Today, I’m welcoming sweet friend, Tracy Higley, to the blog. Here’s a little bit about who she is and her latest biblical novel…
Tracy has been an entrepreneur since childhood, and is currently CEO of several ecommerce and logistics companies. She’s also a prolific author, having written over a dozen historical novels and nonfiction books. She’s the founder and CEO of Impactivity, which coaches entrepreneurial women to thrive by integrating business, health, and spirituality. She can be found online at www.tracyhigley.com and www.impactivity.com.
The Wife Who Shall Remain Nameless…
My latest book released about six weeks ago, entitled The Ark Builder’s Wife.
I’m sure you can guess which biblical character is the protagonist, but, quick—what was her name?
If you’ve got nothing, that’s because we don’t know! A few traditions exist, some going back a couple thousand years, traditions that tell us some likely possibilities were Naamah, Emzara, and Barthenos.
The bigger question for me, as a fiction author, was what was this woman thinking and feeling while her crazy husband was constructing a massive boat in the backyard?
But first, her name…
I have to admit, I didn’t love any of those traditional suggestions. And since this is one of those unspecified details, where biblical fiction authors get to “make stuff up,” I decided to go with Zarah, as a variation of the second of those traditional possibilities.
With that decision made, it was time for the much-more-difficult task of taking a tiny section of Genesis with a huge, almost mythic, feeling surrounding it, and turn it into a story that was both faithful to the little we do know, and meaningful in the details we don’t.
Remember the movie Titanic? When it released, I remember asking myself “Why would I want to go see that movie – I already know how it ends!” I felt a bit the same at the start of this project. We already know how it all ends (A flood of biblical proportions! Everyone dies!) So where would be the suspense? Where was my story?
I joked with friends and family as I was writing it that the big “story question” would be whether or not the family pet would be one of the chosen animals to be saved on the ark.
And I struggled to find my way into this nameless woman’s life, into her story.
First, I dumped her into the middle of some serious trouble (of course). Sabotage to the family building project, pagan priests with a demonic agenda, the impending storm that would wipe out everyone outside her little home… She had a lot going on, poor Zarah.
And then, for me, something magical happens. (It always does.) I found my story inside of Zarah herself, as she came to life for me on the page.
In the midst of dealing with all the terrible things I was throwing at her, Zarah became much like any of us…running ahead of God to “fix” things that need fixing. Our efforts may be prompted by love for those in trouble or need, or perhaps feelings of guilt over our own broken pasts, or even responsibility for having caused the problem. Even a strong desire for justice, to help those who are hurting. But moving ahead without God’s leading inevitably brings heartache, disappointment, regret, even danger or disaster.
Sometimes the lessons can be tough… learning that we must be obedient and willing to follow if we expect God to show us the way.
I loved creating this front-row seat to both the amazing faithfulness of God, and the incredible evil of man, arrogantly and mockingly shaking his fist at heaven.
This book is part of a new Guideposts series called “Ordinary Women of the Bible.” Zarah (or whatever her name was!) was no doubt an ordinary woman like us. But God used her in an extraordinary way. And He never changes, so we know that He can do the same with any of us today, thousands of years later.
So, Noah’s wife is the woman who shall remain nameless, in the biblical record at least. But I’ve imagined a big adventure for her in The Ark Builder’s Wife. And she’ll never again be nameless to me!
[The Ark Builder’s Wife is available at the Guideposts site here, or on Tracy’s website here.]
