The Author's Journal

Faith • Stories • Inspiration

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“I’m Bored!” — Why You Shouldn’t Fix It (And Why Your Child’s Faith Might Depend On It)

Guide For Parents

“I’m Bored!” — Why You Shouldn’t Fix It (And Why Your Child’s Faith Might Depend On It)

January 26, 2026 12 min read

The Crisis of the Quiet Moment It is the phrase that launches a thousand sighs. It usually happens on a rainy Saturday afternoon. Or ten minutes into a long car ride. Or, most commonly, the exact second you take the iPad away. “Mom… I’m booooored.” It starts as a whine. It often escalates into a […]

#Bible Stories#Boredom#Christian Fantasy#Christian fantasy author#GB Sollie

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How Much Screen Time Is Too Much for Kids?

Guide For Parents

How Much Screen Time Is Too Much for Kids?

January 25, 2026 8 min read

A Christian Parent’s Guide to Raising Thoughtful, Grounded Children in a Digital World Every parent asks it eventually. Sometimes quietly.Sometimes in frustration.Sometimes while staring at a glowing screen and wondering how it got this late. How much screen time is too much for kids? It’s one of the most searched parenting questions today—and for good […]

#Christian Fantasy#faith-based children’s books#faith-based fantasy for tweens#Guide for Parents#Screen Time

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Why Christian Fantasy Needs Ordinary Kids (Not Perfect Heroes)

A Christian Parenting Guide for Ages 9–13

Why Christian Fantasy Needs Ordinary Kids (Not Perfect Heroes)

January 15, 2026 10 min read

When it comes to shaping a child’s faith, character, and courage, polished is not what they need most. They need truth. They need to see that God works through ordinary people. They need to learn that courage can exist before confidence. They need to understand that weakness is not disqualifying. They need to see that a heart can be afraid and still choose the Light.

#Bible Stories#Christ#christian#Christian author#Christian children’s literature

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What Makes a Fantasy Story Christian?

A Christian Parenting Guide for Ages 9–13

What Makes a Fantasy Story Christian?

January 7, 2026 13 min read

A faith-centered guide for parents, teachers, and young readers (especially ages 9–13) Christian fantasy can confuse people at first. Not because it has dragons or strange woods or shadowy villains. Most readers understand that fantasy is a “world of symbols” where big truths can be carried safely in story form. The confusion usually comes from […]

#Christian Fantasy#Christian fantasy author#faith-based children’s books#faith-based fantasy for tweens#Guide for Parents

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Spiritual New Year Resolutions: A Jesus-Focused Guide for Christian Families (Especially Ages 9–13)

A Christian Parenting Guide for Ages 9–13

Spiritual New Year Resolutions: A Jesus-Focused Guide for Christian Families (Especially Ages 9–13)

December 31, 2025 11 min read

Real change begins with Jesus. Not with pressure. Not with guilt. Not with a long list that makes everyone feel behind by January 7.

#Christian Fantasy#faith-based children’s books#faith-based fantasy for tweens#Guide for Parents#New Years Resolutions

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Why the Days After Christmas Matter More Than Christmas Morning

Guide For Parents

Why the Days After Christmas Matter More Than Christmas Morning

December 23, 2025 13 min read

Christmas morning is not the hardest part of Christmas. The days after Christmas are. Not because they’re bad. Not because Christmas “fails.” But because the days after Christmas are where the deeper work begins.

#Cat Luker#Christian Fantasy#Christmas#faith-based children’s books#Guide for Parents

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After the Gifts Are Opened: Helping Kids Carry the Light Into the New Year

A Christian Parenting Guide for Ages 9–13

After the Gifts Are Opened: Helping Kids Carry the Light Into the New Year

December 17, 2025 13 min read

Even in a simple home, there is something about it that feels like a doorway. The lights, the warmth, the smell of breakfast, the soft chaos of wrapping paper, the happy noise of “thank you” and “look at this,” the sense that for a few hours the world is kinder than usual.

#Christian Fantasy#Christmas#GB Sollie#Guide for Parents#New years

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The Gift of Slowness: Teaching Kids to Feel the “Holy Pause” Before Christmas

Guide For Parents

The Gift of Slowness: Teaching Kids to Feel the “Holy Pause” Before Christmas

December 11, 2025 12 min read

A gentle Christian parenting guide for ages 9–13 December is loud. Even when we love it, we can feel it.The hurry. The noise. The “just keep up” energy. There are lights everywhere and calendars packed with little squares that seem to multiply overnight. The world is asking our children to sprint toward Christmas morning as […]

#Christ#Christian Fantasy#Christmas#faith-based fantasy for tweens#GB Sollie

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“Is Santa Real?”

A Christian Parenting Guide for Ages 9–13

“Is Santa Real?”

December 4, 2025 13 min read

If you’re raising kids in a Christian home, there’s a good chance this question has floated through your kitchen sometime in December:

#Cat Luker#Christian Fantasy#Christian fantasy author#Guide for Parents

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Thanksgiving at the Table: Turning a Holiday into a Meeting with Jesus

A Christian Parenting Guide for Ages 9–13

Thanksgiving at the Table: Turning a Holiday into a Meeting with Jesus

November 27, 2025 14 min read

I’m writing with the preteen years in mind—roughly ages 9–13—because those years are a kind of bridge. Children at this stage are innocent enough to receive truth with enthusiasm and old enough to understand that choices carry weight. They are asking three questions that never truly go away: Who am I? Whose am I? What is my strength for? Holidays can either drown those questions in noise or quietly answer them with belonging and purpose. Thanksgiving is a beautiful time to choose the second path.

#Bible Stories#Cat Luker#Christian Fantasy#Guide for Parents#thanksgiving

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Lexile, Levels, and the Soul: How a Christian Author Thinks About Reading Difficulty

Guide For Parents

Lexile, Levels, and the Soul: How a Christian Author Thinks About Reading Difficulty

November 20, 2025 13 min read

As a Christian author writing for ages 9–13, I’m grateful for tools like Lexile and grade bands. They help estimate difficulty. But numbers are not shepherds. Reading levels can guide the eyes; they can’t carry the soul. If I had to put my whole view in one sentence, it would be this: let the numbers serve love, never replace it.

#Christian Fantasy#faith-based children’s books#faith-based fantasy for tweens#Guide for Parents#Lexile

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Villains Tell the Truth (About Lies): Teaching Discernment Through the Bad Guy’s Monologue

Guide For Parents

Villains Tell the Truth (About Lies): Teaching Discernment Through the Bad Guy’s Monologue

November 13, 2025 13 min read

A Christian Parenting Guide for Ages 9–13 Here’s something you may have noticed at your own table: when the villain starts talking, kids lean in. Heroes are steady; they keep promises and carry the light. But villains say the quiet parts out loud. They sing the tempting melody—why it feels good, why it looks easy, […]

#Christian Fantasy#faith-based fantasy for tweens#Guide for Parents#The Dark Clock

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Books Like Narnia: A Christian Parent’s Guide to Faith-Shaping Fantasy for Ages 9–13

Guide For Parents

Books Like Narnia: A Christian Parent’s Guide to Faith-Shaping Fantasy for Ages 9–13

November 6, 2025 12 min read

This guide unpacks that pattern so you can recognize “Narnia-like” qualities without chasing lists. Instead of hunting title by title, you’ll learn to spot the signals—on page one, in a single chapter, at your kitchen table—so you can choose stories that help your child love what is good, resist what is false, and walk toward the Light.

#Cat Luker#Christian Fantasy#faith-based children’s books#Guide for Parents

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Top 10 Christian Fantasy Authors to Read This Halloween (Family Guide for Ages 9–13+)

Guide For Parents

Top 10 Christian Fantasy Authors to Read This Halloween (Family Guide for Ages 9–13+)

October 28, 2025 11 min read

When the evenings turn brisk and the porch lights flicker on, it’s the perfect season to curl up with stories where lanterns glow against the dark and courage wins the day. If you’re choosing fall reads for kids (especially the 9–13 range) and want adventure without nihilism, these ten Christian fantasy authors deliver worlds where […]

#Christian Fantasy#Christian Fantasy Authors#faith-based children’s books#GB Sollie

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When Monsters Walk the Streets: A Christian Parent’s Guide to Halloween and Storytelling

A Christian Parenting Guide for Ages 9–13

When Monsters Walk the Streets: A Christian Parent’s Guide to Halloween and Storytelling

October 20, 2025 14 min read

Turn Halloween into a step on your child’s faith journey. A Christian parent’s guide to costumes, candy, and the “scary stuff”—using story to aim hearts toward the Light.

#Christian Fantasy#Christian parenting#Halloween#Journey to the Light#raising brave kids

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Building a Faith Foundation Before the Teen Years: A Christian Parenting Guide for Ages 9–13 (A Journey to the Light)

A Christian Parenting Guide for Ages 9–13

Building a Faith Foundation Before the Teen Years: A Christian Parenting Guide for Ages 9–13 (A Journey to the Light)

October 14, 2025 15 min read

This young-reader age group is innocent enough to listen with enthusiasm and old enough to understand the significance of God’s plan for them. I’ve seen it again and again in school visits, book clubs, and living rooms: nine-, ten-, eleven-year-olds who still lean forward when you read aloud, who still ask honest questions, who still […]

#Building a Faith Foundation#Christian Fantasy#faith-based children’s books#Guide for Parents

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Is Fantasy Dangerous for Christians? A Biblical and Historical Perspective

Is Fantasy Dangerous for Christians? A Biblical and Historical Perspective

October 9, 2025 13 min read

Is fantasy dangerous for Christians—or can it actually strengthen faith? It’s a fair question. We are told to guard our hearts, to test everything, to hold fast to what is good. At the same time, we live in a world where children hunger for wonder, where stories can carry truth further than a lecture ever will. The point of this essay is not to wave away concern. It’s to place that concern on solid ground: the danger isn’t the existence of imagination; it’s the direction of imagination.

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Should Christians Read Fantasy? A Bible-Based Guide for Parents

Guide For Parents

Should Christians Read Fantasy? A Bible-Based Guide for Parents

September 26, 2025 17 min read

Should Christians read fantasy? It’s one of the questions parents ask most—and one of the most misunderstood.

#Cat Luker#Christian Fantasy#faith-based children’s books#faith-based fantasy for tweens

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Christian Fantasy vs. Secular Fantasy: What’s the Difference?

Christian Fantasy vs. Secular Fantasy: What’s the Difference?

September 22, 2025 11 min read

This guide offers a clear, practical framework you can use tonight—without turning storytime into a lecture. We’ll define both terms, compare them through ten worldview “lenses,” and finish with concrete ways to choose well, read well, and talk well with kids and teens.

#Christian Fantasy#Christian fantasy author#faith-based children’s books

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Top 10 Christian Fantasy Authors Writing Today

Top 10 Christian Fantasy Authors Writing Today

September 17, 2025 8 min read

Christian fantasy isn’t just castles and quests. At its best, it trains a young reader’s moral imagination—to love what is good, to recognize lies that sound almost true, and to hope even when chapters get dark. The ten authors below (listed alphabetically by last name) are actively shaping the genre for families, teachers, and homeschoolers […]

#Christian Fantasy#Christian fantasy author#faith-based children’s books

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Christian Fantasy Books for Kids: The Ultimate Guide for Christian Parents, Teachers, and Homeschoolers

September 10, 2025 8 min read

Christian parents often ask two big questions: “Is fantasy okay for my child?” and “Where do I start?” This long-form guide is meant to answer both with care, depth, and a practical plan you can use tonight. It’s written from a Christian author’s perspective, with an emphasis on preteens (roughly ages 8–13), but the frameworks […]

#Christian children’s literature#Christian fantasy author#Christian fantasy books for kids#Christian middle grade fantasy#faith-based fantasy for tweens

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A Parent’s Guide to Reading Christian Fantasy with Your Child

September 2, 2025 7 min read

Age-by-age questions, Scripture tie-ins, and a simple routine you can start tonight. As a Christian fantasy author, I love hearing how families read together—on the couch after dinner, a few pages before bed, or chapter swaps on a road trip. Reading with your child isn’t just a cozy habit; it’s discipleship. Stories give kids a […]

#Christian Fantasy#faith-based children’s books#Guide

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MetaMetrics & The Lexile System

MetaMetrics & The Lexile System

August 25, 2025 2 min read

The Lexile System by MetaMetrics is a powerful tool that provides readers and educators with away to accurately measure reading ability and match readers to books that are appropriate fortheir skill level. By assigning a numerical Lexile measure followed by an “L” to both readers andtexts, this system helps ensure that students are reading materials […]

#Christian Fantasy#faith-based children’s books

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Why I Write Christian Fantasy for Kids (and Why It Matters)

August 25, 2025 5 min read

When people hear that I’m a Christian fantasy author, especially for younger readers, the first question I usually get is: Why fantasy? Why not just write Bible stories or devotionals for kids? It’s a fair question. After all, the Bible already gives us the greatest stories ever told. But here’s my heart: fantasy doesn’t replace […]

#Bible Stories#Christian Fantasy#faith-based children’s books#Swamp Witch

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The Real Story Behind Marengo County: How History Shapes My Fantasy Worlds

August 22, 2025 4 min read

When I write fantasy stories, I don’t just make things up out of thin air. I look around me — at the rivers, the old towns, the stories passed down — and those pieces of history help me imagine new worlds. One of the places that inspires me most is right here in Marengo County, […]

#Cat Luker#Christian Fantasy#Fantasy Worlds#Marengo County#The Dark Clock

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How to Teach Bible Lessons Through Children’s Stories

August 13, 2025 4 min read

Stories Are God’s Teaching Tool From parables in the New Testament to the epic narratives of the Old Testament, God has been using stories to teach truth since the beginning. Jesus didn’t hand out bullet points—He told stories. For children, stories are more than entertainment. They are windows into faith, tools for moral development, and […]

#Bible lessons#Bible Stories#Cat Luker#Christian Fantasy

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How to Write Faith-Fueled Fantasy for Kids: Lessons from G.B. Sollie

How to Write Faith-Fueled Fantasy for Kids: Lessons from G.B. Sollie

August 4, 2025 3 min read

When you think of Christian children’s books, you might picture simple moral tales or Bible stories. But what if those same values could live inside an adventurous, imaginative world—one that kids can’t put down? That’s exactly what Christian children’s author G.B. Sollie has done with The Swamp Witch Chronicles. His stories don’t just teach faith—they live […]

#Christian Fantasy#faith-based children’s books

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Grandaddy’s Time Machine:

April 12, 2025 3 min read

Telling Stories & Taking the Grandkids to School When you hear the Voice of God speaking to you through your granddaughter you better listen! That is where I found myself one morning as Mary Evelyn and Lucy piled into the backseat of my car with their backpacks, scrambling to get to school on time and […]

#Cat Luker#Christian Fantasy#Grandkids#Original Recording#Storytelling

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Gathering Firewood

April 4, 2025 3 min read

Writers write, Creatives create, and Imagineers imagine. As a young Industrial Design student back in the day, Disney was an extremely attractive employment destination, in part because they touted the Imagineering aspect of what they accomplished. It was very appealing. I always assumed they had even made up the term, but in fact, they borrowed […]

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Faith and Fantasy:Finding Balance in Young Readers’ Literature

April 4, 2025 3 min read

Have you ever been whisked away into a fantastical land where witches soar with vultures and magic spells abound? As I ponder the intricate dance of blending enchanting realms with profound spiritual truths, I realize it is not easy! How do you harmonize imaginary worlds with meaningful messages of faith? Let’s explore the power of […]

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