Gracious! I’ve had this lovely feature sitting in my inbox for months, it having totally slipped my mind. Apologies to my friends at Waterbrook Multnomah and to the lovely Mesu Andrews. Mesu pens spectacular Biblical Fiction and if you are yet to read her, do not delay (like I’ve done with this post!) in getting your hands on any of her novels. Her latest release from Waterbrook, Isaiah’s Daughter, will open your eyes and your heart to this part of Biblical history and the healing power of God’s love. Thanks to the generosity of Waterbrook, we are giving away a copy so be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of this post.
Enjoy as Mesu shares some of her favourite things!
Over to you, Mesu…
***
Animal
Ezekiel Isaiah (Zeke), our three-year-old, 75 lb. baby boy. (American Staffordshire Terrier)
Artist
Grandkids
Board Game
Candy Land w/grandkids (are you sensing a theme here?)
Book
Mark of the Lion Series by Francine Rivers
Colour
Peachy-pink (goes well with my bottled-red hair)
Flower
Red rose
Ice-cream
Pralines & Cream
Movie
Braveheart or Gladiator
Non-writing activity
Watching movies and puzzles. Hubby and I LOVE movies and watch all kinds. We’ve also begun putting puzzles together as part of our Sabbath relaxation. We roll it up on a mat at the end of each Sabbath and get it out the next week. So much fun! We look forward to it from start to finish. (Party-animals, aren’t we?)
Reading genre
Biblical fiction. I love to see how other authors weave characters into biblical stories—both historical figures and fictional ones. I always learn something that stretches me spiritually.
Season
Summer – because I get to write outside on my porch swing. 🙂
Snack
Smoothie
Sport (watch or play)
Football (Go Colts!)
TV show
This Is Us
Here’s a favourite scene, chosen by Mesu, for a glimpse into this story…
Isaiah’s Daughter begins when an orphaned girl, Ishma, loses her ability to speak after witnessing her parents’ murders. Young Prince Hezekiah has also endured trauma—watching his father, King Ahaz, sacrifice his older brother in a pagan fire—and had been catatonic since the incident. All adult attempts to heal the children’s hearts and minds have failed. But as we see from Ishma’s point-of-view, a child’s unadorned love can work miracles…
Thank you, Mesu!
Photo credit: Mesu Andrews
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: Isaiah’s Daughter or Koorong
August 24, 2018 at 1:54 pm
REL, Thank you for the wonderful interview with Mesu. I enjoy reading about the Biblical men and women as main characters.
August 24, 2018 at 9:58 pm
I prefer Historical Biblical people as the main characters.
August 25, 2018 at 1:58 am
I prefer Biblical characters as main characters.
Thanks for the opportunity to enter the drawing for Isaiah’s Daughter.
August 25, 2018 at 4:00 am
I prefer fiction main characters that connect with Biblical characters. This is probably why I’m so excited about the new TV series God Friended Me starting 9/30/18.
August 25, 2018 at 6:01 am
Thank you for the interview and a glimpse into the book. It sounds very intriguing.
August 25, 2018 at 8:40 am
I adore Mesu’s books. They are exquisite. Thank you for posting such a good interview and excerpt!
August 25, 2018 at 9:55 am
Hi Rel,
I saw Mesa at the OCW Conference this last week, but I was too nervous and shy to say hi. She was also surrounded by lots of people when I saw her.
As for what kind of Biblical books I like, I like both ones with the main character being a Biblical person and ones where they are only a fictional character in a real Biblical story.
August 25, 2018 at 1:49 pm
I like historical Biblical people as the main characters. Jill Eileen Smith is another great Biblical fiction writer who writes like that.
I’ve not read anything by Mesu yet, thanks for the chance to win a copy of Isaiah’s Daughter!
August 25, 2018 at 4:02 pm
Go Colts! Mesu just jumped even higher on the cool scale for that alone! 😉 This is great I love getting the chance to get to know more about the authors behind the books. Thanks for sharing 🙂
August 26, 2018 at 9:48 am
I usually prefer a fictional side character, with historical events/figures thrown into the story.
August 27, 2018 at 6:48 am
Hmm.. I think it depends upon how it is written. I have enjoyed both.
August 27, 2018 at 11:41 am
I have just recently started reading biblical fiction. I really enjoy a fictional person as the main character with historical people as minor characters. This is my usual preference with an genre of historical fiction.
August 28, 2018 at 12:05 am
I haven’t read much Biblical fiction, but I’ve read both options! I think I like the historical Biblical characters to be minor!
August 28, 2018 at 8:11 pm
Thanks so much for the fun facts and review, Relz! I love Mesu’s books, not only because of the absolutely fantastic story but because I learn so much about Bible times and customs. She’s an amazing writer and I read as many books of hers as I can.
August 31, 2018 at 12:18 pm
I would say fictional main characters with historical characters as minor characters.