Backing Books: Mesu Andrew's New Book and Information on a Giveaway!

Description:

A captive orphan girl becomes Judah’s captivating queen.

Ishma comes to the prophet Isaiah’s home as a five-year-old orphan, devastated after watching her family destroyed and living as a captive. With tenderness and care, her lively spirit is revived, and the prophet and his wife adopt Ishma, giving her a new name—Zibah, delight of the Lord. As the years pass, Zibah wins Prince Hezekiah’s favor, a boy determined to rebuild the kingdom his father has nearly destroyed. But loving this man awakens Zibah’s painful past and calls into question the very foundation of her father’s prophecies. Can she learn to rely on only Yahweh, who gives life, calms fear, and conquers nations?

Author Bio: Mesu Andrews’ deep understanding of and love for God’s Word brings the biblical world alive for her readers. She and her husband, Roy, live in a log cain snuggled into the beautiful Appalachian Mountains with their dog, Zeke. The Andrews’ have two married daughters and a small tribe of grandkids. Mesu loves movies, football, waterfalls, and travel.

Biblical fiction is her favorite genre to read and write. Her first novel, Love Amid the Ashes (Revell, 2011), tells the story of Job and won the 2012 ECPA Book of the Year for a Debut Author. Love’s Sacred Song (Revell, 2012) relates the poetic Song of Solomon in story form, and Love in a Broken Vessel (Revell, 2013) sets the story of Hosea and Gomer in biblical Israel. The Shadow of Jezebel (Revell, 2014) displays God’s sovereignty over Jezebel’s daughter, Queen Athaliah. The Pharaoh’s Daughter (Waterbrook/Multnomah, 2015), the first in The Treasures of the Nile series, unveils Moses’ early years through the eyes of his Egyptian mother, and Miriam (Waterbrook/Multnomah, 2016), the second book in the series, introduces Yahweh’s prophetess during the ten plagues and the Exodus as she struggles to trust this God she doesn’t understand. In January 2018, Isaiah’s Daughter: A Novel of Prophets and Kings (Waterbrook/Multnomah) reveals the little-known personal life of the prophet Isaiah and introduces readers to his captivating daughter.

Website: www.MesuAndrews.com

I have been a fan of Mesu's novels for a number of years, so when I was able to take part in her street team, I has happy to make sure that my followers learned about her fantastic new book coming out in January. And when Mesu asked if there was anyone willing to donate prizes for a giveaway leading up to her release, I knew I had the perfect thing to offer.

Back in 2015, I was blessed enough to be able to do study abroad as part of my degree and field school. As an archaeologist, with a minor in religious studies, learning of an archaeological dig in Jordan was a dream come true. I was able to do what I loved in a country that not only was home to a vastly different religion than I was used to being around, but also one where I was able to see places mentioned in the Bible.

For most of the six and a half weeks I and the other students were there, we spent our days excavating in the ruins of a Roman fort and bathhouse, with a view of Israel in the distance, and our afternoons lounging at our hotel, looking out at the Red Sea and Egypt across the way.

It was not until that last week that we were eventually able to travel the country at large, visiting many of the historic sites. We saw Petra, the city in stone, Wadi Rum, where we were able to sleep under the stars, as well as the Dead Sea and the River Jordan, along with many others. It was on our last day of sightseeing that we were able to visit those last two, and on our way back to our hotel, we stopped at Mt. Nebo to the watch the sunset.

Now, at first when we arrived there, we did not think much of the place. There were no signs or ruins to look at, our driver just pulled over to the side of the road and we all climbed out. But that was when one of our instructors told us the significance of the mountain which I had long forgotten. This was the mountain which was believed to be the same Mt. Nebo from the Bible, where Moses went to die before the Israelites entered the promise land.

Suddenly, this was a moment were I connected with history and the Biblical narrative. At the other places where had been, the areas were heavily regulated, with fees to visit and booths from which to buy souvenirs. But Mt. Nebo had none of that; only a simple road, a couple of signs warning about the curved slopes, and about ten college students in a bus. It was peaceful and quiet, a place where I could envision Moses having his last conversation with the God who had sustained him through so much.

While there, I picked up a few stones to remember the moment by, all of which were fossilized sea shells deposited when Mt. Nebo was once underwater. When I came home, I turned one of those stones into a pendant and, once I learned about Mesu's giveaway, I added a chain. Now, you can enter to win it by going to Mesu's facebook page and commenting on yesterday's Wednesday Wisdom and Wit post.

If you would like to see more pendants I have made (sorry, no more of them are from Mt. Nebo) you can check out my etsy page, Gingered Gems, where my mother and I sell other jewelry we have made. There are also some vintage items along with bath and beauty products.