Community and Connection

Hi friends, 

Thanks so much for joining me today! 

Stories entertain, but they do so much more. They inspire hope, help us believe in second chances, live often vicariously through the characters, and in some cases, even find healing within the pages. 

Christian fiction, in particular, has a special gift. It brings us together within our shared faith and love of stories. My favorite aspect is seeing the community it fosters and the connection among readers and writers it creates. Together we share struggles, help one another persevere in hard times, celebrate the good, and grow in our faith and friendships. 

The reader community has exploded over the last decade. No longer do we all read and enjoy stories on our own. No, we share them with fellow readers. We talk about favorite characters, why we love them, and sometimes wear book boyfriend shirts.  

We’ve created online groups where we chat about all aspects of the stories we read—who did it, why they did it, when we figured it out, or how we didn’t see it coming in a suspense novel. We recommend books, share author interviews, and coordinate when we might see each other in person. 

Which leads to in-person reading events. Christian Fiction Readers Retreat was the first reader event I attended for Christian fiction readers and writers, and it was magical. I got to hug my writer friends, put faces to online names, and make new friends. Several of my dearest friends I’ve met at reading events or through the reading community. I’m so blessed by it. 

The same is true of writer events. We get to celebrate the wins together, share the struggles we face, brainstorm stories, and deepen friendships. Writer retreats are wonderful for this. I love the retreats I host for writers twice a year (one for unpublished and one for published authors) because of all these reasons. There’s just something about sharing a common love of stories, how God works through Christian fiction, and how stories often reflect what we’re going through or have gone through in our lives. Being together in person has such an added bonus. You get to chat late into the night, laugh together, shed some tears, and bond. 

Christian fiction readers and writers have a bonded community rooted in the love and power of story and in our shared faith.

Reader Question: 

Where’s your favorite place to connect with fellow readers and/or writers? 

Blessings, 

Dani