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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

The Exciting Fairy Tale I Never Wanted To Tell

by Chautona Havig · 1 Comment

Fairy tales can come true... it can happen to you... if you rewrite them! Today is The Last Gasp reveal and the first of seven! via @chautonahavig

You see them everywhere. Sometimes it’s done deliberately–someone retelling a familiar story in a new setting with a twist.  Other times, it’s accidental and even the author goes, “Oh! Yeah.”

What am I talking about?  Retellings.  Whether Austen characters and storylines or Shakespeare, Robin Hood or fairy tales, they’re everywhere.  I mean, even tropes have names that fit fairy tales.  Don’t believe me?  I’ll just throw two out there.

“Rags to Riches.”  A.k.a. “Cinderella.”

And… “Beauty and the Beast.”  #becausefairytales

Is it any wonder that one day I woke up and had an immediate epiphany about fairy tale retellings?

Confession.  I didn’t wake up with that epiphany.  It wasn’t even an epiphany. I just kept seeing fairy tale stuff everywhere, and all of a sudden, I wanted to do one, too.  Actually, I wanted to do them all and knew I’d never have time.  So… that meant pulling in my partner in crime…

Sandy.  #becauseSandy.

This left the “twist.”  We needed something that would make them stand out. Be different. After thinking of and rejecting a million ideas, it came to me.  The 1920s aren’t often showcased in Christian fiction.  What if they were all set then–the “Roaring Twenties.”  Prohibition, decadence… ooooh…

That’s when I got the million-dollar idea.  Mysteries. I mean, that would make it all stand out, right?  Just to recap… we’d do mysteries, set in the 1920s, inspired by fairy tales.  We’d get several authors to join me.  Boom, bam, baby!  A perfect literary trifecta.

Now we could have all the fairy tales.

Then, because I came up with the idea, I claimed first dibs on picking my fairy tale. While I wasn’t sure which one I did want, I knew what I didn’t.  No Cinderella. No Snow White.

We were talking about before Bible study one night, and when I mentioned that I had to choose what I would do for the series, one friend said, “So… are you doing Cinderella… as what, a cigarillo girl?”

You know what happened, right? How could I not do this? So, my dreams of telling this story or that all faded into the mists of my mind, and I settled in to figure out how to write…

The Last Gasp Cover Reveal

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The Exciting Fairy Tale I Never Wanted To Tell

Writing about a cigarillo girl isn’t exactly easy–not when you write Christian fiction.  I’m just sayin’. Set in a period of time where some doctors still swore by the health benefits of tobacco, some people wouldn’t have balked at Christians standing outside church smoking!

What would today’s Christians do with me having a heroine who sold candy and cigarettes to moviegoers?

I hoped they’d accept the historical significance, read the story, and see how I handled it.  I mean, in a case like this, it’s all you can do.

At first, I had a grandiose plan of turning the story into a copy of Agatha Christie’s formula for mysteries.  I thought it would be cool if one of my characters was a little like Miss Marple–but a man.  A couple of friends would be Tommy and Tuppence, and a heavy-set woman with more hair on her upper lip than most women prefer would walk around asking if everyone was happy.

Two things prevented that.

First, my cigarillo girl needed to be front and center in the story, and she didn’t fit any of those descriptions. Next, I had a limited number of words to work with, and it just wouldn’t fit. Still, if you look really closely, you’ll find that some of those people still linger in the shadows of my characters’ personalities.

One of the reasons I didn’t want to do Cinderella is that while she’s a self-sacrificing young lady, a hard worker, and keeps her attitude in check (for the most part), I’ve always found her bland.  Meh.  #hohum

Lucinda actually started off that way.  I couldn’t figure out what my “prince,” Gary, saw in her. However, she showed her true colors as more than a would-be stenographer working as a cigarillo girl until she could afford to take the right courses… or marry the right guy.

Some say that how you respond to adverse circumstances shows your true character.

Frankly, I don’t know if I believe that! I mean, why is who we are at the worst our only measure of who we are?  That has always bugged me.

However, if the old saying is true, then my cigarillo girl proves herself to be quite the young woman when she finds herself locked up for a murder she didn’t commit.

That’s how I chose my fairy tale in the Ever After Mysteries series.

Now it’s time for The Last Gasp reveal.

the last gasp cigarillo girl

The Last Gasp reveal is the first of eight books set in the 1920s. You’ll also want to head over to Marji Laine’s website to see her reveal.

 

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  1. Melissa Wardwell says

    February 12, 2021 at 10:02 am

    The cover is stunning

    Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

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Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 206: A Chat with Lisa Phillips about Her New Spin-off Series
byChautona Havig

Fans of Lisa Phillips’ Last Chance County series are doing happy dances following the release of an exciting new spin-off series, Last Chance Fire and Rescue. Expired Return brings back a few favorite characters and kicks off another of Sunrise Publishing’s author/mentor led fiction seasons! Listen in to find out what happens when an author brings back a guy she dropped a building on a couple of books back…

 

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When Fans Want More Exciting Stories, Smart Authors Listen and Deliver!

Let’s face it. Authors might SOMETIMES be “done” with a series, but readers often want more… indefinitely. Well, with the brilliance of Sunrise Publishing’s mentor model, authors get to collaborate with authors they trust to do their “worlds” proud while still having time to write new, exciting things as well. And some of the Sunrise lead authors even write in the spin-off series–like Lisa Phillips and Trisha Goyer!

This new Last Chance County series promises everything we love about Lisa Phillips’ world–danger, intrigue, heart-stopping suspense, drama… you know… all the feels. But in addition to her own release, Expired Return, this series also introduces us to new authors who have been carefully vetted and selected to ensure they do justice to Lisa’s Last Chance characters. I, for one, can’t wait to check it all out.

Lisa and I chatted about what she plans for the series,Lisa hinted about a possible super-secret reveal coming soon, and I even poked her with the idea of a Last Chance Christmas.

Help me convince them on that, will ya?

But this new book… Whoa…

Expired Return by Lisa Phillips

Pepper stood up. “How dare you.” She could spit fire at him right now. She’d loved and supported Victory since the day she was born. “You know nothing about me.”

“What’s this?”

Pepper whirled around at that voice. Heart. Breaking. She loved that gruff, commanding voice more than anything else in the world.

He wore a look a lot like Aiden’s. Blank, which she knew—or hoped—had to do with protecting his heart because he still cared for her. Except he probably hated her.

Donaldson sat back in his chair. “Allen.”

Former police officer Allen Frees had both hands on the wheels of his chair. He wore a fire department uniform of slacks and a white shirt. Emblems. A badge. His life of service hadn’t ended when he landed in that chair after a building blew up over his head.

As far as she’d been able to tell, it barely slowed him down.

She’ll give everything to protect her family.

He always knew she was the one.

Veterinary tech Pepper Miller lives a quiet life in Last Chance County. She’s watching her niece until her sister shows up…if she ever does. When Victory’s father demands he take over her care, Pepper knows something has gone wrong. With a new drug in town, and her sister embroiled in a dangerous bargain, it’s up to Pepper to protect the people she loves.

Even if it costs every secret she’s ever kept.

Fire Department liaison Allen Frees lives with the injuries he sustained as a police officer in a raid gone wrong. He’s put his life back together but getting the truck crew and engine squad to succeed might be his toughest assignment yet. When Victory is nearly kidnapped at a community event, Allen steps in to help Pepper keep her niece safe. The one thing he couldn’t fix was the love he lost, but he isn’t going to let Pepper walk away this time.

No matter what walls he has to break down.

Last Chance County returns in this blazing new series from Sunrise Publishing.

Last Chance Fire and Rescue

  • Book 1: Expired Return
  • Book 2: Expired Hope (coming soon)
  • Book 3: Expired Promise (coming soon)
  • Book 4: Expired Vows (coming soon)

Last Chance County

  • Book 1: Expired Refuge
  • Book 2: Expired Secrets
  • Book 3: Expired Cache
  • Book 4: Expired Hero
  • Book 5: Expired Game
  • Book 6: Expired Plot
  • Book 7: Expired Getaway
  • Book 8: Expired Betrayal
  • Book 9: Expired Flight
  • Book 10: Expired End

Learn more about Lisa and her books on her WEBSITE.

Learn more about the different seasons (series) offered by Sunrise Publishing or how to audition with them on the Sunrise Publishing WEBSITE.

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Episode 206: A Chat with Lisa Phillips about Her New Spin-off Series
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Everything changes when I bump into a man in the coffee shop and claim him as my new boyfriend. To my absolute horror, he turns out to be hockey’s most renowned bad boy, Dallas Burke. To my absolute delight, he goes along with my story.

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Heath Karras has a problem. Lots of eager first da Heath Karras has a problem. Lots of eager first dates... no second dates. With his propensity to spout random (and often bizarre) animal facts while nervous (he's always nervous around women) it's no wonder. 
His sister has a solution--lots of dates. Great, heaping gobs of them. Go ahead. Be awkward. Get used to it. Then... then try with someone you really want to get to know. He's not so confident, but when a man gives his word... (Note to self: no more agreeing to Selby's plans without knowing what they are!)
Find out what happens in Random Acts (or is it Facts?) of Shyness.

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Heath Karras has a problem. Lots of eager first da Heath Karras has a problem. Lots of eager first dates... no second dates. With his propensity to spout random (and often bizarre) animal facts while nervous (he's always nervous around women) it's no wonder. 
His sister has a solution--lots of dates. Great, heaping gobs of them. Go ahead. Be awkward. Get used to it. Then... then try with someone you really want to get to know. He's not so confident, but when a man gives his word... (Note to self: no more agreeing to Selby's plans without knowing what they are!)
Find out what happens in Random Acts (or is it Facts?) of Shyness.

This book just got a fresh makeover, thanks to the genius of @PlethoraCreative & @PerryElizabeth.
There's a link to how to find it in my bio.
#ChristFic
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