Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt Featuring Chautona Havig

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October 1: Quiet Quilter

October 2: Inklings and notions

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October 4: Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations

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October 8: Christian Bookaholic

October 9: Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses

October 10: His Grace is Sufficient

October 11: Blossoms and Blessings

Featured Books

Past Forward— A life lived intentionally. That’s how Kari Finley would describe the world she created on her farm for herself and her daughter, Willow.  But when Willow awakes one morning to find her mother with Jesus, that life changes in ways she never would have imagined.  Past Forward is a serial novel released in six volumes.

HearthLand— Intrigued by Willow’s lifestyle, Ralph Myner sinks most of his retirement fund into creating an intentional community.  People from all walks of life join together to “live life more deliberately.”

Ready or Not—When Aggie Milliken’s sister and brother-in-law die from a freak medical accident, the twenty-two-year-old recent college graduate is thrust into the role of “Auntie Mommy.”  One child would have been a challenge, but eight?  Follow her journey from inept babysitter to Mommy in the Aggie’s Inheritance series.

Speak Now— When Jonathan Lyman met Cara at a wedding, he had no interest in forging a relationship.  Still grieving the loss of his wife, he didn’t know there’d be someone so perfectly suited to help soothe the pain that still gripped him and his children.  But Cara’s gentleness and adaptability proved to be exactly what the Doctor of doctors ordered.

Discovering Hope— When Jay Brown overhears an epic brush-off, he and the brusher, Hope Senior, forge an unlikely friendship.  He’s an Indian immigrant.  She’s so All-American that her family dates back to the Mayflower. But through Christmas lights, epic laser tag, grief, saris, and a few hundred mistletoe sprigs, they may just form more than the friendship of a lifetime.

Manuscript for Murder—  When local celebrity, author Alexa Hartfield, finds her next novel played out as if a script for murder of local residents, she’s both grieved and incensed. With the help of a local officer, she’s on the hunt for who could have “dunnit” before the murderer kills another resident and her career.

Prairie— When Jessa Davidson awakes in the place of her dreams, she finds herself thrust into a world that feels almost too good to be true. Only the new friendships she makes and the lessons the people of Prairie teach her help keep her rooted when her mind insists that none of it can be real.

Confessions of a De-cluttering Junkie—  Kaye Harper has had it.  No one needs six can openers, four umbrellas per person, or a closetful of games all missing pieces.  So, with her family watching on in horror, and her feline nemesis determined to trip her up at every move, Kaye embarks on a de-cluttering mission that might just become a bit of an obsession.

Corner Booth—  Who knew you could lose your heart to someone you’ve never spoken to? When a strange girl stops at Dean Sager’s table and asks if she can join him to avoid a line out the restaurant door, he has no idea that this one shared meal will become a weekly ritual. But contrary to his talkative nature, Dean doesn’t say a word that day or any of the following days.  And an experiment in self-control becomes a lesson in really seeing and understanding people.

None So Blind— Waking up in a house you don’t recognize and with a family hurt that you don’t remember them is hard enough.  But when it feels like you’re forced into a life you didn’t choose, things become almost unbearable.  The only think keeping Ella Weeks from running from it all is the one thing that survived her inexplicable memory loss—her faith.

Justified Means—  An organization designed to protect people where the law can’t, The Agency prides itself in a decade-long almost perfect record. But after an involuntary extraction, Keith Auger can barely stay ahead of those hunting down the woman under their protection.  It doesn’t make it easy when Erika Polowski is determined to escape from her “captors.”

Not a Word— We all make mistakes, but Savannah Forrester had no idea that her biggest mistake has ruined the life of the only guy she’s ever really cared about. Todd “Mac” Mackenzie has allowed the town to think what he will of him to protect her reputation. But when she returns to Brant’s Corners, they both have some explaining to do.

Shadows & Secrets—  In the heart of medieval England, adventure awaits.  Philip Warden has known of “the creature” his entire life, but a chance encounter helps him discover that there’s more to a person than what you see, or don’t see, on the outside. Who knew he and the village pariah would have such great adventures together or become such close friends.

Legends of the Vengeance— Sebastian Soranzo wants nothing more than a normal life in a village somewhere far away from the pirate ship where he lives with his father.  He can’t understand his father’s thirst for revenge and the drive to help those wronged by their governments. But when an old enemy catches up with them, Sebastian finds himself out in the Atlantic in a ship too small to make it safely to the east.

My Thoughts I had the privilege to read "Shadows & Secrets", the first book in the "Annals of Wynnewood" series. I found the book to be easy to read. I think that young adults/ middle grade kids would also enjoy the book. Philip and the town's outcast, known as the "Creature", become friends and they help and encourage each other. Philip teaches her about the things he learns about God and the Bible and she teaches him about the forest and how to shoot. They had several adventures together and learn to trust each other. It is set in medieval England and features dragons. It was interesting that the reader was able to know what everyone was feeling in a somewhat omniscient way. I look forward to reading the other two books in the series to learn more about Philip and his friend. 

About the Author

Author of the Amazon bestselling Aggie and Past Forward Series, Chautona Havig lives and writes in California’s Mojave Desert. With dozens of books to her name, Chautona spends most of her time writing, but when she takes the rare break, she can be found reading, sewing, paper crafting, or sleeping and dreaming of finishing the dozens of books swirling in her overly-active imagination at any given moment.

Guest Post from Chautona Havig

They talked—my favorite Denny’s server and a guy she met. “Shanetta (she can’t get my name right to save her life) writes in booth 14 every night.”

“Writes what?”

Angela gave him a “duh” look. “Books?”

Again, the guy asked, “What genre.”

I’m sure she didn’t know what she was in for when Angela said, “Christian fiction.”

The man’s response? Priceless. “So, what, she makes up lies about Christians?”

As I said in THIS POST, I used to use Christian fiction as a general explanation of what I write but it wasn’t the “simple answer” that I’d expected. So, then I started saying, “Well, this one is…” and I’d fill in the blank. Mystery, romance, suspense, historical, contemporary, youth—you name it, I’ve probably written it. Well, except for erotica. And true sci-fi? Yeah. That probably won’t happen either. Horror? Not my thing.

Once I’ve explained my odd genre choice for this particular book, I tend to point out that most of my fiction follows under the general heading of Christian fiction. Inevitably the question follows, though. “Why Christian?”

It would be easier to answer why not. I could just say, “As a Christian, I find it almost impossible to leave my faith and worldview out of my writing.” It’s true, but I did manage. Once. Even then, if you look deep into the core of that little story, you’ll still find basic Biblical themes and truths. They’re just less overt.

But people never ask why not write something else. They ask why I write Christian fiction. So I tell them. I start with my purpose. “I write stories to point Christians to the Master Storyteller.” I write about Christians for Christians. I don’t write evangelistic fiction, although occasionally someone comes to Jesus in my books. The reason I do this is because I’m writing to encourage the body of Christ. If I wrote to introduce the lost to Jesus, I’d be writing mainstream to whet people’s thirst for the Word and the Lord.

But that’s not my goal. How I achieve my goal is my website’s tagline. “Christian fiction without apology or pretense—lived, not preached.”

In the books featured in this blog tour, you won’t find people, as a general rule, spouting sermons disguised as prayers. I show a faith-filled life lived… or not, as the story requires. I show you why Christians believe things that I may not even agree with. And I hope, that with each word, I create a desire for just one more minute in the Word.

Giveaway

"Shadows & Secrets" is available in paperback:

• Series: Annals of Wynnewood (Book 1)
• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (November 7, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1449551270
• ISBN-13: 978-1449551278
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 9 inches

and in Kindle edition:

• File Size: 3119 KB
• Print Length: 250 pages
• Publication Date: February 8, 2011
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004MYFNM0

I got a free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own and given voluntarily. No compensation was received.