Second Rising has a contemporary setting and strong environmental themes, along with a mystery and a love story. It takes place in the imaginary town of Quicksilver, in the Pacific Northwest's North Cascades. The narrator, Lauren, is a young chef who has bought a café where she hopes to burnish her reputation and move on. But a struggle is building between the townspeople and a billionaire whose secret project threatens their farmlands and way of life. Forced toward a deeper question—How shall we live, if we truly believe the earth is alive?—an eclectic group draws on both ancient traditions and modern cultures to create a new kind of city. With transformations surrounding her, Lauren faces bittersweet choices among friendships, work, and the man and the place she is coming to love.

• Read an interview with Carolyn by Margaret Bikman, Entertainment News NW
• Watch the video that tells the story
• See reviews and more information at the publisher's site, Cairn Shadow Press
• Read an excerpt from Chapter One
• Purchase the novel at independent bookstores, including Village Books, at Barnes & Noble, or online at Amazon, and at many other retailers.

“This impressive novel tells a story being played out today in real time, with the gathering resistance to the careless plunder of the natural world for personal gain. It lights a path for those who understand Mother Earth as a living entity and shows a way forward inspired by ancient traditions, refashioned myths, and new forms of community. The title refers to yeast’s work in forming our daily bread and suggests we can recover and become a new world rising. Definitely, a candidate for any of the ‘Book of the Year’ awards.” —Glen Larum, Waltz Against the Sky, Kirkus Best Indie Debut Novel 2019

“Dale creates a living community in a deeply known and beautifully described place. Its challenges, and its magic, are ours to share. Second Rising is an exploration of intimacy—intimacy with the landscape, with food and friends who sustain us, and with a small town that threads a path through the pressures and persuasions of economic power.” —Lane Morgan, Winter Harvest Cookbook; Northwest Experience

“Reading this story feels like coming home to the Pacific Northwest as it could be, as Lauren and her neighbors move toward a conscious, balanced community.” —Anna Eblen, Fevers of Unknown Origin; Women Who Speak for Peace

"Second Rising beguiles the reader with an intricate, fast-paced plot and eccentric and endearing characters while illuminating the possibilities of living in harmony with nature and each other." - Rosalind Spitzer, Anna's Home