How the Winterlilies Grow follows a young woman desperate to save her mother, who sets out on a journey for a healing flower, meeting with tests of courage and spiritual challenges along the way. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

My desire is to return morality and Truth back into storytelling. I love fantastical media and learning more about theology. Specifically, I am obsessed with the movie about Rapunzel. Adventure, comedic quips, warmth, seeking belonging alongside beauty, the imagery of a magical healing flower. In this world, the flower isn’t magical, but rather a representation of elemental things created by God like medicine. God heals and doesn’t heal for reasons unknown, but they are reasons that are just. In this book, I wanted to showcase healing with medicine, healing by the creator, a time that the creator doesn’t heal, and how we can strive in the waiting. I wrote this book during a time of my own sickness, and I didn’t know if God would heal me. It was a time when I clung to my faith as my body whittled away, and I could no longer eat food. I wanted to write a story where the reader can find value in most lines whether they relate to Aradella’s pain or Lykke’s clumsy joy or Giselle’s sickness, daydream about visiting Thiddlestacks and Frosty Halo, find resilience like the Hunyljavekians, enjoy the many creatures, and learn about a creator who some claim to be absent, but is actively providing. I wrote this book for fantasy lovers, those grieving or dealing with church hurt, for those questioning God. Ultimately, this story was written intentionally with an engaging storyline and I am eager for people to read it.

The novel features dwarves, goblins, sirens, enchanted weapons, and hidden gardens alongside spiritual lessons. How did you balance classic fantasy elements with the book’s faith-centered message?

This is a fantastic question and one that I thought a lot about. God has given us the gift of imagination because he is an imaginative God, so both imagination and creation are a reflection of Him. These are fun elements to use, and we forget a fruit of the spirit is joy, so it is alright to bring joy to others and play and entertain. That being said, In literature, I am wary of the normalization that magic is a good tool and a way to solve problems. I tried to be intentional that magic and enchantment was used by those who do not know the creator while those who are followers of the creator relied on gifts of the creator like imagination, engineering, peace, prayer, teamwork, and intelligence. Fantasy is the vehicle to spread the gospel and talk about God. How the Winterlilies Grow is the perfect book for Christian parents to use as a tool to have faith-filled discussions with their kids who are in 8th grade and up.

Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and IngramSpark in print and e-book formats starting Oct 6, 2026.

The story visits a wide variety of places and introduces many different creatures and cultures. Which part of the world was your favorite to create, and why?

My favorite town is Hunyljavek – home of the dwarves. It is a place that once was riddled with hardship and pain, but instead of staying in their suffering, they turned their eyes and hearts towards “the creator” and made new traditions that were joyful. When you go there, you can see hints of the brokenness (not many women or children), but it has been redeemed. On a more stylistic note, I appreciate viking culture and I tried to incorporate small elements from them into Hunyljavekian society from their grooming to their armor. The aesthetic of the town and the food they eat is partly inspired by Icelandic culture which is a beautiful culture. From an aesthetic standpoint, I would live in Frosty Halo ~ the sledding, bakeries, angels, choir concerts, lights, community ~ it is a porcelain Christmas village come to life.

Without revealing spoilers, was there a character who surprised you during the writing process by taking the story in an unexpected direction?

There is a character in the book who I wrote to be the comedic relief or at times the moral guide. In a way, this character reminds me a bit of my father- the way he is able to bring joy into hard situations, yet in this book, an event occurs where he faces loss after having already gone through loss. I think his identity shift is a powerful one because as followers, sometimes we believe we have to force ourselves to be happy through pain because the Bible tells us to have a joy beyond circumstances. In fact, in a separate book I am writing, this character holds joy through trauma for the sake of others. His shift shows that it is alright to mourn, grieve, cry, and to be completely shaken by events that take place. It reminded me of Noami in the book of Ruth where her name meant pleasant and the grief made her “bitter” aka Mara. Jesus wept and grieved Lazarus even though He knew he would be resurrected. This character has been holding on to this grief for so long that this shift was inevitable. It is alright to experience it. Just remember that no one can take away Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross from you as you go through those highs and lows.

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