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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

3 Things I Love about Carlie (and an interview)

by Chautona Havig · 11 Comments

When I first conceived the idea of Corner Booth, that’s all I had.  A restaurant, a corner booth, and a guy who works there every Wednesday.  Originally, Dean was an accountant with a firm in town.  Carlie showed up, plopped herself into the booth, and voila! Everything changed about three thousand words in.  I had to go back, rewrite that opening scene, and the next thing I knew, I was working with a child prodigy.  Seriously???  Hmph.

3 things I love about CarlieNote: Links in this post are likely affiliate links, and if you click, I’ll receive a small commission at no extra expense to you.

But Carlie refused to remain the spunky girl with a sarcastic streak I’d originally intended her to be.  I thought she’d bully Dean out of shyness. Instead, she insisted on being a broken woman with a distorted picture of herself.  So, I thought it might be fun to have a short interview with her.  Get her .02 on the whole thing.  But first, the 3 things I love most about her.

  1.  Carlie is teachable.  She’s not perfect, she doesn’t just latch onto anything anyone says or have instant insight into herself or others.  But she’s teachable.  And man, I want to be teachable until the day I die.
  2.  She’s sensitive without being an emotional basket case. I like that about her.  I can learn from that.  I’m not a very sensitive or emotional person, so I really learn from my characters.  Usually what NOT to do.  Carlie gave me a few pointers on what TO do.
  3. Carlie is a fighter, but she’s not in your face aggressive.  She’s not the kind of person who plows down others in her attempts to keep herself going. But no matter how hard you try,  you just can’t keep her down.  And I like that.

cornerboothsm

On to the interview!

Chautona:  So, Carlie, tell me.  Asking a strange man if you can share his booth seems a bit out of character for you.  Was it?

Carlie:  It was absolutely out of character.  Like I told Teresa, I had to put on a more confident air just to do it, and once I did, it became easier to feel like I acted.  I say Dean brought out a more confident me even before I said a word.

Chautona:  Why do you think you saw yourself so differently than those around you?

Carlie: Well, the story demonstrates some of it, of course, but really, the biggest part is that it’s easier for some of us to believe the negative stuff than positive.  So every negative one compounds… builds up like an iceberg whereas positive stuff slides off and dissolves in the water.  Add to that a boyfriend who treats you like dirt but no other guy treating you better, and you believe it all.

Chautona:  Do you think your rekindled faith helped?

Carlie:  Definitely.  The more time you spend with the Lord, the easier (not that it’s necessarily EASY) just the easier it is to see yourself through His eyes.  The Bible says so many things about our worth in Jesus and us being His workmanship.  Jesus just doesn’t make garbage.

Chautona:  So when I was plotting out that book–you know, on that trip to San Diego to visit Teresa (the real one, not yours), I remember planning how you wouldn’t be interested in that other guy–whatshisname.  Do you think I made the right choice for WHY you weren’t?

Carlie:  Definitely. I mean he could have had some terrible fault that made him just as bad as Blaine, or he could have met someone else… I like what you did because it happens, you know?  Sometimes people–well, I can’t say, can I?  It’ll give it away. Suffice it to say, I really appreciate you giving me a normal, basic, average reason that he wasn’t right.

Chautona:  Some would say it’s a boring reason.  Some might say it’s too commonplace.  I mean, a fiction book is supposed to take you out of the ordinary and give you “an escape” so to speak.

Carlie:  But you can make the ordinary interesting by showing it in a way that people can relate to while framing it in something less average. And that’s why it works so well. If everything you do is crazy out of the ordinary, then nothing stands out.

Chautona:  I couldn’t have said it better. So, what’s your favorite thing about Dean?

Carlie: The way he cares about people.  I mean, he brought me little gifts, before he even cared about me, because he could tell it would encourage me.  He came to the funeral.  Dean helped Hannah. He put himself–whoops!  Almost did it again. So yeah.  He’s a caring guy, and he’s great at showing it.

Chautona:  So, if you could tell my readers anything right now, what would it be?

Carlie:  Everyone needs to feel loved and valued. It’s in our DNA I think. And you can.  Open the Bible.  Read the words.  See the whole course of human history–what God has done to demonstrate His love for us. The Bible is a love letter from God to us. Revel in it.

Chautona:  Well, thank you for that.  And thank you, everyone, for reading this.  I’ve added a couple of my favorite quotes from the book below!

 

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Comments

  1. Felicia says

    February 9, 2016 at 6:51 am

    Chautona, I really like the quote about finding gifts that reflect the person and feelings rather than focusing on the expense. I think I need to post this where I will see it before all birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays. I especially need to remember it right now, for Valentines day. I really want to give my husband something that expresses my love for him, but won’t break our meager budget.

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      February 9, 2016 at 12:41 pm

      I tried to find a way to rent a bike for my husband for Valentine’s/Anniversary while we’re in San Jose. Alas, I can’t! Because I realized as thoughtful as it “is”… he wouldn’t like riding the kinds of bikes they’d have available. So, he’ll have to go play disc golf with his brother.

      Still thinking…

      Reply
  2. Marleen V says

    February 3, 2016 at 7:01 am

    This is one of my favorite books from you – “the one who created you” is my favorite quote from him!

    Reply
  3. Kim Gregory says

    February 1, 2016 at 12:43 pm

    I liked Jared’s comment – it just sums up what is most important in life.

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      February 1, 2016 at 1:10 pm

      It was such a good reminder to me the day I wrote it. I don’t remember what had happened, but I was feeling pretty disgusted with my attitude. Then Jared said that and it all clicked together again.

      Reply
  4. Emma says

    February 1, 2016 at 10:18 am

    The first comment–Dean’s. One thing I took away from this book is the effect a family’s interaction can have on children. I especially had to think about how two different children in the same family, who are treated basically the same way, can come away with two totally different feelings about the way they are treated. I can see that in my own children, and it can be scary.

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      February 1, 2016 at 1:12 pm

      You can listen to my kids talking about an event and wonder if they all went to the same one. We each see things through OUR lenses. I often wonder how my parents remember things I do. I mean, wouldn’t that be cool to know?

      Reply
  5. Cornelia says

    February 1, 2016 at 7:24 am

    Loved the book. Loved the idea of truely listening to what somebody says.

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      February 1, 2016 at 1:12 pm

      Must. learn. this. still. LOL. But I will. I am so much better than I was.

      Reply
  6. Marylin Furumasu says

    February 1, 2016 at 7:10 am

    Dean’s comment!
    It touches the heart and speaks to the issue most woman have. Low self-esteem.
    Chautona, Thanks so much for this book!

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      February 1, 2016 at 1:13 pm

      I wish I had time. I’d reread t today. But, I have to go make a bunch of phone calls. Maybe some other day.

      Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 429: A Chat with J. A. Webb
byChautona Havig

Christian dystopian thrillers are too few and far between, but author J. A. Webb has a great one for us. Listen in while we chat about his Seekers Series and the second book, Inheritance.

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

Mix a corrupt secret society along with a priest on the run, and you’ve got a great mix. This series promises to be full of amazing twists and turns. 

  Inheritance by J. A. Webb

 A Dystopian Thriller of Deception, Faith, and the Fight for Truth

The Order has been betrayed. The hunters have been loosed.

Father Curtis has forsaken his vows. He has left the Order and joined the Seekers, a hidden rebellion dedicated to uncovering the truth long buried by the global church. But walking away from the Order does not mean escaping its reach.

When word spreads that a copy of the True Text — the original thirty-nine books of the Creator — has surfaced on the far side of the world, Curtis, Professor Reuel, and Phillip embark on a desperate mission. If they can retrieve the artifact, it could change everything. If they fail, the truth will be lost forever.

But the Eye of the Eternal, the secret police of the Order, has already mobilized. Their assassins are relentless. Their power is absolute. And they will stop at nothing to silence the truth.

Outnumbered and hunted, Curtis and his allies must risk everything to defy an empire built on deception. But against such overwhelming darkness, is faith enough? Or will their inheritance — humanity’s true past — be erased from history once and for all?

The war for truth has begun. And the Order will not suffer heretics to live.

A Gripping Tale of Power, Deception, and the Courage to Seek Truth

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Learn more about J. A. Webb on his WEBSITE and follow him on GoodReads and BookBub.

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