Q & A With a Google Curl

Bronze hair curling tongs and trimmer, Egypt, 1575-1194 BCE Credit: Science Museum Group Collection.

When Isaiah’s Legacy released, on February 18, 2020, several of my BFF team got together to do a blog tour. Some asked me to write about research topics, while others asked for Q & A formats.

Since we had pretty low activity, I’ve shared the posts from that tour on my own blog over the past seven months. I hope you’ve enjoyed them!

The final post I’d like to share with ONLY my newsletter folks turned out to be a little prophetic. Andi Tubbs, a BFF member who’s been with me from the very first book (Love Amid the Ashes), wanted to do a Q & A post on her blog. I love that her questions were leading me to Egypt–before either of us knew for sure that my next books would tell Joseph’s story! Here’s how Andi’s post went…

Q: What is the craziest thing you’ve Googled for a book?

A: Isaiah’s Legacy had some dark arts and astral magic, so I was careful not to Google too deeply into those areas, but the surface research on that was crazy enough! I double-dog dare you to do a Google Images search on “Mandrake Root.” It’s pretty amazing!

I also Google things like, “what sound does a hoopoe bird make?” And “what is Iraq’s crop calendar (ancient Ecbatana)?” And you don’t even want to know all Google has to tell you about eunuchs. So, so TMI (Too Much Information)! Perhaps my favorite research is on hair products. Curling irons go waaaaay back. The one in the picture above was found in ancient Egypt about a century after Joseph lived there!

Q: How do you decide what Bible story or character to write about? Is it a leading from God?

A: I believe God absolutely leads in the decision about what I’ll write. But it’s not just me making that decision since I’ve always written for a traditional publisher. Those who self-publish (indie) can choose any character, any length, and any publication date. Because I partnered with Revell for my first four books and WaterBrook Multnomah for the last five, we make those decisions together.

I usually propose to my editor two or three stories I’m excited about. She becomes my champion, sharing my excitement with various committees until we get a consensus on which story (or stories) they want to contract. We then fit together their production schedule with my life schedule, and wah-lah! New releases are born!

I’ve recently signed a new two-book contract with WaterBrook Multnomah for (titles still unknown) Potiphar’s Wife and Asenath.

Q: What Bible story or character would you like to write about but haven’t yet?

A: (Remember, I answered this in January 2020) I’m hoping to write about Joseph. Of course, I always write about the lesser-known women associated with these famous men, so which women I’ll write about still remains to be seen. We’re in that process of decision-making right now, so your prayers would be much appreciated!

As of now (10/19/20), we know the women I’ll write about are Potiphar’s Wife and Asenath (Joseph’s Wife). As y’all know from last month’s newsletter, I went on my Ft Myers writing retreat without knowing anything about the Pharaoh Joseph served or who Potiphar’s wife was. I came back with an UH-mazing story of the Hyksos Pharaoh Khyan and Potiphar’s wife, Zuleika. I can’t wait for you to meet them!

Q: How do you relax during the process of writing a book? That is if you get the opportunity.

A: I haven’t done a very good job of relaxing in the past, and it caused some serious issues—both with my health and in some important relationships. I’m working really hard to change that. Because of my chronic health issues, relaxing for me means . . . really resting.

Roy and I often watch a movie or take the grandkids for a special outing at the park or out to eat. Reading isn’t super relaxing—since I tend to read like an editor or reviewer instead of just a reader. Ugh. Going out to a movie is a real treat for me since I spend so much time at home in front of my laptop, and trying new restaurants is also at the top of our list. Honestly, I enjoy just about anything that involves time with family or my precious church friends.

Final Comments

I hope you’ve enjoyed this series of blog posts from the Isaiah’s Legacy research and writing. In November and December you’ll hear from three of my dear writing friends:

1. Brennan McPherson, an indie author who’s written several Genesis-era novels and wrote the first book (Hunter in the Valley of Death) in the Psalm series for which I wrote By the Waters of Babylon;
2. Tessa Afshar, who likely needs no introduction, but her Christmas post gives a little insight into her personal testimony that you won’t want to miss in my 12/14 blog post
3. Connilyn Cossette, who you also probably know, and you’ll want to hear about her favorite Christmas memory in my 12/21/20 newsletter!

Tweet-Able:

• One of @MesuAndrews fav things to research is ancient hair products. Silly maybe, but fun fact: curling irons go waaaay back! Check out how she chooses book topics and what she’s writing next! Use this link to subscribe to her newsletter now! http://bit.ly/signupMesunews