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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Is This Author Harnessing the Power of Youthful Passion?

by Chautona Havig · Leave a Comment

I enjoyed this chat with YA Fantasy author, Matt Mikalatos. His heart for teens, his joy in fantasy, and his love of the Lord shine through. via @chautonahavig

I’d never heard of Matt (not Mike!) Mikalatos before receiving information about his Sunlit Lands series, but wow! The premise of the series is amazing, and the reason he wrote them is even better.  A prolific author of both fiction and nonfiction, Matt Mikalatos brings over two decades of missionary focus into fabulous fantasy.

matt mikalatos

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

Is This Author Harnessing the Power of Youthful Passion?

Even after I butchered his name, Matt Mikalatos graciously told us about his life as a missionary (he knows my niece who is also a missionary with his organization!), his transition into screenwriting for a streaming show that we’ll learn about in the future, and even his nonfiction backlist (it’s extensive!).

But our primary discussion revolved around his YA fantasy series, Sunlit Lands. And oh my word.  When I read the synopsis of the first book, The Crescent Stone, I cracked up. It begins with an excerpt of a review.

“For Narnia fans who enjoy heavy snark, this is a must-read.” ?Kirkus Reviews

Um, yeah! Sign me up.  So, since it was on Kindle Unlimited, I started reading.  Wow.  When Matt says he has a heart for teens, he’s not joking. You see it in how he describes his characters, the situations he puts them in, and their levels of engagement.

But when he described The Crescent Stone as a book where teens in our world are offered the desires of their hearts if they’ll fight for a year in another world’s battles… and then those teens begin to question if they are fighting for the right side… everything exploded for me.

So I bought the audiobook.

Actually, I bought a lot of books while we were chatting.  I mean, the guy would say something about xyz book and I’d go, “Oh! I need that.”  Instabuy at its finest. By the time we were done, I had two hardbacks on the way, two other things preordered, and a KU shelf loaded up with Matt Mikalatos marvelousness.

Oh, and listen to that narrator. I’m just sayin’.  You’ve got to check her out.  Now, look. I have to admit. The sample didn’t catch me at first. It’s strange how it sometimes takes a minute or two to enter into someone’s natural cadence, but when you do with The Crescent Stone, you feel like you’ve entered that world somehow.  I want to listen to the narrator do something completely different to hear if it’s just her, or if it’s Matt Mikalatos’ world.

The third book just released, so here’s a bit more about that.

Matt Mikalatos The Story KingMatt Mikalatos, The Story King

In the third and final installment in the Sunlit Lands series, the magic of the Sunlit Lands has been reset, but that doesn’t mean all is well. Unrest and discord are growing by the day, and Hanali is positioning himself as ruler of the Sunlit Lands.

But, in order for Hanali to seize control, there must be a sacrifice, one that very few are willing to make. Jason, Shula, Baileya, and others must work together to save the lives of those Hanali would sacrifice for his own gain.

Additionally, you want to check out his upcoming release, Journey to Love!

Find out more about Matt and his books on his WEBSITE.

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

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If you’d like to be on the Because Fiction Podcast, please go HERE and submit your topic idea! I’d love to hear about it.

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 162: A Chat with Author, Nancy Naigle
byChautona Havig

Hey, we’re back after a couple of weeks of vacation, and boy did I need it. And, have I got a fabulous interview for you. Nancy Naigle and I talked about her books, her most recent release, What Remains True as well as her Christmas books and the one I’m most anxious to read, The Shell Collector. Listen in and learn about what Nancy says about this bet she has going on in What Remains True. Great stuff!

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

Need a Great Romantic Read to Wind Up Your Summer Reads?

As I said in the podcast, a while back, someone told me I’d LOVE The Shell Collector–one of those people who recommends books you HAVE to read if they say you do.  So I bought it and it’s been sitting on my shelf ever since. Well, now it’s on my GoodReads shelf, and I’m about to start it (and I optimistically thought I’d be done with it by the time this episode released. Oh, me of too much faith in myself and my time management!)

Author of over thirty books, not to mention a bestselling author who also has movies made of her novels (And The Shell Collector has been optioned! EEEP!), Nancy loves to write Christmas books and small-town stories. Seriously, as we talked, I felt like she was talking about me half the time. We’re so very alike in so many ways. It was fun.

Nancy also pointed out that her first books (if you go WAY back) are not Christian fiction and are a bit spicier than she prefers to write and definitely more than she writes today. So be warned there, but she did assure us that they are all closed-door books.

What Remains True by Nancy Naigle

One woman wants to win a bet. One man wants to become a rodeo champion. One little girl may give them both something even better—from USA Today bestselling author Nancy Naigle.

“A commitment-phobic rodeo star and a divorcée with secrets find love in this wholesome romance. . . . As uplifting as it is sweet.”—Publishers Weekly

Working at a little shop on Main Street in a small town is exactly the break that executive Merry Anna Foster needs following her divorce. She’s made a bet with her ex-husband that she can live on the amount of money she’s giving him in alimony. If she can do it, then Kevin will have to stop complaining and leave her alone. But after three months of this new life, will she even want to leave Antler Creek?

Adam Locklear, bull rider and owner of the local feedstore, is having the best year of his rodeo career. He’s also a bit distracted by the pretty new neighbor living in his old bunkhouse. But Adam has no time for matters of the heart. He’s got his future all mapped out, and that future doesn’t involve a woman just yet. It doesn’t involve parenting a little girl either. However, Carly Fowler still suddenly leaves five-year-old Zan—the daughter Adam didn’t know he had—in his care.

Is it possible that the future holds a life even better than what Merry Anna and Adam had each dreamed of? One that includes both tenderness and even love—not just for each other but for Zan too?

You can learn more about Nancy’s books and movies on her WEBSITE.

Oh, and PSST… I’m loving the audiobook of this one!

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

  • Apple 
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  • and more!
Episode 162: A Chat with Author, Nancy Naigle
Episode 162: A Chat with Author, Nancy Naigle
August 9, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 161: A Chat with Christian Women's Fiction Robin W. Pearson
July 26, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 160: A Chat with Liz Johnson about The Last Way Home
July 22, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 159: A Chat with Biblical Fiction Author, Mesu Andrews
July 19, 2022
Chautona Havig
A Chat with Historical Christian Fiction Author, Stephanie Landsem
July 12, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 157: A Chat with Historical Christian Fiction Author, Lynn Austin
July 8, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 156: The Fragrance of Violets by Susan K. Beatty
July 5, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 155: Chatting with Heather Day Gilbert & Jen Cudmore
July 1, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 154: A Chat with Romantic Suspense Author, Sami A. Abrams
June 28, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 153: A Chat with Historical Author, Tracie Peterson
June 21, 2022
Chautona Havig
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