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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Why I Refuse to Apologize for Stealing a Brilliant Idea

by Chautona Havig · 6 Comments

Jose Iturbi in "Anchors Aweigh" when he says, "You know those composers--they steal from each other!" I did that. Stealing a brilliant idea--that's me! via @chautonahavig

I was an innocent bystander. Really!  I was. I just sat there, reading a fabulous book (you can read my review HERE), and cracking up over the heroine’s hijinks when it happened.

There, described in brilliant detail (without too much, mind you) emerged a scene that transformed itself in my mind.  Different country, different house, even a different type of location on property! But the concept—brilliant.

Never have I been so torn while reading a book. 

You see, I wanted to stop reading and start writing—right then.  The scene played out so perfectly, I could just imagine how amazing it would be to write my own. But who can stop reading a brilliant book when you’re just really getting into the heart of it?

“Not me,” said the flea!  Or something like that.

So there I was, consumed by frustration and confusion.  And then it hit me.  Of course, I needed to finish the book.  I couldn’t work on the next in the series just a month after the last was published! I had other books calling my name!

But oh, how I wanted to.

Why I Refuse to Apologize for Stealing a Brilliant Idea

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

So, why do I refuse to apologize for stealing a brilliant idea?

And what was that brilliant idea?

Fine Print: Meddlin' Madeline 3Well, what it was, you’ll have to wait for until you read Fine Print.  And that’ll be a week or two.  Yep, the book is going to be late.  I can’t get around that.  It was supposed to release tomorrow.  Yeah, like in twenty-four hours.  That ain’t happenin’.  So, I’m shooting for next week. Pray I make it, okay?

Just the Way You Are Pepper BashamOh, and you’ll need to read Just the Way You Are as well, or you won’t get it.  Sorry.

Yeah. Actually, I’m not.  I’m not sorry at all. And you shouldn’t be, either.  It’s a great book.

Why do I refuse to apologize for it, then?  Well, because it made my book better.

See, I had a plan for Fine Print. It was going to be awesome. And then I read this book and the gears started turning.  An English Manor, a treasure trove, a…

Yeah. I’m going to give too much away. 

So, like any author, I’m stealing the idea.  Oh, yeah.  Livin’ on the wild side.  Okay, not really, but if you really think about it, that’s what we do, you know.  We steal events from our lives or our friends’—our families’ lives.  We steal from history, from theater, movies, and from other authors.

Don’t believe me?  Well, the same guy who said, “the writing of many books is endless” also said, “there is nothing new under the sun.”  Hint: his name is Solomon. He was kind of a wise guy, but not in the “take ’im to Jerzee and whack ’im” sense.  Just sayin’.

Okay, so I stole the brilliant idea.  I took it and I changed it, morphed it, twisted it and reimagined it—kind of like how someone takes a beautiful piece of fabric (one person’s artwork) and cuts it up, reassembles it, and bam!  You have a beautiful dress, a quilt,  some curtains.

I think I just said this book is curtains for me.

I digress.

But no, really. One little element of one author’s book prompted an idea that turned my original idea from “Oh, this is going to be fun” to “That was dumb” and gave me a new one I can’t wait to share.

You know how Henry Hardwick (from books 1 and 2) was all about the archeology thing?  Yeah, well, Madeline is “donning her helmet” so to speak.  And man, she’s mixed up in everything from finding something hidden in the strata of a house to yet another girl’s relationship.  What’s with her and this anti-matchmaking scheme, anyway?  Methinks she’s jealous or something.

Yeah. Not hardly.

So, sure. I stole someone’s brilliant idea.  I don’t pretend I didn’t.  In fact, I thank Pepper Basham for the genius idea. And unlike Liz Johnson, I didn’t just come up with the same idea at the same time. No, I admit it freely.  I stole the idea.

But I suspect if you read both books, you’ll agree.

They’re nothing alike.

Oh, and man… I stole an idea from someone else, too—one of the Denny’s patrons, actually. But that’s a story for another time.  Stay tuned for that one next month.

But tell me… are you looking forward to the third book of the Meddlin’ Madeline series? Are you curious about what Madeline’s up to? What about her growth as a detective?  Did you know that’s what this series is all about?

Here… check out this little video for more information on that!

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Comments

  1. Mari Tysar says

    February 19, 2018 at 9:44 am

    I can’t wait! And I broke my no buy book ban on authors I haven’t read because of you lol. Hopefully her book holds a candle to yours because your books and (Dee Henderson) are the only ones I’ll usually buy without knowing anything about the book. 😀 looking forward to Madeline, she’s one of my FAVORITES.

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      February 19, 2018 at 3:49 pm

      Which book was that? Just the Way You Are? If you don’t crack up in chapter one, I’ll refund you the cost myself.

      Reply
  2. Andrea Stoeckel says

    February 19, 2018 at 8:53 am

    They say there is nothing new under the sun right? And I’ve heard pastoral candidates truthfully say they only have five sermons in them; that they preach different version of them on Sunday…. so why should you apologize for your own “spins”? I just received an ARC with a title so generic there are well over a hundred books with the same name out there…

    There is never a reason to apologize

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      February 19, 2018 at 3:50 pm

      Yeah… I do check Amazon before I choose titles. I didn’t with my first say 10 and I could have really made a few huge mistakes with a couple of mine if I hadn’t. Basically, anytime I think I’m being clever, a million other people already have been.

      Reply
  3. Darlene Case says

    February 19, 2018 at 6:20 am

    I love your books, as you may have guessed, but the Miss Marple and Patrick Jane combo is brilliant!! Woo Hoo Chautona!! Keep ’em coming!

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      February 19, 2018 at 3:50 pm

      I just hope I make it happen.

      Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 145: A Chat with Debut Women's Fiction Author, Sara Brunsvold
byChautona Havig

Debut Author, Sara Brunsvold, is bursting on the Christian Women’s fiction scene with an amazing book, The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip. With characters who have captivated my heart from page one (and enough quirkiness to keep my attention to the last), Sara Brunsvold is sure to become a favorite author, and this book is already on my top five of the year before it’s even released!

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

This Novel Isn’t Even Available Yet, and It’s in My Top 5!

If you’d told me that I’d fall so in love with two chapters of a book that it would push that book into my top five of the year so far, well… I’d have laughed.

The joke’s on me because it happened with Sara Brunsvold’s The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip. This debut women’s fiction novel has a bit of a split-time element and is set in Kansas City. Trust me when I say that meeting Clara was one of the most fun introductions to a character I’ve ever had. I just love this woman, and I’m drumming my fingers to get to read more about her.  Not surprising considering it won the ACFW Genesis’s award a couple of years back. 😀

Sara says her passion is intergenerational stories, and you definitely get this with Aidyn and her “assignment,” Mrs. Kipp.  But you also get inter-cultural and ideological influences in this book as well.

And then there’s that next book she has coming out.  You know, the one about a gal cooking her way through her grandma’s German cookbook?  Yeah.  The one we have to wait until early 2024 for?  Yeah. That one.  Sigh.

When Sara told us about her favorite authors, a lot of things made sense.  Just sayin’. Find out which of Katherine Reay’s books are her favorites and how she fangirled over Reay’s response to an email (and why you should email your favorite author!).

The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip by Sara Brunsvold

Aidyn Kelley is talented, ambitious, and ready for a more serious assignment than the fluff pieces she’s been getting as a cub reporter for the Kansas City Star. In her eagerness, she pushes too hard, earning herself the menial task of writing an obituary for an unremarkable woman who’s just entered hospice care.

But there’s more to Clara Kip than meets the eye. The spirited septuagenarian may be dying, but she’s not quite ready to cash it in yet. Never one to shy away from an assignment herself, she can see that God brought the young reporter into her life for a reason. And if it’s a story Aidyn Kelley wants, that’s just what Mrs. Kip will give her–but she’s going to have to work for it.

Debut author Sara Brunsvold delights with this emotional multigenerational story that shows that the very best life is made up of thousands of little deaths to self. You’ll want to be just like Mrs. Kip when you grow up!

This book is 40% off with free shipping from Baker Book House. That’s less than the Kindle version if you like paper!

You can learn more about Sara at her WEBSITE (and sign up for that newsletter so you can get Mrs.Kip’s 8 Rules to Live By). Oh, and if she does those videos of her cooking through that book, you’ll want to know when/where to find them.

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

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Episode 145: A Chat with Debut Women's Fiction Author, Sara Brunsvold
Episode 145: A Chat with Debut Women's Fiction Author, Sara Brunsvold
May 20, 2022
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