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 to me? Have you come here to point out my sins and kill my son?’
But Elijah replied, ‘Give me your son.’ And he took the child’s body from her arms, carried him up the stairs to the room where he was staying, and laid the body on his bed. Then Elijah cried out to the Lord, ‘O Lord my God, why have you brought tragedy to this widow who has opened her home to me, causing her son to die?’
And he stretched himself out over the child three times and cried out to the Lord, ‘O Lord my God, please let this child’s life return to him.’ The Lord heard Elijah’s prayer, and the life of the child returned, and he revived! Then Elijah brought him down from the upper room and gave him to his mother.
‘Look!’ he said. ‘Your son is alive!’”
~ 1 Kings 17:17-23 (NLT)
Ideas began to spark.
I saw the boy gasp for breath and lose the battle. I watched him die, followed him to the other world, and heard Elijah call him back from the dead. What would that be like for the boy? Terrifying. Life-changing. He awoke looking into the eyes of the prophet. They would both have questions.
I answered by writing a scene. I thought of more questions. Who was the boy, before this experience? How did he change after? I began with what I knew from the Bible. He was the only son of a widow. They lived in Zarephath, a small coastal town near the birthplace of Queen Jezebel, in what is modern-day Turkey. God sent Elijah to stay with the widow and her son. God blessed them. Though a drought worsened, the jug of oil and jar of meal never failed.
But then the boy died.
I can only imagine the despair of a mother watching her only son die. When she railed at the prophet. “Have you come here to point out my sins and kill my son?” I wondered, what kind of sin could be dark enough to merit her child’s death?
As I continued to study the Bible and other historical sources, I learned some dark truths. The Canaanite worship of the Ba’als included fertility rites and child sacrifice. I imagined the widow as a former priestess who’d been carried off to Samaria, where Queen Jezebel had built two temples for the Ba’als. Now King Ahab and his queen entered the story, wreaking havoc. A story of adventure, danger, and transformation emerged.
An author puts much of herself in every character. Their motivations and feelings become ours. While I haven’t lived the exact experiences of my characters, I’ve felt pain, betrayal, and mourned the deaths of loved ones. I felt those emotions again as I wrote certain scenes. Ouch!
Yet the Lord heard Elijah’s plea, and He returned the boy to life. When Elijah put the boy in his mother’s arms, she responded with gratitude and faith. I loved writing that scene!
My initial idea for RAIN started as a response to one compelling line – “Your son is alive!” It grew into so much more – a deluge! To read the rest of the story, watch for RAIN on February 19th, 2021.
He is destined to be high priest—but at what cost to those he loves?
IN ANCIENT SAMARIA, Aban anticipates his rites of passage with excitement and dread. He yearns to join the priesthood of Ba’al Melqart, unlock the power of the rain god, and hear the deity’s voice. He’s been warned the licentious ceremony can take a dangerous turn, but as eldest son of the high priestess, he holds a privileged position. If he can make it through the ceremony, one day he’ll rise to high priest.
On the eve of the rituals, Aban’s mother confesses a dark secret about the bloody sacrifice demanded by Melqart. Aban may have escaped the flames, but if he is to save his brother, Aban must take his destined position of power as soon as possible.
When the mysterious prophet Elijah interrupts the rites, overturns the idol, and curses the land with drought, Aban’s world is shaken. The current high priest and the king appear powerless, but even more confusing is the fact that the rain god does nothing.
Against his better judgment, Aban conceals the strange prophet’s whereabouts, forfeiting the high priesthood. Now an enemy of the relentless Queen Jezebel, Aban has little time to question his fading commitment to Ba’al Melqart as he and his loved ones flee. But the conflict in Samaria is much larger than just a high priestess and her sons. Soon, Aban will have to choose a side in Yahweh’s war against the Ba’als—and it may cost him his life.
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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That is so cool, Dana! Excited to read your book!
Thanks, Lana. God is still working miracles, great and small. I count the publication of RAIN in both of those types, great to me, small to the world. I’m so excited, I’m in a state of flummox much of the time. God is so good.