Becca McCulloch is a wife, mother, professor, and writer but rarely in that order (if in any order at all). At night, she transitions from mild-mannered educator into mild-mannered artist, writing about LDS (Mormon) issues in a modern and complex world. In 2016, she won the Storymakers' First Chapter Contest/General Fiction category. In 2019, her novel, Hermana, was named the General Fiction category winner for the LDS Publishers Media Association.Becca resides in Utah with her husband, 2 children, Great Dane, two cats, and a pesky, yet friendly raccoon that won't leave the outdoor shed.
WINNER! 2019 general fiction book of the year from the LDS Publishers Media Association.
Bookish and street-smart Lannie Lewis wants to be more than the child of a broken home who flunked out of music school. Full-time mission service will carry her away from the problems with her dad and immerse her hands in the work of God, or, it would if she’d stop hiding in the bathroom and wishing the island had better bug spray. When a disaster transforms her mission into a world of peril and overwhelming need, she will have to learn to hear the Lord’s voice for herself, even if it means she stands against the crowd.
Snippet:
As Hermana Stathos announces the prayer, a giant, moth-like insect lands next to her on her chair. Its wings stretch like two pieces of recycled paper fastened to a metal binding. Its antennae rustle the fabric on Hermana Stathos’ silky skirt. The woman gurgles with wide eyes, and then falls silent. She drops the prayer announcement without naming the speaker, and, instead, scoots herself and her skirt over three inches to accommodate the creature. Her eyes grow wider with each panicked sweep of our faces.
One of the Dominican trainers rushes in to scoop the bug away. The insect rests on the young woman’s hands. Its wings click against her black badge. She releases the moth with the care I might take with a kitten or puppy.
Hermana Stathos’ shoulders sink two inches once the creature is gone, but her spine remains perfectly straight. Then she talks about yeast infection. No joke. She forgets the prayer and jumps right into fungal overgrowth. If my mom were here, everything from the giant bug to confirmed fears about fungi would have her giggling throughout the whole meeting.
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