Historical Fiction, telling the stories of Ancient Women
I never thought I’d write historical fiction. And biblical fiction didn’t even cross my mind. Aside from Anita Diamante’s Red Tent, I’d hadn’t even read any. It just goes to show . . . never say never.
I do love to read. As soon as I was able to sound out words,
I buried my nose in books about life in far-off times and places—ancient Rome,
Medieval Europe, Narnia and Middle Earth. So when I decided to major in history
in college no one was very surprised. But writing? I never took a creative
writing class. I’d never even kept a journal.
Fast forward twenty years, a marriage, a couple jobs in
marketing, and four kids later. In the car one day, my oldest child, then about
twelve, asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up. “What could you do if you
could do ANYTHING?” she said.
My answer came like a bolt of lightening out of blue sky.
I’d write historical fiction. I didn’t even have to think about it. So with
encouragement from my kids, my husband, and good friends, I decided to give it
a go . . . even though I didn’t know what I was doing and doubted I’d be any
good.
For a year, I looked for a story. I searched for a time
period that grabbed me. World War II? Regency England? No. Nothing spoke to me.
Then I tried for a setting. Ancient Rome? A Medieval castle? No spark.
Then, one day at church I heard the story of the Samaritan
woman at the well. I’d heard it at least a hundred times but this time was
different. This time I started wondering, who was this woman? Who was her
family? That’s when a character, her daughter Mara, reached out and grabbed me.
Mara said, “I want you to tell my story.”
And The Living Water Series was born with my first novel, The Well.
There are plenty of women mentioned in the Bible. Many of
them are nameless: the Samaritan woman, the woman caught in adultery. Others,
we know their names but little else: Mary Magdalene, Martha the sister of
Lazarus. Who were they? Surely their daily lives were much different from ours,
but what about their hopes and dreams? What about their joys? As I got to know
these women in my stories, I realized we do indeed have much in common with
these mysterious ancient women.
For example, in The Thief, Nissa is an outcast Jewish girl struggling
to survive in Jerusalem of the first century. Her life couldn’t be more
different than our own, but she is looking for what we all want: security and
happiness, meaning and hope in her life. It is her story—her search for what is
missing in her life—that I want to tell my readers in The Thief.
Biblical fiction isn’t an easy road. The research is
extensive, the social constraints of the times limit much of what my characters
can say and do, and I must take care to stay true to biblical accounts while
writing a compelling story. Perhaps Regency England would have been easier. But
with three books behind me—The Well, The Thief, and The Tomb (coming out in
March 2015)—I know I’ve found the spark for my writing. . . telling the stories
of these ancient women who have much in common with the women of today.
Stephanie
writes historical fiction because she loves adventure in far-off times
and places. In real life, she’s backpacked through Germany and Eastern
Europe, studied in Salzburg, enjoyed gelato in Italy, rode a camel in
Morocco, and floated in the salty Corinthian Sea. Her favorite cities
are Rome, Berlin and Budapest. Her travels kindle her imagination, fuel
her love of history and foreign culture, and introduce her to
one-of-a-kind characters.
Stephanie is equally happy at home in
Minnesota with her husband of 22 years, four children, three fat cats,
and a tortoise named Moe. When she’s not writing, she’s feeding the
ravenous horde, volunteering at church and school, battling dandelions,
and dreaming about her next adventure – whether it be in person or on
the page.
The Thief is an evocative story of two
people trapped in their circumstances and the life-changing power of
forgiveness and love.
Author Links
Thank you for having me as a guest poster, Margaret, and for sharing The Thief with your readers!
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