about the book
Twelve years ago the Prophet, named Kevin, comes around spouting of a connection to God and the ability to see the future. Believers follow him, forever to become Kevinians. Minnow Bly, at the age of five, doesn’t have a choice but to follow her parents, and as she grows up, she has no choice but to stay there. First, the cult takes away her family and her ability to trust anyone. Then, when she tries to run away, they take her hands.
Now, seventeen-year-old Minnow Bly, living without hands, has spent twelve years of her life with the Kevinian cult. But when the Prophet of the cult is murdered, the camp is inflamed. And it soon becomes clear the Minnow is hiding a secret. Free of the cult, Minnow doesn’t remain free for long.
After committing a crime, she is sent to juvenile detention. Here, she must un-learn everything engrained in her as a Kevinian, adjust to incarceration, and reflect upon the actions that led her here.
Soon, FBI agents want to make a deal: Minnow will be free from juvenile detention—free for the first time in over twelve years—if she reveals her secrets.
about the author
The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly is writer Stephanie Oakes’s debut novel—one that took years to get published. She even wrote a second novel while looking for representation for her first.
Stephanie is a diehard Harry Potter fan, and loves watching female-led comedies on TV. As a casual gamer, she likes the newest Tomb Raider, Bioshock Infinite, and GoldenEye: 007.
Stephanie has an MFA, and while earning her degree, discovered The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale, Feed by MT Anderson, Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, and Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitshugh—books that inspired her to write by showing her a world of possibilities where her own writing might fit.
While writing her first novel, she found it helpful to have a “Cut Stuff” document. Rather than deleting words that took days to write, she’s comforted in saving it in case she needs it back—though she never has. She also listens to instrumental music while writing because lyrics get in the way. And as long as she has coffee, she can write at any time in the day.
Stephanie currently teaches and manages a combined elementary and middle school library in Spokane, Washington.
Source:
Author website
Author interview: The Sweet Sixteens
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