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.

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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.

Interview with the Author

What does success as an author look like to you?
Success means many things, but the best success to me is impacting people’s lives. While it would be amazing to make best seller lists and win awards, the best awards are the emails from readers who have loved the books, felt seen, or have found courage in the pages.

Which character did you connect to best in this book?
I didn’t start out connecting with the Recorder, but through the multiple drafts and all the changes she underwent, I now feel like she is a dear friend. I, too, love numbers and mathematics, though she is much better at mathematics than I am. We would, however, clash over fiction. She reads for facts, and I’m afraid she would find my interest in novels confusing.

What is your favorite Bible verse or life verse?
I don’t have a specific life verse, but the ones that are never far from my heart are Zeph. 3:17, Psalm 46:1, and Phil. 4:4-7.

What are you reading right now?
Right now I am reading Lumen, by J.J. Fischer and Of Fire and Ash by Gillian Bronte Adams. Both are excellent books!

If you could have one book or piece of art or music on a deserted island, what would it be and why?
One book: the Bible. Hope. Without that hope to hold fast to, I wouldn’t make it.
One piece of music: Pachelbel’s Canon. No… Wait. Either Handel’s Water Music or Messiah. Probably Messiah. And yes, I love baroque music. (In my head, the subsonic canons that play in the Recorder’s quarters are based in baroque compositions.)