The book begins with a girl on her swing and ends with her jumping off of it and flying up above.
FARNHAMVILLE, Iowa — The tragic tale of a murdered Farnhamville girl is the inspiration behind a new children’s book by a first-time author from Eagle Grove.
In September of 2024, 17-year-old Michele “Luna” Jackson was brutally stabbed in the Farnhamville City Park. Nathaniel Bevers-McGiveney was found guilty of first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse in connection with her death on July 9, 2025.
Heather Mack’s book, titled“Swing, Luna, Swing,” has only been on Amazon for about a week now, but she has already sold 120 copies.
Mack received the Jackson family’s blessing to publish the book, and all proceeds are going back to the family.
“Swinging just brought her so much joy,” Mack said. “She had a specific swing that she would sit on every night.”
“Swing, Luna, Swing” begins at night in a park, the same setting where Jackson’s life ended.
“It was heartbreaking to see what was happening in the community,” Mack said. “What can you do in that situation? There’s nothing that you can do to make it better.”
The book first began as a poem, a way for Mack to process what happened.
“I wrote it all in one sitting, and it was like, this is just what I needed to write,” Mack said.
Jackson never met Mack, but the teen spent countless hours with Mack’s mother, the director of the Farnhamville Public Library.
“For me, writing the book and publishing the book was really meaningful because of how much she loved the library and loved reading,” Mack said.
The book concludes with Jackson jumping off her swing and flying high above the stars and the clouds. It encourages the reader to look up to the skies for Jackson’s presence, if they ever hear a swing creaking and no one’s around.
Several nearby libraries, including Farnhamville, Harcourt, Eagle Grove, Lohrville and Gowrie, will have copies of “Swing, Luna, Swing” available for checkout.