I’m proud to introduce to the world, (drum roll, please) . . . my newest book and the final installment of A Cold War Trilogy: Three Colors of Courage!
It’s been nine years since I wrote the first chapter of the first novel for my graduate fiction writing class in 2015. Five years since I signed the contract for One Degree of Freedom to be published. Since then, I’ve had three books come out, including a little detour from the series with the prisoner’s memoir that I wrote. This is the last book in the series (young adult historical fiction set in Cold War Romania), and I think it’s the most important and the timeliest one of all.
A little about the book
The grip of Communism tightens around Romania in the fall of 1989. As neighboring Eastern European countries cast off their oppressive regimes, Adriana Nicu and her friends must navigate increasingly hostile living conditions, mandatory military training, and terrifying tactics from the secret police. Adriana draws courage to question her government and take a stand for freedom from the banned books she reads.
Adriana looks to her cousin Timotei and her new female professor for guidance, fueling her determination to persist despite the odds. She and her friends demonstrate true courage as they stand up for what is right, even when success seems unattainable. When the stakes rise, Adriana must decide—once and for all—what she believes about God and what price, if any, is too high to pay for freedom.
Kirkus Reviews calls it “An unsettling evocation of Cold War–era repression, whose legacy seems timelier than ever.” Read the whole review here.
A little about the series
A young girl’s secret passion for forbidden books sparks a journey from oppression to freedom in Cold War Romania. She will need a hunger for freedom, relentless hope, and courage that defies all odds.
This coming-of-age trilogy begins in 1987, chronicling Adriana Nicu’s journey through the turbulent final years of Cold War Romania, where invisible forces always listen and watch. When fifteen-year-old Adriana walks through a wardrobe in Bucharest, she discovers a hidden room filled with stacks of forbidden novels. Adriana defies the oppressive Communist regime by secretly reading these banned books. The stories become her refuge and the characters become her guides, bringing light into the darkness.
In her yearning for freedom and individuality, Adriana navigates the dangers of dissent in the turbulent days leading to the coming revolution. Evil confronts her at every turn in her quest for truth. As the stakes rise, Adriana must decide—once and for all—what she believes about the God she was told doesn’t exist.
Through Adriana and her friends, find inspiration in the resilience of the human spirit in the face of oppression and the transformative power of stories, faith, and freedom.
A noble theme
In Psalm 45:1, the psalmist writes, “My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.”
I wanted this series to reflect the noble themes of freedom, hope, and courage. My heart’s desire is that you, the reader, will enjoy the story, fall in love with the characters, and be inspired by the real-life courage of the Romanian people.