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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Why I Absolutely Love Fiction & How It Shaped My Character

by Chautona Havig · Leave a Comment

Little golden books-fiction shaped my characterIt’s no secret that I love fiction.  I always have.  It started with Little Golden Books and my mother’s Nancy Drew novels.  I devoured them.  My favorite, if it matters, was The Mystery at Lilac Inn.  I don’t remember if I loved lilacs before the book or if reading it influenced my preference for them.

Books taught me things. In fact, you could say that fiction shaped my character.  And now I feel like Meg Ryan in You’ve Got Mail. 

Little Golden Books nurtured my childhood innocence and wonder.  From them, I learned simple virtues such as hard work, kindness, everythinglgbperseverance, and that other word–nurture.

  Interestingly enough, I got a fabulous book, Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Little Golden Book for Christmas from a dear friend.  I love this book.  It’s a bit simplistic, yes.  But it does bring you back to the basics of life.  And in our busy days, it is so easy to miss the basics. 

For example, one of the first things in the book is the suggestion to wake up and get dressed!  Duh.  But it adds a parenthetical comment.  Don’t just put on sweat pants.  Put on “real” clothes.  You know what?  Sometimes I need that reminder.  I’m sure my family gets sick of my boring wardrobe.

Why I Absolutely Love Fiction & How It Shaped My Character

Links in this post may be affiliate links that provide me a small commission at no extra expense to you.

But that’s beside the point. We’re supposed to be talking about how fiction shaped my character, not my wardrobe.  

(Although it did.  Way back in junior high.  I wanted Nancy Drew’s wardrobe.  It’s why I learned to sew!)

I remember a book about a girl named Wallis.  Her family moved a lot–like me.  It was a silly book.  She made a friend and played a cruel joke on a girl in their class.  Why did this book impact me? 

I felt like she empathized with me.  I  moved a lot.  I didn’t always make friends where we went–just like Wallis.  And, as I think fiction should do, I learned what not to do–be cruel to others in order to please someone I want to be a friend.  I found that book a few years ago and bought it.  But I still can’t remember the name. And I can’t find it now.

I lived among the Little House books. From Pa, I learned to understand my father’s wanderlust, and from Ma, I learned self-control.  I’ll never forget Laura’s “wooden swearing” when she slammed a book on the table and Ma’s quote in her autograph book.

If you your lips would keep from slips, five things observe with care: to whom you speak, of whom you speak, and how, and when, and where.”

Mary taught me that being “good” all the time–flaunting that goodness–is rude and wrong.  Silly thing to learn, isn’t it?  From Laura, I learned to share my stories, because they aren’t just interesting to me.  And  Almanzo taught me to pursue what matters to me–whether it be a dream, a responsibility, or a person who matters to me.

atreegrowsAnd you’ve heard me say it before, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn taught me that I want to write. 

Betty Smith’s portrayal of turn of the 20th century Brooklyn etched itself into my heart when I was twelve.  I did a book report on one section of the book.  It was my only bad grade I ever got in any language arts assignment.  Why?  Because I quoted a line that the teacher decided was inappropriate–a line that described the birth of the main character, Francie Nolan.

Apparently, it’s not appropriate to do that when you’re twelve and go to a conservative Christian school.  You know, that was a good lesson too.

I was married with a child before I read Anne of Green Gables. I fell in love with Anne–who doesn’t?  I learned to love whimsy–something that was lacking in my makeup.  I learned to see romance as something more than sappy drivel on a page or a screen.  I learned to see it in the aching beauty of my father’s ballads, the heroism of a man like Audie Murphy, the joy of a man content like George Bailey.

Oh, yes. You’ve got to admit it: Fiction shaped my character.

Around that time, I read Gene Stratton-Porter’s The Harvester. I learned from it that not all romance is drivel.  That male/female relationships can be lovely, beautiful, and (forgive me) not embarrassing.  Look, I’m forty-four years old and I still turn away when characters kiss on screen.  I still flip past descriptions of physical affection in books.  It’s who I am–how God made me.  And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. 

But Ms. Porter taught me that just because it’s in there, doesn’t mean it has to be awkward or uncomfortable–even for me.  I love that book.  And the amazing thing is, neither my husband nor I know where it came from.  It was just on the shelf one day.

But the fiction that has shaped me as an adult has all been Christian Fiction. 

The Breaking PointWhile C.S. Lewis’ Narnia taught me to love fantasy and see the world through fairytale eyes, Christian fiction taught me to look to Jesus in a fresh new way.  Michael Phillips’ Secret of the Rose series was my first taste of real Christian fiction.  I love that series. 

To this day, Dieder Palacki’s speech in the final book burns into my soul each time the words “razzle dazzle Christianity” come to mind.  Through Mr. Phillips, I learned to learn from fictional Christians–to understand how better to apply my faith.  I learned to learn from their mistakes. 

Different books have impacted me in different ways.  Everything from Dee Henderson’s suspense to unlikely books like Karen Ball’s The Breaking Point impacted me in some way.  You know, I don’t even remember what about Ball’s book convicted me so deeply.  I remember being so very unlike the character, but I also remember it hitting home in a completely unexpected way.  A friend read it at the same time.  She couldn’t understand what moved me either.  I’ve kept it all these years.  Maybe I should reread it and see if the Lord shows me again.  Wouldn’t that be something?

Fiction is a beautiful thing–when used beautifully. 

The Harvester
Far from garbage, The Harvester is a fabulous book–and this kindle copy is FREE

I’ve read a lot of garbage over the years.  As a child, I brought home brown, paper bags (yes plural) every week or so.  I devoured everything in them.  I read all of my aunt’s Barbara Cartland books and from them, learned the gist of the British aristocracy.  That’s about all I learned–except that I really thought Regency girls were pretty insipid creatures.  Thankfully, I was introduced to Austen later and learned that some did have excellent senses of humor and intelligence. 

I read supernatural garbage by Lois Duncan and mysteries and coming of age stories by Phyllis Whitney.  I read the entire Flowers in the Attic series–and somehow missed the GARBAGE in them.  I’ll never forget re-reading them as a married woman and being revolted by incest and raw sex that I never caught as a kid.  I firmly believe God blinded me to that.  I’m so grateful.  I just wish I hadn’t tried to reread them.  From those and many other books, I learned that fiction can be a poison as well as a blessing–fiction shaped my character in inexplicable ways.

I pray daily that my writing is never the former–always the latter.

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 265: A Chat with Karen Witemeyer
byChautona Havig

Nothing says fairy tale like a sweet western romance by an author like Karen Witemeyer… unless it’s a fairytale retelling set in Texas in the late 19th century, right?  Fairest of Heart takes the familiar “Snow White” and turns it on its head with retired cowboys, a self-absorbed actress, a Texas Ranger, and a sweet girl who knows the true Source of her beauty.  Listen in to see all the genius Easter eggs Witemeyer planted in this book.

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

Sometimes All a Girl Needs Is a True Change of Heart

I fell in love with the cover of Karen Witemeyer’s Head Over Heels a few years back (only to learn it’s much older than that, even), and meant to read that book.  I didn’t.  #BecauseIdiot. Well, that’ll be rectified just as soon as I’m done listening to her first book in a trilogy of fairytale retellings. I loaded it up on my Audible app tonight and wheeeeeeee. Here I go! So much for no new books until October. HA! 

Karen talks about her heart for young women today and how they’re taught by every bit of media blasting at them that they need to use their bodies to get what they need or want when the Lord has a better plan. And I can’t guarantee it, but I strongly suspect she does it without preaching. SQUEE!

Fairest of Heart by Karen Witemeyer

Once upon a time in Texas . . .

Beauty has been nothing but a curse to Penelope Snow. When she becomes a personal maid for a famous actress whose troupe is leaving Chicago to tour the West, she hides her figure beneath shapeless dresses and keeps her head down. But she still manages to attract the wrong attention, leaving her prospects in tatters–and her jealous mistress plotting her demise.

After his brother lost his life over a woman, Texas Ranger Titus Kingsley has learned to expect the worst from women and is rarely disappointed. So when a young lady found in suspicious circumstances takes up residence with the seven old drovers living at his grandfather’s ranch, Titus is determined to keep a close eye on her.

With a promotion hanging in the balance, Titus is assigned to investigate a robbery case tied to Penelope’s acting troupe, and all evidence points to Penelope’s guilt. But Titus might just be convinced that the fairest woman of all has a heart as pure as her last name . . . if only he can prove it.

You can learn more about Karen Witemeyer and her books on her WEBSITE. Don’t forget the book is 30% off on BakerBookHouse.com.  

Follow Karen on BookBub and GoodReads.

And don’t forget her Posse Group on Facebook.

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

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Episode 265: A Chat with Karen Witemeyer
Episode 265: A Chat with Karen Witemeyer
September 29, 2023
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Episode 264: A Chat with Romance Author, Sarah Monzon
September 26, 2023
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Episode 263: A Chat about The Love Script w/ Toni Shiloh
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Episode 262: Chatting about The Legacy of Longdale Manor with Carrie Turansky
September 19, 2023
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Episode 261: Chatting with Christian Youth Fiction Author, Candice Yamnitz
September 15, 2023
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Episode 260: A Chat with Rachel Hauck
September 12, 2023
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Episode 259: A Chat with Debut Author, Laura Conaway
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Episode 258: A Louisiana Christmas to Remember
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Episode 257: A Chat with Fantasy Author, N. Ford
September 1, 2023
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Episode 256: A Chat about Summer in the Spotlight w/ Liz Johnson
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