The Village meets Octavia Butler’s After the Fire in this unique, voice-driven novel from Kelly McWilliamsAgnes loves her home of Red Creek—its quiet, sunny mornings, its dusty roads, and its God. There, she cares tirelessly for her younger siblings and follows the town’s strict laws. What she doesn’t know is that Red Creek is a cult, controlled by a madman who calls himself a prophet. Then Agnes meets Danny, an Outsider boy, and begins to question what is and isn’t a sin. Her younger brother, Ezekiel, will die without the insulin she barters for once a month, even though medicine is considered outlawed. Is she a sinner for saving him? Is her sister, Beth, a sinner for dreaming of the world beyond Red Creek? As the Prophet grows more dangerous, Agnes realizes she must escape with Ezekiel and leave everyone else, including Beth, behind. But it isn’t safe Outside, either: A viral pandemic is burning through the population at a terrifying rate. As Agnes ventures forth, a mysterious connection grows between her and the Virus. But in a world where faith, miracles, and cruelty have long been indistinguishable, will Agnes be able to choose between saving her family and saving the world?
Kelly McWilliams is a biracial writer in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she lives with her partner, and is the bewildered parent of a toddler. She's currently a staff writer at Romper, the millennial parenting site, where she reports on women's health. As a 15-year old, she published DOORMAT (Random House, 2004), a Junior Library Guild selection, and headed to Walnut Hill School for the Arts to finish high school among raucous theater majors. As an undergraduate at Brown University, she studied feminist literary criticism and began writing nonfiction. She loves books for kids and teens that fearlessly tackle big ideas, like what it means to be a woman or a girl. When she's not working, she's trying to recreate the breakfast Beyoncé just posted on Instagram. Her recent manuscript, AGNES AND THE END OF THE WORLD, benefitted from a marvelous We Need Diverse Books Mentorship.
Brittany Pressley is an Audiofile Earphones award winning narrator in NYC. She has recorded over 100 titles and has received several nominations for American Library Association's annual list of Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults. She is also an accomplished singer/songwriter and voice actress. Her voice can be heard on national and international TV and radio commercials as well as several animated series and video games. She is a proud graduate of Columbia University.
