• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Bio
  • Bookshelf
    • Audio
    • Complete List of Chautona’s Books
    • The Rockland Chronicles
      • The Vintage Wren
      • The Aggie Series
      • The Hartfield Mysteries
      • Sight Unseen Series
        • Sight Unseen Series Archives
      • The Agency Files
      • Christmas Fiction
    • Legacy of the Vines
    • Meddlin’ Madeline
      • Madeline Blog Archive
    • Ballads from the Hearth
      • Ballads from the Hearth Blog Archive
    • Legends of the Vengeance
    • Journey of Dreams
    • Wynnewood
    • Webster’s Bakery
    • The Not-So-Fairy Tales
    • Heart of Warwickshire
  • Start HERE
    • If You Like…
    • Characters
    • Suggested Reading Order
    • Free Books
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Podcast
    • Podcast Guest Information
    • Podcast Interview FAQ
  • Merch Shop
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • Bonus
  • New & Coming
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!

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

  • Apple 
  • Castbox 
  • Google Play
  • Libsyn 
  • RSS
  • Spotify
  • Stitcher
  • Amazon
  • and more!
Share
Pin
Post
Email
Share
Pin
Post
Email

Filed Under: Because Fiction Podcast

Previous Post: « What Exciting Things Does This Author Bring to Last Chance County?
Next Post: What Made This Author Use Hell as Inspiration for His Novel? »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Or, you can subscribe without commenting.

Primary Sidebar

The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 512: A Chat with Tim Bishop
byChautona Havig

I had the best time chatting with Tim Bishop about his book, The Road Unveiled. If you want to learn about the phobia that I never knew I had, listen in. I mean, there’s a great story you won’t want to miss learning about as well.

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

I loved Tim’s heart for people, cycling, and the Lord as we chatted about his books, his later-in-life marriage, and their own long cycling trips!

And I’m really glad my husband likes to cycle alone! Far away from tunnels.

The Road Unveiled by Tim Bishop

Two wounded hearts. Long, winding roads. And second chances neither saw coming. Lauren Baumgartner pedals toward Yellowstone National Park, anticipating a grand celebration when she reaches the Atlantic Ocean. But when her wedding plans collapse, old wounds resurface—and a haunting secret still holds her heart hostage. Traveling alone with bear spray and a one-woman tent, she shares the highway with motorcyclists bound for a massive rally, including gang members who eye her as theirs for the taking. Doug Zimmer, another lone cyclist, is grappling with loss and wondering if anyone will be alongside him when he figures out what’s next. He isn’t the only one drawn to Lauren’s vitality and spirit. But Lauren may already be in too deep. What she faces on the Golden Prairie Indian Reservation tests her courage—and her faith—more than anything she encountered as a missionary in Uganda. A woman with a secret and a man healing from loss pedal the rugged roads of the American West on a quest for love and purpose that leads to unexpected horizons.

Visit Tim’s online store HERE and put in code: FRIEND for 25% off your order!

Learn more about Tim on his WEBSITE and follow on GoodReads and BookBub.

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

  • Apple
  • Castbox
  • Google Play
  • Libsyn
  • RSS
  • Spotify
  • Amazon
  • and more!
Episode 512: A Chat with Tim Bishop
Episode 512: A Chat with Tim Bishop
February 2, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 511: A Chat with Tessa Afshar
January 31, 2026
Chautona
Episode 510: A Chat with Sarah Sundin
January 26, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 509: A Chat with Stacy J. Ladyman
January 24, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 508: A Chat with Katelyn Pfeiffer
January 19, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 507: A Chat with Sarah Hanks
January 17, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 506: A Chat with Suzanne Woods Fisher
January 12, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode:505 A Chat with Becca Wierwille
January 10, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 504: A Chat with Julie Klassen
January 5, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 503: A Chat with Megan Soja
January 3, 2026
Chautona Havig
Search Results placeholder

Love Audio Books?

audio book ad

Featured Books

Be My Inspiration

Be My Inspiration

Pointed Suspicion

Pointed Suspicion
Buy This Book Online
Purchase with Paypal
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Pointed Suspicion
Buy now!

Courting Miss Darling

Courting Miss Darling

Upcoming Posts

Sorry - nothing planned yet!

Or just subscribe to the newsletter

Recent Blog Posts

  • So, There Was That Time I Forgot What I Knew…
  • “Be Careful Little Mouth What You Say” Ain’t No Lie
  • Why Romance Is a Hairy Proposition (or is that proposal?)

I buy my stickers here! (affiliate)

Custom Stickers, Die Cut Stickers, Bumper Stickers - Sticker Mule
Not all romance soars on silver-lined clouds with Not all romance soars on silver-lined clouds with a #9 dangling from it. Some people can't get it right no matter how hard they try. Meet Heath Karras. Bless him, he's about as awkward with women as they come. Need proof? How about the fact that he has a string of first dates and no second dates.  Or what about the gal who went home and informed her mother that he'd be single for the rest of his life?
https://amzn.to/45Vo3rV
#AffiliateLink
#ChristianFiction
#ChristianRomCom
#AwkwardRomance
#KindleUnlimited
Bentley Girard’s about to propose… to a guy she do Bentley Girard’s about to propose… to a guy she doesn’t even love.
Not THAT way anyway.
After studying everything the Bible has to say about marriage, she’s decided she wants in. Now. So who’s going to take her up on that offer?
And just why did no one remind her that those vows include that little word, “love?”
Oops!
With her Bible in her hip pocket and a shiny new ring on her finger, Bentley navigates this new world of marriage with grace and… oh, who is she kidding? She flounders until she gets a sure footing and hangs on tight.
Grab the first book of this unusual series today! https://amzn.to/49UP8Oh #affiliatelink
Available on Kindle Unlimited, too!
#Christfic
#ContemporaryChristianRomance
#MarriageOfConvenience
CrossWords--an absolutely fictional store inspired CrossWords--an absolutely fictional store inspired by a real and lovely treasure in Greeneville, Tennessee.  Have a slice of pizza at The Gentry with Milton and Atticus, grab a cup of coffee from Catalyst or Iris Books and Coffee, but whatever you do, don't leave town without grabbing a salted caramel bachelor's button from Peggy Ann's Bakery. YUM.
And if only Christian Books & Gifts would create that Airbnb for me... because it's all about me, right?  WRONG! It's about the lovely folks @christianbookandgiftgrv.  Thanks for letting me fictionalize you! I'm having a blast!
#ChristFic
#BookishBooks
#CrossWords
#Bookstrings
Not all romance soars on silver-lined clouds with Not all romance soars on silver-lined clouds with a #9 dangling from it. Some people can't get it right no matter how hard they try. Meet Heath Karras. Bless him, he's about as awkward with women as they come. Need proof? How about the fact that he has a string of first dates and no second dates.  Or what about the gal who went home and informed her mother that he'd be single for the rest of his life?
https://amzn.to/45Vo3rV
#AffiliateLink
#ChristianFiction
#ChristianRomCom
#AwkwardRomance
#KindleUnlimited
Bentley Girard’s about to propose… to a guy she do Bentley Girard’s about to propose… to a guy she doesn’t even love.
Not THAT way anyway.
After studying everything the Bible has to say about marriage, she’s decided she wants in. Now. So who’s going to take her up on that offer?
And just why did no one remind her that those vows include that little word, “love?”
Oops!
With her Bible in her hip pocket and a shiny new ring on her finger, Bentley navigates this new world of marriage with grace and… oh, who is she kidding? She flounders until she gets a sure footing and hangs on tight.
Grab the first book of this unusual series today! https://amzn.to/49UP8Oh #affiliatelink
Available on Kindle Unlimited, too!
#Christfic
#ContemporaryChristianRomance
#MarriageOfConvenience
Keith can’t help but wonder: will his first assign Keith can’t help but wonder: will his first assignment with The Agency be his last?

One missing man. One new agent. One chance to keep the (uncertain) client alive
The prequel novel to The Agency Files, Induction is Keith Auger's interview and... well.. induction into The Agency. Listen FREE on YouTube to the audiobook narrated by @ChristaDelSorbo .
Listen to each chapter separately for ease of finding where you are OR the whole book in one video.
Also available from most audiobook retailers!

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGJaJiSo6mQ2AIQHYt1g3cWoBPneeilsa

#ChristianRomanticSuspense
#ChristFic
#Audiobooks
#ChristianAudiobooks
#FreeAudiobooks
CrossWords--an absolutely fictional store inspired CrossWords--an absolutely fictional store inspired by a real and lovely treasure in Greeneville, Tennessee.  Have a slice of pizza at The Gentry with Milton and Atticus, grab a cup of coffee from Catalyst or Iris Books and Coffee, but whatever you do, don't leave town without grabbing a salted caramel bachelor's button from Peggy Ann's Bakery. YUM.
And if only Christian Books & Gifts would create that Airbnb for me... because it's all about me, right?  WRONG! It's about the lovely folks @christianbookandgiftgrv.  Thanks for letting me fictionalize you! I'm having a blast!
#ChristFic
#BookishBooks
#CrossWords
#Bookstrings
  • Home
  • Bookshelf
  • New & Coming
  • Blog
  • News!
  • Disclosure & Policies
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2026 · Chautona Havig · All Rights Reserved · Coding by Gretchen Louise

Don't go before you grab your FREE short story collection!