A visit with author Vannetta Chapman

​What is Dystopian Christian Fiction? This was my question.

I confess, the term dystopia was new to me. I had to find it in the dictionary.
Vannetta Chapman was kind enough to give me a clearer explanation and a peek at her new book Deep Shadows. 

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​​From Vannetta:
Deep Shadows is the first book in my upcoming Remnant Series. It’s a significant change from the Amish books I’ve previously published. Today I wanted to talk to you about dystopian fiction, and the appeal of this genre.
 
If you’re alive and reading on planet Earth, you recognize the crazy popularity of dystopian fiction and our preoccupation – even as people of faith – with end of the world scenarios.
 
I have been a fan for many years. When I read a dystopian book, I ask myself

1. Would I be smart enough to think like the hero?
2. Would I have the courage and strength to survive?
3. Would my faith endure?

 
And faith is an important component of this genre, which caused me to wonder- where is God in dystopian fiction? How do we talk about God when the world is falling down around our ears? How do we NOT talk about Him in this scenario?
 
These are questions we ask ourselves as we read dystopian fiction. Unlike apocalyptic tales, which bring images of Revelation, four horsemen, messengers of God and last days, dystopian books represent a transition from a near-perfect work to a vastly imperfect one.
 
My passion for this genre is a result of my life experience.

• I was born in the 2nd largest city in the U.S. (Los Angeles, CA)
• I spent 35 years in the 8th largest city (Dallas, Texas)
• I now live in a town of 6,000 (central Texas)

 
I’ve taught high school and college classes for 15 years, and during that time I’ve taught teenaged boys who could take apart and re-assemble a computer in a matter of hours. And I’ve taught teenaged girls who can shoot and field dress a deer.
 
Those teens, their parents, you and I sense that we’ve reached an over dependence on technology, a tipping of the scales, and we wonder what will happen if things dramatically shift the other way.
 
At its heart, that’s what a dystopian series is – a balance of the scales in the other direction, a what if scenario. It is always first and foremost a story about relationships and how they survive or crumble when what we’ve feared, as a society, occurs. And lastly, for me, it’s always a story of faith and hope.

​Read my review of Deep Shadows
Vannetta Chapman and I are not related, at least as far as I know.