Author: Charmayne Hafen
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy and Young Adult Fantasy
Books: Land of Twilight Series: Journey to Twilight, Return to Twilight, Trouble in Twilight; YA Fantasy: Indebted: The Berkshire Dragon
The horrible Whatever is eating the wild and upside-down Land of Twilight, growing stronger as faith in the Land Of Realtime grows weaker. Sam and Lorna must travel through time to discover the only person worthy of their faith. #MG #fantasy
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Bolstering a Child’s Faith
Interview by Jenny Fulton
Charmayne Hafen is an award-winning writer and an experienced counselor who uses the combined skills of her passions to help children and teenagers navigate the often-turbulent waters of living out the Christian faith in today’s world. Her Land of Twilight series is a children’s fantasy based on Celtic mythology. In the third and final book of the series, Trouble in Twilight, kids learn what the world says about faith versus what God says about it.
“What inspired you to write Trouble in Twilight?” I asked.
“I see so much unrest and confusion in young people today as they struggle to find something absolute on which to anchor their lives,” Charmayne said. “We live in a faithless culture where there are no absolutes and truth is whatever your Facebook page is telling you at the time. These kids need to know Jesus, the only one who brings peace and clarity, and be encouraged to put their faith in Him. They need to know what it means to have faith.”
The questions surrounding faith in Christ and the absolute necessity of it are near and dear to Charmayne’s heart and personal experiences. She remembers her own journey as a young Christian.
“I came to know Jesus at the young age of five and have had many ups and downs as I ‘work out my salvation with fear and trembling.’ My faith has been alternately weak and strong throughout my life. I have encountered many people in this world who not only struggle to have faith but disregard it altogether. This lack of faith is affecting our entire society. Mental illness and drug abuse are on the rise. For these compelling reasons, I wrote Trouble In Twilight. From my own struggle with faith, I drew inspiration for the story.”
Writing this book brought Charmayne into greater awareness of her personal struggles and victories with faith and trust in God.
“I have come to realize how often I place my trust in other things besides God, most often in what I think is my own ability to control a situation. I have also come to know the fantastic peace available if I will trust and rest in God and His ability to control a situation.”
As you may have guessed, the main theme woven throughout Trouble in Twilight is faith.
“It’s so important to have faith,” Charmayne shared, “but what’s even more important is in whom or in what you put your faith. My book explores what it means to have faith and, ultimately, who or what is worthy of our faith. The roots of relativity seen in our culture today can be traced back to ancient Greece where Socrates claimed that one can never know anything for certain. Trouble In Twilight shows how the relativism in our culture is eroding the faith of our children.”
“What do you hope readers come away with after reading your books?” I asked.
“I hope my readers come away with a sense of hope that builds their faith in the only One worthy of our faith, Jesus Christ. I pray my books give kids deeper insight into faith and how it looks to live out of faith.”
Book Blurb for Journey to Twilight
Sam and Lorna’s bike race becomes far more than a neighborhood competition in this action-adventure fantasy.
Lorna Wilson moves to the Crestwood subdivision in Arizona with her mom and baby brother. While she’s unpacking and thinking of ways to fit into the crowd, a girl named Ally knocks on her front door and a friendship begins.
One day, when she’s splashing in the pool at Ally’s house, Lorna learns about the bike challenge created by a scar-faced neighborhood legend, Samuel Black. She hears herself boasting that she can take on Sam Black in his own bike challenge and win. Lorna’s words quickly come back to bite her.
Although none of the kids will root for the new girl, an ancient cairn opens to the Land of Twilight giving Lorna an opportunity to win anything her heart desires.
Book Blurb for Return to Twilight
In this second book of the Land of Twilight Trilogy, seventh-grade Lorna struggles with the nuances of a friendship: how to be one, how to choose one, how to keep one.
She rejects her dad, deceives her mom, and turns her back on the ethereal Land of Twilight. She even turns on her best friend, Sam, in favor of gaining the attention of the new girl in the neighborhood.
Lorna sheds her social norms, she steals and hides as she pretends to enjoy her second year in challenging Crestwood, Arizona.
It has to be Sam’s turn to do what true friends do.
“Many people will walk In and out of your life. But only true friends will leave footprints on your heart.”- Eleanor Roosevelt.
Book Blurb for Trouble in Twilight
How can the most colorful world in the universe turn hapless and gray?! That’s what mystifies both Sam and Lorna. Trix falls from the Land of Twilight, showing up at the discarded camper shell in the Arizona desert where Sam and Lorna are making their secret plans.
Trix and Melvin focus on the Land of Realtime because the lives of both Lorna and Sam have interwoven with the Land of Twilight. How can the four unravel themselves?
A tragic accident forces Sam to again realize that life can change suddenly. Now he and Lorna must rethink what in life is most important to them.
History, philosophy, and faith enter the scene through interdimensional time travel. The Land of Twilight Trilogy is filled with adventure and supernatural elements for readers ages 9-12. With its relatable characters and fast-moving plot, Sam and Lorna discover their priorities. As Sam faces unbearable consequences, he learns the bonds of true friendship and personal truth are real.
Readers are given not only an interesting story filled with allegorical elements about the meaning of faith but are also challenged to think about their own ideas of reality and meaning.
Purchase the Books
- The Land Of Twilight Trilogy
- Indebted: The Berkshire Dragon
- Journey to Twilight
- Return to Twilight
- Trouble in Twilight
Connect with Charmayne
Heart Soul Mind 
What a wonderful overview of Charmayne’s motivations and insights! This makes me want to read all of her books!
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She is an amazing storyteller. I love all her books.
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