Inspired by the Bible story of Elijah raising the widow’s son from the dead, author Dana McNeely wondered what became of the boy. She began research for her novel, “Rain,” which tells the story of the three-and-a-half-year drought from his perspective. No stranger to drought, Dana lives in an Arizona oasis with her hubby the constant gardener, two good dogs, an antisocial cat, and migrating butterflies.
In 2021 RAIN became a finalist in The Christy Award (use the registered mark) and was also a finalist in the 2022 ACFW Carol Award® and was also a finalist in the 2022 ACFW Carol Award.
WHIRLWIND, the second novel in the "Whispers on the Wind" series, tells the story of a king's downfall and a love that transcends war.
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Is truth worth the price if it costs you everything? Tribune Glabrio places high value on truth and honor. So much so that he pursues investigations with dogged determination, even when his superior hints that his job might proceed more profitably if he would leave off questioning certain high officials. When Glabrio responds “Getting to …
Meet Princess Zuleika – Potiphar’s Wife as you have never seen her before Mesu Andrews reveals one of the Bible’s bad girls as a Minoan princess tossed by circumstance into the Egyptian court in her novel Potiphar’s Wife. Desperate to save her island kingdom after an earth-shattering event wreaks havoc, she agrees to her father’s …
She has broken a law that carries the death penalty ~ In second century Rome, Licinia doesn’t want to leave all she knows and loves, but she has broken a law that carries the death penalty – she is a Christian. Worse, she shared her faith with her friend, a Roman matron. Her brother Sextus, …
For many years, after reading the beloved book CHRISTY and learning about the award bearing its name, I pored over the titles in the Christy lists picking my next great read. Today, my book RAIN is listed among these books by stellar authors and it seems impossible. Not that I didn’t work hard. Not that it wasn’t a …
“Take me with you.” This audacious request changed everything for Rahab the Harlot. You’ve heard of her. A girl no better than she ought to be, Rahab made her living selling herself to the men of ancient Jericho. She was betrayed by her father, reviled by the city women, and disdained by her own family, …
I almost didn’t read this book. Even though I’d previously read Prophetess, another in The Daughters of the Promised Land series, I’ve always been uncomfortable with the story of Hannah–how could she give up her son? But I reminded myself how much I loved Prophetess and decided to read Hannah’s story. I’m so glad I …
We’ve all run into them, or more accurately, over them. No one likes them. Speed bumps jolt us, throw our wheels out of alignment, and slow us down to tortoise-approved speeds of two to five miles per hour. But slowing down isn’t always bad. On the road, speed bumps might save you from hitting a …
The Prophet Elijah stood tall among the heroes of the Bible when he fought the evils of idol worship. We’re told “Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years!” (James 5:17 NLT) Elijah showed great faith in …
When I read Lew Wallace’s Ben-Hur, Anita Diamant’s The Red Tent, Francine Rivers’ Mark of the Lion, and Mesu Andrew’s Love Amid the Ashes, I got caught up in the almost fantastical world the authors created. The stories sprawled across time and shimmered with drama and danger. I loved these books but I’d never heard …
Writers are often asked, “Where do you get your ideas?” For my book RAIN, a story began to form as I read the following scripture passage. “Some time later the woman’s son became sick. He grew worse and worse, and finally, he died. Then she said to Elijah, ‘O man of God, what have you done …
