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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Romance: What’s the Point?

by Chautona Havig · 1 Comment

People who know me personally, know that I’m not much of a romantic.  In fact, as much as I don’t like to admit it, in Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, I am probably most akin to Charlotte Lucas who said in the 1995 A&E film adaptation, “I’m not romantic, you know.  I  never was.”

Romance: What's the Point?

In fact, I tend to skip the sappy parts of books to get to the rest of the story. 

So why does a self-professed unromantic author write books with romance in them?  Well, if you had told me in 2000 that the book I was starting would end up having romance in it, I would have laughed.  I was determined not to “go there.”

Why?  Because my favorite books–most of them anyway–were my favorites because of the non-romantic elements.  I loved Isabella Alden (Otherwise known as “Pansy”) because when she did put romance in her books, she faded to black before it had a chance to move at ALL into the gray.  (Can’t imagine what she’d think of the current “grey phenomena”).  In fact, in one of her books, Eighty-Seven, a couple is going to have a romantic discussion–just a discussion!  And in omniscient narrative she says something to the effect of, “Well, this is none of our business, so let’s go see what’s happening over here.”  LOVED it.

Imagine my surprise when romance entered Aggie’s life in Ready or Not (that first book written in 2000 that I mentioned).  I wanted to leave it out. But when it refused to go, I then tried making it comic relief–and something Aggie didn’t want to mess with.  I didn’t blame her.  I mean, seriously, she’s busy enough with eight children.  Who needs or has time to sort out entanglements of the heart?

But something happened as I tried to write my idea of a fun Christian novel.  I learned a little about why authors like me put romance in books–authors who don’t read books for the romance (unlike certain daughters of mine who won’t touch a book without romance–and who don’t consider my books romantic enough for their tastes.  Hee hee!)

Romance belongs in Christian fiction and not just because Scripture paints the picture of Christ’s love for us with a romantic brush. 

See, I knew you thought I’d go there.  And while there is truth to that, it’s not why it worms its way into the heart of my books.  No, romance belongs in Christian fiction–really almost any fiction–because it’s a part of life.  And if you try to remove any core element of life from any book, you remove life itself from that book.

See, I have romance in my life.  I’m a romantic in my own way–just not the way  most people envision it.  So, I always say I’m not.  No, my husband doesn’t bring me flowers.  He doesn’t tell me I’m beautiful or arrange for dates with candlelight dinners.  It’s probably a good thing.  I’ve often joked if he ever came home with flowers or a gift, I’d tell him to tell the other woman that it’s over.

But my husband loves me.  He shows it by going to work every day–when he’d rather be here.  Yeah.  Here with me. That’s romantic in my book.  He used to do it with what I called the “Three Ds.”  Dinner, dishes, and diapers.  He’d come home after a ten-hour day at work, make dinner, do the dishes, be on call for diaperectomies, and I’d get to go read a book, go make porcelain dolls, or go laugh at Denny’s with a friend while we waited for the servers to finally remember to serve us.

That was back in the “trenches” of motherhood, as I like to call it.

Today, he does it by indulging my love of writing and ensuring the kids don’t forget to take out the trash or folding the laundry–things I should do while he’s at work and forget.  Because I’m lost in an imaginary world where I make characters do things I wouldn’t know how to handle.  Things like having a man just look at her or touch her face just because.  Things like having a woman cry over the beauty of something or because her feelings are hurt–things we just don’t do around here.

My men compliment their women sometimes.  I’d take my husband into the doctor if he did that.  My men arrange for dates.  My husband and I never dated.  We went from best friends to engaged in the turn of what I fear may have been a rhetorical question.  My husband loves me enough not to tell me if it was.  My women dress up and try to be attractive, attentive, and engaging when the time is right. They do it because this is normal.

It’s not their fault that I’m not.

Aggie would have been a fun book without her falling in love.  Luke could have been a best friend forever.  But it would have been lacking.  It would eventually have fallen flat.  Why? Because God designed us to have multifaceted lives.  And if you neglect to cut one of those facets, that life doesn’t shine and reflect His light fully.

And isn’t that the point of everything we Christians do? 

Try to help others see the light of God shining through a dark and unloving world?

It’s a lesson I learned in writing.  I learned that romance, even for its own sake (cannot believe I am typing this) has a purpose in our lives.  Whether we’re living it as a participant or observing it from afar, it enriches us.  Sure, classic or traditional norms of romance make some of us miserable. But despite that “misery” we’re blessed by it.

So, I’ll keep writing my “Christian romance” and try not to wince at the words every time I see them.

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  1. Are Christian Romance Stories Beware or Beautiful? • Aryn the Libraryan says:
    September 26, 2019 at 10:38 am

    […] Ok, high suspense here, the Agency exists to provide protection. Sometimes they are hired, but other times, they discover a threat, and “kidnap/hide the victim BEFORE the attack can happen. Then, catch the bad guys. Book 1, Justified Means starts out in high gear. Knowing who to trust is difficult. Falling in love with your kidnapper/rescuer is dangerous. Especially when he’s a Christian and you are not. This is well written in general, but especially timing-wise. Not too sudden, And not like Col. Mckenzie and Cmdr. Rabb from JAG (nearly there, but never gonna happen). There are many threads in this series, of faith, romance, and suspense / adventure. Its a lot of fun! One Author’s View of Christian Romance Stories […]

    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.

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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
Chautona Havig
Episode 144: Chatting about Restored Grace with Kathleen J. Robison
May 17, 2022
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Episode 143: A Chat with Romantic Suspense Author, Mary Alford
May 13, 2022
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Episode 142: A Chat about A Promise Engraved by Liz Tolsma
May 10, 2022
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Episode 141: A Chat with Elizabeth Goddard about Critical Alliance
May 3, 2022
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Episode 140: A Chat about When the Meadow Blooms by Ann H. Gabhart
April 29, 2022
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Episode 139: A Chat with Middle-Grade Author, RM Ruiz
April 26, 2022
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Episode 138: A Gush about a Good (more like GREAT) Read & GoodReads
April 22, 2022
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Episode 137: A Chat with Contemporary Romance Author, Mandi Blake
April 19, 2022
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Episode 136: A Chat with Middle-Grade Historical Author, Marie Sontag
April 15, 2022
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Reposted from @beckylewis345 Life can be hard. Ent Reposted from @beckylewis345 Life can be hard. Enter cozies like A Sprinkle in Time by Dana Mentink. Clean, with a sweet romance, whose amateur sleuth runs a delectable shake shop. A dog, a child, precocious twins who work for the shake shop, and lovable Papa Luis. Plus, of course, plenty of suspects. “Murder, mayhem, and milkshakes. Who’d a thunk it?”

Trinidad Jones becomes someone I truly care about in this book. I am amazed at how she and Gabe’s two other former wives forgive each other and actually become friends. Not just friends, but family, as thick as blood. Now there is a small cluster of characters to follow and enjoy in this town of Upper Sprocket. Fun!

I enjoy the inclusion of dogs, children, and special-needs people, and Dana Mentink brings them all to our Shimmy and Shake Shop story. Noodles is old, but what a loyal companion, and, wow, does he have an amazing ability or two! Little  Felice adds warmth and vulnerability to the tale. Doug, the special-needs brother of Trinity’s love interest, Quinn, adds reality and complexity to the novel. 

Mentink has a good sense of humor and I laughed out loud several times. Just what I want out of a cozy. Mystery, romance, great characters, laughter. A fun occupation that the sleuth actually works at. I am happy to report I made it through the book without indulging in ice cream! But, can you?

I am looking forward to more murder and mayhem in Upper Sprocket! Plus more Freakshakes! 

———————————————————————
I received a copy of the book from Celebrate Lit. (I also bought my own copy.) No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
———————————————————————
Notable Quotables:
“He was merely a friend the way a Ming vase was just an old pot.”

“There’s your plan and God’s plan, and your plan…” “Doesn’t count,”

“Maybe it’s one of those weird small-town happenings.” “A body in your trunk isn’t a happening, it’s a horror movie,”

“It wasn’t an easy thing to command the heart to feel what the brain ordered.”

“Rumors carry so much more weight than the truth, sometimes.”
Giveaway on blog in bio.
#celebratelit
#danamentink
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#amreadingcozies
Reposted from @celebratelit Did you know that When Reposted from @celebratelit Did you know that When the Pilot Falls by April Hayman from the Ever After Mystery series is 25% off with the Celebrate Lit Summer Sale? 

More about the book: 
In 1923, there aren’t many pilots, but Willie Labeau didn’t let that stop… her.

A bear of a man, Hugh Taylor, needs a stunt plane pilot, and despite their rocky introduction, Willie sets off for golden California and a new life as his pilot. There’s just one little thing she has to do in addition to flying.

Leave his past alone. Period.

When the flame of her own curiosity becomes fanned by encouragement from Willie’s sister, the feisty pilot can’t help but do just a little investigating.

And Hugh vanishes.

Friends rally around her, and with all the information she can find in hand, Willie sets off to rescue Hugh and battle the evil family holding him hostage.

A fierce air race, a sincere act of humility—are they enough to free Hugh and give Willie a chance to be with him… forever?

Find out in this next book in the Ever After Mysteries, combining beloved fairy tales and mysteries. When the Pilot Falls offers a retelling of “East of the Sun, West of the Moon” that will keep you gripped to the edge of your seat as you watch hearts soar and daring dos.

Link in bio! 

#aprilhayman #whenthepilotfalls #everaftermysteries #celebratelit #christianfiction #historicalfiction #bookstagram #bookloversofinstagram #readersofinstagram
Dial W for Wrangler: Vi's just trying to sell used Dial W for Wrangler: Vi's just trying to sell used recliners and old, broken wagon wheels.  She can't help it if folks keep asking for help with their love lives... can she?
See the lengths Wade goes to in his quest to behave like a rational guy.
Releases Tuesday, May 24. Available on 
#Kindle
#KindleUnlimited
#PaperbackBooks

#ChristFic
#YouAreOnTheAir
#ContemporaryChristianSweetRomance

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How does this author celebrate a finished book? By How does this author celebrate a finished book? By reading someone else's finished book. 😀 
#amending
#needicecream 
#onthemenu
#freakshakes
"Murder, mayhem, and milkshakes. Who'd a thunk "Murder,  mayhem,  and milkshakes.  Who'd a thunk it?"
@dana_mentink 
#shimmyandshakeshop
#cozymystery 
#needicecream
Love it when publishers use plays on words. #amend Love it when publishers use plays on words.
#amending
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