Cocooned–Book Two of the Cavernous Trilogy–Coming August 2016

As you can probably tell from the cover, butterflies are a big theme in the Cavernous trilogy. As I’m writing the second book, I’m trying to explore the idea that God created us to proclaim him, and yet we often find ourselves held back by fears and such. But like this butterfly tied to the rock, even the smallest collective effort can add up to the biggest difference. Pennies make dollars.

Why the butterflies?

When I first started writing Cavernous, back in 2013, I found this meme on PictureQuotes.com and drafted the whole story. Then, in 2014, when the book was in editing, I went to a conference, where a biological company gave me a butterfly larvae kit to bring home. As my children and I watched “Sarah” make its metamorphosis, I thought a lot about my teenaged Callie, being forced by circumstance to transition to adulthood. Poor Sarah’s wing didn’t fully form, and (he/she/it?) never flew. But that little thing was so determined. We made it a habitat and kept it on the kitchen table, and it lived for weeks. My daughter pet it every day, sang to it, and loved it like it was a dog or bigger pet. I was so impressed with its reselience, and made some revisions in the story to amplify the butterfly theme.

Sometimes I worry about our society, that so many young people struggle with making that transition to adulthood. Even into our thirties, many of us hold on to those “childish things” that prevent us from reaching our full potential. So as I pen Cocooned, I’ve started Callie out with a broken wing, and continually thinking about ways she can put behind those challenges and temptations and find a way to soar anyway, carrying the gospel with her as she goes.

Haven’t read Cavernous? Here’s what it’s about:

A Christian teen must face off in a battle for her soul against an extremist leader—her father.

In a divided America, several secessions lead to the formation of a new nation, the Alliance of American States. Fueled by extremists who solicit members via social media, the Alliance has one weak point: Callie Noland, daughter of extremist leader Adrian Lamb. Can she maintain her faith in God and stand up to the man who calls himself Lord and Master?

Callie has become a cynical teenager, bitter and pining since her sister stole away Ethan, the boy she loves. Then her mother disappears, and Callie’s forced to leave her beloved Kentucky to attend a militaristic Alliance school. There, she suffers intense persecution and faces choices that could leave her either weak in faith or physically dead.

Find Cavernous on Amazon: