Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Because Fiction Podcast

What Does Christian Romance Offer That Readers Need?

One of the coolest things about having this podcast is the opportunity to talk with authors, see what inspires them, discover how they fell in love with writing. Some people decided to write as a child. Others had a teacher who inspired them. But I've noticed one common thread despite the Continue Reading

Why Amish Fiction Is Crazy Popular & More

Amish fiction tends to be a bit polarizing. Readers tend to love it or hate it. Are the criticisms valid?  One has to wonder because, despite the naysayers, Amish fiction has a huge following. What is so appealing about Amish fiction, what do readers expect, and is the claim that "If you've read Continue Reading

What Is This NaNoWriMo Thing All About?

I blame MSN Messenger. Well, maybe it was my friend who used the messenger as the conduit for her crazy idea.  Okay, so it wasn't exactly her crazy idea, but she did tell me about it. Millions of people writing fifty-thousand words in thirty days.  During the month of November.  Yep, November--you Continue Reading

5 Cheap & Easy Ways to Feed a Book Habit

Book habits can be expensive, especially when you like REAL books to hold in your hands, but there are ways to save money on paperback books, and I thought it would be fun to share a few of my favorites—five, to be exact! Before I get into them, though, I want to point out that this is episode is Continue Reading

All the Great Christmas Collections Coming Out This Year!

So if there's one thing I LOVE it's Christmas fiction. So, this week, I'm going for maximum Christmas fiction impact--collections. Four, five, ten, fourteen books in one nice little file--often available on Kindle Unlimited! Who could ask for more? Every year, dozens of these fabulous collections Continue Reading

Why It’s Always Good to Make Dreams Come True

On Amazon, every time I went looking for a book, there it was. The Orphan Beach.  I'd not read anything by the author, Laura Thomas.  Each time I started to click through, something distracted me. Then, I had an opportunity to interview her, and when I discovered that it was that Laura Thomas, Continue Reading

The Best Romance in History in One Stop

I met author, Kari Trumbo, when I gave her book a "meh" review four or five years ago, but more about that in the episode.  Since then, we've been in several collections together and now an epic series--The Independence Islands series. With her first island book releasing on September 29th, I Continue Reading

What Makes Fiction Christian and Is That Good?

One of the highlights of my year was spending a couple of hours talking to David Rawlings last May. He was on the show (Episode 12) to talk about his upcoming (now released) novel. After we finished an interview about his writing and his upcoming release, Where the Road Bends, he stayed online to Continue Reading

What Is So Great about Listening to Audiobooks?

I blame my friend Cathe Swanson for my first entry into the wonderful world of audiobooks. While I'd bought them for my children (and enjoyed Narnia, and the Melendy Series on audio), I never had listened myself. However, after hearing her rave about Barbara Rosenblat... hold the phone. Must tell a Continue Reading

5 Delightful Reasons You’ll Love These Books

“Read Laura Hile’s ‘mercy books,’” she said.  “You’ll love them,” she said. “She was right,” I say. That was about ten years ago and my introduction to today’s guest! What a delightful writer!  What hilarious books! Add to those more about those characters we love so well, and what isn’t Continue Reading

Crazy Things Historical Authors Have to Research

Most readers have a good idea that historical fiction requires heaps and heaps of research. It's obvious that you have to find out what happened when and similar details, but what other sorts of things do authors uncover, and do those things ever spark new ideas? Cultural norms, seemingly Continue Reading