Silver altar piece from the Gate of Dawn Church in Vilnius, Lithuania.
What if Heaven is everything they say it is? What if it’s this wonderful place where you can have everything you ever wanted and be happy forever? And nobody told us?” — Char Fisher, In the Palace of the Great King: a Catholic novel
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Welcome!
Welcome to the website for Julie Ash, author of In the Palace of the Great King: a Catholic Novel, a full-length (354 page) contemporary book for teen girls and young adults. Available in both ebook and hardcover from Barnes & Noble and Amazon. Also available for Apple Nook, Kobo, Scribd, and many others (everything except Kindle): books2read.com/u/m2lKKR Click here to view the first five chapters of the Kindle version! What's this all about? Travel back in time to the twentieth century. It's the year 1999--before Instagram, before iPhones, even before Facebook! What happens when Char and Kayla, two spoiled "upper class" girls from Montana, get lost in a thunderstorm chasing a celebrity lookalike onto a city bus in downtown Cleveland? Together with Tia Esperanza, a smart but lonely 17-year-old from San Antonio, they take refuge at Holy Angels Monastery and discover bold new paths to faith, family, and friendship in this full-length novel from debut author Julie Ash. |
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Praise for In the Palace of the Great King:
- “Julie Ash crafts an iconic tale of demons, angels, beliefs, and the reality of what it means to give one's life to God.” D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review (read full review below!)
- "In the Palace of the Great King is an engaging, prayer-provoking, and truly beautiful read for the young Church. I thoroughly enjoyed every word of it." Catholic Teen Life (read full review here:) catholicteenlife.wixsite.com
- "I was astounded by how well-written and enthralling this book was, and it is now one of my favorites."
Grace Donahue, A Catholic Girl Reads (read full review below!) - "I was thoroughly engrossed in this magnificent piece of artful writing. Julie Ash has written it so beautifully, capturing memories of my Mexican-American heritage. The love, hate, and devotion to the Catholic faith is heartfelt. I loved every word that Julie Ash wrote in her book."
Robbie Madrid-Hansell
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Welcome to In the Palace of the Great King! I hope you will browse my website and meet some of the characters.
Traveling with their parents to Cleveland for a family vacation, Char and Kayla meet 17-year-old Antonia "Tia" Esperanza and her little brother, Troy, who have just moved to Cleveland from San Antonio and are adjusting to life in a strange city. Tia works hard to juggle school and take care of Troy while their mother, Gloria, works nights to provide for her family. One day Tia has a bad feeling—Troy is in trouble and needs her help! She rushes off in search of him just as a fierce thunderstorm threatens to wreak havoc across the city. Meanwhile, Char and Kayla find themselves riding a bus in the inner city with no idea how to get back to their hotel. What happens next is a strange mix of danger and excitement as they make a wonderful discovery that will change all of their lives forever. It all starts with a couple of cute cats: Wookie, a black-and-white tuxedo cat, and Aslan, an orange tabby. |
Wookie is ready to pounce! Aslan just wants to sleep. (But he did pose nicely for me here.)
Kayla and Char Fisher are two teenaged sisters from Great Falls, Montana. Kayla is happy, beautiful, and popular, but Char struggles with her own self-image and can never seem to win their mother's approval. Not surprisingly, they don't always get along very well.
Giant Springs State Park,
Great Falls, MT
Char and Kayla live in Great Falls, a small city on the mighty Missouri River in the southeast corner of the northwest quarter of the very BIG state of Montana.
Some famous Great Falls places are the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center, the Charlie Russell Museum, and Giant Springs State Park, where you can see the Roe River. The Roe River was once listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the shortest river in the entire world!
Char and Kayla are sisters, but they are very different. Char loves to draw, while Kayla likes to socialize with her friends. Char is very self-conscious, but Kayla is very outgoing and popular. Sometimes Char is jealous of her sister.
Some famous Great Falls places are the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center, the Charlie Russell Museum, and Giant Springs State Park, where you can see the Roe River. The Roe River was once listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the shortest river in the entire world!
Char and Kayla are sisters, but they are very different. Char loves to draw, while Kayla likes to socialize with her friends. Char is very self-conscious, but Kayla is very outgoing and popular. Sometimes Char is jealous of her sister.
Great Falls, Montana © Visit Great Falls on Liveability.com
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Milwaukee Station on the Burlington Northern Railroad, Great Falls, Montana © Julie Ash
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Char likes to draw buildings. She soon discovers there are plenty of beautiful buildings and tall skyscrapers in downtown Cleveland. When the Fishers begin exploring, they have coffee in the Atrium of the BP Building (now known as the Huntington Building). Afterwards, they visit the Great Lakes Science Center and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on the shores of Lake Erie. They also visit the KeyBank Building, the tallest skyscraper between New York and Chicago! Later, they go shopping in Tower City, a huge shopping mall underneath the Terminal Tower.
Char and Kayla decide to do some shopping on their own in Tower City. Afterwards, they take what turns out to be a very eventful bus ride!
Tia Esperanza is an intelligent, thoughtful 17-year-old. Born in San Antonio, Texas, she and her younger brother, Troy, have just moved to Cleveland with their mother, Gloria. Adjusting to life in a new city is a challenge because it's so different from the one they have known all their lives. Tia proudly identifies with her Hispanic culture on her mother's side of the family while learning about her father's African American roots in Cleveland.
FIESTA!!!
Over Gloria's objections, Tia's grandmother, Abuelita Isabel, takes Tia to church so she can attend Mass and learn about her Catholic faith.
Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe above the Tabernacle
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Easter Vigil Mass
Tia and her beloved Abuelita Isabel
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Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church
View of downtown, Point State Park, and the Duquesne Tram, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Photo by Yuhan Du on Unsplash
After graduating, Char is accepted at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. Point State Park, center left, is where Char goes for a walk on Thanksgiving Day at the confluence of the Allegheny, Ohio, and Monongahela Rivers. The Duquesne Tram is at lower right.
Tia's little brother, Troy, is always in trouble at school. Gloria isn't sure what to do with him. Troy just wants to run and play and have fun being a little boy!
One day, as Troy is walking home from school, he hears a frightened "meow!"
Can you guess what happens next?
One day, as Troy is walking home from school, he hears a frightened "meow!"
Can you guess what happens next?
So... You might be asking yourself, what does any of this have to do with a palace? And who is the King in the story?
Well, like all good stories, some things are best left to be discovered by the reader! I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise!
"Molli the Kitten Meowing"
by Clare Turlay Newberry
(1903-1970)
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Artwork by Clare Turlay Newberry
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Artist and children's book author Clare Turlay Newberry was born in Eugene, Oregon in 1903. Amazingly, she began to draw before the age of two. By the time she was six, she knew she wanted to become an illustrator. Ms. Newberry is well known for her winsome and evocative artwork depicting adorably realistic cats and kittens. Four of Newberry's books, Marshmallow, April's Kittens, Barkis, and T-Bone the Babysitter, received the Caldecott prize. Many of her books are available on Amazon, including the fabulous Mittens and Ms. Newberry's first book, Herbert the Lion.
Tia, Troy, Char, and Kayla keep their guardian angels pretty busy saving them from major disasters!
Have you thanked your guardian angel today? Remember, he is always by your side.
Have you thanked your guardian angel today? Remember, he is always by your side.
Photo by Chuck LaChiusa
Advance praise for In the Palace of the Great King from Diane Donovan at Midwest Book Review:
"In the Palace of the Great King is subtitled "a Catholic novel." What does this mean? It means that Julie Ash has embedded within her story a sense of religion and culture that sets it into the category of astute religious reading as it explores prayers, parishioners, priests, and the meanings and contradictions of Catholic influence on ordinary peoples' lives.
"Ash provides thoughtful inspections of these lives as she introduces devout characters who reflect the rituals and beliefs of the modern Catholic Church while considering its impact and influence:
"Priests and bishops never talk about Hell anymore, she reflected. It didn’t seem to fit with the modern idea of a loving, forgiving God. But many of the saints had had powerful, life-changing visions of Hell and Purgatory. Mother Bonaventure hadn’t heard of any modern saints reporting visions of Jesus saying, “No, my child, you don’t understand. When I said to fear the one who could send body and soul to Hell, I was only speaking metaphorically.” Until then, she intended to go right on praying for God’s mercy on the dying and the salvation—the saving—of souls. No need for a Savior if there is nothing to be saved from, she thought."
"From dwindling numbers of young people choosing to enter the priesthood to radical assaults upon the Church in the 1960s and 70s, Mother Bonaventure faces vocation problems and challenges, changes after forty years of devotion and a sense of place and purpose, and interacts with contemporary families who hold different ideas of Catholicism's relevance in their lives.
"These issues are brought to the forefront by Char and Tia, the main characters, who come to the monastery from very different backgrounds and experience, defying cultural norms and familial expectations. Each girl struggles with issues of identity and belonging—Tia is biracial and growing up in a single-parent home with a special needs brother, while Char experiences social awkwardness and isolation despite having privileged parents.
"Catholic readers, in particular, will consider Julie Ash's novel to be thought-provoking as it presents the Catholic Church's milieu with a contemporary twist that embraces adult and childrens' perceptions alike. One example is how Char's friend Celia maintains that the movie E.T. is actually an allegory for the story of Jesus.
"As readers absorb the characters and lives presented in In the Palace of the Great King, they receive lessons in how Christian and Catholic beliefs are embedded in and reflect all kinds of lives, at all levels of society. Daily life challenges experienced by the girls and their families reflect the presence and evolution of spirituality and belief in everyday circumstances and experiences.
"From descriptions of parishes and threats to their existence to metaphysical spiritual beings and dimensions of influence that emerge, Julie Ash crafts an iconic tale of demons, angels, beliefs, and the reality of what it means to give one's life to God. This will delight Christian readers in general and Catholic audiences in particular.
"The blend of contemporary perspectives and dilemmas and struggles between good and evil forces within church, self, and spiritual realms is nicely done, contrasting monastery life with everyday experiences and perceptions in a satisfyingly religious inspection."
"In the Palace of the Great King is subtitled "a Catholic novel." What does this mean? It means that Julie Ash has embedded within her story a sense of religion and culture that sets it into the category of astute religious reading as it explores prayers, parishioners, priests, and the meanings and contradictions of Catholic influence on ordinary peoples' lives.
"Ash provides thoughtful inspections of these lives as she introduces devout characters who reflect the rituals and beliefs of the modern Catholic Church while considering its impact and influence:
"Priests and bishops never talk about Hell anymore, she reflected. It didn’t seem to fit with the modern idea of a loving, forgiving God. But many of the saints had had powerful, life-changing visions of Hell and Purgatory. Mother Bonaventure hadn’t heard of any modern saints reporting visions of Jesus saying, “No, my child, you don’t understand. When I said to fear the one who could send body and soul to Hell, I was only speaking metaphorically.” Until then, she intended to go right on praying for God’s mercy on the dying and the salvation—the saving—of souls. No need for a Savior if there is nothing to be saved from, she thought."
"From dwindling numbers of young people choosing to enter the priesthood to radical assaults upon the Church in the 1960s and 70s, Mother Bonaventure faces vocation problems and challenges, changes after forty years of devotion and a sense of place and purpose, and interacts with contemporary families who hold different ideas of Catholicism's relevance in their lives.
"These issues are brought to the forefront by Char and Tia, the main characters, who come to the monastery from very different backgrounds and experience, defying cultural norms and familial expectations. Each girl struggles with issues of identity and belonging—Tia is biracial and growing up in a single-parent home with a special needs brother, while Char experiences social awkwardness and isolation despite having privileged parents.
"Catholic readers, in particular, will consider Julie Ash's novel to be thought-provoking as it presents the Catholic Church's milieu with a contemporary twist that embraces adult and childrens' perceptions alike. One example is how Char's friend Celia maintains that the movie E.T. is actually an allegory for the story of Jesus.
"As readers absorb the characters and lives presented in In the Palace of the Great King, they receive lessons in how Christian and Catholic beliefs are embedded in and reflect all kinds of lives, at all levels of society. Daily life challenges experienced by the girls and their families reflect the presence and evolution of spirituality and belief in everyday circumstances and experiences.
"From descriptions of parishes and threats to their existence to metaphysical spiritual beings and dimensions of influence that emerge, Julie Ash crafts an iconic tale of demons, angels, beliefs, and the reality of what it means to give one's life to God. This will delight Christian readers in general and Catholic audiences in particular.
"The blend of contemporary perspectives and dilemmas and struggles between good and evil forces within church, self, and spiritual realms is nicely done, contrasting monastery life with everyday experiences and perceptions in a satisfyingly religious inspection."
From Grace Donahue, Book Reviewer at A Catholic Girl Reads:
"Char Fisher is just about done with her annoyingly beautiful and popular little sister, Kayla, that everyone likes better, even her mother. All of the boys seem to follow Kayla around, and every time the phone rings, it's never for Char but Kayla. Char and Kayla couldn't be any farther apart when they take a family trip to Cleveland that changes everything they thought they knew about their mother, each other, and themselves. Seventeen-year-old Tia Esperanza was happy with her life in Texas even though it wasn't perfect. Sure Tia didn't have a dad, but she had an amazing grandmother and a lovely church that she went to, but then Tia's Grandma died, and she was forced to move to Cleveland with her mother and special needs little brother. Tia spends her days going to school, going to work, and taking care of her brother while their mother works at night and sleeps during the day. When Char and Kayla get lost in the middle of a storm in Cleveland, they meet Tia, and together they find shelter at a monastery. The moment they walked into the majestic doors of the holy place of worship was the moment their lives changed forever in a way they never thought possible.
"Thank you so much, Julie Ash, for sending me a complimentary copy of In the Palace of the Great King! I was happy to read and receive this book. My review is entirely my own. I was astounded by how well-written and enthralling this book was, and it is now one of my favorites. There is so much to discuss with this book, but I will start with the faith and Catholicism. By reading In the Palace of the Great King, I was a bit surprised to find out that the need for new sisters and priests is tremendous and that many of them left after Vatican 2. This leads me to the next thing I loved about this book, the fact that it talked about Vatican 2 at all and acknowledged that there had been a significant change in the church since then. I am a TLM goer (Traditional Latin Mass), so I also liked it when they talked about the Latin Mass. In the book, the person who was speaking changed a bit from, for example, the sister at the Monastery to Tia to the pro-life protester, so we could know what they were thinking. I like this writing style because it lets the reader understand what many characters are feeling.
"Now to the characters! I feel like Julie Ash perfectly set up the characters to act and feel like their age and their situation in life. If I were Char or Tia, I would be thinking the same things that they were at the time of the book, and I am proud of them for making the right choices in some challenging situations. My favorite character is Mother Mary Bonaventure, a side character who lives at the Monastery. I loved and admired her faith and strength in God and immediately wanted to be more like her. In the Palace of the Great King talks about a few complex subjects that I think were well handled! There is some talk about following what God calls you to do no matter what other people say and some stuff on pro-life and abortion. The only thing that I think could have been better is the topic of being physically intimate with a person before marriage. Both Tia's mother and another main character in the book had a baby before marriage, and why that is wrong was not talked about at all in the book, and I think it should have. When I reached the last chapter of the book, I was surprised and interested in what happened, but I don't want to say anymore and ruin the fantastic story for you (but I think you will all like it)! In the Palace of the Great King was a remarkable Catholic novel for older teens that is a must-read and is now one of my favorite books!" - Grace Donahue, A Catholic Girl Reads
"Char Fisher is just about done with her annoyingly beautiful and popular little sister, Kayla, that everyone likes better, even her mother. All of the boys seem to follow Kayla around, and every time the phone rings, it's never for Char but Kayla. Char and Kayla couldn't be any farther apart when they take a family trip to Cleveland that changes everything they thought they knew about their mother, each other, and themselves. Seventeen-year-old Tia Esperanza was happy with her life in Texas even though it wasn't perfect. Sure Tia didn't have a dad, but she had an amazing grandmother and a lovely church that she went to, but then Tia's Grandma died, and she was forced to move to Cleveland with her mother and special needs little brother. Tia spends her days going to school, going to work, and taking care of her brother while their mother works at night and sleeps during the day. When Char and Kayla get lost in the middle of a storm in Cleveland, they meet Tia, and together they find shelter at a monastery. The moment they walked into the majestic doors of the holy place of worship was the moment their lives changed forever in a way they never thought possible.
"Thank you so much, Julie Ash, for sending me a complimentary copy of In the Palace of the Great King! I was happy to read and receive this book. My review is entirely my own. I was astounded by how well-written and enthralling this book was, and it is now one of my favorites. There is so much to discuss with this book, but I will start with the faith and Catholicism. By reading In the Palace of the Great King, I was a bit surprised to find out that the need for new sisters and priests is tremendous and that many of them left after Vatican 2. This leads me to the next thing I loved about this book, the fact that it talked about Vatican 2 at all and acknowledged that there had been a significant change in the church since then. I am a TLM goer (Traditional Latin Mass), so I also liked it when they talked about the Latin Mass. In the book, the person who was speaking changed a bit from, for example, the sister at the Monastery to Tia to the pro-life protester, so we could know what they were thinking. I like this writing style because it lets the reader understand what many characters are feeling.
"Now to the characters! I feel like Julie Ash perfectly set up the characters to act and feel like their age and their situation in life. If I were Char or Tia, I would be thinking the same things that they were at the time of the book, and I am proud of them for making the right choices in some challenging situations. My favorite character is Mother Mary Bonaventure, a side character who lives at the Monastery. I loved and admired her faith and strength in God and immediately wanted to be more like her. In the Palace of the Great King talks about a few complex subjects that I think were well handled! There is some talk about following what God calls you to do no matter what other people say and some stuff on pro-life and abortion. The only thing that I think could have been better is the topic of being physically intimate with a person before marriage. Both Tia's mother and another main character in the book had a baby before marriage, and why that is wrong was not talked about at all in the book, and I think it should have. When I reached the last chapter of the book, I was surprised and interested in what happened, but I don't want to say anymore and ruin the fantastic story for you (but I think you will all like it)! In the Palace of the Great King was a remarkable Catholic novel for older teens that is a must-read and is now one of my favorite books!" - Grace Donahue, A Catholic Girl Reads
©Julie Ash. All rights reserved. "Gate of Dawn, Vilnius" Photo by Fczarnowski - Own work, CC BY-SA3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14713259. All other photos and artwork unless otherwise credited are in the public domain. In the Palace of the Great King: a Catholic Novel is a work of fiction. Any similarity with persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
