We shouldn't lose track of the fact that this usage was written by "an amateur/indie writer." Any one can self-publish a book, especially an eBook. Without knowing anything about this author or her/his background, it is hard to say, but perhaps s/he isn't very good with the language. Perhaps s/he was using literary license. Perhaps one of a thousand explanations that only the author can verify, assuming s/he even remembers why that phrase was written. Heck, it could have been the annoying autocorrect feature for all we know!