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148. Why Do Some Christians Revile ‘The Chosen’? | with Josiah DeGraaf and Jenneth Dyck
Fantastical Truth Podcast, Feb 7, 2023

Into the Darkness
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The Chosen Succeeds Where ‘Woke’ Stories Fail
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The Wayward, Tabitha Caplinger
Fortified, V. Romas Burton
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Calor, J. J. Fisher
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Frost, Winter's Lonely Guardian, E. E. Rawls
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148. Why Do Some Christians Revile ‘The Chosen’? | with Josiah DeGraaf and Jenneth Dyck
Fantastical Truth, Feb 7, 2023

147. Why Can Christians Celebrate Stories about Merlin and King Arthur? | with Robert Treskillard
Fantastical Truth, Jan 31, 2023

146. How Did Animators Adapt The Wingfeather Saga For Streaming TV? | with Keith Lango
Fantastical Truth, Jan 24, 2023

145. How Did Edmund Spenser’s ‘The Faerie Queene’ Shape Christian Fantasy? | with Rebecca K. Reynolds
Fantastical Truth, Jan 17, 2023

144. Which Top Six Fantasy Franchises Gave Fans Grief in 2022?
Fantastical Truth, Jan 10, 2023

143. Which Top Ten Lorehaven Stories Proved Most Popular in 2022?
Fantastical Truth, Jan 6, 2023

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Into the Darkness
“Charles Hack’s Into the Darkness summons a close-range science fiction story, focusing on the personal challenges of space warfare among alien cultures with a steady pace and serious tone.”
—Lorehaven on Feb 3, 2023

A Crown of Chains
“A Crown of Chains creatively retells a biblical tale to explore themes of providence, racism, faith, and fidelity.”
—Lorehaven on Jan 27, 2023

Lander’s Legacy
“Lander’s Legacy stacks modern thrills and complex characters on a foundation of biblical what-ifs.”
—Lorehaven on Jan 20, 2023

Prince Caspian
“Pacing starts slow but creature lore grows in C. S. Lewis’s sequel, introducing practical tyrants and talking-beast politics into a Narnian resistance.”
—Lorehaven on Jan 13, 2023

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Lorehaven helps Christian fans explore fantastical stories for Christ’s glory: fantasy, science fiction, and beyond. Articles, the library, reviews, podcasts, gifts, and the Lorehaven Guild community help fans discern and enjoy the best Christian-made fantastical stories, applying their meanings to the real world Jesus Christ calls us to serve. Subscribe free to get any updates you choose and to access the Lorehaven Guild.
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Winner Of The 2014 Summer Writing Challenge

Once again we had a great group and our finalists made it hard to decide, but in the end, we have a winner who separated herself from the pack: Athelas Hale. Contratulations!
Rebecca LuElla Miller on Aug 4, 2014 · Series: 2014 Spec Faith Summer Writing Challenge
5 comments

2014 Summer Writing ChallengeWe have a winner!

Special thanks to all who entered, commented, and/or voted. Writing challenges are a lot of fun, and they spark more enthusiasm in our genre.

Once again we had a great group and our finalists made it hard to decide, but in the end, we have a winner who separated herself from the pack: Athelas Hale. Contratulations!

For any who missed Athelas’s entry, it’s posted below. Also, here’s the final voting.

Summer Writing Challenge Results

And now the winning entry by Athleas Hale

The way Tag judged his circumstances, he could die if he stayed or die if he left.

Wind touched an ocean of grass, calling him. Stretching before Tag, the meadow boasted flawlessness that made him long to lie down and become a part of it.

The urge to speed the process of losing his mind hovered at the edge of his thoughts, even as the idea got the blue ribbon for fears. The world teemed with contradictions. A flawless world at first glance, it twisted the mind of anyone staying on long-term.

Focus, Tag. “Trevor!”

His voice echoed back.

Trying to fight mounting frustration, he ignored the voice in his head reminding him of his three more days. “Why are you like this? Can’t you be beautiful and good, or evil and ugly? You don’t have to trick people like this!”

The world laughed.

Hunching his shoulders, Tag shouted. “Trevor!”

Nothing. “And why don’t you quit with the whole insanity thing so Trevor could get home on his own?”

I could leave.

The thought—his thought—made him freeze. No.

“Abandon Trevor? Let him go mad without even realizing?” Tag forced emphasis into his voice. “Never.”

But what if it’s too late—he’s already dead?

Tag knew the rules of the game. If he returned to Earth, he could have decades before the insanity set in. Here he would have three days—five until death.

Both options ended the same way, but every instinct screamed for more time.

Tag never expected to feel such intense fear.

Taking a shuddery breath, Tag balled his hands into fists, soundlessly repeating the words some Sunday school teacher once drilled into his head. “God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love, and a sound mind!”

He screamed to the world. “You cannot stop me! I will find him!”

The world studied him, and did not laugh.

Rebecca LuElla Miller
Best known for her aspirations as an epic fantasy author, Becky is the sole remaining founding member of Speculative Faith. Besides contributing weekly articles here, she blogs Monday through Friday at A Christian Worldview of Fiction. She works as a freelance writer and editor and posts writing tips as well as information about her editing services at Rewrite, Reword, Rework.
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  1. Becky says:
    August 4, 2014 at 12:53 pm

    Congratulations, Athelas! Your story was so creative and interesting, Great job!

    Reply
  2. Hannah says:
    August 4, 2014 at 2:00 pm

    Woot! Great story, Athelas!

    Reply
  3. Athelas Hale says:
    August 4, 2014 at 3:03 pm

    Oh, wow. I looked at this and stared for a long moment, completely speechless for the first time in my life. Reloading the page, I looked at it again, then repeated, sure that someone had made a mistake, for there was no way I could have won. I was really not expecting this at all. Thank you so much.

    Reply
    • Lyn Perry says:
      August 12, 2014 at 6:43 am

      Congrats as well! 🙂 Great story.

      Reply
  4. Bethany A. Jennings says:
    August 5, 2014 at 1:53 pm

    Congratulations, Athelas!  Please write this into a whole book, because I want MORE.  😀

    Reply

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Lorehaven helps Christian fans explore fantastical stories for Christ’s glory: fantasy, science fiction, and beyond. Articles, the library, reviews, podcasts, gifts, and the Lorehaven Guild community help fans discern and enjoy the best Christian-made fantastical stories, applying their meanings to the real world Jesus Christ calls us to serve. Subscribe free to get any updates you choose and to access the Lorehaven Guild.
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