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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Isn’t It Cool When What Seemed So Awful Turns Out Great?

by Chautona Havig · Leave a Comment

When I first read Sweet Rivals by Kari Trumbo, I knew it would be a new favorite, and mostly because of the sorrow-to-joy theme! Check it out! via @chautonahavig

When Mom moved in with us back in 2019, we had one problem. Our house is a three-bedroom, one-bath, house with 1100-1250 sq. ft. Years ago, we converted part of the garage into the “annex” for our older girls, but we still had girls and the remaining boy in the middle room. Where to put the madre, no?

Enter the shed-room.  We bought a shed, insulated it, drywalled it, and turned it into #2son’s bedroom.  Mom got his room inside, and all was well.  For over two years he’s lived there, packing it with his friends at least once or twice a week.  Seriously, I don’t know how he got so many people in such a small place.

Last month, he moved out and into his own house.

Look, I’m not the kind of mom who dreads her kids doing what they were intended to do–grow up, have lives of their own, move on, all that jazz.  I actually enjoy the process of seeing infants roll, crawl, walk, run.  I enjoy watching kids climb trees, scrape trees, and… yeah. No. I never enjoyed the constant tears in the girls’ dresses or boy’s jeans.  Nope.  And… I enjoy watching my teens become individuals who make their own lives.  It’s beautiful.

But I’m also not that mom who wants her kids out of the house the day they turn eighteen. It never makes sense to me–kids spending money on rent, utilities, all the things just so they can “be independent.”  We’ve encouraged our kids to be independent right here at home. Save the expenses for later.  One by one they’ve gone off to college.  Some didn’t come home. Others have gotten their own places… like #2son.

And now we have an empty shed.

Look, here’s the deal. Mom’s room has always been slated to be my office.  But when Mom moved in, the only drawback at all was that I knew it could be a couple of decades before I would be able to use it now.  Let’s see… Mom?  Office?  Mom?  Office.  Seriously, there was no hesitation.  Mom every day and twice today (it’s Sunday as this post goes up. Work with me here).

So, after some consideration, I decided that it might be time to turn it into my office. I’ve never wanted a detached office. I tend to hole up alone anyway.  That kind of temptation isn’t good for a natural hermit.  However, if I worked out there mostly at night and for podcasts, well… I’ll have to learn a bit of self-discipline, won’t I?

The shed-room has become… the shed-i-ffice.  I love that so much.  Snort.

It’s amazing how God works out things I’ve dreamed of in ways that seemed so terrible.  Mom becoming so weak she needed to sell her home and everything in it and move to a place she never wanted to see again.  But I got to have Mom close again.  My son moved out and took on all the responsibilities of adulthood.

And I got a shed-i-ffice.

It’s a small way the Lord took hard things and unexpected changes and turned them into huge blessings, and sometimes we need those simple examples to see the beauty in the truly hard things–a grandson electrocuted, a move, a miscarriage.  God is good always, and sometimes when it seems like the goodness is missing, we discover it isn’t after all.

Sweet Rivals Trumbo

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

Why am I yammering on about God’s blessings?

Well, first… #becauseGod!

And because Kari Trumbo’s latest Islands book released this week. In Sweet Rivals, Fay’s dream business seems to be taken away by God, but maybe God has better plans for her… or does He?

Sweet Rivals Trumbo

Sweet Rivals by Kari Trumbo

Fay is about to lose her business…

…to the only guy she’s ever thought might be good for her.

Fay Ravven has spent years building a floral business on Mimosa Island. Too bad a chain florist has moved in right down the street. As her business wanes, she realizes her rival is none other than Corbin Lowel, the very man who swept her heart away at her friend’s wedding.

Corbin knows he’s not good enough for Fay. His friends remind him all the time that, as a florist, he’s not really man enough for anyone. That doesn’t stop him from stepping out of his comfort zone and going to Fay’s store to see if she remembers him. That’s when he discovers that his business is killing hers.

What are rivals to do when they can’t stop thinking about each other? Plan the flowers for someone else’s wedding, of course.

When Corbin and Fay must see each other and work together, will they dive through their pain and reach for the stars? Or will the roses be too prickly for two hurt hearts?

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.

The Independence Islands authors have inspiring stories for you. Check them all out and get your entries in!

Kari Trumbo – March 29

Rachel Skatvold – March 30

Tabitha Bouldin – March 31

Carolyn Miller –April 1

Chautona Havig  – April 2

Melissa Wardwell – April 3

Sandy Barela – April 4

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 162: A Chat with Author, Nancy Naigle
byChautona Havig

Hey, we’re back after a couple of weeks of vacation, and boy did I need it. And, have I got a fabulous interview for you. Nancy Naigle and I talked about her books, her most recent release, What Remains True as well as her Christmas books and the one I’m most anxious to read, The Shell Collector. Listen in and learn about what Nancy says about this bet she has going on in What Remains True. Great stuff!

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

Need a Great Romantic Read to Wind Up Your Summer Reads?

As I said in the podcast, a while back, someone told me I’d LOVE The Shell Collector–one of those people who recommends books you HAVE to read if they say you do.  So I bought it and it’s been sitting on my shelf ever since. Well, now it’s on my GoodReads shelf, and I’m about to start it (and I optimistically thought I’d be done with it by the time this episode released. Oh, me of too much faith in myself and my time management!)

Author of over thirty books, not to mention a bestselling author who also has movies made of her novels (And The Shell Collector has been optioned! EEEP!), Nancy loves to write Christmas books and small-town stories. Seriously, as we talked, I felt like she was talking about me half the time. We’re so very alike in so many ways. It was fun.

Nancy also pointed out that her first books (if you go WAY back) are not Christian fiction and are a bit spicier than she prefers to write and definitely more than she writes today. So be warned there, but she did assure us that they are all closed-door books.

What Remains True by Nancy Naigle

One woman wants to win a bet. One man wants to become a rodeo champion. One little girl may give them both something even better—from USA Today bestselling author Nancy Naigle.

“A commitment-phobic rodeo star and a divorcée with secrets find love in this wholesome romance. . . . As uplifting as it is sweet.”—Publishers Weekly

Working at a little shop on Main Street in a small town is exactly the break that executive Merry Anna Foster needs following her divorce. She’s made a bet with her ex-husband that she can live on the amount of money she’s giving him in alimony. If she can do it, then Kevin will have to stop complaining and leave her alone. But after three months of this new life, will she even want to leave Antler Creek?

Adam Locklear, bull rider and owner of the local feedstore, is having the best year of his rodeo career. He’s also a bit distracted by the pretty new neighbor living in his old bunkhouse. But Adam has no time for matters of the heart. He’s got his future all mapped out, and that future doesn’t involve a woman just yet. It doesn’t involve parenting a little girl either. However, Carly Fowler still suddenly leaves five-year-old Zan—the daughter Adam didn’t know he had—in his care.

Is it possible that the future holds a life even better than what Merry Anna and Adam had each dreamed of? One that includes both tenderness and even love—not just for each other but for Zan too?

You can learn more about Nancy’s books and movies on her WEBSITE.

Oh, and PSST… I’m loving the audiobook of this one!

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

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Episode 162: A Chat with Author, Nancy Naigle
Episode 162: A Chat with Author, Nancy Naigle
August 9, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 161: A Chat with Christian Women's Fiction Robin W. Pearson
July 26, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 160: A Chat with Liz Johnson about The Last Way Home
July 22, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 159: A Chat with Biblical Fiction Author, Mesu Andrews
July 19, 2022
Chautona Havig
A Chat with Historical Christian Fiction Author, Stephanie Landsem
July 12, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 157: A Chat with Historical Christian Fiction Author, Lynn Austin
July 8, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 156: The Fragrance of Violets by Susan K. Beatty
July 5, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 155: Chatting with Heather Day Gilbert & Jen Cudmore
July 1, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 154: A Chat with Romantic Suspense Author, Sami A. Abrams
June 28, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 153: A Chat with Historical Author, Tracie Peterson
June 21, 2022
Chautona Havig
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Reposted from @lisaphillipsbks Win 40+ books or a Reposted from @lisaphillipsbks Win 40+ books or a $500 Amazon card to buy a ton of books yourself in Celebrate Lit's Summer Book Lovers Giveaway.

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Mom got me a storm door for my birthday. It's goi Mom got me a storm door for my birthday.  It's going up today.  Eeep!!!
#TheShediffice
Reposted from @karitrumbo Repost from @maciestjame Reposted from @karitrumbo Repost from @maciestjames
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Reposted from @karitrumbo Repost from @carolynmill Reposted from @karitrumbo Repost from @carolynmillerauthor
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When your husband gets a tooth pulled so you eat When your husband gets a tooth pulled  so you eat ice cream with him in an act of commiseration. 
@baskinrobbins 
#icecream
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