Dana’s Blog

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...

As a reader who enjoyed all of Mesu Andrews’ novels, I’ve found my new favorite. IN FEAST OR FAMINE is masterfully told historical fiction set in Bible times. The story world is magnificently rendered. You will see ancient Egypt, the intrigues, the glitter, and the danger. And I loved the characters! They have deep desires, pure and impure motives, and...

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 the truth and delivering justice...

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, not a Christian himself, has...

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 God. He waited for direction...

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 the term “biblical fiction.” Truth...

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...

How My Book-in-a-Drawer Got Published After a long break from social media, I was browsing through FaceBook posts when I heard a private message ping. I cringed a little. The FB messages I’ve received are too often trolls. Sighing, I opened it and read: “Hi, are you the Dana McNeely who wrote RAIN? And if so, have you sold it...