'carnation: The Many Lives of Ordell Clayton Hart (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798218609627)

After a spectacular explosion involving an armadillo, some homemade hooch, and very questionable decision-making, Ordell Clayton Hart finds himself at Heaven's gates - only to be told he's not quite ready for admission. Instead, he's given a unique opportunity for redemption: returning to Earth in various animal forms to learn what he's been missing in life.

Clay Hart isn't exactly winning any awards for kindness. As a self-styled "varmint control specialist" with a fondness for homemade moonshine and excessive force, he's drifted far from the compassionate boy he once was. When an explosive mishap with his moonshine literally blows up in his face, Clay finds himself at Heaven's gates - but he's not quite ready for judgment.

Instead, a witty but wise angel named Gabriel offers Clay an unusual second chance: to return to Earth in various animal forms until he can "find what he's lost." What follows is a darkly comedic journey of redemption as Clay experiences life from new perspectives - first as a cockroach, then a duck, a gerbil, a chimpanzee, a police dog, and more. Each transformation brings its own misadventures and hard-learned lessons about empathy, humility, and the intrinsic value of all living things.

Throughout his journey, Clay grapples with his past, particularly his lost childhood friendship with Maddie Warren, whose farewell letter was stolen by an armadillo before Clay could read it. As Clay stumbles through his transformations, he discovers Maddie has returned to town, now a compassionate researcher who embodies everything he's forgotten about love and respect for life.

After sacrificing himself for his nemesis in his final form as a police dog, Clay finally confronts the Creator himself. There, he realizes that his obsession with Maddie's letter was missing the point - it wasn't about the physical letter, but about rediscovering the capacity for love and understanding it represented. Clay awakens in the hospital to find both Maddie and his old friend Pastor Matt by his side, offering him one more chance to truly live and love as he was meant to.

Equal parts spiritual journey and screwball comedy, "'carnation" explores themes of redemption, empathy, and the precious nature of life through a unique lens that blends humor with heart. It's a story that reminds us it's never too late to change, and that sometimes the longest journey is the one from our head to our heart.