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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

What Does My Dream Island Vacation Have to Do with a New Book?

by Chautona Havig · 3 Comments

Reclaiming Hope released yesterday, and oh, this story has so much to offer. More than just an opposites attract., it's a glimpse at hope. via @chautonahavig

“If you could visit any island in the world, which one would it be?”

I’ve had people ask me this question before. I don’t know how to answer it, frankly. Why Fiji and not Hawaii?  Why Nantucket and not Prince Edward Island?  For that matter, why Guernsey instead of Catalina?

I’ve had a dream of taking a two-week cruise to Hawaii. I figured it would be the best way to have a full cruise experience AND see the Hawaiian islands. I could make a whole book about it.  And it would be awesome.

But if someone said, “Here’s ten thousand dollars.  Go to an island for a week or two,” I can’t even begin to choose which one I’d… well, choose!

So, I’m asking you guys to choose for me.  This is what I’d want for sure.

  • A nice place to stay. Doesn’t have to be glamorous, just clean, comfortable, and with clean water. #becauseImADesertRat
  • Fun history to explore
  • Good food that is safe to eat (please no third-world places… I’m not interested in that for a “dream vacation.”
  • Not desert (I don’t need to travel to see desert, so something different.
  • Not ONLY touristy (I’m not a big “attractions” kind of gal. I like to wander, spend time alone, observe, etc. I don’t want a “nightlife” or a bunch of tour stuff. Just a chance to explore another world.

So, where am I going? And better yet…

Reclaiming Hope release

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

What Does My Dream Island Vacation Have to Do with a New Book?

Well, Carolyn Miller’s latest book in the Independence Islands Series released yesterday, and for her release, she asked us to tell her our dream island vacation.  And well… um… I don’t know, hence shamelessly using you to help me!

I think this book is my favorite of hers in the series… but only just. She has some fabulous books in here!

Reclaiming HopeReclaiming Hope by Carolyn Miller

Opposites attract—and repel. But which is more powerful?

Callie Steele might be a bit…focused on work, but despite what her employers say, she enjoys her well-ordered, productive life.

When she’s sent to meet the owners of an estate requiring post-hurricane landscaping, Callie meets their son, Kai Brody, a super-chilled pro surfer, who is as opposite from her as they come. Though initially smitten, Callie knows a relationship with Kai is a bad idea—a very bad idea.

Kai, however, can’t help but be intrigued by someone who challenges him to make something of his life again. He’s determined to pursue her, if she’ll give him half a chance.

The more time they spend together, negotiating the challenges of work, illness, and family, the more their opposing outlooks clash and connect. What do these unlikely friends really want from life? Is it best to focus on work or recreation?

As Kai and Callie seek answers from the Lord, they also must consider if such complete opposites have enough in common to make a relationship last.

Reclaiming Hope concludes the Hooper Island stories of the Independence Islands Series featuring five islands, six authors, and a boatload of happily-ever-afters.

The Independence Islands Series: beach reads aren’t just for summer anymore.

Don’t forget to read the other authors’ posts about their dream island escapes and enter their giveaways.

Carolyn Miller (Dec. 7th)
Chautona Havig (Dec. 8th) 
Melissa Wardwell (Dec 9th )
Kari Trumbo (Dec. 10th)
Rachel Skatvold (Dec. 11th)
Tabitha Bouldin (Dec. 12th)
Sandy Barela–Publisher (Dec. 13th)

And get your entry in here!

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Comments

  1. Kathleen Garley says

    December 8, 2021 at 5:25 pm

    Oahu,Hawaii. I went Abita more than 2 years ago to see my grandson and his family. Beautiful!!! So much to see. Went to a great luau and wet to the Arizona and WWII sites.

    Reply
  2. AVA says

    December 8, 2021 at 1:55 pm

    We went to Hawaii for our honeymoon. We went to three islands: Oahu, the Big Island, and Kauai. We enjoyed each one for what they were, but Kauai was probably the most relaxing and typical of what you think Hawaii is like. The best thing we did was take a helicopter ride over the islands — Big Island and Kauai. Totally worth it and would do it 1,000 times over. Visiting Pearl Harbor was sobering but I also wouldn’t have missed that. We also did a submarine ride which Robert wanted to do, but I could’ve skipped it — and not because that’s where I threw up on my new husband! (I’ll tell you the story some other time.). The Dole Plantation was fun, especially the maze. The Audobon trail thing was great, too. Just driving around and viewing everything was fun. Oddly enough, we never got in the ocean water, just a swimming pool at one of the places we stayed. Visiting various markets was fun and eating out.

    Reply
  3. Deb Jones says

    December 8, 2021 at 1:24 pm

    Since New Zealand is made up of Islands, I would suggest it. It is also a country so you are getting several benefit. I have never been there but would love to go. There are so many things to see & it definitely fits your requirements. I want to go to Hawaii too, but if I look at your requirement list there is very little about Hawaii that isn’t touristy. NZ has tourists but it isn’t their main point of income.

    Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 589: A Chat with Amanda Cabot
byChautona Havig

Most of us are used to Amanda Cabot writing in the late nineteenth century, but post WWII? Sign me up! Listen in and see what you can expect from Amanda’s Beyond the Melody.

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

I love jukeboxes, and a book with someone who knows all about them? Sign me up! EEEP!

Beyond the Melody by Amanda Cabot

Neither one is looking for love, But sometimes all it takes is one dance. By the spring of 1946, life in Sweetwater Crossing is almost back to normal after the war. Not Anna Finley’s. She lost her chance at happily-ever-after when the man she loved was killed in France. Anna does her best to hide her sorrow and a secret that haunts her as she works on the jukeboxes she inherited when her brother died in combat. There’s no point in dreaming about what might have been. Jim Smythe is also grieving a shattered life. His fiancee broke their engagement, reminding him that a respected magazine said it should take no more than three weeks for a veteran to forget the war. But Jim cannot forget the men in his platoon who didn’t return home, and he’s made it his mission to visit each of the fallen soldiers’ families, hoping to give them some small measure of comfort. Sweetwater Crossing is his final stop. After that, he’ll have to return to Boston and the life that holds no appeal. If only he could find an alternative, one where people saw him for himself, not his family’s name. He’s given up hope that anyone will understand what his parents and fiancee did not, but everything changes when he enters a small cafe and sees a woman whose eyes reflect his own pain standing next to a jukebox. Jim knows he’ll never see her again, yet it somehow feels right to extend his hand and say, “May I have this dance?” It’s a once-in-a-lifetime moment for two wounded people unless they can overcome their fears and find the courage to love again.

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Episode 589: A Chat with Amanda Cabot
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