Welcome back, and welcome to Ava Pennington, who answered her questions with a caveat (You’ll notice most of my answers are based on old classics. I have so many contemporary author friends whose books I love, and I couldn’t choose one over another. So I dug deep into the past for answers from favorite classics instead.)

That’s okay, though — we love learning about any books from other people! Let’s start at the beginning: what was your favorite picture book as a child? What did you love about it?

Golden Tales from the Arabian Nights, published in 1957. It’s an illustrated collection of stories from the classic, A Thousand and One Nights. I was mesmerized by the exotic stories and the even more exotic illustrations. Those stories ignited my imagination!

What was your favorite chapter book? What did you love about it?

My favorite children’s chapter book was the Newberry Award winning book, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, written by Elizabeth George Speare and published in 1958. It’s set in the late 1600s in the Puritan Connecticut colony. The protagonist is a young girl from Barbados who comes to live with her Puritan relatives and struggles to adapt to their austere ways after a life of comfort and freedom in Barbados.

One of the reasons this story has been a lifetime favorite is that I borrowed it from the library when I was twelve years old, but wasn’t hooked by the first few pages. When I decided to return it unread, my mother encouraged me to persevere and finish what I started. The story turned out to be one that has stayed with me for more than 50 years!

What was the first book you read that you couldn’t put down? Why?

This Present Darkness, by Frank Peretti. Although a novel, the spiritual truths woven through the story taught me to respect and appreciate the power of prayer. The suspense level kept me turning the pages!

If you could have dinner with any fictional character, who would it be? Why?

Rachel, from book two of the Zion Chronicles, A Daughter of Zion. This character suffered as a Jewess under Nazi cruelty. Yet because of her dark past, she experienced the reality of redemption in a powerful way. I love it when fictional characters don’t just spout spiritual truth, but instead, vibrantly experience it.

If you could visit any fictional place, where would you go? Why?

Narnia. Even though the Narnia series was written for children, I still go back and reread all seven books every few years. I’m always amazed at how C. S. Lewis layered so many spiritual truths without being preachy!

Who’s your favorite author? Why?

I tend to gravitate more toward nonfiction, so my favorite authors include Kay Arthur, C.S. Lewis, John Piper, and Tim Keller. I teach a large, weekly Bible study class and I appreciate the spiritual truths communicated by these giants that help me grow and, in turn, pour into others.

If you could change the ending of any story, what would you change? Why?

The Diary of Anne Frank. Of course, it’s not fiction, but I still wish her life did not end as it did, in a concentration camp mere weeks before the Allies liberated the prisoners of Bergen-Belsen.

Ava’s newest release is Reflections on the Names of God: 180 Devotions to Know God More Fully (Revell Books), an abridged gift book edition of her original one-year devotional and endorsed by Kay Arthur, founder of Precepts Ministries, Int’l.

Becoming more familiar with God’s names and attributes is more than just checking off a list. Every name God calls Himself and every name His people have called Him holds clues to who He is and how He relates to His children. Exploring God’s names and attributes helps us know God more intimately and forms the basis for our hope.

Reflections on the Names of God is a unique devotional structured with three individual devotions to explore each of 60 different names and attributes of God from the perspectives of who God is, how this affects our relationship with Him, and how this affects our relationships with others.

Ava Pennington is an author, speaker, and Bible teacher. She’s also a freelance editor, a certified coach for Christian writers and speakers, and a mentor in Word Weavers Intl. She teaches a weekly Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) class and is trained as a Precepts Ministries instructor. She also received an Adult Bible Studies certificate from Moody Bible Institute.

In addition to her devotionals, Ava co-authored two children’s picture books and has contributed to numerous magazines. She has also been published in more than thirty-five anthologies, including twenty-seven volumes of Chicken Soup for the Soul.

Ava has a heart for God’s Word and God’s people. She is a passionate speaker and enjoys encouraging writers to use their gifts for His glory. For more information, visit www.AvaPennington.com

Find Ava online at: