Connellsville woman releases her second novel, “The Book of Grace”
Just five months after the debut of her first novel, a聽Connellsville woman has published her sophomore effort.
Last week, the new novel, 鈥淭he Book of Grace,鈥� was trending in the number-one spot in a teen and young adult category on Amazon.com.
The novel鈥檚 author, S.J. Cunningham, said the release of her second book came after her first book, 鈥淎ll This Was Mission,鈥� was honored with an award from the International Book Awards.
鈥淪o I was able to remind readers about 鈥楢ll This Was Mission鈥� while beginning to promote 鈥楾he Book of Grace鈥�,鈥� Cunningham said.
The inspiration for 鈥淭he Book of Grace鈥� came from the observation by the late novelist Toni Morrison that someone must write the book they want to read if it has not yet been written, which was the way Cunningham felt about young adult fiction, pointing out that novels in that genre left her dissatisfied.
鈥淭hey just didn鈥檛 deal with the themes that I wanted to read about,鈥� she said. 鈥淥f course, as a budding English Literature major, I read a lot of literary fiction, and some of that fiction had younger protagonists, but they weren鈥檛 necessarily marketed for younger people.鈥�
In the new book, the readers are introduced to Grace Meyer, a 17-year-old high school student who mostly has everything she has ever wanted 鈥� popular friends, an awesome boyfriend and plenty of money.
鈥淪he also has an overbearing mother who鈥檚 trying to plan her future and control her life,鈥� Cunningham said, adding that Grace finds herself in a rundown cabin in the forest, and the cabin鈥檚 owner, Lucy, claims to be Grace鈥檚 aunt. 鈥淕race knows something has gone terribly wrong in her life. The problem is, she can鈥檛 remember what that is.鈥�
Cunningham said what follows is a journey back and forth between a world of reality and an existence that feels slightly fantastical, but infinitely more comfortable.
鈥淕race realizes that maybe her existence isn鈥檛 really what it seems, and it鈥檚 going to take a lot of soul-searching to find her way back 鈥� or forward 鈥� to where she truly belongs,鈥� she said.
As with 鈥淎ll This Was Mission,鈥� Cunningham said she has a little bit of herself in all her characters, and that鈥檚 no different with her 17-year-old protagonist in 鈥淭he Book of Grace.鈥�
She added that she didn鈥檛 find it difficult to write from the perspective of a teenager like Grace because she thinks the same way now as she did back then about a lot of things, and even her family has helped along the way.
鈥淢y daughter isn鈥檛 so far removed from that age, so I remember her struggles well,鈥� Cunningham said. She remembers her insecurities, issues with her parents and peer pressure, explaining, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think those go away more than they just shift into other areas of our lives.鈥�
She had a great challenge while pulling the book together, Cunningham pointed out. 鈥淭he Book of Grace鈥� moves back and forth between two realities and Cunningham enlisted two editors to read the novel to make sure the shifts between the two worlds were smooth.
鈥淚鈥檓 fairly certain my writing professors would have advised me against this device, but I think it works for the story,鈥� she said.
Cunningham hopes readers take away the idea that the veil between this life and the next is very thin 鈥� that death is simply walking through that veil to the universe next door.
鈥淚t becomes clear early on that Grace is in a different type of reality, but she鈥檚 just fine where she is,鈥� she said, adding that people take life so seriously and spend so much of their lives stuck in the details, 鈥淢aybe even more so when we鈥檙e teenagers, and we鈥檙e trying to find our way in the world.鈥�
She recalled, 鈥淚 wish someone had told me to relax a little bit, although even if they had, I probably wouldn鈥檛 have listened.鈥�
Being stuck at home during the pandemic helped inspire Cunningham鈥檚 third work of fiction. She has completed the first draft, and it鈥檚 tentatively titled 鈥淚n the Land of Blood and Hope.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 a post-apocalyptic novel and is the first in a series,鈥� she said, adding there is a Connellsville connection to the novel. 鈥淎t the risk of giving a little bit of a spoiler, the book ends at the Casparis Caves, which is where much of the second novel in that series will be set.鈥�
Cunningham said she鈥檚 also working on a romance novel of sorts, and it鈥檚 tentatively titled 鈥淪oul Saver: A Love Story.鈥� It will return to the mystical, spiritual themes of her first two books, she said.
鈥淭he Book of Grace鈥� is available now on the websites of Barnes and Noble and Amazon, and from other major booksellers.
For more information, visit www.sjcunningham.net, www.facebook.com/sjcunninghamwriter or follow her on Instagram at www.instragram.com/sjcunninghamwriter for updates.