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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Rumor Has It, Murmur in the Mud Caves Promises to Be Excellent!

by Chautona Havig · Leave a Comment

Murmur in the Mud Caves will release on Tuesday, and I got to chat with Kathleen about this book, where it fits in the series, and more! via @chautonahavig

Kathleen Denly has done it again! Her next book in the Chapparal Hearts series releases on the sixteenth, and with a title like Murmur in the Mud Caves, it promises to be another delightful book. Everyone knows I’m a huge fan of this series, so listen in and learn some of the things Kathleen encountered in her research and writing. Oh, and help me convince her and her publisher that we really do want seven books in the series.

mud caves

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

Rumor Has It, Murmur in the Mud Caves Promises to Be Excellent!

Note to all: I apologize for the lateness. Wrenched my ankle in Scotland yesterday and it took a while to get going today. At least it’s still morning in the States!

Okay, as for this rumor, yeah. I started it. However, I totally stand behind it. 100%. If Kathleen Denly wrote it, I’m reading it. If it’s in the Chapparal Hearts series, I guarantee I’ll like it. Woot!

Taking us out into the desert a bit, this book gives us a Civil War veteran, a few stubborn women, and bandits.  What more could we ask for?

How about Kathleen’s brilliant storytelling? That’s what!

If you have any doubts about my opinions on these books, you can check out reviews HERE.

Murmur in the Mud Caves by Kathleen Denly

He came to cook for ranch hands, not three single women.

Gideon Swift, a visually impaired Civil War Veteran, responds to an ad for a ranch cook in the Southern California desert mountains. He wants nothing more than to forget his past and stay in the kitchen where he can do no harm. But when he arrives to find his employer murdered, the ranch turned to ashes, and three young women struggling to survive in the unforgiving Borrego Desert, he must decide whether his presence protects them or places them in greater danger.

Bridget “Biddie” Davidson finally receives word from her older sister who disappeared with their brother and pa eighteen years prior, but the news is not good. Determined to help her family, Biddie sets out for a remote desert ranch with her adopted father and best friend. Nothing she finds there is as she expected, including the man who came to cook for the shambles of a ranch.

When tragedy strikes, the danger threatens not only her plans to help her sister, but her own dreams for the future—with the man who’s stolen her heart.

You can learn more about Chapparal Hearts and Kathleen on her WEBSITE. (and don’t forget that you can get her novella by signing up for her newsletter!

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 565: A Chat with Taylor S. Newport
byChautona Havig

Love a fast-paced suspense novel? Listen in as I chat with Taylor Newport about her newest release!

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

Don’t know about you but this series sounds AWESOME.

Overdrive by Taylor S. Newport

The mission looked simple. But the enemy is closer, faster, and deadlier than they imagined.

Tyler Reid needs a break, but trouble finds him first. A call from London pulls him into a missing-person case linked to a powerful surveillance project that’s suddenly worth killing for. The deeper he digs, the more bodies he finds—and the more obvious it becomes that someone wants the entire system for themselves.

Alexandra “Alex” Romanova is looking for an escape from Veritek and the weight waiting for her back home. A trip with Tyler should’ve been the break they both needed. But when the case escalates and puts her company in the crosshairs, she goes with him—trying to keep him grounded even as the danger forces him to speed up.

The investigation spirals into a breakneck pursuit, ambushes snapping at their heels as their unknown enemy stays one move ahead. Someone is erasing anyone tied to the project, leaving bodies instead of answers. With the elusive threat closing fast, Tyler and Alex are fighting to get ahead long enough to expose who’s hunting them.

Learn more about Taylor on her WEBSITE and follow her on GoodReads and BookBub.

Don’t miss the first episode HERE.

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

  • Apple
  • Castbox
  • Google Play
  • Libsyn
  • RSS
  • Spotify
  • Amazon
  • YouTube
  • and more!
Episode 565: A Chat with Taylor S. Newport
Episode 565: A Chat with Taylor S. Newport
August 1, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 564: A Chat with Sheri A. Bradley
July 27, 2026
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Episode 563: A Chat with Stephanie Mack
July 25, 2026
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Bonus Episode: A Chat with Becca Wierwille
July 21, 2026
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Episode 562: A Chat with Laura Thomas
July 20, 2026
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Episode 561: A Chat with Laura Frantz
July 18, 2026
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Episod 560: A Chat witih Melanie Dobson
July 13, 2026
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Episode 559: A Chat with Lisa Phillips
July 11, 2026
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Episode 558: A Chat with Felicia Hurd
July 6, 2026
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Episode 557: A Chat with Laura DeNooyer
July 4, 2026
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