Character Spotlight ~ Christina Berry's Craig & Denise Littleton

Today the spotlight shines on.........Craig & Denise Littleton


I "met" Christina Berry a number of years ago, actually before I started blogging, through another very special lady and author, Donna Fleisher (hey Donna!). I have kept tabs over the years on Christina's writing and personal journey and I'm am so thrilled she is now published and appearing on my blog :)

Be sure to check out The Familiar Stranger next time you are in the bookstore ~ it is garnering some stellar reviews!

Over to you, Christina:~


Brief physical description

Craig Littleton is a blue-eyed, fit forty-six-year old with most of his brown hair sticking around.

Denise, his wife, is a hazel-eyed, fake honey-blond mother of two who enjoys her affluent lifestyle. (Ah, but all that is about to change ...)

Actor/famous person

Christina Applegate comes pretty close to the way I picture Denise, but I'd like to add a few years. Same with Christian Bale as Craig. Wouldn't they be great in a movie together, though?

Strengths and weaknesses

Craig's strengths are his charisma and ability to provide for his family, but weaknesses for other women and a huge amount of pride threaten his family.

Denise struggles with self-worth and setting boundaries, but as the book progresses, she discovers she's capable of far more than she thought. Her greatest strength is her willingness to listen to the Lord.

Quirk (if any)

Craig, being a dentist, always notices people's teeth.

Wave a Krispy Kreme donut in front of Denise's face, and you'll probably see some quirky behavior. Oh, and she loves to clean!

Your inspiration for the character

Denise and Craig’s story is based on the lessons of forgiveness God taught me when my marriage fell apart … the first time. Accordingly, many of the emotions Denise goes through correspond to what I felt, though our situations differ. However, I also wanted to really understand the male perspective, so Craig had parts of me in him as well. The path away from God and following temptation is something we can all recognize and, unfortunately, identify with.

During the editing process and years after my husband and I reunited, our marriage of thirteen years unexpectedly ended. The words I had written as a happily married woman ministered to me in my singleness. My heart’s hope is that this book will lead people to people to Live Transparently--Forgive Extravagantly!

Background to the story

I had been looking for a fictional vehicle to share what I had learned about forgiveness. Then, in the summer of 2006, two stories appeared in the American newspapers. One was a huge, national story; the other a smaller, local-interest item. I wondered what it might look like if those two stories conceived a child. Boom! I had the entire plot for The Familiar Stranger.

It will be interesting to see if readers can figure out which stories inspired the book.

Christina - yippee, you are a published author! Congratulations and thank you so much for sharing about your characters and personal journey. Hugs!



Stay tuned as on Monday, I will be spotlighting Tracey Bateman's Nina Parker from her recently released suspense novel, Thirsty.

Relz Reviewz Extras

Visit Christina's website and blog

Buy Christina's book at Amazon or Koorong