Dr. Lisa Theus

Historical Fiction Editor

Lisa Theus thinks one of the best ways to get to know somebody is their favorite books, and she credits Eiji Yoshikawa’s Musashi with helping her fall in love with her now husband. Her favorite works include (listed chronologically!): The Epic of Gilgamesh, Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War, Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Thomas à Kempis’ Imitation of Mary, the poetry of John Donne, J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, Robin McKinley’s The Blue Sword, and Pope Benedict XVI’s Jesus of Nazareth.

She has spent most of her life training herself how to think like an ancient Roman (she earned a PhD in Classics at Rutgers University and taught college courses for several years). Eventually, she left academia for something more stable–working first as a church secretary for her local Catholic parish and now as an assistant for a financial advisor. She can’t keep her head out of history or rich worlds, however, and she loves reading about noble heroes and the difficult pursuit of virtue–however that may manifest. Bonus points for an engaging cast of characters and strong worldbuilding.
When she isn’t working for her paycheck, she’s pursuing the life of a freelance writer and editor; building her own worlds; volunteering in her community; or playing video games with her husband.

Corinna Turner

Fantasy Editor

Carnegie Medal Award nominated author Corinna Turner has been writing since she was fourteen and likes strong protagonists with plenty of integrity. She has an MA in English from Oxford University, but has foolishly gone on to work with both children and animals! Juggling work with the disabled and being a midwife to sheep, she spends as much time as she can in a little hut at the bottom of the garden, writing.

She is a Catholic Christian with roots in the Methodist and Anglican churches. A keen cinema-goer, she lives in the UK. She used to have a Giant African Land Snail, Peter, with a six inch long shell and an even larger foot, but now makes do with a cactus and a campervan! 

Dying for Compassion by Barbara Golder

This is the feisty lady-doc origin story I have been waiting for. Golder proves herself to be an excellent character writer in the mystery genre.

Finnian and the Seven Mountains (Vol.2) By, Philip Kosloski and Michael Lavoy

Can one map be the key to stopping the Viking Invasion?

Freedom & Responsibility in “Citizen of the Galaxy” by Robert Heinlein

One of the masters of science fiction delivers a story exploring the limits of freedom and the ongoing battle against fallen human nature.

The Boy Who Knew (Friends in High Places: Carlo Acutis) by Corinna Turner

Faced with his death, a fifteen-year-old learns how to live through the wisdom of Blessed Carlo Acutis.

The Saving Power of Suffering By Father Jacob Powell

A Catholic guide to taking up our cross and following Jesus.

Saving Mt. Rushmore by Andrea Jo Rodgers

John’s summer plans are ruined when he is recruited to a top-secret crime-fighting school, St. Michael’s Academy.

Night by Ellie Wiesel

One of the most famous and horrifying first-hand accounts of the Holocaust

Theology In the Bottle: Where Cana Meets the Cross By A. P. Schreck

Prayerful meditations to pair with your journal and a glass of wine.

Best Books of 2022

Our favorite book finds of the year!

Comet Dust by C.D. Verhoff

A Catholic end-of days inspired by the private revelations of the saints.

Papa and the Little Queen by Kathleen Vincenz

What will St. Thérèse and Papa discover on their walk through town?

Paul’s Prayers by Susan Anderson

A mother reveals with honesty and authenticity the difficulties of raising a child with autism and the struggles that child faces every minute of every day.

Lily of the Mohawks By Voyage Comics

Will Tekakwitha obey her uncle and marry a warrior, or boldly live out her faith?

The Eighth Station by Deirdre McQuade and Friends

A wonderful devotional for the eyes and heart focusing on the eighth station of the cross

Bead by Bead: The Scriptural Rosary by Meggie K. Daly 

A scriptural meditation and a moving witness of how the rosary brought the author back to The Church.

The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene

“Virtue, the good life, tempted him in the dark like a sin.”

Three Reformers: Luther, Descartes, Rousseau by Jacques Maritain

Reaching back to a forgotten era of integrated Christian philosophy, Maritain retrieves concepts that could solve the dissolution of postmodern society.

The Table by Dennis Lambert

A table built by the grandfather of Jesus Christ survives the darkest moment in history to bring peace to a widowed musician

A Truly Clawful Christmas By Corinna Turner

Father Benedict must learn to embrace the adrenaline rush if he’s going to survive being a rural priest living alongside dinosaurs.

October Books to Pray With: For a Shared Mission

A list of books exploring the theme of solidarity between clergy and laity.