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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

What Happens When Your Little Sister’s Best Friend Becomes Yours?

by Chautona Havig · Leave a Comment

As I’ve been working through the Madeline books, I realized that Madeline’s best friend is now her “best friend’s” brother.  And vice versa! This of course, made me wonder if Russell knows it yet. So, I decided to ask him about it… and a few other things.

Let’s get right at it.

What Happens when Your Little Sister's Best Friend Becomes Yours?

Note: links are likely affilate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Me:  Russell, thank you for visiting with me today.

Russell: I wish Madeline was here. She’d enjoy watching your flat typewriter go.  Where are the strikers?

Me: Um… well, under the keys.

Russell: Fascinating.

Me: Now you’ve known Madeline for a long time—almost ten years, haven’t you? How has she changed over those years?

Russell:  Aside from becoming even more interesting and full of adventure, not much. Well…

Me: Yes?

Russell:  Upon further reflection, it does occur to me that she is more thoughtful of her aunt’s sensibilities.

Me: I’ve noticed that as well.  It seems that the more unreasonable Louisa Farnsworth becomes, the more reasonable Madeline is about it.

Russell: Yes, yes, that describes it well.

Me: I’m curious. What did you think when Amy asked you to “look after Madeline” while she was away?

Russell: It wouldn’t do to be completely candid. I will only say that my affection for my sister is the only thing that induced me to accept. She asks for so little that one does not refuse Amy anything.

Me: What did you expect keeping your promise to entail?

Russell: The young ladies of Rockland have determined to keep their set embroiled in a whirlwind of social engagements. I thought I would be called as an escort to lectures, the theater, benefits, concerts, and of course, dances.

I noticed a small smile form as he worked to hide… something.

Me: I wonder… what surprised you most?  That she wasn’t eager to participate in all the social melee or where her interests turned?

Russell: I should not have been surprised about most of what has taken place since Amy’s departure, but I think what did surprise me is that I also became her confidant in matters of the heart. When Delbert Jackson made his unfortunate proposal, it shook both of us, I think. I had been in the habit of thinking of her as “little Maddie,” not a young lady with an appeal to suitors.

Me: Tell me about that. How were you involved?  It always sounds like you were there at the proposal.

Russell: No, I visited her that evening to bring a letter from Amy that I wanted to share and found her understandably distressed. She may have gotten past his boorish behavior, and it is like her to appreciate forthrightness, but as fine a fellow as Jackson is, what he did was inexcusable.

Me: It could have been worse. He could have done the reverse and told her how inferior she was a la Darcy in Pride and Prejudice.

Russell: That’s an interesting perspective. I considered his assertions of superiority to be equivalent to emphasizing her inferiority, although I know him to be above doing that consciously.

Me: What do her friends really think of her “meddling?”

Russell: Most people in Rockland admire her; although, it is disconcerting to realize she often sees through what most try to hide.

Me:  And what does she see in you that you would like to hide?

Once more, Russell fought to repress a telltale smile.

Russell: You ask impertinent questions, Mrs. Havig. I will answer you, though. I do not try to hide anything from her, and as a result, she does not yet see what I might wish to.

Me: And is that a good or bad thing, do you think?

Russell: That, I believe, is something best left for time to show.

Me: Fair enough.  I’m curious.  What is the best thing that has come from keeping your promise to Amy?

Russell: I have found a much dearer friend in Madeline than I had known she could be. I look forward to seeing how our childhood dynamic adjusts to the change in all of our circumstances.

Me: And seeing how your relationship continues to grow, I imagine.

But Russell refused to answer that one.  He only smiled. Again.

A message from Jimmy arrived right about then—informing him that Madeline required his assistance, and we all know Russell would never refuse.  Amy might be disappointed.  That must be the reason, of course.

I don’t know about you, but I think Russell was deliberately vague at times, and I find that… would it be too dramatic to say… suspicious?

That’s not the only interview we have with Madeline’s friends!

There’s this interview with Essie!

Madeline sweet on you book 1Synopsis:

It is my hypothesis that social conventions are created to test our fortitude. 

Rockland circa 1900-
As the mayor’s daughter, Madeline Brown enjoys a rich social life that many might envy. But a sharp mind and a growing talent for observation leaves Madeline torn between avoiding social censure and exploring the world around her.

With an aunt who considers higher education and employment equally unsuitable for the mayor’s daughter, there is little to amuse her save endless committee meetings, evening socials, and her favorite pastime: curling up with an exciting detective novel.

So, when a young man shows interest in her friend, Madeline’s interest piques–until his actions hint that he might not be the upstanding gentleman everyone presumes him to be. Unable to ignore her concerns, Madeline finds herself in the middle of an investigation into his character and discovers a side of Rockland she’s never encountered.

Will her new hobby reduce the tedium of her life, or will her “meddling” create tension for herself and her father? Will she be forced to squelch this budding skill of hers or has Madeline finally found her calling in life.

Meddlin’ Madeline: Welcome to Rockland’s infancy.

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 231: A Chat with RomCom author, Shannon Sue Dunlap
byChautona Havig

Shannon Sue Dunlap isn’t new to rom-coms, and her first book in the Sweetheart Series promises to be a literary riot, and it lives up to that promise. I’m only halfway through it and am thinking mean, ugly thoughts of everything keeping me from being able to escape into the crazy small-town politics and quirky characters. So far the com far outweighs the rom, which makes me thrilled to bits. Listen in to discover what makes Lone Star Sweetheart so much fun.

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

Why Did This Author Write a Rom-Com about a Loveable Shrew?

Well, I think we can safely blame Shakespeare for that. Shannon Sue Dunlap has taken inspiration from Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew in her Katherine, but unlike Katerina, Dunlap’s character is actually trying to learn to tame the tongue. Maybe someone should send her over to the book of James. There’s that whole bit about not being able to tame it, being an “unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”

Kate’s isn’t that bad, but not for lack of trying. Or something.

Shannon Sue Dunlap isn’t joking when she says that her Katherine is a “loveable” shrew. Seriously, I love this character. She’s forthright, no-nonsense, and “what you see is what you get” in her approach to life. I respect that. Add to that her boss who has shaken up the town of Sweetheart, Texas, and you’ve got the makings of a great story. I’m loving Lone Star Sweetheart.

But this isn’t all Dunlap has written.

Under the pseudonym, Shannon Kent, you can find her sweet and clean romances (including one Christian romance) inspired by Korean dramas. If you said I’d be not only chomping to read a sweet and clean romance about Korean tour guides and all that entails but also ready to watch a Korean drama on Netflix… Okay, I might not have laughed in your face, but I’d’ve been laughing on the inside.

Best part… one of them ties into her Sweetheart Series

Lone Star Sweetheart by Shannon Sue Dunlap

Katherine Bruno’s passionate, unfiltered temper makes her the shrew of small-town Sweetheart, Texas. When she’s drafted to help the mayor’s wife run against her own husband, Katherine meets opposing big city political consultant Ryan Park. The good-looking, flirtatious campaign manager gets under her skin, but fraternizing with the enemy is off-limits.

Katherine must battle her lack of experience, campaign sabotage, and her growing feelings for Ryan as she strives to succeed. His unprejudiced acceptance of her strong-willed character beckons her heart, but his jaded rejection of God is an insurmountable barrier. Will Ryan return to his faith and stay with her in Sweetheart or leave when the election ends?

You can find out more about Shannon Sue Dunlap AND get that first novella in the Korean Crush series free on her WEBSITE.

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Episode 231: A Chat with RomCom author, Shannon Sue Dunlap
Episode 231: A Chat with RomCom author, Shannon Sue Dunlap
May 26, 2023
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May 12, 2023
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Episode 228: A Chat with Author Emilie Haney
May 9, 2023
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Episode 227: A Chat about the New Jewels of Kalispell Series
May 5, 2023
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Episode 226: A Chat with Archaeological Thriller Author, Doug Powell
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