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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

The Crazy Things Some People Do for a Good Book

by Chautona Havig · Leave a Comment

I love great mashups like the next person, but add to that a bit of Christian fiction and brainstorming all the stuff I want, and WOW! Fun! via @chautonahavig

Do you ever wonder how some stories would play out in a different setting?  Like The Little Princess… but in the Chicago Projects, or The Little Mermaid—in reverse. 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 two of that session.  You can listen to the first part where we talk about books others have created from retellings and mashups over on Episode 13.

The Crazy Things Some People Do for a Good Book- mashups

Note: I don’t think there are affiliate links in here, but there could be!  *shrugs*

The Crazy Things Some People Do for a Good Book

How about stand in a hot room in the desert with the windows closed and all fans off to keep the recording as clear as possible?  Yeah?  Or stuff one’s self in a walk-in closet to do the same?  Yep. Sandy and I went all out to bring you our craziness as clear as possible.  You know, so you could hear us cackle, come up with nutty ideas, and basically have a good time that hopefully makes a bit of sense.

We talked about mashups like mixing:

Amish and Bronte

Count of Monte Cristo and… Persuasion (and it was funny at the time, but I’m gettin’ ideas!)

Anne of Green Gables—set in England in WWII

Little Women—no, wait. Not telling on that one.  Hee hee!

Shakespeare

Horror

Dickens.

Although she tried to bring in Wuthering Heights (which for some reason we kept calling “withering—it’s really a better word for it, though… withers the soul), I managed to keep it out!

And better than that, we gave verbal permission (verbal agreements are legal and binding!) for anyone to take any of these ideas and run with them because…

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

Yep, that’s right. I’m excited to share that 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 asks for name, email, basic story idea (what you’re mashing up) and why you’re excited to do this.

Then, by December 31, 2020, you need to submit your 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).

Just going to reiterate… Celebrate Lit Publishing will choose one winner and, if publishable, offer a contract!  EEEP!

Trust me, if I could enter, I would. But, well… I kind of can’t.  So, I’m just going to help with reading all the submissions. And then I’ll do episodes talking with the authors!  SQUEE!

This was the second of a three-episode series on these mashups. Stay tuned for the next.  It has some of my favorites in it. AAAAK!

Celebrate Lit mashup contest

Christmas Episode Recommendations:

You can either call 442-242-0904 and leave a voicemail (try not to use the speakerphone and be in a quiet place)

Or, if you prefer, you can send an email to [email protected].

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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:

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  • and more!
Episode 599: A Chat with Frank McKinney
Episode 599: A Chat with Frank McKinney
October 31, 2026
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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
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#Matchmaking
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
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
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
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#Matchmaking
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