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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Why I LOVE The Black Midnight & This New Author

by Chautona Havig · 4 Comments

So, did The Black Midnight live up to its potential? Well, by the end of the first chapter, I was hooked, by the second, I didn't want to put it down, and... via @chautonahavig

Okay, she’s not a debut author, but she is new to me! When I learned that she’d written a book in the True Colors Crime Series, I knew The Black Midnight would be my first Y’Barbo book. Come on. Pinkertons, Jack the Ripper, and Queen Victoria???  Count me in!

NOTE: I’m only three chapters into this book, but I have to say that I love her writing style and the characterization alone are awesome.  I sneaked a peek at the author’s notes on her research, and LOVE that she draws her own conclusions based on what she discovered.  Usually, that means some seriously good research.  Oh, and Alice Anne calling Queen Victoria “Granny”?  Too adorable.

So, since I flubbed a deadline and HAVE to write tonight, what I’m doing is putting the podcast episode I did about this series below and you can listen to just the bit about why I wanted to read this book or you can listen to my take on the first three episodes of the series by skipping to 28:46ish

the black midnightNote: Links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Why I LOVE The Black Midnight & This New Author

Okay, I’ll be honest. There are flaws with this book. There. I said it. The ending is a bit rushed, there are a few inconsistencies, the royalty aspect (which I was really excited about) was interesting but stretched the suspension of disbelief, and the way the “we don’t know what happened” was handled… eeeeh.. not so much.

Okay, now that I got the honest criticism out of the way, how about we talk characters?  Loved them. Queen Victoria cracked me up. I love when people write her as a person instead of just a personage. Y’Barbo DID.

What about settings?  Great!  I loved that the author both gave Austin, Texas its best setting possible (snow!) while acknowledging that the actual snowfall was a year before or behind (can’t recall which).  That kind of transparency makes storytelling so much better!.  We can accept it if we’re not expected to ignore fact without acknowledgment.

I think what I loved most about the book was that the author didn’t try to create conclusions that would alter history while presenting possibilities that, if proven, would. Add to that the sheer fun of juxtaposing Victorian London with Austin, Texas and two crimes that could have been connected, and you have a book you don’t want to put down.

Recommended?

If you enjoy true crime stories, Jack the Ripper stories, and clean fiction without the gore that usually goes with both of those, I think Kathleen Y’Barbo’s The Black Midnight is perfect for you. Not recommended for people who expect every historical reference to any person or event to be perfectly verifiable. This is a novel and is presented as one.

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Comments

  1. Emma says

    September 4, 2020 at 7:42 pm

    While this wasn’t my favorite in this series, I did really enjoy it!

    Reply
  2. Amelia says

    September 3, 2020 at 1:59 pm

    Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  3. Cheryl Arcemont says

    September 3, 2020 at 7:46 am

    I have always had a secret love to research Jack the Ripper and the Whitechapel Murders. To satisfy that lack of energy to do the actual research, I have allowed myself the selfish reading of as many books of such research as long as they are also fiction. What good is knowing the actual facts without some mild fiction to help with imagination to push for further research?! I will definitely find a way to get all of these books as they have all the elements I love in stories; clean reading all along the stories plus mysteries!
    Thank you, Chautona, for being a part of this very interesting series of books by great Christian authors! And thank you, Kathleen, for doing the history research to bring ‘The Black Midnight’ to life!

    Reply
  4. Andrea Stoeckel says

    September 3, 2020 at 6:19 am

    This looks wonderful. Hope all goes well on the tour1

    Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 163: A Chat with Naomi Craig about Ezekiel's Song
byChautona Havig

Before I began the interview with Naomi Craig about Ezekiel’s Song, I kind of went crazy and left it in to give you a chuckle. But Naomi and I chat about her upcoming release, why she chose to write about Ezekiel, and what areas she focused on. Listen in and hear her heart for the Word and for stimulating readers to love it and live it.

Oh, and that song I couldn’t remember? Well, I found it after a BUNCH of hunting on YouTube. Here you go!

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

Has Ezekiel Always Confused You? How about a Little Fictional Clarity?

There’s SO much to write about in Ezekiel, but after talking to Naomi Craig, I feel like I got a pretty good grasp of where she’s taking this book without feeling like I don’t need to read it now that we chatted, and that’s always great. Naomi shows service in the temple, how Ezekiel could have had a mentorish relationship under Jeremiah, and even what kind of woman his wife might have been.

Personally, I love the “Darcy-ish” meeting where he totally insults her and accuses her of being an idolatress. Let me tell you something. I cannot wait to read that! Seriously!

God had Ezekiel do a lot of weird things, and I always wondered how he managed some of it, but Naomi brings out possibilities by focusing on this wife that we don’t know much (anything) about. How cool is that?

Naomi also gave us a couple of glimpses into what’s coming next!

She’s #TeamBlue in the Keeping Christmas novella collections, writing about Herod’s palace and the wise men’s appearance looking for “the King of the Jews.”  And… from a scribe’s perspective!  How cool is that?

Also… next up is a book about a woman in Ephriam’s lineage who built three cities. A woman credited with the building of these cities!  I cannot wait! I love how Naomi focuses on how strong Biblical women were. So often we think of them as downtrodden and little more than cattle, but God shows how much He loves His daughters in the Word, and He definitely allows them to shine. We saw that in Naomi’s debut novel Rahab’s Courage.

Ezekiel’s Song by Naomi Craig

A prophet’s heart broken, a woman’s joy gone. What does Yahweh have planned for His people?

On the brink of Jerusalem’s demise, devoted priest, Ezekiel, sees the insincerity of Judah’s worship. Despite his efforts to call the people back to true worship of Yahweh, priests, artisans, valiant warriors, and royals are exiled to Babylon. When God gives him messages of continued judgment for the people in his homeland, his heart breaks. How can he minister to the people from so far away?

The presence of the Lord is tangible when Shiriel sings in the temple, and her voice prepares the hearts of many to worship. When she is exiled to Babylon, her faith is shaken. Does the Lord’s presence extend beyond Jerusalem and His holy temple?

Ezekiel is struck mute and paralyzed as he begins his prophetic ministry, and Shiriel devises a plan to get the Lord’s message back to the unfaithful people of Judah. Shiriel struggles with discontentment as serving the Lord looks nothing like she’d imagined. Can she provide for her family and carry out her husband’s ministry when her joy is gone, and her own dreams are placed on hold?

How will Yahweh save His people from themselves? Find out in Ezekiel’s Song!

Ezekiel’s Song is available at 30% off paperback and at a discount for Kindle, too through release week, so visit Naomi’s WEBSITE for more information.

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Episode 163: A Chat with Naomi Craig about Ezekiel's Song
Episode 163: A Chat with Naomi Craig about Ezekiel's Song
August 12, 2022
Chautona Havig
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August 9, 2022
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July 26, 2022
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July 22, 2022
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July 19, 2022
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July 12, 2022
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Episode 157: A Chat with Historical Christian Fiction Author, Lynn Austin
July 8, 2022
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July 5, 2022
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July 1, 2022
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Episode 154: A Chat with Romantic Suspense Author, Sami A. Abrams
June 28, 2022
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Harper Brevig has two skills—picking out snarky bookish t-shirts and alienating customers. 
Oh, and racking up bills out of thin air. Make that three skills. She loves the elderly and the very 
young—except the ones who destroy her beloved books. You could say she doesn’t have a very nice 
“book-side manner.” 
Milton Coleridge and his parrotlet Atticus (not Finch) come to the rescue… but is it too late to 
save this bookstore?
Twice Sold Tales: the first full-length novel in the Bookstrings Series releases on November 2, 
2022. Link to more information is in my bio! 
#amwriting
#amreading
#bookishbooks
#bookstrings
#comingsoon
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