Have you ever heard the term antihero? Are you familiar with its meaning? Here’s a great definition from the Master Class website: You won’t mistake an antihero for a role model, but antiheroes often feel the same sense of justice a traditional hero might. An antihero is deeply flawed, conflicted character, who often has a cloudy moral compass—but that’s what …
Writing the Bible’s Bad Girls
I’m going to tell you a secret–that probably won’t come as a surprise. I’ve never been drawn to “nice” girls. It was an issue when I chose friends as a kid. I liked my ornery classmates–maybe because I was a little spicy myself. I wasn’t really a “bad girl”–per se. Well, not until later. But Jesus let me crash into …
The Hyksos And Their Toys
Did you realize it was the Hyksos–the foreigners who ruled Egypt from around 1800-1550 B.C.–who brought horses to Egypt? Until I began research on my first biblical novel in 2001, I thought Egypt only had camels. That, too, is false. Egyptians used donkeys because they were more sure-footed on the banks of the Nile and easier to manage. The Bible …
Who Is Potiphar?
Potiphar is kind of a big deal in my writing journey. Did you know he’s the reason I wrote Of Fire and Lions–my book about Daniel? Long-story-short: Because of Isaiah’s prophecy to Hezekiah, Daniel’s ancestor, I thought Nebuchadnezzar’s soldiers (Daniel 1:3-4) made Daniel a eunuch when they took him captive to Babylon: “And some of your descendants, your own flesh and …
3 Secrets to Research Success for Potiphar’s Wife
After people read my books, they often ask, “Where do you get all your research?” I wish there was a single, magic well of information that we could simply plumb for depths of ancient historical knowledge. But there isn’t. 🙁 Research comes in fits and spirts. Long days (and nights) and lots of skimming books and online info. I love …
When Young & Old Characters Marry
All my books have a romance thread. In any great romance, I want to see the heroine and hero marry. For me, it’s Novel Writing 101. Several years ago, I pitched a story to my publisher–before I did a lot of research on character ages–and then found myself in a terrible fix when it came time to write the book. It …





