life is made up of thousands of little deaths to self. You’ll want to be just like Mrs. Kip when you grow up!

This book is 40% off with free shipping from Baker Book House. That’s less than the Kindle version if you like paper!

You can learn more about Sara at her WEBSITE (and sign up for that newsletter so you can get Mrs.Kip’s 8 Rules to Live By). Oh, and if she does those videos of her cooking through that book, you’ll want to know when/where to find them.

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

  • Apple 
  • Castbox 
  • Google Play
  • Libsyn 
  • RSS
  • Spotify
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  • Amazon
  • and more!
Episode 145: A Chat with Debut Women's Fiction Author, Sara Brunsvold
Episode 145: A Chat with Debut Women's Fiction Author, Sara Brunsvold
May 20, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 144: Chatting about Restored Grace with Kathleen J. Robison
May 17, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 143: A Chat with Romantic Suspense Author, Mary Alford
May 13, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 142: A Chat about A Promise Engraved by Liz Tolsma
May 10, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 141: A Chat with Elizabeth Goddard about Critical Alliance
May 3, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 140: A Chat about When the Meadow Blooms by Ann H. Gabhart
April 29, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 139: A Chat with Middle-Grade Author, RM Ruiz
April 26, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 138: A Gush about a Good (more like GREAT) Read & GoodReads
April 22, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 137: A Chat with Contemporary Romance Author, Mandi Blake
April 19, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 136: A Chat with Middle-Grade Historical Author, Marie Sontag
April 15, 2022
Chautona Havig
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Reposted from @beckylewis345 Life can be hard. Ent Reposted from @beckylewis345 Life can be hard. Enter cozies like A Sprinkle in Time by Dana Mentink. Clean, with a sweet romance, whose amateur sleuth runs a delectable shake shop. A dog, a child, precocious twins who work for the shake shop, and lovable Papa Luis. Plus, of course, plenty of suspects. “Murder, mayhem, and milkshakes. Who’d a thunk it?”

Trinidad Jones becomes someone I truly care about in this book. I am amazed at how she and Gabe’s two other former wives forgive each other and actually become friends. Not just friends, but family, as thick as blood. Now there is a small cluster of characters to follow and enjoy in this town of Upper Sprocket. Fun!

I enjoy the inclusion of dogs, children, and special-needs people, and Dana Mentink brings them all to our Shimmy and Shake Shop story. Noodles is old, but what a loyal companion, and, wow, does he have an amazing ability or two! Little  Felice adds warmth and vulnerability to the tale. Doug, the special-needs brother of Trinity’s love interest, Quinn, adds reality and complexity to the novel. 

Mentink has a good sense of humor and I laughed out loud several times. Just what I want out of a cozy. Mystery, romance, great characters, laughter. A fun occupation that the sleuth actually works at. I am happy to report I made it through the book without indulging in ice cream! But, can you?

I am looking forward to more murder and mayhem in Upper Sprocket! Plus more Freakshakes! 

———————————————————————
I received a copy of the book from Celebrate Lit. (I also bought my own copy.) No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
———————————————————————
Notable Quotables:
“He was merely a friend the way a Ming vase was just an old pot.”

“There’s your plan and God’s plan, and your plan…” “Doesn’t count,”

“Maybe it’s one of those weird small-town happenings.” “A body in your trunk isn’t a happening, it’s a horror movie,”

“It wasn’t an easy thing to command the heart to feel what the brain ordered.”

“Rumors carry so much more weight than the truth, sometimes.”
Giveaway on blog in bio.
#celebratelit
#danamentink
#frozendesserts
#justdeserts 
#justiceforsprockett
#amreadingcozies
Reposted from @celebratelit Did you know that When Reposted from @celebratelit Did you know that When the Pilot Falls by April Hayman from the Ever After Mystery series is 25% off with the Celebrate Lit Summer Sale? 

More about the book: 
In 1923, there aren’t many pilots, but Willie Labeau didn’t let that stop… her.

A bear of a man, Hugh Taylor, needs a stunt plane pilot, and despite their rocky introduction, Willie sets off for golden California and a new life as his pilot. There’s just one little thing she has to do in addition to flying.

Leave his past alone. Period.

When the flame of her own curiosity becomes fanned by encouragement from Willie’s sister, the feisty pilot can’t help but do just a little investigating.

And Hugh vanishes.

Friends rally around her, and with all the information she can find in hand, Willie sets off to rescue Hugh and battle the evil family holding him hostage.

A fierce air race, a sincere act of humility—are they enough to free Hugh and give Willie a chance to be with him… forever?

Find out in this next book in the Ever After Mysteries, combining beloved fairy tales and mysteries. When the Pilot Falls offers a retelling of “East of the Sun, West of the Moon” that will keep you gripped to the edge of your seat as you watch hearts soar and daring dos.

Link in bio! 

#aprilhayman #whenthepilotfalls #everaftermysteries #celebratelit #christianfiction #historicalfiction #bookstagram #bookloversofinstagram #readersofinstagram
Dial W for Wrangler: Vi's just trying to sell used Dial W for Wrangler: Vi's just trying to sell used recliners and old, broken wagon wheels.  She can't help it if folks keep asking for help with their love lives... can she?
See the lengths Wade goes to in his quest to behave like a rational guy.
Releases Tuesday, May 24. Available on 
#Kindle
#KindleUnlimited
#PaperbackBooks

#ChristFic
#YouAreOnTheAir
#ContemporaryChristianSweetRomance

Leave a comment request and I'll send you a link. :D
Ready for giveaways and fun? I sure hope so, beca Ready for giveaways and fun?  I sure hope so, because I'm planning on loads!
Win books (mine and others'), fun swag (Do you see those cute pins and reading list bookmarks?), and more!
Starts off Tuesday morning! (or maybe tomorrow... or this evening... depends on how much willpower I actually have!) Join us in the You Are on the Air Reader group!
#booklaunch
#newrelease
#Giveaways
#YouAreOnTheAir
Link to group is in my bio!
And tomorrow the GoodReads Giveaway begins!
How does this author celebrate a finished book? By How does this author celebrate a finished book? By reading someone else's finished book. 😀 
#amending
#needicecream 
#onthemenu
#freakshakes
"Murder, mayhem, and milkshakes. Who'd a thunk "Murder,  mayhem,  and milkshakes.  Who'd a thunk it?"
@dana_mentink 
#shimmyandshakeshop
#cozymystery 
#needicecream
Love it when publishers use plays on words. #amend Love it when publishers use plays on words.
#amending
#cozymysterybooks 
@dana_mentink
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