A family monarch pin inspires Book 5 in Lisa Loucks-Christenson’s The Flutterfields saga
ROCHESTER, Minn. — October 19, 2026 — Author Lisa Loucks-Christenson has announced The Monarch in the Shadow Box, the fifth book in her The Flutterfields saga. A hand-painted monarch pin in a family shadow box inspired the title and helped bring the new story into focus.
Loucks-Christenson noticed the pin while resting beneath a crocheted blanket made for her by her grandmother Dorothy. When Lisa was twelve, her grandmother asked what colors she wanted. She chose green, yellow, and white.
During a weekend visit with my mom, I once again found myself wrapped in the blanket Grandma had crocheted for me. She died on November 14, 2015, but the blanket she made still brings her close.
The shadow box holds family keepsakes, including flowers from Lisa’s grandparents’ 1939 wedding, and their cake topper. Seeing the monarch pin brought back a lyric from a song Loucks-Christenson wrote for her Broken Sanctuary album: “My monarchs headed north to heaven and reached God’s Gavel.”
The song grew from true experiences her family was living through, including her reflections on the power of judges and their gavels in contrast with the power of God. The discovery connected that earlier work with the story she is writing now.
Book 5 follows The Monarch Murders. Loucks-Christenson says the new book will make room for grief while looking toward a way forward, exploring memory, faith, family, and the search for truth.
This is Book 5 of The Flutterfields. The books so far are:
- Book 1: Trio of Monarchs
- Book 2: Dolly: The Caterpillar I Knew Inside the Butterfly
- Book 3: NINE: My Mistakes, His Grace—How Nine Monarch Caterpillars Taught Me Faith Before Wings
- Book 4: The Monarch Murders
- Book 5: The Monarch in the Shadow Box — currently in progress
She also remembers a Native American police officer who once visited her bookstore and told her, “Your story isn’t over yet—” His words continue to encourage her when she encounters difficulties in her writing and in life.
Loucks-Christenson is currently writing The Monarch in the Shadow Box. She sees The Flutterfields as a saga: a story that is still unfolding.
About Lisa Loucks-Christenson
Lisa Loucks-Christenson is the author of The Flutterfields series and the creator of the Broken Sanctuary album.
Media contact:
Lisa Loucks-Christenson
Lisa@LisaLC.com
800-928-2372
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