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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Question Du Jour: How Do You…

by Chautona Havig · 10 Comments

Write so fast!!!

I get an email at least once or twice a day from someone asking how I possibly write so fast.  “You publish a new book every other day!”

Ok, so no one has said that exactly, but the implication is there: how do I manage to pound out 90,000 words every other week.

Today I give you the super secret answer.  Shh… come closer.  Don’t want to destroy illusions of my brilliance here. (Collapsing on the floor, grasping my sides, and howling at that one.  Snort).  Ready for it?

I don’t.

In fact, from the end of April through the end of October, I had only written new material to fill up gaps in Willow–less than 20,000 words total I’m sure–and my Camp WriMo stuff that hasn’t been finished at all.  What? You say!  Well, it’s true.  November has been the exception for two reasons.

  1. It’s NaNoWriMo time!  I’m writing Not a Word and enjoying every second of it
  2. I’m at the end of the Willow Saga and there’s a LOT of stuff that needs fleshing.

You see, I’ve been writing for almost eleven years straight.  I started with Aggie, went on to Grace, then wrote Hope (Yes, back in 2006 I wrote Hope and six years later, we published it… see what I mean?), and Argosy Junction, and…   So, do you want to see what my “Books in Progress” folder looks like?  I’ll show you a list (woefully incomplete right now I might add) of in progress or completed works waiting for publishing.

In Print (or partial series in print)

Thirty Days Hath…
Allerednic
31 Kisses
Noble Pursuits
Discovering Hope

The Aggie Series
Ready or Not
For Keeps
Here We Come
Mama’s Boy (coming in the future as well as a “Christmas with Aggie” kind of thing maybe next year)

Ballads From the Songbook
California Joe (Outlined–not written)
Cowboy Jack   (Complete)
Blind Child’s Prayer (outlined–not written)
Bonnie Black Bess (outlined–not written)

The Brethren
Argosy Junction
Reluctant Shepherd (outlined–not written)

The Hartfield Mysteries
Manuscript for Murder
 Crime of Fashion (Complete not published)
Final Straw (In Progress)

Past Forward Series (Nearly finished publishing)

The Annals of Wynnewood  
 Shadows & Secrets
      Cloaked in Secrets
      Beneath the Cloak

Who Am I?
Recall (Book 1 in Who Am I?)  (Complete unedited)
Refresh (Book 2 in Who Am I?)  (begun but not complete)

Journey of Dreams
Prairie  (Complete in editing)
Seaside  (In progress)
Desert (outlined–not written)
Highlands (In Progress)

The Not So Fairy Tales
Princess Paisley
Everard
Leicelin (outlined–not written)
Princess of Congolia (outlined–not written)

Legends of the Vengeance
Book 1  (Complete)
Book 2 (In Progress)
Book 3
Book 4
Book 5

Valle de Morado  A ten book series chronicling the family of Californios and Californians in Napa from 1841-1941.
Casa de Sueños  (Complete)
Encantado (In Progress)

Complete

Introductions (Complete not edited)
Plotting Santa  (Complete not Published)
Webster’s Bakery (mostly Complete)
Volition  (Complete-unedited)
Speak Now (Complete unedited)
Advent (Complete–published soon)
Deceptive Appearances (Complete but unedited)
Mismatched  (In progress–nearly complete)
Bentley (Nearly complete)
Confessions of a Decluttering Junkie (Almost complete)

In Progress

The Agency (In Progress)
But, Gram! (In Progress)
Exiles (In Progress)
Captured! (In Progress)
Clash with Jesus (In Progress)
Dead Limb Walking  (In Progress)
Diaretic
  (In Progress)
Home Improvements
(In Progress)
Morning Compute  (In Progress)
The Course (In Progress… nearly complete)
Riddle of Destiny (In Progress)
Confessions of a Compulsive (but Inept) Crafter  (In Progress)
Not a Word  (In Progress)

Book Ideas

Boomerang (outlined–not written)
Reappearance (outlined–not written)
Vignettes from the Vintage Runway (outlined–not written)
Kisses of an Enemy (outlined–not written)
Faithful Wounds  (outlined–not written)
A Man and a Mouse (outlined–not written)
Beneath the Pigment (outlined–not written)
Common House (outlined–not written)
In Real Life (outlined–not written)
Kirky (outlined–not written)
Love is Patient  (outlined–not written)
Momster  (outlined–not written)
New Generation  (outlined–not written)
Patient Wooing (NEEDS A NEW TITLE BADLY)  (outlined–not written)
Photo Booth (outlined–not written)
Retroactive Truth (outlined–not written)
Rhonna (outlined–not written)
Subject to Change Without Notice  (outlined–not written)
Silent as the Grave (outlined–not written)
Regression (outlined–not written)
While In a Comma (not a typo)  (outlined–not written)
Homeless  (outlined–not written)
Month of Sundays  (outlined–not written)
Abandoned 365 (outlined–not written)
Anything for Her Child (outlined–not written)
Big Proposal (outlined–not written)
Double Identity (outlined–not written)
Eco-Friend-Me (outlined–not written)

The Guardians of Valimar  (outlined–not written)
The Explorer
The Keeper 
      The Dreamer
      The Healer
      The Soldier

So, see?  There’s really a lot already written and a lot in progress, and a WHOLE lot planned… but nearly every word of this was done before June 2012.  I am a fast writer.  But for the past six months, I’ve been publishing previously written work over the past ten years.  And we’re rapidly running out of those books and moving into new ones.  And I’m excited about that too.  🙂

As you can see, I’m not going to hit Writer’s Block anytime soon.  😀

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Comments

  1. Vicki H says

    November 20, 2012 at 10:07 pm

    Wowza!! How do you do it? My brain is too full of life let alone being able to create so many amazing books too. Can’t wait to read them all!!!!!

    Reply
  2. Linda Sue says

    November 15, 2012 at 6:00 am

    So WOW is today’s word? I agree – amazing body of work and I add in the blessing of 9 children, a real life outside our obsession with your writing and oh my goodness – she probably even sleeps! Thank you for sharing your writing and world with us – like the others – I will miss Willow, she has been a special comfort to me during a season of grief
    Indeed – to God be the Glory!

    Reply
  3. Michelle says

    November 15, 2012 at 4:54 am

    Amazing….love the Willow books!

    Reply
  4. Katie says

    November 15, 2012 at 4:18 am

    Well, I have nothing to fear. you will provide me with plenty of reading material in the future !! I have loved all of your books so far. I can’t wait to read 31 kisses!!
    Katie

    Reply
  5. Cands says

    November 14, 2012 at 9:26 pm

    Incredible!!! Why didn’t you start publishing sooner?? Wasn’t it torture to have so many books waiting to be published for so many years and not having any one read them out there??
    You are one very unusual and intriguing author! And so talented; I enjoy your writing so much!
    But I’ve already started to mourn saying goodbye to Willow & Chad. They’ve become such special “friends” and I’m going to miss them so much!
    Say, what about a serial novel that goes on forever – like a soapie?? 😉

    Reply
    • Chautona says

      November 14, 2012 at 9:35 pm

      Chad and Willow are DEFINITELY coming back next year for another volume. I’ve got plans for them! WOOHOO!

      Reply
  6. Carla Linhart says

    November 14, 2012 at 8:16 pm

    You are a very busy person.

    Reply
  7. Rebekah says

    November 14, 2012 at 6:15 pm

    Wow! (Your comment section is starting to sound like a broken record – or a bunch of comments about Willow. ;p) I can’t imagine having that many books pending!!! I’ll have to have an entire bookshelf devoted to you by the time you publish them all and I manage to get my hands on printed copies of each! 😀

    To the KING be all the glory!
    Rebekah

    Reply
  8. TinaJewel says

    November 14, 2012 at 4:57 pm

    Wow! Just wow!

    Reply
  9. Marylin says

    November 14, 2012 at 4:19 pm

    Wow! You still impress me!

    Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 264: A Chat with Romance Author, Sarah Monzon
byChautona Havig

Finally getting a chance to chat with Sarah Monzon was a total delight, and learning all about her latest release, All’s Fair in Love and Christmas was equally awesome.  My copy is here and waiting for me to dive into the battle of the celebrations!  EEEP! Listen in to see what that even means!

Note: I sound like I’m underwater. We heard it during our interview, but I couldn’t make it behave and couldn’t fix it. Sorry!

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

How Does an Intense Christmas Competition Lead to Love?

All’s Fair in Love and Christmas has so much going for it that I don’t know where to start! Fun mom who made our heroine’s childhood Christmases an international delight without ever leaving home?  Check!  Social anxiety adding to the stress of competing for a promotion?  Check?  Romcom hilarity?  Check, check?  And add to all that Sarah’s wonderful writing and delightful characterization?  I’m all in.

We also chatted about why she chose to write about a woman with social anxiety, her preferred reading methods, and some of my favorite books by her. For a refresher, those are The Isaac Project, 12 Days of Snowmen, and Book Nerds & Boyfriends (a collection of three novellas).

All’s Fair in Love and Christmas by Sarah Monzon

Two workplace rivals. One festive competition. And a romance that upends it all.

Every December two things are guaranteed for graphic designer Mackenzie Graham–Christmas celebrations and the annual promotion at her workplace. Those two things are by no means mutually exclusive. In fact, the better an employee is at harnessing the Christmas spirit, the more likely they’ll win the new job. With her social anxiety, Mackenzie never thought she’d be a contender in her company’s holiday competition, so how exactly has she found herself dueling her workplace crush with wrapping paper tubes and using tinsel as her weapon of choice for a much-needed raise?

Jeremy Fletcher’s life is meticulously planned out, including how to win this year’s promotion at work. Not only will the new position fulfill some of his career goals, but as a single guardian to his twin niece and nephew, he needs the salary increase to support his family. Jeremy has barely noticed Mackenzie Graham around the office, but now that she’s his rival, he can’t stop thinking about her. Her quirkiness intrigues him, and he’s afraid that if he can’t get his head on straight, the promotion isn’t the only thing he’ll end up losing to Mackenzie.

“Inspirational rom-com readers are going to love this one.”–BETHANY TURNER, bestselling author of The Do-Over

You can learn more about Sarah on her WEBSITE.  Also follow her on BookBub and GoodReads.

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Episode 264: A Chat with Romance Author, Sarah Monzon
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September 26, 2023
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Episode 261: Chatting with Christian Youth Fiction Author, Candice Yamnitz
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Episode 260: A Chat with Rachel Hauck
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Episode 259: A Chat with Debut Author, Laura Conaway
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