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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

If I Were Looking for Great, Exciting, and Unconventional Date Ideas…

by Chautona Havig · Leave a Comment

Stranded on Sparrow released this week, and Tabitha has us digging deep for fun, unconventional date ideas. What's yours? via @chautonahavig

A friend recently asked my best idea for an unconventional date. Now while Rachel didn’t ask for my actual unconventional dates, that’s where my brain went, and I’ll be honest. I had no idea how to answer the question.

You see, my husband and I never dated. Not only that, but I never went on “dates” before I met him, either.  The closest was probably my friend taking me to Disneyland for my birthday when I turned fifteen. With his mother and grandmother.  And… yeah, there wasn’t anything remotely romantic about it, okay?  Not what I’d call a date.  Just sayin’.

And for the curious, no. I didn’t like Disneyland.  I didn’t like it a year or so later when I went with a friend and her family, either. It’s just not my thing.

Where did that leave me? Dateless, for one thing, but then I got an idea.

You see, once upon a time, my husband and I got married.  (Talk about stating the obvious). After the wedding (several months after said marriage), we went on a honeymoon to Lake Tahoe.  Okay, that was the idea, but we got a room at the Circus Circus in Reno for fourteen bucks a night! FOURTEEN! I’m sure it will shock you to learn that we stayed in Reno instead of Tahoe.  We drove around the lake, checked out the sites… did all the touristy things.

Not only that, we even played penny slots at this tiny little slot machine place on the street down from our hotel.  We went to the movies and even saw a timeshare presentation in exchange for $200 in chips.  We took those chips, cashed them in, and voila!  That paid for our hotel and then some.  Woohoo!

So there you have it. My perfect, unconventional date idea.  A honeymoon.  Anyone up for the challenge?

stranded on sparrow

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

What’s this all about?

Of course, that “Rachel” who asked was Rachel Skatvold, and she asked because there are a couple of super-cool, unconventional dates in her recent Independence Islands release, Stranded on Sparrow.  So, definitely check out the book, but please!  Tell me about your unconventional dates (or ones you’ve heard about).  And don’t forget to enter all the giveaways–mine and the other authors’).

stranded on sparrowStranded on Sparrow by Rachel Skatvold is AVAILABLE!

If His eye is on the sparrow, where does that leave her?

Lia Diaz’s life has become an illusion. Fired from her perfect job, she’s living a lie to avoid censure from her critical family. So when Lia gets a call about her nana’s recent fall, she heads to Nana’s house to help out and regroup.

Things are looking up until she discovers that her childhood refuge, Nana’s home on Sparrow Island, has been condemned in the wake of Hurricane Arley. Time to regroup—again.

Getting stranded on Sparrow Island while visiting the house was not in those revised plans.

After “rescuing” his niece and a motley crew of animals, some might say Zachary Nolan has a hero complex. Zachary never thought that he would live life as a single dad. However, as a web designer, he is able to spend lots of time with Violet, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. A call for help when Lia gets stranded there sends him rushing to the rescue. That hero complex thing again.

A hero and his niece offer new hope to Lia—maybe God’s eye is on Sparrow Island after all.

Read the next Sparrow Island novel in 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.

Check out the other authors’ posts for their fun dates, too!

  • Rachel Skatvold (April 26)
  • Tabitha Bouldin (April 27)
  • Carolyn Miller (April 28)
  • Chautona Havig (April 29)  This one!
  • Melissa Wardwell (April 30)
  • Kari Trumbo (May 1)
  • Celebrate Lit (Sandy Barela–May 2)

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 571: A Chat with Lucas and Shauna Fischhaber
byChautona Havig

I love me a good, unlikely hero. Chatting with Lucas and Shauna Fischhaber gave me a new one to root for. Listen in and see why I’m eager to read Gathering Storms.

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

The world, the plans, the way Lucas and Shauna interact and brainstorm–it was awesome!

Gathering Storms by Lucas Fischhaber

As storms descend, who will rise?

Amber Veloré never asked to be a hero. A daughter of the forest, her gift for taming wild creatures should have been enough. But when a legendary griffin crashes into her world on her nineteenth Crossing Day-majestic, wounded, and brimming with primal fury, a creature beyond even her ability-her quiet life shatters.

To the villagers of Thunder Ridge, the griffin is a curse, a living reminder of the Haze, a storm-born terror that cannot be contained. To the ruthless Dracara, its young is a prize worth blood and fire.

To Amber, it is a choice she cannot turn away from… even if it costs her everything. Far beyond her forest home, whispers of forgotten powers stir. Ancient artifacts, tied to Solaris’ greatest cataclysm-the Great Event-begin to resurface.

And as storms gather on the horizon, destinies entwine: a failed Dracara warrior desperate for redemption, siblings bound by loyalty and loss, and a girl who only ever wished to remain Amber, daughter of the forest. The storm is coming. And when it breaks, who will rise?

Every song whispers history. Every poem hides truth. In Gathering Storms, even the smallest verse carries the weight of forgotten worlds.

Set in the mythic world of Solaris-a land scarred by the echoes of a forgotten age-this sweeping tale blends adventure, mystery, and heart. Readers will uncover a world where griffins soar through thunderclouds, ancient artifacts hum with lost power, and the choices of a few can alter the fate of all.

For fans of the mythic wonder of The Inheritance Cycle, the depth of Earthsea Cycle, and the epic scale of The Lord of the Rings, Gathering Storms is a character-driven epic fantasy of memory, courage, and the power that awakens when hope refuses to fade.

Learn more on Lucas’ WEBSITE and follow on GoodReads.

Don’t miss their YouTube Channel.

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

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  • and more!
Episode 571: A Chat with Lucas and Shauna Fischhaber
Episode 571: A Chat with Lucas and Shauna Fischhaber
August 17, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 570: A Chat with Niki Florica
August 15, 2026
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Episode 569: A Chat with Fayla Ott
August 10, 2026
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Episode 568: A Chat with Chelsea Bobulski
August 8, 2026
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Episode 567: A Chat with Roseanna M. White
August 5, 2026
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Episode 566: A Chat with Clint Hall
August 3, 2026
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Episode 565: A Chat with Taylor S. Newport
August 1, 2026
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Episode 564: A Chat with Sheri A. Bradley
July 27, 2026
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Episode 563: A Chat with Stephanie Mack
July 25, 2026
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Bonus Episode: A Chat with Becca Wierwille
July 21, 2026
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