Many of you already know that my writing career didn’t begin with fiction. I started writing Bible studies and devotionals, but–like many other non-fiction hopefuls–no traditional publisher would contract them. Why? Because I didn’t have what the industry calls a “platform.” I wasn’t a recognized expert who could sell lots of “expert-opinion” books. I really only wanted to sell one book–a Bible study on Song of Songs. The Bible study was based on an allegory (story) that I believe the LORD showed me in the poetic masterpiece of Solomon’s Song of Songs. No one wanted a Bible study based on fiction. So why not teach biblical truth through a full-length novel?
Didn’t Jesus do that with His parables?
I started digging into stacks and stacks of research books at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) in the early 2000’s. To write fiction about God’s Truth, I needed to understand what scholars taught about the Bible. To write believable fiction, I needed solid, historical facts about biblical culture, archaeology, and rabbinic tradition. While my husband pursued his PhD in education, I visited the TEDS library.
My husband’s gift of access to the library became a second gift from the One who had proven His love through Solomon’s best Song. Through the years, the LORD had opened doors to other university and scholar-level libraries (check for “community access” to university libraries in your area). On this research journey, I’ve learned from trial and error, patient research librarians, and through hours/days/weeks/years of God-driven fascination.
How Did Treasures of His Love Get Published?
In 2008, I attended my first fiction intensive course at Mt. Hermon Writer’s Conference. Gayle Roper was my teacher and will forever be revered as my publishing mama. She saw the ugliest of my first efforts at fiction and lovingly covered that first draft with red ink AND encouragement.
At the same conference, a very brave editor from Revell (A Division of Baker Publishing Group) was looking for biblical fiction. No other trad house was publishing “bibfic” at the time. Guess how many wannabe authors brought a bibfic proposal to that conference. One–me. TRUTH. She looked at her only option and said, “You’ve definitely got some craft issues, but I think you can tell a story.” JESUS alone provided a publishing open door for me. I still couldn’t write a Facebook post without Him!
Gayle helped me clean up some craft issues, and Revell offered me a two-book contract. Why two books? We’ve established it wasn’t my stellar writing. Remember that brave editor? Vicki–who had a PhD in theology (thank You, Jesus!)–said Revell needed to wait to release my Song of Songs novel until 2012. So, they wanted me to write a second novel to release first–in 2011–and they allowed me to choose Job and Dinah as the topic. The rest, as they say, is history. 😉
How Did the Series Get Its Name?
Fact: The Treasures of His Love series wasn’t a series until Christianbook.com put all four books on sale in a bundle! They coined the name, “Treasures of His Love,” and my publisher loved it! You know the first two novels in the series as Love Amid the Ashes (LATA) and Love’s Sacred Song (LSS). The third novel, Love in a Broken Vessel (LBV), came in 2013, and the fourth and final, In the Shadow of Jezebel (ITSOJ), launched in 2014.
Why Is ITSOJ’s Cover So Different?
Fact: I shared in a social media post about our cover process on LATA (see FB post HERE and IG post HERE). After mediocre retailer feedback on the first cover, Revell totally changed the cover to the stunning bi-panel for my award-winning debut novel. However, by the third bi-panel cover in the series, I think the design team got tired of the same ol’ thing.
For a new look on book #4 they chose a beautiful young woman with Yahweh’s Temple as background. Though understated and simple, the ITSOJ cover has a special place in my heart. Why? Because the model’s father emailed me personally to thank me for choosing his daughter for my cover! How fun is that? I explained that I had nothing to do with choosing the model, but he was still very excited. I hope they read the book! 😉
What’s Truth, Fact, & Fiction in LATA?
Truth:
Love Amid the Ashes will always be special as my debut novel but also because it helped me work through the emotions of my own chronic illness journey. As I researched the names of Job’s friends–Eliphaz, Zophar, and Bildad–I found Eliphaz mentioned in Genesis as Esau’s firstborn son. Some scholars believe the ancient variations of Zophar (Zepho – Gen. 36:11, 15) and Job (Jobab – Gen. 36:33-34) also gave biblical proof that they, too, were Esau’s descendants.
These are the names of Esau’s sons: Eliphaz, the son of Esau’s wife Adah, and Reuel, the son of Esau’s wife Basemath. The sons of Eliphaz: Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam and Kenaz…The sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. These were grandsons of Esau’s wife Basemath…When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah succeeded him as king. Genesis 36:10–11, 13; 33 (emphasis added)
Fact:
Since the Book of Job was contemporary with the time of the Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), it was likely written during the same period as the Books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy). Some thought Moses might also have written the book of Job. We can’t consider it biblical Truth but it’s as close to agreeing on historical “fact” as scholars get.
I took many historical insights for the story of LATA out of The Testament of Job (ToJob). The ToJob is a Jewish historical writing thought to have been penned between the 1st-century BC and AD. It’s included in the Pseudepigrapha, which is a compilation of Jewish historical writings. Both texts have been debated for centuries about their authenticity, which is why they’re relegated to history and not included in Scripture.
While doing research on a Book of the Bible dating back to the 19th-20th century BC, it’s very difficult to find definitive facts on record. Most historical data at that time was maintained through the oral tradition, including word-for-word details passed down through song. If you want to know how accurate they might have been, ask your grandmother to sing, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” or “Happy Birthday.” Songs are easily memorized and last for generations!
However, the ToJob was very helpful to find clues to help me understand what Job’s culture, household, and surrounding political environment might have been like. Though I looked only to Job’s Book in the Bible for Truth, I found the one thing I MOST wanted to discover in ToJob. The name of Job’s wife–Sitis! According to history, she was an Ishmaelite and might have been related to Bildad–Job’s third friend.
If you’d like to delve deeper, CLICK HERE to read The Testament of Job for yourself!
Fiction:
The hoopoe bird was, of course, a fictional element added during my final critique session with my two writing partners. They wanted to see a symbol in the story and helped me create deeper meaning with that cute little hoopoe bird. I’m so grateful for their insight.
Nogalah, though completely fictional, became my favorite character. She started as only Dinah’s maid but sort of stole the show with her naivety and simple faith. Aban was similar, beginning as the villain’s henchman but wiggling his way into my heart as the story progressed.
The Truth Through Story:
Before Job’s testing began:
He had seven sons and three daughters, and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. Job 1:2–3 (emphasis added)
After Job was tested and healed, God returned to him in double portion all that had been taken from him:
The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. And he also had seven sons and three daughters. Job 42:12–13 (emphasis added)
The Bible doesn’t tell us if his original wife gave him ten more children. Some scholars believe Job married a second wife. Just as all his livestock was doubled after Job passed the test, so were his children. He only needed ten MORE children since the first ten were awaiting him at Abraham’s side. Wouldn’t the same reasoning make sense for a wife. The first wife likely wouldn’t bear children into old age. Why wouldn’t the LORD bless him with a second wife who gave him those ten additional children that Job enjoyed for the next 140 years God gave him?
Want To Read More Truth, Fact, & Fiction?
This post is already quite long, so I’ll finish the Truth, Fact, & Fiction about the other three Treasures of His Love series in my February 10th newsletter update. CLICK HERE if you’d like to receive the Truth, Fact, and Fiction, about Love’s Sacred Song, Love in a Broken Vessel, and In The Shadow of Jezebel directly in your inbox. When you subscribe, you’ll also receive a free novella, and you can unsubscribe any time. Becoming one of my “newsies” ensures you’ll get all the updates on current writing projects, exclusive giveaways, and more insights into my personal and writing adventures. Blessings on your week!
Tweet-Ables:
- Did you know when I started writing, I only planned to write ONE BOOK in my whole life?
- Did you know that Job may have been Esaus great-grandson? Find out more in todays post!
- Look for MORE Truth, Fact, & Fiction about my Treasures of His Love series in my February 10th Newsie update. Subscribe today and get a free novella!
**Because I’m an Amazon advertising affiliate, a small commission is earned when purchases are made using Amazon links on this site. Thank you for your support!
