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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

How Rewarding Would It Be to Go Back to the Past?

by Chautona Havig · Leave a Comment

Wendy Jo Cerna seems to write supernatural stories that make readers think more deeply about what the Lord might do in their lives. via @chautonahavig

As I listened to Wendy Jo Cerna talk about her books, I kept getting the feel of supernatural time-slip stories unlike anything I’ve ever read before. I’ll be honest. When she first started describing them, I wasn’t certain they were the books for me. But… by the time we got done chatting about each one, I’d already added it to my TBR. Wendy has a unique perspective in her fiction, coming at ideas from a sideways perspective that intrigues me. Listen in to see why!

Wendy Jo Cerna

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

How Rewarding Would It Be to Go Back to the Past?

Author of The Baby Catcher Gate, The Agreements, and Solbakken, Wendy Jo Cerna chatted with me about how she began writing. As a recent empty nester, she describes praying about it and the Lord asking her what she wanted to do. I don’t know about you, but that kind of throws me. I always picture the Lord as having a plan for what HE wants me to do. I never consider that He might want me to acknowledge my desires. And this from the God of whom David wrote in Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”   Duh.

From a book about a baby-catcher gate in heaven to one about agreements people sign before being born on earth, to a woman in Minnesota who visits her family’s farm… and then their lives… well… she’s got quite a diverse and intriguing booklist.

Not only that, but Wendy Jo Cerna is also passionate about encouraging authors who feel like the Lord wants them to write a book. To that end, she has a podcast chronicling what she’d learned along the way.

Wendy Jo SolbakkenSolbakken by Wendy Jo Cerna

A house. A mess. A mystery.

“Hey, Tor.” My cousin’s tone is serious. His words clipped.

“What’s going on? Everyone okay?” I ask.

“Yes, we’re fine but… well, I was just driving by your Uncle Einar’s place… I hate to tell you this, Tora, but somebody broke in. The sheriff is coming out in the morning. It’s quite a mess in there. Looks like every drawer and cupboard was emptied out.”

Uncle Einar’s home stands empty much of the year, and is the original family homestead my grandparents built in Solbakken, Minnesota, in the early 1900’s after immigrating from Norway.

Amongst the scattered papers and photographs, intriguing questions lay unanswered in the Anderson family lineage, hidden for decades. When a stash of ancient coins is found, and a gifted stranger moves in next door, windows are opened to incredible possibilities that transcend imagination and transport Tora throughout her family generations.

You can learn more about Wendy Jo Cerna on her WEBSITE.

Her books are also on GoodReads and BookBub if you’d like to follow her.

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

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 597: A Chat with Alison Treat
byChautona Havig

Nothing says Christmas novel like a second-chance romance unless maybe a historical Christmas romance WITH children. EEEP! Listen in as Alison Treat and I chat about her new release, When Sleigh Bells Ring.

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

I loved chatting about Alison’s new book. I knew the minute we started talking that this was my kind of book. And yes, I will be reading it on my flight on Tuesday. EEEP!!!

Annie and Willie’s Prayer.

When Sleigh Bells Ring by Alison Treat

With the glitter of the Gilded Age and the timeless appeal of a second-chance, homespun romance, When Sleigh Bells Ring delights from the opening page. Tender, heartfelt, and beautifully nostalgic, it’s a reminder of what truly matters at Christmas and always. A delightful holiday escape. —Laura Frantz, Bestselling Author

It’s November of 1879, and New York socialite Maggie Lawrence has lost her beau to a wealthy heiress. When her parents leave to spend the entire Christmas season on a European tour, she takes refuge at Brook Haven, her aunt and uncle’s farm, where she summered as a child. She soon discovers that her old flame, Walter Jenkins, has lost his wife in childbirth. Walter’s eighteen-month-old twins find their way into Maggie’s heart. Perhaps there’s room for Walter there as well, if Maggie can rebuild her shattered dignity and accept the winding road that has brought them together again. Walter is finally rebuilding his life after becoming a widower. He’s taken over his father’s mercantile, and the twins are happy with their aunt caring for them while he works. At least, that’s what he tells himself. Nosy neighbors think he needs another wife, but there’s nobody in town he’d even think about marrying…until Maggie comes back to Brook Haven for Christmas. Still, he lost her once before. Should he risk his heart again?

Find out what happens in this second-chance historical romance.

Learn more on Alison’s WEBSITE and follow on GoodReads and BookBub.

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

  • Apple
  • Castbox
  • Google Play
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  • RSS
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  • and more!
Episode 597: A Chat with Alison Treat
Episode 597: A Chat with Alison Treat
October 26, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 596: A Chat with Katheen Rouser
October 24, 2026
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Episode 595: A Chat with Jeremiah Friedli
October 21, 2026
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Episode 594: A Chat with Joy Crain
October 19, 2026
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Episode 593: A Chat with Thomas Goodman
October 17, 2026
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Episode 592: A Chat with Heidi Main
October 14, 2026
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Episode 591: A Chat with Jenny McLeod Carlisle
October 12, 2026
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Episode 590: A Chat with Shilo Creed
October 10, 2026
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Episode 584: A Chat with James Finke
October 6, 2026
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Episode 589: A Chat with Amanda Cabot
October 5, 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
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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
#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
#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
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