Dana’s Blog

What must it have been like, for intrepid Caleb and the Israelites, to settle among the giants of Caanan? Jenelle Hovde spins an almost fairytale landscape, albeit of the dark variety, for this biblical story. As a lover of books, I’m drawn to this moody description. “Worse, the settlement of giants lived within the mysterious Kiriath-sepher, its name meaning ‘the...

A Beautiful Story of Desperate Longing Like a deep and dangerous river, layers of emotion sweep through Liz Tolsma’s WHAT I LEFT FOR YOU. Two stories flow side-by-side, growing ever closer. In 1942, Helena Kostyszak, an educated woman of ethnic minority, flees Hitler’s armies to save a Jewish baby. A contemporary story branches from the historical. In 2023, McKenna Muir...

I’ve answered versions of this question before, usually in connection to what made me want to pen a specific work of fiction. Recently this specific question was posted in a chat, and I felt stumped. How could I answer such a broad question, tapping awkwardly with my forefinger at the tiny keyboard on my phone? A Bookish Nerd MY UNFORMED...

Although I write historical fiction set in Bible Times, I often read other genres. Sometimes I enjoy a book so much, I want to share it with all you.  Sub Tales is a somewhat quirky choice, and I can’t wait to hear what you think of my review and, if you read it, the book An exciting and entertaining collection...

God had something to say to me this week. He said it three times, so I guess He knows I’m a poor listener. On Sunday, the song “He will hold me fast” brought tears to my eyes. I can’t quote the words due to copyright, but the part that struck me spoke of my inability to hold to Him and...

A Prophecy In an advent series, our pastor taught us interesting points about the birthplace of Jesus beginning with a prophecy made 750 years before His birth (around 750 BC.) The prophet Micah, a contemporary of Isaiah, wrote: But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose...

It’s been said that writers look on their books as children. While I wouldn’t go so far as to say that, this week, I found a writer’s application for a devotional on praying for children, titled “The Waiting Prayer.” This was in a lovely little book by Catherine Marshall, ADVENTURES IN PRAYER. My current book is taking so long to...

Like most of you, I’ve always loved books. I wanted to write as well as read them. But I didn’t always want to write Christian Fiction, didn’t even know what it was for much of my life. Now I realize how much more depth there is to Christian Fiction. Even when a story doesn’t contain a specific “salvation scene” there...

Although I believed in Jesus at a young age, it wasn’t until I reached my forties that I began reading through the Bible each year. A pastor challenged the church with the sentence, “You don’t have time to read the Bible? How many novels have you read this past year? Magazines? Newspapers?” I took the challenge. After a while, I...

At times, most of us have struggled with our writing. Sometimes we’re working through a story problem, but sometimes it’s an emotional or spiritual matter. Recently I allowed someone’s words to discourage me, and I could not write for a while. Thank you for the encouragement some of you offered. One day, the Lord sent me these verses.   Romans...