Beyond the Mirage is a little bit contemporary, a little bit magical, a little bit Christian—and a lot of everything-goes-wrong drama. Check it out and read the description on Amazon here.

2025 apprenticeship graduate Vella Karman released her first novel today, and I think she’s achieved something with this book that’s incredibly difficult.

Without the reader ever really noticing, Vella has opened a conversation about who God is and how we trust Him in a complicated world. If you didn’t think we can tell people about God without a hokey come-to-Jesus moment, I think Vella is here to prove you wrong.

I think as you read this book you’ll laugh, you might cry a little, but you’re also going to be left thinking about some big questions as you lay down to sleep tonight. And that’s the power of great fiction.

Vella wrote Beyond the Mirage as an apprentice here at The Company. I coached her as she developed the concept and walked with her through the writing and revision process. Now nine months after her graduation, it’s available from all major retailers worldwide.

While this is her first published novel, you may have seen Vella’s name in print before. She developed the Fantastical Summer anthology as her master project for her apprenticeship. That book brought together fifteen short stories from different authors. It also taught her a lot about how to produce and release a book well.

Beyond the Mirage is her first full-length solo novel project to be published.

One of the benefits of being in a vibrant writing community like this one is that we can support each other in these big moments. I’ve watched Vella go to bat for the book releases of many others, and now it’s her turn.

Will you support this young author’s journey by picking up a copy right now? You can grab it on Amazon (click), or look/ask for it from your favorite bookshop.

When you’re done reading, please leave an honest review on Amazon or Goodreads. Reviews are critical to help new readers connect with books they’ll love.

Originally from Arkansas, Vella moved to Cambridge, Ohio for The Company’s apprenticeship in 2023. Even though she lives in Ohio now, she still draws on her southern roots to write clean Christian stories splashed with emotion.

When she isn’t crafting stories, you can find her helping people fill their lives with LIGHT on her website and cultivating community on Instagram. Go find out what else she’s up to at vellakarman.com.

This is a young author to watch. Go give her a follow so that you don’t miss anything.

Congratulations, Vella. Beyond the Mirage is a wonderful debut novel, and I can’t wait to see how God will use it to open doors for important conversations among His children.