C. L. Francisco

C. L. Francisco has always chosen fiction for her downtime reading: “Fiction sneaks up on me, gets under my guard, and touches my heart in a way that non-fiction can’t,” she says. “It opens up new possibilities and sets me dreaming. For me, life-changing books have always been fiction. That’s probably why I chose to write a book like Yeshua’s Cat.” Retired college professor C. L. Francisco’s faith reemerged several years ago after a time of radical doubt. Her conservative Christian upbringing, undergraduate years at Mount Holyoke College, year’s stay at L’Abri, early career years in art therapy, and PhD in world religions had all contributed to her confusion. But as a woman whose life had always been grounded in faith, she struggled to find her way again. Oddly enough, the voice of non-human nature spoke more clearly than any other—except for C. S. Lewis’ fiction, which she never abandoned. The whispers were faint at first, and often resulted in dead ends, but when they finally spoke clear, she found herself in the presence of the Christ who lives beyond all walls. The Gospel According to Yeshua’s Cat emerged from Francisco’s desire to offer fellow strugglers a fresh perspective on Jesus of Nazareth. The book’s feline narrator speaks with the wise voice of a young cat whose death after a devastating wildfire provided Francisco with the impetus to begin the book. Francisco has gone on to write 3 more books in the Yeshua's Cats series. "A Cat Out of Egypt" is a stand-alone prequel to Yeshua’s Cat, introducing her original feline character’s many-times great-grandmother Miw, beloved of the child Yeshua. "The Cats of Rekem" and "Cat Born to the Purple" were both named to IndieReader's "Best Of" list for 2015 and 2016 respectively. Francisco has now branched out into a new gothic mystery series, The Miranda Lamden Mysteries. The first book in the series, "This Madness of the Heart," is now available as a Kindle e-book. The paperback will be released later in February, 2017. Although not written with a Christian voice, the series' main character Miranda Lamden is a religion professor with a lively interest in all things spiritual--in addition to murder and cats. Visit her anytime at http://clfrancisco.com (Yeshua's Cats), or at http://mountaingothic.com (the Miranda Lamden Mysteries).