“Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.” Genesis 39:1
More Than Joseph’s Story
If you’ve read any of my other books, I hope you could tell I LOVE to research. The same was true with this story–perhaps even more since it involved Joseph, one of the most beloved heroes of the Bible.
But to write a compelling biblical novel in the 21st-century Western Culture, an author must create a fascinating FEMALE main character. How could I make the lecherous wife of Pharaoh’s captain someone my readers would want to spend four hundred pages with?
Creating the Story World
Though Potiphar’s wife is mentioned in Scripture, she’s never given a name. Both the Quran and Jewish literature call her Zuleika, so I adopted her historical name and nicknamed her Zully in the book. (I often nickname characters to make unfamiliar names easier on my readers). No matter what her name was, I quickly realized how difficult it would be to make her likable enough for readers to spend 400 pages with this woman!
“Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, ‘Come to bed with me!’” Genesis 39:6–7
History suggests Zuleika may have been from Cush; however, I found other evidence that could have pointed to a very different heritage. I’ll tell you more about her fictional Minoan ancestry closer to release and the research that was especially fascinating!
Digging Into the Biblical World
I’ve mentioned that I’ll be writing the serial fiction, Daughters of Terah, for my Patreon FictionFix subscribers. There’s good reason! While researching Joseph’s family, I did a little extra digging in the early generations–even before Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I found some very interesting details about Abraham’s father, Terah, and Abraham’s brothers–and their wives/daughters.
“Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot . . . Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milkah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milkah and Iskah.” Genesis 11:27, 29
Every name in every genealogy is there for a reason. All the parents impact their children, and family lines pass down the bad with the good. Decisions Abraham made affected Isaac, which affected Jacob’s life, and Jacob’s choices most certainly impacted his favorite son, Joseph.
“Now [Jacob/Israel] loved Joseph more than any of his other sons . . . Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more . . . So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.” Genesis 37:3, 5, 28
And you’ll discover how Joseph’s decisions–once in Egypt–might have affected the life of Zully, a fictionalized historical character, who I believe will be a main character worth rooting for when you turn that last page.
Here Come Zully and Joseph!
In the weeks and months leading up to the May 24, 2022 release of Potiphar’s Wife, I’ll share lots of fun and fascinating facts and behind-the-scenes information about this one-of-a-kind book.
It was a grueling process–but the product is something I can honestly say was guided by the Lord’s hand. I can’t wait for you to read this story that came alive in my heart with the lessons I learned.
Joseph is real; a man we’ll meet someday in heaven. Potiphar’s wife was also a real woman. She lived. Breathed. Lusted after a godly man. Can the fictional character, Zully, be redeemed? Or will she be doomed to forever long for a love she can’t have?
Stay tuned and keep checking your inbox for newsletter updates on the May release!
