Beneath the towns of central Alabama, the ground remembers.
Old coal seams stretch from Lovick through Leeds, Markeeta, Acmar, and Margaret—carrying more than water and stone. They carry the weight of everything that’s been taken, built, and forgotten.
When subtle shifts begin to ripple along that hidden line, Makaley Broward and her friends find themselves drawn into work they barely understand. What starts as quiet observation quickly becomes something more: decisions that must be made without certainty, risks that can’t be undone, and a growing realization that not every problem can be fixed—only guided.
With the help of a steady but watchful police chief and the quiet wisdom of those who came before, the apprentices learn that the land doesn’t need saving.
It needs listening.
As curiosity leads others into places long left alone—and danger begins to follow—Makaley must step into a role she never asked for, carrying a responsibility that offers no recognition and no clear answers.
Only consequences.
Set against the rivers, rail lines, and forgotten works of the South, The Apprentices: Fault Lines is a coming-of-age story shaped by place, memory, and the unseen balance between what lies above and what runs below.
Because some lines aren’t meant to be crossed.
They’re meant to be understood.
Available now in paperback and for Kindle
