Farenorth Press is the publishing imprint of Indie Christian author Céleste Perrino-Walker. If a book has the Farenorth Press imprint, it has been independently (rather than traditionally) published.
About the name . . . "farenorth" literally means "go north" and was inspired by Deuteronomy 2:3 in which God tells Israel they have been wandering around in the desert long enough and that it is time to enter the promised land. "You have skirted this mountain long enough, turn northward" (NKJV). I firmly believe that Christians have figuratively skirted this mountain long enough. It's time to get serious and go home. That's why you won't find any frivolous books in the Farenorth Press list. They will be entertaining (I sincerely hope!), but they won't be purposeless; they won't lead you in circles around the mountain. It's time to farenorth.
Farenorth Press currently has several series which consist of stand-alone books (ie. each book is independent of the others but takes place in the same location and/or includes many characters featured in previous books in the series.):
Strait Truth Series
"Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it" (Matthew 7:14, KJV).
Books in the Strait Truth series will reflect "strait," Bible-based truth. These truths may, or may not, reflect mainstream Christian thoughts and ideas. These books may be grittier and more edgy than you would typically expect a Christian novel to be. Because they are apt to stimulate dialogue and conversation, they will include:
Questions for Small Groups and Book Clubs
A List of all Bible Texts Used or Alluded to in the Book
Books in (or planned for) this series:
The Shaking (Available in digital and print! Released 9/19/14.)
Back of book blurb: Most Christians don’t want anything to do with Brooke Merrill: a dreadlock wearing, tattooed, pierced, former lesbian. She’s discovering that coming out of the lifestyle makes coming out of the closet seem like a cakewalk. But Brooke has found Someone she’s been looking for her whole life, and she’s not about to let go. Not even when it means giving up on all her dreams. Not even when it means losing the one person she loves most in the world.
To make matters worse, earth is experiencing death pangs. Terrorist Assault Officers (TAOs), deployed around the nation to keep the peace and prevent terrorist attacks, have complete authority over citizens and are entirely above the law. As pressure mounts and her world begins to crumble can Brooke keep her grip on God, or will she be lost in The Shaking?
The Disciples (Available in digital and print! Released 3/11/15)
Back of book blurb: Stabbed and left for dead, Lilliana Vargas receives aid from the most unlikely source and is thrust unwillingly into the secret, underground domain of her rescuers, a group of Christians who call themselves the Disciples. She manages to shake her “keepers” long enough to get herself into an even worse situation. Saved once again by Someone whose existence she’d rather not even acknowledge, Lily is forced to face her life as it is and as it could be.
With the world crashing down around their ears, will she stay, or will she go back to the streets and try to navigate the coming crisis in which escape is not an option?
This Means War (Scheduled for Winter 2016 - unless it's picked up by a publisher. Stay tuned.)
Back of book blurb: The day after her baptism, Haley Wagner wakes up to find her world completely changed. She learns that her parents have died in a train crash. She is shunted into the foster care system and transferred from her posh, private, Christian school into the hellish halls of the local public school. Here she meets the "rebels" from her church: young people who are viewed as outcasts by the church but who are in reality on the front lines of spiritual warfare against Laodicea. Haley has a choice: defect to the other side or stay and fight with her new friends.
Chicks With Sticks
Back of book blurb: A bunch of women with sharp sticks in the middle of the woods, what could possibly go wrong? When Sophie Nichols' friend invites her to a knitting retreat at her husband's deer camp, she has a bunch of reasons why she shouldn't go and one compelling reason why she should. Chicks With Sticks takes the question, "What would Jesus do?" one step further and gives new meaning to the directive, "Love your enemies."
Toussaint, Vermont Series
The Toussaint, Vermont books all take place in the fictional town of Toussaint, Vermont, which lies so close to the shores of Lake Champlain and the border of Canada that if was closer to either it would fall in or need to change citizenship. While the physical place does exist as a position on the map, the fictional place lives only in my imagination. It's where I grew up. Stories in this series are peopled with quirky characters and deal with more basic Christianity. They are, in a word, tamer than the Strait Truth series. Books in this series are apt to include fun freebies, such as cookbooks written by the characters featuring recipes from the books.
Books in (or planned for) this series:
Life And Death (in production-scheduled for release fall of 2015.)
Toussaint, Vermont, is so close to the shores of Lake Champlain and the border of Canada that if it was closer to either it would fall in or need to change citizenship. It is a place peopled with quirky characters and peppered with colloquial (and uniquely French-Canadian) language and customs. Here Emerson Giroux still struggles to cope following the death of her husband several years earlier in a freak accident. She is harassed and helped in equal parts by her nearly grown daughter Adrienne, her eccentric, blind friend Marise, and a host of other likely and unlikely characters.
When a tall, handsome stranger returns home, Emerson is shocked out of her grief. But things are not as they seem. Or are they? Is it possible that the most important thing to remember about life is that no one comes out alive? In Toussaint, Vermont, you may just find out.
Ringing with strength and hope, Life & Death abounds with humor, craziness, traditional music, romance, and a little old mémère with a tongue like a buzz saw.
Now I See
Fleabitten
Foundation Series
Salome's Charger (with Glen Robinson. Available here. Released 8/31/15.)
There was something special about the Charger even before King Herod gave it to Salome, his stepdaughter, to carry the bloody, disembodied head of John the Baptist. Rumor held that Babylonian seer Nabonidus had imbued it with the ability to predict the future. Recently unearthed in an Egyptian tomb, Salome’s Charger is seen by many as the greatest archaeological discovery in the 21st Century. That is, until a student is murdered and the charger and its top researching scientist disappear. Now treasure hunters, thieves, archaeologists, scientists, reporters, and cultists are all looking for the same golden charger, and the rewards go beyond money.
Some are looking for a quick payday. Some are looking for answers from God. And some are looking forward to ending the world. Will Salome’s Charger provide answers or simply mark the end it all?
Dry Bones (Solo - Projected release Fall of 2016)
The bones of the prophet Elisha are discovered and are promptly stolen by a religious sect intent on reformation. They use the bones to raise major religious leaders from the past to life. These people all begin preaching and give dire warnings about coming disasters if mankind doesn't return to God. Stevie believes God has raised these people from the dead to carry on an important work, but Ezra realizes that a sinister force is behind the "miracles" trying to deceive, if possible, even the very elect. Can he convince Stevie that all is not as it appears and pull back the curtain to reveal the impostor to the world?
Mavericks (one-of-a-kind, stand-alone books)
Christ's Child (in production.)
The Farmer's Daughter (in production) Lessons I've learned from farming. Sometimes hysterical, sometimes poignant, sometimes heartrending, but always enlightening.
Novellas (Short, sharing books bringing a Christian perspective to life challenges.)
Leaving (in production)
It’s the ultimate guilty pleasure. Who hasn’t at one time wanted to turn their back on their life and just start fresh somewhere else? Olivia Kendrick had had enough. A slob of a husband who did nothing but take her for granted, three ungrateful, demanding teens who expected to be waited on as though they were still toddlers, even her friends were turning on her lately. She’d be better off alone. So she left. Taking nothing more than her purse and her wounded pride, Olivia got in her car and drove away.
Sometimes in life you just need a change of scenery . . . or perspective.
About the name . . . "farenorth" literally means "go north" and was inspired by Deuteronomy 2:3 in which God tells Israel they have been wandering around in the desert long enough and that it is time to enter the promised land. "You have skirted this mountain long enough, turn northward" (NKJV). I firmly believe that Christians have figuratively skirted this mountain long enough. It's time to get serious and go home. That's why you won't find any frivolous books in the Farenorth Press list. They will be entertaining (I sincerely hope!), but they won't be purposeless; they won't lead you in circles around the mountain. It's time to farenorth.
Farenorth Press currently has several series which consist of stand-alone books (ie. each book is independent of the others but takes place in the same location and/or includes many characters featured in previous books in the series.):
Strait Truth Series
"Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it" (Matthew 7:14, KJV).
Books in the Strait Truth series will reflect "strait," Bible-based truth. These truths may, or may not, reflect mainstream Christian thoughts and ideas. These books may be grittier and more edgy than you would typically expect a Christian novel to be. Because they are apt to stimulate dialogue and conversation, they will include:
Questions for Small Groups and Book Clubs
A List of all Bible Texts Used or Alluded to in the Book
Books in (or planned for) this series:
The Shaking (Available in digital and print! Released 9/19/14.)
Back of book blurb: Most Christians don’t want anything to do with Brooke Merrill: a dreadlock wearing, tattooed, pierced, former lesbian. She’s discovering that coming out of the lifestyle makes coming out of the closet seem like a cakewalk. But Brooke has found Someone she’s been looking for her whole life, and she’s not about to let go. Not even when it means giving up on all her dreams. Not even when it means losing the one person she loves most in the world.
To make matters worse, earth is experiencing death pangs. Terrorist Assault Officers (TAOs), deployed around the nation to keep the peace and prevent terrorist attacks, have complete authority over citizens and are entirely above the law. As pressure mounts and her world begins to crumble can Brooke keep her grip on God, or will she be lost in The Shaking?
The Disciples (Available in digital and print! Released 3/11/15)
Back of book blurb: Stabbed and left for dead, Lilliana Vargas receives aid from the most unlikely source and is thrust unwillingly into the secret, underground domain of her rescuers, a group of Christians who call themselves the Disciples. She manages to shake her “keepers” long enough to get herself into an even worse situation. Saved once again by Someone whose existence she’d rather not even acknowledge, Lily is forced to face her life as it is and as it could be.
With the world crashing down around their ears, will she stay, or will she go back to the streets and try to navigate the coming crisis in which escape is not an option?
This Means War (Scheduled for Winter 2016 - unless it's picked up by a publisher. Stay tuned.)
Back of book blurb: The day after her baptism, Haley Wagner wakes up to find her world completely changed. She learns that her parents have died in a train crash. She is shunted into the foster care system and transferred from her posh, private, Christian school into the hellish halls of the local public school. Here she meets the "rebels" from her church: young people who are viewed as outcasts by the church but who are in reality on the front lines of spiritual warfare against Laodicea. Haley has a choice: defect to the other side or stay and fight with her new friends.
Chicks With Sticks
Back of book blurb: A bunch of women with sharp sticks in the middle of the woods, what could possibly go wrong? When Sophie Nichols' friend invites her to a knitting retreat at her husband's deer camp, she has a bunch of reasons why she shouldn't go and one compelling reason why she should. Chicks With Sticks takes the question, "What would Jesus do?" one step further and gives new meaning to the directive, "Love your enemies."
Toussaint, Vermont Series
The Toussaint, Vermont books all take place in the fictional town of Toussaint, Vermont, which lies so close to the shores of Lake Champlain and the border of Canada that if was closer to either it would fall in or need to change citizenship. While the physical place does exist as a position on the map, the fictional place lives only in my imagination. It's where I grew up. Stories in this series are peopled with quirky characters and deal with more basic Christianity. They are, in a word, tamer than the Strait Truth series. Books in this series are apt to include fun freebies, such as cookbooks written by the characters featuring recipes from the books.
Books in (or planned for) this series:
Life And Death (in production-scheduled for release fall of 2015.)
Toussaint, Vermont, is so close to the shores of Lake Champlain and the border of Canada that if it was closer to either it would fall in or need to change citizenship. It is a place peopled with quirky characters and peppered with colloquial (and uniquely French-Canadian) language and customs. Here Emerson Giroux still struggles to cope following the death of her husband several years earlier in a freak accident. She is harassed and helped in equal parts by her nearly grown daughter Adrienne, her eccentric, blind friend Marise, and a host of other likely and unlikely characters.
When a tall, handsome stranger returns home, Emerson is shocked out of her grief. But things are not as they seem. Or are they? Is it possible that the most important thing to remember about life is that no one comes out alive? In Toussaint, Vermont, you may just find out.
Ringing with strength and hope, Life & Death abounds with humor, craziness, traditional music, romance, and a little old mémère with a tongue like a buzz saw.
Now I See
Fleabitten
Foundation Series
Salome's Charger (with Glen Robinson. Available here. Released 8/31/15.)
There was something special about the Charger even before King Herod gave it to Salome, his stepdaughter, to carry the bloody, disembodied head of John the Baptist. Rumor held that Babylonian seer Nabonidus had imbued it with the ability to predict the future. Recently unearthed in an Egyptian tomb, Salome’s Charger is seen by many as the greatest archaeological discovery in the 21st Century. That is, until a student is murdered and the charger and its top researching scientist disappear. Now treasure hunters, thieves, archaeologists, scientists, reporters, and cultists are all looking for the same golden charger, and the rewards go beyond money.
Some are looking for a quick payday. Some are looking for answers from God. And some are looking forward to ending the world. Will Salome’s Charger provide answers or simply mark the end it all?
Dry Bones (Solo - Projected release Fall of 2016)
The bones of the prophet Elisha are discovered and are promptly stolen by a religious sect intent on reformation. They use the bones to raise major religious leaders from the past to life. These people all begin preaching and give dire warnings about coming disasters if mankind doesn't return to God. Stevie believes God has raised these people from the dead to carry on an important work, but Ezra realizes that a sinister force is behind the "miracles" trying to deceive, if possible, even the very elect. Can he convince Stevie that all is not as it appears and pull back the curtain to reveal the impostor to the world?
Mavericks (one-of-a-kind, stand-alone books)
Christ's Child (in production.)
The Farmer's Daughter (in production) Lessons I've learned from farming. Sometimes hysterical, sometimes poignant, sometimes heartrending, but always enlightening.
Novellas (Short, sharing books bringing a Christian perspective to life challenges.)
Leaving (in production)
It’s the ultimate guilty pleasure. Who hasn’t at one time wanted to turn their back on their life and just start fresh somewhere else? Olivia Kendrick had had enough. A slob of a husband who did nothing but take her for granted, three ungrateful, demanding teens who expected to be waited on as though they were still toddlers, even her friends were turning on her lately. She’d be better off alone. So she left. Taking nothing more than her purse and her wounded pride, Olivia got in her car and drove away.
Sometimes in life you just need a change of scenery . . . or perspective.