Chaos at the No Name Convent: A Novel

by Carol Costello

Sister Catherine, prioress at the underground No Name Convent, has a secret. She might waft through the halls in the same aubergine robe as the other self-styled “nuns”—a mélange of quirky contemplative women seeking to pursue God away from the world—but she is no longer the serene, enlightened leader she once was. She has lost her connection to the Divine. As she tries to regain her spiritual footing, Catherine clandestinely churns out bodice-ripper novels under the name of Lacy Dominion to keep the “convent” afloat financially.

Sister Mary Margaret, 90 and formerly a real nun, is fast becoming a media darling with her Facebook posts of beatific selfies and wild, enigmatic “visions” that sound a lot like the Second Coming, starring herself. Catherine leaps to defend the convent’s peace and privacy, but Silicon Valley refugee Sister Teresa sees her chance to wrest control from Catherine, make the convent a popular stop on the California Consciousness Circuit, and become a minor guru. Also in the mix are pickleball-addicted Sister Julian; Sister Heather, the former head witch at Moonpath Wymen’s Retreat; and Hindu Sister Gemma, who replicates a Himalayan cave in her cell.

Can Catherine keep control of the convent? Should she? Amid the chaos, she finds what is really important in life.

206 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 4, 2023