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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Why This Is My #1 Christmas Book Recommendation This Year

by Chautona Havig · 1 Comment

Author of Saving Ebenezer, S. Daniel Smith talks about journalism, learning the writing craft, and Saving Ebenezer! Enter to win a copy. via @chautonahavig

Journalist, podcaster, and multi-genre author of Saving Ebenezer, S. Daniel Smith is this week’s guest and here to talk with us about:

  • His articles regarding missions during the Covid-19 pandemic
  • His podcast and writing about science fiction and fantasy
  • His fabulous Christmas novel, Saving Ebenezer (that I mentioned in Episode 21)

If you want to skip to just our discussion of the book, you’ll find that at approximately 23.5 minutes into the episode. But I encourage you to listen to Dan’s heart for missions, what the Lord is doing with his writing, and how he got started.

saving ebenezer

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

Who Is S. Daniel Smith?

Dan’s first works were nonfiction articles for magazines and newspapers.  In fact, he has two recent articles about how the Covid-19 pandemic is affecting missionaries in different countries.

Dan always wanted to write fiction, so he decided back in 2015 to learn how to write fiction. So he made that decision and started learning writing craft using things like the Novel Marketing’s 5 Year Plan to Becoming a Best-Selling Author. That program helped him learn to write short stories which will help him with writing longer works.

His Facebook group of Sci-Fi fans led to Dan’s podcast, Coffee in Space. Guys, it’s a fun podcast, so if you love Sci-Fi or fantasy, you might want to check it out. I mentioned in the podcast that I’d listened to the episode with Madeleine Mozley, and if you enjoy Christian Sci-fi, I think you’d really enjoy that episode.

Why Saving Ebenezer Is My #1 Christmas Book Recommendation This Year

Saving Ebenezer is one of the best novel continuations I’ve seen. While staying faithful to the original story, he gives us more and shows us where Dickens fell just a bit short of the true goal of Marley’s warning. He even brings in one tiny element of It’s a Wonderful Life, which, of course, makes perfect sense.  After all, It’s a Wonderful Life is a retelling of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

Saving Ebenezer begins seven years after the events of A Christmas Carol. It explores giving everything away without faith behind your actions.

After an opening line that ripped out my heart, Dan then really made the whole Cratchit family come alive. He wrote with a flair and style very similar to Dickens without the excessive wordiness that Dickens employed. The characters stayed who Dickens made them to be, but they grew because that’s what people do.

Dan spoke to how the original manuscript for this went to a much darker place than he finally ended with in his final draft. Instead of that dark place, he and his editors and beta readers worked together to make sure the book ends on hope.  As we discussed in the podcast, Dickens focused on hope and love, but Dan brought the element of faith in here and created a perfect trifecta right there.

Also… let’s talk about a beautiful cover, guys.

Saving EbenezerCheck this out.  See?

Beautiful.  Here’s the synopsis:

Seven years after Jacob Marley and the three ghosts of Christmas changed Ebenezer’s life, Scrooge has a problem. He’s given away most of his money and brightened many lives, restored churches, and made London workhouses better for those living and working inside. If only all of that made him feel better about his life…

Doubt plagues Ebenezer. Even with all of his philanthropy, he still has questions he can’t answer. Are the scales balanced? Did he do enough good after that fateful Christmas Eve to avoid Jacob Marley’s fate? And after a very special person dies, he adds another question: Why did God let it happen?

When he falls ill himself, Ebenezer’s questions take on a new desperation.

From the Cratchits to the workhouse fundraisers to nephew Fred, you’ll be reintroduced to several old friends, as well as a few new ones. With each visitor, Ebenezer tries to get closer to the answers to his questions. As the clock starts to run out, Ebenezer will need the words from an old friend to tip the scales in his favor.

Saving Ebenezer picks up on a story started by Charles Dickens in 1843 with A Christmas Carol. Christians will appreciate a heartwarming story of God’s love shown in tragedy while all readers will enjoy the common points between Saving Ebenezer and the original work.

Even better than that…

Read the book on Kindle Unlimited, and then go grab your kindle copy for .99!  That’s right, Saving Ebenezer is on sale for just .99 right now. But once you are done reading it and seeing how awesome it is, go grab a paperback of the book for a gift or two or three.

AND… leave a comment below about when you first read or heard A Christmas Carol read and I’ll giveaway a copy next week.

Also… did you hear what he says?  He is working on continuing the story of Belinda Cratchit and her adventures.  I’m so excited.

To find out how to sign up for his newsletter, I recommend going HERE and emailing him. 🙂

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

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  1. Sarah Snider says

    November 24, 2020 at 12:52 pm

    Oh my, “A Christmas Carol” has been a perennial mainstay in our house for as long as I can remember! It’s always been a favorite of my mom’s, and I love it too. We’ve watched most of the adaptations, although our favorites are the historical ones rather than the modern parodies. We both definitely need to read “Saving Ebenezer”!

    Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

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The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 263: A Chat about The Love Script w/ Toni Shiloh
byChautona Havig

I had another lovely conversation with Toni Shiloh last month. Her latest book, The Love Script released and boy does it promise to be another #BookTouchdown!  Listen in to what you’ll find in this Love in the Spotlight series and especially in The Love Script.

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

How Many Lies Does It Take to Expose the Truth That Love Brings?

Authors tell me over and over that they experience the same things I do when I’m writing. You start helping your characters work through their problems, and as you do, the Lord starts exposing your own.  He helps you understand where you need growth and helps pull weeds that try to choke out that growth.

The Love Script has a great twist of someone trying to use a lie to smooth over the gossipy ripples of false reporting (genius way to handle it, eh?) and oh the fall out.

Toni promises we’ll see some great wisdom from Lamont’s mother and some deep truths that Neveah discovers.

The Love Truth by Toni Shiloh

A Hollywood hair stylist.

Nevaeh Richards loves making those in the spotlight shine but prefers the anonymity of staying behind her stylist chair, where no one notices her. But when a photo of Nevaeh and Hollywood A-lister Lamont Booker goes viral for all the wrong reasons, her quiet life becomes the number-one trending topic.

The silver screen’s latest heartthrob.

Lamont Booker’s bold faith has gained him a platform, and the authenticity of his faith is well known . . . until the tabloids cause the world to question everything he claims to be. With his reputation on the line, he finds himself hearing out his agent’s push for a fake relationship–something he never thought he’d consider in a million years.

A love that goes off script.

With their careers at risk, Nevaeh and Lamont have to convince the world that their scripted romance is more than just an act. But when fake seems to turn into something real, can Nevaeh trust her heart in a world where nothing is ever as it seems?

You can find out more about Toni on her WEBSITE.  Follow her on GoodReads and BookBub.

And don’t forget that you can get 30% off the book with free shipping at BakerBookHouse.com. And you can get You Make It Feel Like Christmas, too!

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

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Episode 263: A Chat about The Love Script w/ Toni Shiloh
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I love this book so much. And it wouldn't be an "A I love this book so much. And it wouldn't be an "Anne" story without Gilbert and Diana... meet Gage. He's not quite Gilbert, but he's got everything a Gilbert should have--including the ability to completely annoy Anne when he doesn't mean to. She's speaking to him here... barely.
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I love this book so much. And it wouldn't be an "A I love this book so much. And it wouldn't be an "Anne" story without Gilbert and Diana... meet Gage. He's not quite Gilbert, but he's got everything a Gilbert should have--including the ability to completely annoy Anne when he doesn't mean to. She's speaking to him here... barely.
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