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Kristen Stieffel is a writer and freelance editor specializing in speculative fiction and is associate editor of Havok magazine. She has edited nonfiction, Bible studies, and novels in many genres for the general market and the Christian submarket and teaches at writers conferences. She belongs to the Editorial Freelancers Association, Christian Editor Connection, and American Christian Fiction Writers. She is past president of the ACFW Central Florida Chapter and a mentor with Word Weavers International. Her editing credits include The League of Freaks YA fantasy series by Alberto Hazan, Veiled Destiny by Shirin Humzani, and Winter by Keven Newsome.
Kristen’s first novel, Alara’s Call, The Prophet’s Chronicle Book 1, was published in 2017 by Love2Read Love2Write Publishing.
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Portfolio
- “A Song Without Words,” flash fiction, in the November 2017 issue of Spark
- “The Great Game,” a novelette, in the Victorian Venus anthology
- “Immolation,” a short story, in the Revisions anthology
- “Flight,” a science fantasy novella, in the Medieval Mars anthology
- “The Elven Maid,” flash fiction, in the July 2015 issue of Havok
- Hope and Pride, a contemporary novel, first place in the Inspirational Romance Unpublished category at the 2013 Royal Palm Literary Awards presented by the Florida Writers Association
- In December 2009, The Cynic Online Magazine (www.cynicmag.com) published Kristen’s story “The Feast of Stevens,” a science fiction Christmas comedy that subsequently won an honorable mention in the 2010 Royal Palm Literary Awards in the “short story, published” category. No longer available at the Cynic website, “The Feast of Stevens” is now available at Smashwords.
- Kristen’s science fiction short story “The Last Buffalo” was published in the 2009 Coffee House Fiction Anthology (http://www.coffeehousefiction.com).It subsequently won second place in the Florida Writers’ Association’s 2009 Royal Palm Literary Awards in the “short story, published” category.
- Her fantasy novel The Prophet’s Chronicle: Alara’s Call was a 2009 Marcher Lord Select Main Contest entry.
- In her 10 years working in the Orlando Business Journal newsroom, Kristen wrote at least two and up to six columns per week. Kristen estimates she wrote more than a thousand items for OBJ, including news-brief compilations, web articles, and opinion columns.
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The Prophet’s Chronicle: Alara’s Call
Alara, a young clergywoman, longs to lead a congregation, but has become discouraged while doing missionary work under a harshly critical superior. Her ministry is interrupted when her father, the prime minister, forces her into a “diplomatic mission” to Makut, a country where her rights and safety will be in danger. An elder statesman intervenes and takes her to Dorrel, the suitor she had to leave behind when she was sent abroad. But Makutian soldiers track them down and capture her. When Dorrel infiltrates the Makutian capital and rescues Alara, he is accused of espionage, and the Makutians threaten war. As world leaders gather to negotiate peace, Alara is called to prophesy to them about their futures, about democracy and about God’s will for the rule of His people. Meanwhile, the Makutian king has ordered that she and Dorrel be assassinated.
The Prophet’s Chronicle: Alara’s Call is a spiritual fantasy set in an alternate world where an egalitarian, monotheistic culture clashes with a neighboring one that is monarchical and polytheistic. It examines how pursuing our unique calling and obeying God’s will can require sacrifice, struggle, and even insubordination.
Although most fantasy novels are set in worlds resembling the Middle Ages, the setting of The Prophet’s Chronicle is modeled after 19th-century Europe. More Jane Austen than J.R.R.
This book will appeal to readers who enjoy stories like Karen Hancock’s Legends of the Guardian-King or Jill Williamson’s Blood of Kings. It will especially resonate with women who long to discover and fulfill a great purpose in their lives, despite the hardships and heartache that often result from pursuing a great call.
The New Authors Fellowship 