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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Ready for the Great Stories from This Exciting Contest?

by Chautona Havig · Leave a Comment

Classics, fairy tales, genres... All about an exciting contest. Don't know about you, but I can't wait to see what kinds of submissions Celebrate Lit gets. via @chautonahavig

This week is the final episode in our three-part series on classic retellings, continuing stories, and mashups with Sandy Barela from Celebrate Lit Publishing. Before we get to the brainstorming session (the last part of a nearly two-hour recording that I broke up),  I gave a short, mini-gush about one of the books we discussed in Episode 13 (about the great ones already in print).  I loved the book, Dust, by Kara Swanson and had to rave about it for a few minutes.  My review for that book is HERE.

Then… onto our brainstorming session and a reminder about the contest!

brainstorming with Sandy Barela and exciting contest

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

Ready for the Great Stories from This Exciting Contest?

One thing we didn’t remind authors of in this episode is that anything we came up with in this brainstorming session is fair game. If you liked any of the ideas or suggestions, please do feel free to run with it—either for the contest or just because you want to write it!

In no particular order, I know we discussed:

  • Alexander Dumas and his Three Musketeers, Count of Monte Cristo, Man in the Iron Mask, and some of his family history.
  • Dickens, of course (in passing).
  • Edgar Allen Poe
  • Shakespeare (we pretty much turned everything of his into something)
  • Louisa May Alcott (Come on… Eight Cousins?  Please!)
  • Lewis Carroll
  • Sir Walter Scott:  Particularly Ivanhoe… in space!
  • Both The Scarlet Letter (Amish?) and The Scarlet Pimpernel (WWII?).
  • Jules Verne
  • Jack London
  • H.G. Wells
  • Frankenstein
  • So many more!

I wrapped up the episode with a couple of things.

The Celebrate Lit Story Mashup/Retelling Contest!

exciting contest

To enter:

Fill out THE FORM for this exciting contest with

  • Name
  • Email
  • Story idea
  • What inspired you

By August 31, 2020.

Then, by December 31, 2020,  Send in the following:

  • The first 3 chapters (as clean as you can edit them)
  • A full editor’s synopsis (tell everything that’ll happen—share all the spoilers)
  • A marketing plan

To learn how to make a good marketing plan, join the discussion at Christian Authors Anonymous over on Facebook.

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

  • Apple 
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  • Spotify
  • Stitcher
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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 492: A Chat with J. A. Webb
byChautona Havig

Secret police, an enslaved populace, a suppressed faith. Listen in to see what you can expect in J. A. Webb’s next thriller in the Seeker Series!

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

I want to say that when you look at the world today and compare it to Webb’s Seeker Series, you can see where things could lead to.

But it’s not just today. Compare it to the 1950s or the 1910s or… or… or…

Interregnum by J. A. Webb

The Book of Eli meets Frank Peretti

An Epic Thriller of Deception, Faith, and the Fight for Truth

Now comes the third installment in J. A. Webb’s “Seekers Series”- and the War in Heaven, the Battle in Unseen Places . . . just got real. It’s the year 2158 and the world did not end- it was enslaved. Now the Seekers are humanity’s last hope. Hunted by the Eye of the Eternal—the Order’s merciless secret police—these brave rebels have risked everything to find the lost Words of Creator God, banned for generations and lost to living memory.

Now, what began as a quest for Truth has evolved into a desperate struggle for survival as, trapped and cornered, the Seekers must overcome not just their pursuers, but also their own doubts and fears as their own faith . . . and even their sanity . . . begins to unravel.

Their beleaguered company threatens to fracture beneath the pressure of constant pursuit and uncertain reward as they ask- Is this quest worth the sacrifice of their lives?

But still, something ancient and powerful calls them forward, promising answers to questions they’ve only dared to whisper in the dark.

Because their search is now not only one of survival, but has evolved into a battle for the soul of humanity itself. And the hunters that stalk them are not all of this world. A Gripping Tale of Power, Deception, and the Courage to Seek Truth

Fans of Frank Peretti, Ted Dekker, and the sprawling worlds of Dune and Atlas Shrugged will be captivated by the pulse-pounding fusion of high-stakes thriller, epic sci-fi, and profound spiritual warfare.

⚡ A suspense-filled journey into a world where illusion is law and questioning it means death.

If you love stories of faith, defiance, and the battle against unseen tyranny, this is the book for you.

The Order has ruled from the shadows long enough. Are you ready to see the truth?

Learn more about J. A. Webb on his WEBSITE and follow him on GoodReads and BookBub.

Listen to 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
  • and more!
Episode 492:  A Chat with J. A. Webb
Episode 492: A Chat with J. A. Webb
November 21, 2025
Chautona Havig
Episode 491: A Chat with Tasha Hackett
November 17, 2025
Chautona Havig
Episode 490: A Chat with Lori DeJong
November 15, 2025
Chautona Havig
Episode 489: A Chat with Rachel Hauck
November 14, 2025
Chautona Havig
Episode 488: A Chat with Jane Kirkpatrick
November 10, 2025
Chautona Havig
Episode 487: A Chat with Jenny Marcelene
November 8, 2025
Chautona Havig
Episode 486: A Chat with J. L. Burrows
November 7, 2025
Chautona Havig
Episode 485: A Chat with Katie Powner
November 3, 2025
Chautona Havig
Episode 484: A Chat with Taylor S Newport
November 1, 2025
Chautona Havig
Episode 483: A Chat with Sarah Loudin Thomas
October 31, 2025
Chautona Havig
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