Interview with Chawna Schroeder 2026

Hi Chawna. I remember meeting you back when there were a few of us in ACFW living in Minnesota, beginning to write Christian Fantasy. We don't all live there anymore, but most of us have continued to write. I also remember reading "Beast" and loving it. It's so exciting that you've continued your writing journey. You've written many books for young people, both fiction and non-fiction. I understand your latest book, Perplexity, releases April 7! Congratulations!!

How did you come up with the idea for The Scepter and the Stylus trilogy?

One of my favorite novels of all time is A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and one of my favorite biblical stories is that of Joseph in the Old Testament. When I realized these two stories shared a common story arc (riches to rags and back to riches), I started playing with how I might join these into one story, and The Sceptre & the Stylus trilogy was the result.

What is special to you about your new release, book two in the series, Perplexity?

First, it is a book two. Everything I’ve written up to this point have been stand alone novels. The Sceptre & the Stylus is the first time I had a story idea large enough for more than one book.

Second, it is tangible evidence that I can trust God to provide everything I need when I need it. Before I wrote this book, I had never completed a novel in less than eighteen months. Although I had that time built into the contract when I signed it, due to things out of my control, I reached three months before deadline with only about half to two-thirds of the book written. I seriously contemplated asking for an extension, but every time I considered it, I felt a check, like God was telling me no. So I didn’t. And somehow, without straining, without striving or excessively long hours, I completed book the day it was due. Moreover, without a chance to do my normal editing, the story was solid, with no plot holes or major issues, according to the editor. Even now, a year later, I am stunned every time I think about it.

What message do you hope readers take away from Perplexity?

God is in control and He knows what He is doing, even if we don’t. Therefore, He is worth following, even if where He is leading doesn’t make any sense to us.

Tell us something about yourself that is not on your website.

I own (and have read) all twelve 5 Little Pepper books by Margaret Sidney.

If you could have coffee/tea with any author, dead or alive, who would it be? And what would you order?

My order would be simple—hot chai tea latte with a shot of peppermint.

The who is not so simple. John Lennox comes to mind, though not so much because he is an author; I have other questions I would want to ask him, so I don’t know if that counts. Kathy Tyers is an author I greatly admire, and although I have had the privilege of meeting her in person and don’t have any particular questions, I still love the thought of having private, uninterrupted, unhurried conversation with her. Or maybe I would pick R.J. Anderson, since I’ve not had a chance to meet her yet.

What book(s) are on your nightstand right now?

A Life of Trust by George Müller; Crown of David by Malcolm Guite; Streams in the Desert by Mrs. Charles Cowman; and the next pre-publication novel by Michelle Griep, which I don’t think she’s released to the title of yet (I’m one of her critique partners). Then it will be Firebreak by Kathy Tyers. So excited for that one!

What inspired you to write in your genre?

Kathy Tyers’s Firebird Trilogy. Most of the Christian science-fiction and fantasy that I had read up to that point were allegorical fantasies. Her work allowed me to see in the genre in an entirely different light, and I haven’t looked back since.

Where do you get your ideas?

Everywhere! From books and movies, television shows and dreams, Bible studies and music. From crazy trivia, weird science, and cool history. From people I meet, places I visit, and the experiences I have. And more. I think sometimes I have a big pot in the back of my mind into which I dump everything I experience, learn, and read. Then those things bounce around like Flubber until two (or more) of them collide and create something new. Of course, not all the fusions are good or worth keeping, but eventually, something fun will surface that I can’t resist exploring.

What does your writing routine look like? Do you have any idiosyncrasies that keep you going?

My actual writing routine is pretty simple. After my morning routine and making my to-do list for the day, I fix a cup of tea, grab my pen and notebook, and flop on the floor to write. Yes, you read that correctly. I write my stories by hand, most of the time laying on my stomach on the floor. It was my favorite position to read in as a kid and remains my favorite writing position, though my body sometimes disputes that these days.

To get writing, I will list the day’s date and will pen a short prayer, anywhere from a couple of sentences to a couple of paragraphs depending on the day. Most of the time, I simply ask in some deviation for God’s help and whether He has any words for me today. Then I’ll skim over the previous day’s work, and if the words are there, I’ll usually write for the next two or so hours until lunchtime, minus a couple of brief breaks. I try to do that for a minimum of four days a week.

Of course, that’s just my preferred routine. Depending on life and deadlines, I might need to squeeze writing time into the afternoon or evening, on the go, or around other activities. But what never changes is the prayer time. “Give me this day my daily words” is the reality I live with. If God doesn’t show up, I can stare at the page for the next three hours and not write a single thing.

What is the most difficult part in the process of producing a novel for you? How have you worked through that?

Probably drafting the middle of the book. At that point the shiny newness has worn off, and I start to second-guess everything about the story because it usually feels like one ginormous mess that can never be straightened out.

First, I just have to stop and remember this has happened with every novel I’ve written, and those other projects worked out. I’ll make it through this one too.

Second, because I write my first draft by hand, sometimes I’ll pause and type everything into the computer because that refreshes my memory of the big picture and sometimes will reveal some detail I planted subconsciously earlier that gets things rolling again.

Third, I must maintain consistent writing time. Just show up and put words on the page, even if it feels like I’m slogging or the story is awful. Eventually I’ll hit a point where something will click and the story will pick up momentum again.

What advice would you give to new authors, or authors who are not new, but have struggled to keep at it in the face of obstacles?

It might sound basic or even simplistic, but trust God’s timing. Those delays are there for a reason, even if you never see the why, and He will provide everything you need in the meantime.

Yes, I know how hard that is. I devoted fourteen years to writing and learning the craft before I received a contract offer (sixteen before the book was published). It would be another four before my second novel was published, and another five to my third. I was frequently frustrated and wondered if I was just wasting my time. Sometimes I still am. Yet whenever I look backward, I cannot rue how long everything took, and if I had taken shortcuts, there would have been valuable training and growth lost. Moreover, though the provision didn’t come by the means I expected, I have always had all I needed when I’ve needed it.

What did you learn about God while writing Perplexity?

Perplexity and really this entire series has been challenging me to reconsider what it means to follow Christ and depend on Him completely. It isn’t that what I believed before was wrong. Rather, it has shown me that my application to my life was incomplete. That I have often lived, inadvertently, with a dependence-plus mentality. “I trust Him—but I’ll also do xyz.” It has almost become a mantra in my life to ask, “How much do I really trust Him?”

I look forward to reading Perplexity and gleaning that much-needed lesson from your characters as well. Thank you, for sharing your heart with us today, Chawna.

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"Terri Lynn Thompson writes fiction that demonstrates God’s beauty in the muck of life—where light breaks through darkness and hope rises out of hard places. Her recent novel, Story Magic, is the first in a three-book series. Each one features a real nonprofit organization that Terri discovered through her family’s foundation: H. G. Clay Foundation (www.hgclayfoundation.org). Journey to Thélo is a YA Fantasy novella, in which Peter discovers the benefits of life in the light and learns to fly.