About the Book

Book: Guardian

Author: Cathy McCrumb

Genre: Science Fiction

Release Date: February 20, 2024

The Recorder’s fate has been sealed, but the Consortium is not the only enemy.

Labeled an aberration by the Consortium, the Recorder is not yet free. Time is running out as an engineered bioweapon wreaks havoc on friend and foe alike.

Stopping both the biological agent and the people who created it is no easy task, especially since the Recorder and her friends are trapped on a research station infested with behemoth insects. Without Consortium technology, the probability of neutralizing the threat falls to nothing. In order to save her allies, the Recorder must activate a drone, but her success might destroy any hope for freedom, a future, and a name.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Cathy McCrumb graduated from Biola University with a degree in English Literature and a love for stories. She and her husband, whom she met while writing letters to soldiers, have five children and currently live within the shadow of the Rocky Mountains. While writing is one of her favorite things to do, she also enjoys reading, long hikes and long naps, gluten-free brownies and raspberries, and crocheting while watching science fiction movies with friends and family.

More from Cathy

Someone asked me recently why I wrote Guardian. My answer was that the whole Children of the Consortium trilogy is my love song to people who feel left out.

In the first novel, the Recorder—a young woman with no name, no family, and no friends—doesn’t see her life as valuable. As she discovers friendship and love, however, she realizes that every person in the system is unique, and this by definition must include her, too.

How often do we doubt our own value and that of the people around us? In a world that prioritizes youth, beauty, health, and success, many people are on the outside, looking in. I suspect that deep down, a lot of us wrestle with who we are and how we fall short of this external measuring tape.

The truth, however, is very, very different from the lie of worthlessness. While we have names (and don’t usually encounter two-meter insects, for which I am extremely thankful), we frequently forget that as humans, even though we are fallen, we are made in God’s image. Furthermore, as Christians, we have been both called and adopted.

Zephaniah 3:17 says that the Lord is with us. He takes “great delight” in us and rejoices over us. What an amazing, beautiful, and comforting image. The One who formed the stars, who breathed life into every human on the planet rejoices over YOU.

My prayer is that you find hope and joy in the midst of darkness, whether or not you find friends in the pages of these novels. Look to the Lord and hold fast to the fact that you are unique and valuable. Because even when you feel like you’re on the outside looking in, you are never alone.

Author Interview

Can you share 5 random facts about you that we will not find in your bio? 1) I used to play the violin and wish younger me hadn’t stopped. 2) When I was in elementary school, I climbed a tree to get my dog who had chased a squirrel into the branches. 3) I sneak vegetables into baked goods. (Shh. Don’t tell my family.) 4) Jane Austen’s novels helped settle me in the mood for writing science fiction. 5) Someday, I want to have a tuxedo cat like Bustopher. So far, I haven’t convinced my husband that a cat is essential for marketing. (Yeah, he’s not buying THAT excuse.) What does your writing routine look like? 

Chaos. Lol! I still have four of my five kids at home, so I write in stolen moments, frequently on scraps of paper (which I inevitably lose) or on my phone or my Kindle. When I can, I break out my laptop and hope that Autocorrupt doesn’t make the story incomprehensible.
Are you a planner or a pantser?

I discover most of the story as I go. It’s a little like seeing a mountain top and going toward it without knowing what lies in my path. I keep the themes and the end goal in mind, then follow my characters around as things happen.
What do you hope readers will take away from the book?

That you are each valuable and unique. In all of the universe, there has only been and only will be ONE of you. What a blessing and opportunity! And in the midst of turmoil, grief, and disaster, hold fast to hope and the One who made you.

Where can readers follow along to see what’s coming next? 
Thanks! You can find me at www.cathymccrumb.com , though I am more active on Instagram ( @cathymccrumbauthor ) . Stop by and say hello!