If you have ever met Mesu Andrews you know what a warm, sweet, and funny lady she is, so I’m thrilled to have a chat with her once again on the blog. Mesu pens intriguing, thought-provoking, challenging novels based on the Biblical stories, with great respect for the historicity of the Biblical text and characters. Her latest foray delves into the Babylonian era when the Israelites were held captive and Daniel captures the attention of King Nebuchadnezzar.

Thanks to Waterbrook Multnomah, you have the chance to win a copy of this excellent novel, so after reading more about Mesu and her creative process, sign up via the Rafflecopter form below. For now, it’s over to Mesu!

Bookchat

Survival. A Hebrew girl first tasted it when she escaped death nearly seventy years ago as the Babylonians ransacked Jerusalem and took their finest as captives. She thought she’d perfected in the many years amongst the Magoi and the idol worshippers, pretending with all the others in King Nebuchadnezzar’s court. Now, as Daniel’s wife and a septuagenarian matriarch, Belili thinks she’s safe and she can live out her days in Babylon without fear–until the night Daniel is escorted to Belshazzar’s palace to interpret mysterious handwriting on a wall. The Persian Army invades, and Bellili’s tightly-wound secrets unfurl with the arrival of the conquering army. What will the reign of Darius mean for Daniel, a man who prays to Yahweh alone?

Ultimately, Yahweh’s sovereign hand guides Jerusalem’s captives, and the frightened Hebrew girl is transformed into a confident woman, who realizes her need of the God who conquers both fire and lions.

What was the working title?

From the beginning, we really liked Of Fire and Lions, but I always have to give a few other sacrificial lambs for the various committees to shoot at. The losers for this book were: A Captive’s Secret and The Nobleman’s Wife.

Describe your book in 5 adjectives

1. Intense
2. Intriguing
3. Accurate (I pray!)
4. Transformative
5. Thought-provoking

Which character did you enjoy writing most?

I fell in love with Nebuchadnezzar’s wife, Amyitis—crazy, right?! She’s such a minor character but absolutely jumped off the screen. She became this strong yet sensitive woman who knew how to handle this beast (literally at one point in the story) of a king. Amyitis becomes Belili’s (the heroine’s) best friend—which I hadn’t planned until I’d written 3/4 of the story. Amyitis was a delight to discover and became the focus of a prequel short story which is a free download in my February newsletter (available for my subscribers only)!

Which character gave you the most grief?

Daniel—he’s too perfect! Who wants to read about a perfect hero? I didn’t dare give him too many flaws for fear of scarring the lovely childhood memories of lifelong Christians all over the world. So I gave the poor man gout, which was a little edgy because folks want to believe he lived his whole life eating vegetables and water like he and his buddies did in Daniel, chapter 1. Not likely. Everyone doubts. Everyone sins. Everyone gets old—and can you believe he wasn’t a hot, young fella in the pit of lions? Oy-vay! Totally ruins all those Sunday school pictures and fancy paintings in museums. Humph.

What emotions do you think your story will generate in readers?

It’s always my hope that readers experience a vast array of emotions while reading my books. Joy, sorrow, apprehension and suspense, as well as relief and satisfaction. If readers are invested in the characters, settings, and culture I’ve (hopefully) helped them picture in their minds, they’ll feel everything the characters feel. And I usually put my characters through the ringer! However, because emotion is a bridge to deeper understanding, the characters—and (hopefully) the reader—experience deeper insights about God and the Scripture the story illustrates.

What emotions did you experience while writing this story?

It seems my life experiences often parallel similar challenges to my characters (though not fiery furnaces or lions). While writing and editing this book, my husband and I were making some extremely big decisions about his work. Stress levels were high and some of the words from Daniel’s and Belili’s mouths were messages from the Holy Spirit to my heart. If I don’t laugh and cry while I’m writing my own book, it’s not worth reading!

How do you choose your characters names?

I have a few websites I look at to find the meanings of Biblical Hebrew names. I also discovered a website (I think it’s a gaming site—LOL!) that generates ancient Babylonian names, but I’m careful to Google those for their meanings before I use them. Since the meaning of a name was so significant in ancient times, it’s fascinating to find the perfect name for each character’s personality. It’s a long and tedious process but one of my favorite details of characterization.

Thank you, Mesu!

Biblical fiction is Mesu Andrews‘ favorite genre to read and to write. Her deep understanding of and love for God’s Word brings the biblical world alive for her readers. She and her husband, Roy, live in a log cabin snuggled into the beautiful Appalachian Mountains with their dog, Zeke. The Andrews’ have two married daughters and a growing tribe of grandkids.

Her first novel, Love Amid the Ashes (Revell, 2011), tells the story of Job and Dinah, winning the 2012 ECPA Book of the Year for a Debut Author. Miriam (Waterbrook/Multnomah, 2016), the second book in the Treasures of the Nile series, was a Christy finalist and tells the story of the Exodus through the eyes of Yahweh’s first prophetess. In January 2018, Isaiah’s Daughter: A Novel of Prophets and Kings (Waterbrook/Multnomah) reveals the little-known personal life of the prophet Isaiah and introduces readers to his captivating daughter.)

Relz Reviewz Extras
All Things Andrews @ Relz Reviewz
Visit Mesu’s website
Buy at Amazon: Of Fire and Lions or Koorong

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