In Children of the Promise, his first historical fiction series for adults, Dean shows through the eyes of the Thomas family how LDS families were tested to the limit. "Most people agree it was a fascinating time in world and American history. In fact, there is a charm and nostalgia about that dramatic period," says the author. Dean weaves in those aspects among the conflict in the series. The first volume, Rumors of War opens in 1938 with Elder Alex Thomas and his companion serving in Germany. It soon becomes obvious that he will never complete his mission. War is coming, and that will affect not only Elder Thomas but also his family back home in Salt Lake City.

    She writes about people who live hard lives, who face unseen demons, and who find themselves bound to individuals they do not really understand. In such stories as God on Donahue and Dirge for Rosaidalva Aju, she takes readers on pilgrimages to exotic places through a labyrinth of modern paradoxes.In particular, Young discovers a basic, common faith in God's forgiveness, in religion at its bare-bones essence, coupled with the terror of personal change. She finds, however, that people enjoy simple pleasures and mostly want to be loved and trusted. She writes with an immediacy that will create for many readers a sense of deja vu, as if her voice has become their own.