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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

What Are The Best Genre & Retelling Mashups Ever?

by Chautona Havig · Leave a Comment

What are some of my favorite story retellings and mashups? Well, Sandy Barela and I spent a couple of hours trying to think of all of them! via @chautonahavig

Once in a while, I get a hankering to read something different.  So, I give myself permission to do what I call a “free read” every now and then. That’s one where I get to read whatever I want.

Well, recently, my decision to enjoy a specific free read got me thinking about one of my favorite books, Dear Mr. Knightley (review here) and then I wondered if there were more.  That sent me on a quest to discover more books like it–books that are retellings or mashups or both!

Sandy Barela from Celebrate Lit Publicity and Publishing joined me a couple of weeks ago for a couple of hours of brainstorming, and this is part one of that session.

What Are The Best Genre & Retelling Mashups Ever? Retellings

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

What Are The Best Genre & Retellings Mashups Ever?

Well, I suspect that depends on what you think!  However, Sandy Barela and I came up with quite a few that we loved and wanted to share. From Austen to Dickens, Peter Pan to Wizard of Oz, we really hashed out a bunch. Including a couple of my own books!  That was fun!

We talked about some great books with retellings and mashups including (affiliate links):

  • Dear Mr. Knightley
  • 12 Days at Bleakly Manor
  • A Very Austen Romance Anthology
  • Presumption and Partiality
  • Mortal Sight
  • No Space Like Home 
  • Dust
  • A Twist of Faith
  • Operation Valentine
  • Olivia Twist
  • The Seamstress
  • Winning Miss Winthrop
  • The Christmas Carol Society
  • Jack
  • The Accidental Case Files of Emily Abbot

We actually had to stop recording before we even got to the awesome mashups we wanted to create because well, time!  AAAK!  So, we’re just going to continue this episode in a few weeks… and maybe again in a few weeks after that! (just depends on how much time is left!

Celebrate Lit Publishing (our sponsor this week) is having a CONTEST.

Okay, I don’t know about you, but I love me a good contest, and we’ve got a doozy for you today. Celebrate Lit Publishing is accepting entries into a contest with a publishing contract as the grand prize!  All you have to do is go HERE and submit your initial entry by August 31, 2020.  It’s a short form that just requests your email, basic story idea (what you’re mashing up) and why you’re excited to do this.

Then, by December 31, 2020, you’ll be expected to submit the first three chapters, a full synopsis (detailing the full plot—no cliffhangers. This is for a publisher, not a reader), and a marketing plan (how you plan to help promote your book).

Did you get that part about where the grand prize is a publishing contract? (restrictions and limitations do apply)

Since I can’t enter, I’m just going to help with reading all the submissions. And then I’ll do episodes talking with the authors who entered and see who’s doing what with their stories!  SQUEE!

This was the first of a two or three-episode series on these mashups. Stay tuned for the next one or two.

Celebrate Lit retellings and mashup contest

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 510: A Chat with Sarah Sundin
byChautona Havig

Too often we forget that part of England was under German occupation during WWII, but Sarah Sundin and I chatted about her newest release that takes place on Jersey.

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

We chatted about the way the different Channel Islands spent the war. Sarah had so many cool things she’d learned during research to share. And, I loved learning about her characters and how she came up with her story. Excellent!

Mists over the Channel Islands by Sarah Sundin

Behind enemy lines, adversary and ally become impossible to distinguish. The German invasion of the British Channel Islands shatters Dr. Ivy Picot’s peaceful world, forcing her to shoulder the weight of her father’s medical practice and hold together a family unraveling under the strain of war. As conditions worsen in Jersey with the arrival of thousands of forced laborers, Ivy’s quiet allegiance to the Allies compels her to risk everything by providing medical aid to escaped workers–even as danger closes in. Dutch engineer and resistance member Gerrit van der Zee volunteers to build fortifications for the Germans so he can secretly send maps and diagrams to the Allies. On his arrival in the Channel Islands, he crosses paths with Ivy, who shows him contempt for the uniform he wears. As tensions mount and their missions grow increasingly dangerous, Ivy and Gerrit must confront the cost of courage, the meaning of sacrifice, and whether love can survive in the shadow of war. Will their covert efforts turn the tide–or will they pay the ultimate price for defiance? Renowned WWII fiction author Sarah Sundin crafts a compelling historical romance featuring enemies-to-lovers, wartime resistance, and medical intrigue–a tale of loyalty, resilience, and courage when love and duty collide.

Get Mists over the Channel Islands at 40% off and with free shipping from BakerBookHouse.com.

Learn more about Sarah (and request your preorder goodies!) by visiting Sarah’s WEBSITE. Also follow her on GoodReads and BookBub.

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

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  • and more!
Episode 510: A Chat with Sarah Sundin
Episode 510: A Chat with Sarah Sundin
January 26, 2026
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Episode 504: A Chat with Julie Klassen
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Episode 501: A Chat with Heidi Gray McGill
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