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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

My (not so) Brilliant Answers to the Cool Bookish Podcast Tag

by Chautona Havig · Leave a Comment

Nicole and the Undending TBR over on Instagram tagged me in the Bookish Podcast Tag and I went for it. Here are my not-so-Brilliant replies! via @chautonahavig

Well, this hasn’t happened before, but I got tagged in Nicole and the Unending TBR’s Bookish Podcast Tag and… talking about books? Ones I liked? Ones I wanted to see in different media? Ones…  ALL THE YEAHs!

So, listen in to find out which villain I want to chuck on a desert island, which I’d take on a reading retreat, what I want to see as a mini-series and more!

Bookish Podcast Tag

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

My (not so) Brilliant Answers to the Cool Bookish Podcast Tag

Here goes! I’m excited. I hope

When a Unique Premise Really Is Enough The Kingdom of Ruins by DC Marino YA fantasy1. If you had a time machine and could go into the future to grab one highly anticipated book, which one would you choose?

The next book in the Kingdom of Ruins series. That was my first thought. Second to that since it’s not a well-known book (but it should be), I’d say whatever David Rawlings is working on (He’d better be working on something).  If not that, then a sequel/spin-off to the Rembrandt Stone series.

2. You win a luxurious weeklong quiet reading retreat, what are the first 5 books you will pack?

Impossible. Seriously, it was impossible to decide, so I went into both my room and my shed-i-ffice, closed my eyes, and grabbed books.
Marigolds for Mourning by Audrey Stallsmith,
Shallows by Denver Evans (Perry Kirkpatrick)
Amberwell by D.E. Stevenson
Emma and the Reasons by Natasha Metzler
The Water Keeper by Charles Martin

And then even if I bring no other books with me… I have a stuffed Kindle and I’m not afraid to read it!

3. A book outside your comfort zone but you are glad you read.

Love and the Dream Come True by Tammy L. Gray– Up until the final chapter or two, this was a three-star read for me, but it all came together in a marvelous way at the end there, and I really connected with it finally.

Honestly, the way Tammy Gray pulled all those pieces that I didn’t always like together really shows what a brilliant writer she is. The deep-rooted faith she plants into her books doesn’t always push through the top of the soil quickly, but when it does, it’s strong and supportive and so very healthy. Well done, Ms. Gray. What you did here is so important. It teaches some serious truths without you realizing it’s happening until WHAM! You’re on your face before God and yielding things you didn’t know you’d taken back.

A soothing hug for the broken and a cattle prod at the same time.

4. What genre needs more representation?

I’m going to say… “general.” Everything is so niched these days—even subgenres have subgenres with subgenres! What about a good, old-fashioned story that doesn’t have to fit in a box?

5. What trope needs more representation?

If it existed, I’d say reinventing yourself + humor. But it doesn’t. So how about a romance trope…  Basically, Enemies-to-FRIENDS ONLY.

6. You could maroon one villain/nemesis on a desert island, who would it be?

Jadis from Narnia. I think it would be hilarious for her to be on a DESERT island—heat and misery. On a desert island.

7. What book did you not really think you would like and ended up loving?

Kari Trumbo’s first book in the Independence Islands series, Secret Beach Boyfriend. I mean, that title says fluffy nonsense to me. But it was so rich and so full of encouragement… depth of faith and relationships. I was sooooo impressed.

8. What fictional pet would you want for your own?

Well… of my books, Atticus. Totally. But for someone else’s… I’d say Teri Blake’s bunny… Duggy in The Rosewood Diary. I love that little guy. Her Driftwood Bay women’s fiction series is AWESOME.

9. What book did you love when you were younger and now question your younger self’s taste?

Um… I really loved reading Lois Duncan books. What was I not thinking?

10. Name a book for each category to be adapted into a:
  • Movie: Out of North Korea by Alana Terry—picture Castaway… but in a North Korean prison or Sweet Rivals by Kari Trumbo (she’s really represented in this podcast, isn’t she?) OR… totally different direction, A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus.
  • TV show: The Mrs. Pollifax books!!! Or, since this is about Christian fiction, how about Perry Kirkpatrick’s The Accidental Case Files of Emily Abbott?
  • the accidental cases of Emily Abbott
  • Miniseries: The True Lies of Rembrandt Stone. Okay, I could choose so many so… I think Terrie Todd’s Bleak Landing (THIS episode is about it) would make an excellent one for a more historical fiction series?
  • Broadway play: Dear Henry, Love Edith—but only if they make a musical. Can you imagine a song for the epi-pen that pops up on a startling basis?
11. What fictional family would make the best reality show?

I want Anne Shirley Blythe’s family—all those kids.  Reality. MMMWWWAAAHAHAHA

Dear Henry, Love Edith Becca Kinzer12. What was the last book that made you cry? Laugh?

Laughing hard?  I’m going with Dear Henry, Love Edith. I HOWLED through that book. So hysterical.

Cry? This is going to sound so weird, but if I was a crier, I’d say Stephanie Landsem’s Code Name Edelweiss. Because I see those same things happening in some ways now. And it terrifies me.

13. What author could you talk about for 3+ hours straight?

Cathe Swanson… and I have!

14. What book would you want to write?:

If I could write any book that I wanted to right now this minute, it would be… the concentration camp thing.
.
That’s it! What would your responses be to some of them? I’m sure once I see it, I’ll change my mind about them. #becauseme

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 475: A Chat with D. T. Powell
byChautona Havig

There aren’t enough authors willing to tackle the difficult stories. There just aren’t.  Many (guilty here!) feel inadequate to the task, want to escape the tough stuff rather than confront it–so many reasons. Listen in as I chat with D. T. Powell about what made her write, With Mercy’s Eyes.

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

 Loved chatting with Powell about her heart for those who often find it hard to interact with Christians–whose choices make others uncomfortable.  Powell shows love and compassion without ignoring Biblical truth, and the result is a powerful story we could all learn from.

With Mercy’s Eyes by D. T. Powell

He turned his back on God a long time ago. But God never forgot him.

Six months after struggling actor Lane Harris lost his husband in a tragic accident, he lands a movie role guaranteed to put him on the Hollywood map. But one producer holds the power to shut down his shot at stardom—and she’s a Christian. If she finds out he’s gay, it’s over. Lane is careful not to say too much around her.

When an alcohol-fueled tryst with his co-star ends in humiliation, and his landlord hands him an eviction notice, Lane looks for someone to talk to. He finds a confidant in the Christian producer. After a night of too little sleep and not enough coffee, he lets slip his sexual orientation. Instead of a verbal flogging, the woman recounts recently losing her own husband.

The only Christians Lane knows condemn him upon learning he’s gay. But this one is different. She doesn’t embrace his sexuality, but instead of treating him with disdain, she offers compassion. Christians are supposed to hate people like him. So, why doesn’t she? – – – – – – – With Mercy’s Eyes by D. T. Powell is an issue-facing, contemporary novel for adult churched Christians. It addresses homosexuality and same-sex attraction from a Biblical perspective without falling into the trap of the extreme responses we too often see from modern churches. It holds similar views to Jackie Hill Perry, Becket Cook, Rosaria Butterfield, and Christopher Yuan.

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

 

withmercyseyes.com

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

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  • and more!
Episode 475: A Chat with D. T. Powell
Episode 475: A Chat with D. T. Powell
October 6, 2025
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Episode 474: A Chat with Ann Swindell
October 4, 2025
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Episode 473: A Chat with Jennifer Willcock
October 3, 2025
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Episode 472: A Chat with Shelley Shepard Gray
September 29, 2025
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Episode 471: A Chat with Heather Wood
September 27, 2025
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Episode 470: A Chat with JPC Allen
September 22, 2025
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Episode 469: A Chat with Niki Florica
September 20, 2025
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Episode 468: A Chat with Ann H. Gabhart
September 19, 2025
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Episode 467: A Chat with Elizabeth Goddard
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Episode 466: A Chat with Jennifer L. Wright
September 13, 2025
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