Mound author Connie Claire Szarke’s book series is a family saga that follows the main character, Callandra Mae Lindstrom, beginning at age 8. In the latest installment, Lady in the Moon, which was released in June, Callie is a young woman on a road trip with her father.
During the drive, Callie reflects on the stories of people who’ve influenced her: Some are stories of people she’s encountered and reflections on the ways they’ve survived or succumbed to their own experiences. But they all help Callie “to get on in the world as she alternately stumbles and dances through this part of her life,” says Szarke. “I’ve had readers say that they love the book and that they remember people in their own lives who had gone through issues, and they then were able to draw from the strength that those folks showed.”
