My next two books take place in the first century AD. I’m sure you know Rome ruled the world then. The Roman Empire is almost a character itself in these books, so I thought I’d share a little bit about it today. Here is the 5-minute recap of 2200 years. Long before the Empire, there existed the Roman Kingdom, starting …
Planting Faith with Paul
I’ve been working on my next historical novel, which should release next November. It’s the first in a series I’m calling “Planting Faith.” These books will follow Paul on his second missionary journey through Macedonia and Achaia, now modern Greece. As with Moses and Joshua, Paul will be a secondary character. This first book I’m calling Sold Into Freedom. Set in …
Be Afraid, Be very … No, Don’t. Really.
For Christmas, John gave me this coffee mug. It’s a fair warning. In the last month, I’ve googled daggers vs swords, and how to sharpen a sword blade. Poisoning. Torture. How bruises change color over the days. Alternative medical treatments for deep lacerations. Here are a few of my actual search requests: rome ancient arrest interrogation crime colony duumvir ancient rome imperium death …
8 Ways to Pray for Orphans
At lunch yesterday we joked about the silly questions my kids are sometimes asked about being adopted. “Is he your adopted brother?” Dara: “He’s my brother.” “Do you speak Kazakh?” My favorite was, “Are you gonna tell them?” Well, the girls are Central Asian, so… But in the midst of Christmas tree lights, brightly wrapped presents, and dinners with way too …
A Refuge and a Shelter
Much of the action in Prize of War takes place in Acsah’s house. Acsah and Othni live in a typical Israelite home, also known as a four-room house. These mud-and-brick houses are characteristic of the Iron Age of the Eastern Mediterranean. The inhabitants lived on the second floor, and the ground floor—divided into four sections by pillars, half-walls, and walls—was used as a stable and for …
Of Mice and Sand
The Negev is a desert covering over half of Israel’s total land area. Rocky mountain ranges are broken by wadis (dry riverbeds that fill after a rain), and three enormous, craterlike makhteshim (box canyons). It is an inverted triangle bordered on the west by the desert of the Sinai Peninsula, and on the east by the Arabah valley. The word negev comes from the Hebrew root denoting “dry.” In the …
If the Foundations Be Destroyed
Prize of War takes place mainly in Debir, which before Othniel’s conquest had been called Kiriath-Sepher. There are a few cities that Joshua conquered but were re-inhabited a little later, and then had to be re-conquered by the various tribes. Debir was one of those. Where exactly that is in Israel now is a matter of some debate. I have …
Prize of War Sweepstakes
There are only FIVE more days until Prize of War releases, and I’m having a party to celebrate! I’ll be giving away a lot of party favors—several copies of all my books, including Prize of War, and a few sets of bracelets like the ones Acsah is wearing on the cover. Maybe some chocolate cake. There will also be visits by guest authors who …
When is a Judge Not a Judge?
Othniel, our hero in Prize of War, is the first shophet named in the Book of Judges, the seventh book of the Bible. The Hebrew word we translate as “judge” is shophet. A shophet is so much more than a judge. Moses was the first shophet. You’ll recall people came to him to settle all kinds of disputes—so much so …
Real-Life Fairy Tales
Othniel … “Lion of God.” The man who conquered a city to win his bride. The stuff fairy tales are made of. We don’t know that they lived happily ever after, but we do know a bit more about Othniel than Acsah. He was Caleb’s nephew, the son of his brother Kenaz. He had a brother named Seraiah. He conquered …