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Mesu Andrews returns to the show this week to chat about her new book, Brave. We talk about her amazing story of how she came to know the Lord, why she chose to write about King David's wives, and what it's like to write real biblical characters in her books. Patrons will find out what Happy Thanksmas is.

Brave by Mesu Andrews
"The Old Testament stories of David come to vibrant life in Brave. . . . Wonderful!"--Angela Hunt, Christy Award-winning author of The Emissaries

In the tumultuous world of ancient Israel, Ahinoam--a dagger-wielding Kenite woman--flees her family farm with her unconventional father to join the ragtag band of misfits led by the shepherd-turned-warrior David ben Jesse. As King Saul's treasonous accusations echo through the land, Ahinoam's conviction that David's anointing makes him Yahweh's chosen king propels her on a perilous journey to Moab and back into Judah's unforgiving wilderness, only to encounter more hardship and betrayal.

Amid the challenges, Ahinoam forges an unexpected bond with David's sister and gains respect among David's army through her knowledge of Kenite metalworking. Though some offer friendship, Ahinoam, scarred by past relationships, isolates to avoid more pain and refuses to acknowledge her growing feelings for the renegade king. As Ahinoam's heart grapples for footing, King Saul's army closes in, and Ahinoam must confront the true meaning of love, loyalty, and courage. Is she brave enough to trust new friends and love Israel's next king?

Get your copy of Brave by Mesu Andrews.

MESU ANDREWS is a Christy Award-winning, best-selling author of biblical novels and devotional studies whose deep understanding of and love for God’s Word brings the Bible alive for readers. Her heritage as a “spiritual mutt” has given her a deep yearning to both understand and communicate biblical truths in powerful stories that touch the heart, challenge the mind, and transform lives. Mesu lives in Indiana with her husband Roy, where she stays connected with her readers through newsie emails, blog posts, and the social media we all love to hate. For more information, visit MesuAndrews.com.

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Denise Weimer returns to the show this week to talk about two books—When Hope Sank and A Calculated Betrothal. She shares the fascinating history behind both books, how she redeems her characters, and why she loves dressing up in period fashion. Patrons will get to hear what her next great adventure is going to be.

When Hope Sank by Denise Weimer
The Civil War has taken everything from Lily Livingston—her parents, her twin brother, her home. Now she works at her uncle’s inn and keeps her head down. Speaking up for her beliefs proved too costly in a part of Arkansas split by conflicting loyalties and overrun by spies and bushwhackers.

Emaciated in body but resilient in spirit, Lieutenant Cade Palmer is crowded onto the Sultana with other paroled Andersonville and Cahaba POWs for the journey north. But a fiery explosion on April 27, 1865, rends the steamer and empties two thousand men into the frigid Mississippi River.

Recovering from wounds that might end his career as a surgeon but clinging to his faith, Cade threatens both Lily’s defenses and her heart. How can she tell him she might’ve prevented the tragedy if only she’d reported a suspected saboteur’s claims? And when the man returns to town and encoded messages pass through the hotel, will Lily follow her convictions to prevent another tragedy?

Get your copy of When Hope Sank.

A Calculated Betrothal by Denise Weimer
The death of her titled husband means that not only is Tabitha Gage no longer a lady—but she’s also abandoned on an isolated Southern Georgia plantation on the eve of revolution. With the fine house and fields sold to a neighbor, she’s left with a log cabin on unsettled timber land. Rather than marry the neighbor’s son, Tabitha determines to make her own way—and never again be shackled to a man she doesn’t love.

Sergeant Edmond Lassiter is one assignment away from promotion when he comes to the aid of a red-haired beauty fending off cattle rustlers. Thrown together during an attack at a nearby fort, the Patriot scout and Loyalist widow are surprised by the values they share—including honesty, loyalty, and equality. When Edmond learns the same man who ruined his family is after what little Tabitha has left, he convinces her they should work together to make her land profitable—all while fighting off the British from East Florida and her greedy neighbor, who sabotages their every effort to succeed. Their work together will be a business arrangement…nothing more. But as a British invasion threatens, the truth soon becomes clear—continuing the connection between them will risk far more than their hearts.
Get A Calculated Betrothal by Denise Weimer.

More about Denise:
I write historical and contemporary romance and romantic suspense mostly set in my home state of Georgia. I've authored around fifteen traditionally published novels and a number of novellas. A freelance fiction editor and a mother of two wonderful young adult daughters, I always pause for coffee, chocolate, and old houses.
Visit Denise Weimer's website.

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Jaime Jo Wright comes to visit with us again, and we had a great chat about her latest book, Specters in the Glass House. We talked about the economic impact of Prohibition, especially in Wisconsin, if she ever thinks her body count gets too high, and about why she handled mental illness the way she did in the book. Patrons hear about if she's passed on her love of hunting to her kids.

Specters in the Glass House by Jaime Jo Wright

An ominous butterfly house. A sinister legacy. An untraceable killer.

In 1921, Marian Arnold, the heiress to a brewing baron's empire, seeks solace in the glass butterfly house on her family's Wisconsin estate as Prohibition and the deaths of her parents cast a long shadow over her shrinking world. When Marian's sanctuary is invaded by nightmarish visions, she grapples with the line between hallucinations of things to come and malevolent forces at play in the present. With dead butterflies as the killer's ominous signature, murders unfold at a steady pace. Marian, fearful she might be next, enlists the help of her childhood friend Felix, a war veteran with his own haunted past.

In the present day, researcher Remy Shaw becomes entangled in an elderly biographer's quest to uncover the truth behind Marian Arnold's mysterious life and the unsolved murders linked to an infamous serial killer. Joined by Marian's great-great-grandson, can Remy expose the evil that lurks beneath broken wings? Or will the dark legacy surrounding the manor and its glass house destroy yet another generation?

"Wright is in a class by herself."--Library Journal

Get Specters in the Glass House by Jaime Jo Wright.

Jaime Jo, the coffee-fueled and cat-fancier extraordinaire, has entwined her life with the legendary Captain Hook, residing serenely in Wisconsin's rural woodlands.

Her literary vocation involves penning chilling Gothic tales, a baffling change from that of Austenites, with a strong preference to the master of dark, Edgar Allan Poe. Two mischievous urchins adorn their family, who keep their mother on her toes - providing an exhilarating amount chaos.

"If I were to summarize my life in three words, my instinct is to say: "I love coffee", and leave it at that. But, I realize that is rather shallow and a tad obsessive. So, summarizing who Jaime Jo Wright is can be a challenge.

I love life. I always have. God has blessed me, even in severe trials, such as the loss of three of my babies. He has never failed, never given up, never gone easy on me, and always disciplined me with a loving hand. (and trust me, when you have my personality which pushes boundaries and considers rules to be negotiable, you need discipline).

​I married my husband in 2000. He wasn't exactly Prince Charming when I met him, so I aptly nicknamed him Cap'n Hook after he pirated off with my heart and has yet to give it back.

Our ship was joined by a little Tinkerbell in 2009. Our CoCo has tamed the pirate exponentially better than I ever could. Peter Pan came along in 2012 and whisked me away to Neverland where we refuse to grow up and make mischief on a daily basis.

Visit Jaime's website.

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Hannah Linder returns to the podcast this week to chat about her latest release, Never Forgotten. We talk about how she came to write Regency romantic suspense, if she designed the cover for this book, and her new favorite hobby, square dancing. Patrons will hear if she reads reviews of her books and why or why not.

Never Forgotten by Hannah Linder

All He Wanted was Justice. All She Wanted was His Heart.

Georgina Whitmore, not accustomed to any man being unaffected by her charms, is plagued with the disappearance and rejection of Simon Fancourt. Twelve years later, Mr. Fancourt returns to British society with two children and a mad hunger for justice.

Racing against time, Simon works to uncover the men responsible for his wife’s horrific murder, protect his children, and fulfill his father’s unexpected will by marrying Georgina—the last thing in the world he wants to do.

Though her heart throbs to accept, she would rather lose him again than have his name without his love. She denies his proposal of matrimony, knowing it will cost them both. But as tragedies unravel and secret enemies narrow their sights on Simon, Georgina risks her life—and her reputation—to protect him and the children. Will the danger scorch them alive? Or will it, for the first time, open his heart to her?

Get your copy of Never Forgotten by Hannah Linder.

HANNAH LINDER resides in the beautiful mountains of central West Virginia. Represented by Cynthia Ruchti with Books & Such Literary Management, she writes Regency romantic suspense novels filled with passion, secrets, and danger. She is a four-time Selah Award winner, a 2024 Carol Award finalist, and a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW).

When Hannah is not writing, she enjoys playing instruments—piano, guitar, ukulele, and banjolele—songwriting, painting still life, walking in the rain, square dancing, and sitting on the front porch of her 1800s farmhouse. Her greatest desire is to please her Savior and to write in a way that glorifies and uplifts Him. Follow her journey on Instagram, Facebook, or the newsletter.

Visit Hannah Linder's website.

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Karen Witemeyer returns to the show this week after a long absence, and we're thrilled to have her join us to talk about her new book, Cloaked in Beauty. Based on "Sleeping Beauty" and "Red Riding Hood," this is book three in a series. She tells us all about the series, why she chose the fairy tales she did, the old-time photo she and her husband took, and her son's wedding. Patrons will hear why she loves Texas so much.

Cloaked in Beauty by Karen Witemeyer

Trust no one in the shadows of the piney woods . . .

Letty Hood has spent the last fifteen years of her life hidden away with her grandmother in the backwoods of east Texas to escape the deadly schemes of an uncle who wants her dead. Now, with her twenty-first birthday on the horizon, she is forced to accept the escort of a stranger and return to Houston in secret so she can claim a birthright that will make her one of the wealthiest women in Texas. If she lives long enough to inherit.

Pinkerton agent Philip Carmichael has one duty: get the Radcliffe heiress home alive. Expecting a spoiled girl, Philip is surprised to encounter a woman of rare strength with a kind soul and keen wit. As they journey together, Letty's resilience wins his admiration, breaking through his hardened cynicism. Yet the threat to her survival grows more menacing with every mile, and Philip fears that keeping Letty out of harm's way may be just as impossible as keeping her out of his heart.

Get your copy of Cloaked in Beauty.

More about Karen Witemeyer:

After growing up in California, Karen moved to Texas to attend Abilene Christian University where she earned bachelor and master's degrees in Psychology. It was also there that she met and married her own Texas hero. He roped her in good, for she has lived in Texas ever since. In fact, she fell so in love with this rugged land of sweeping sunsets and enduring pioneer spirit, that she incorporates it into the pages of her novels, setting her stories in the small towns of a state that burgeoned into greatness in the mid- to late1800s.

A life-long bookworm, Karen is living her dream by writing novels. Her books have consistently hit bestseller lists and have garnered numerous awards. When not writing, she loves to pester her adult children, play board games, and cross-stitch intricate patterns reminiscent of the historical eras present in her stories.

Karen's favorite aspect of her writing life is hearing from readers. Nothing encourages her heart more. She'd love to hear from you. You can contact her here.

Visit Karen's website.

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Michelle Shocklee makes a return appearance on the show this week, talking about her new release, All We Thought We Knew. We chat about the interesting intertwining of the WWII and Vietnam War eras, how it feels to be a Christy Award finalist, and why she'll never read a book in ebook format. Patrons will hear about all the special items she has sitting on her desk.

All We Thought We Knew by Michelle Shocklee

She was so sure she knew her family’s story . . . Now she wonders if she was wrong about all of it.

1969. When Mattie Taylor’s twin brother was killed in Vietnam, she lost her best friend and the only person who really understood her. Now, news that her mother is dying sends Mattie back home, despite blaming her father for Mark’s death. Mama’s last wish is that Mattie would read some old letters stored in a trunk, from people Mattie doesn’t even know. Mama insists they hold the answers Mattie is looking for.

1942. Ava Delaney is picking up the pieces of her life following her husband’s death at Pearl Harbor. Living with her mother-in-law on a secluded farm in Tennessee is far different than the life Ava imagined when she married only a few short months ago. Desperate to get out of the house, Ava seeks work at a nearby military base, where she soon discovers the American government is housing Germans who they have classified as enemy aliens. As Ava works to process legal documents for the military, she crosses paths with Gunther Schneider, a German who is helping care for wounded soldiers. Ava questions why a man as gentle and kind as Gunther should be forced to live in the internment camp, and as they become friends, her sense of the injustice grows . . . as do her feelings for him. Faced with the possibility of losing Gunther, Ava must choose whether loving someone deemed the enemy is a risk worth taking, even if it means being ostracized by all those around her.

In the midst of pain and loss two women must come face-to-face with their own assumptions about what they thought they knew about themselves and others. What they discover will lead to a far greater appreciation of their own legacies and the love of those dearest to them.

Get your copy of All We Thought We Knew by Michelle Shocklee.

More about Michelle:

I have always loved the written word. As far back as I can remember I've enjoyed books.
My mother, an elementary school teacher, read to my four older siblings and me a lot while we grew up in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains in Santa Fe, New Mexico. After I learned to read on my own, books were part of my daily life. When I walk into a bookstore, I take a deep breath, inhaling that wonderful, unique aroma. Ahhh.
(Sorry techies, but ya just can't do that with a Kindle!)

So it wasn't a big surprise when I discovered how much I enjoyed writing my own stories. I filled pages of notebooks and eventually computer screens with tales of love, heartbreak, drama and humor. Although I write various genres,
historical settings are my favorite.

When I'm not writing, editing, or dreaming up new stories, my husband and I work as Estate Caretakers! We also enjoy spending time at the beach with our two grown sons and their beautiful wives.

Visit Michelle's website.

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Wow! Somehow, Christian Historical Fiction Talk has made to it to 200 episodes. That's unbelievable to me. Thank you all for your support of the show over this past 4+ years. I appreciate it more than you can ever know.

On this episode, we do a little celebrating. I pull back the curtain and give some insight into how an episode comes to be, I share a little bit of trivia about the show, and think aloud about what I'd like to see happen to the show in the future and what I've learned along the way.

If you'd like to check out some of my books, take a look at these:
What I Would Tell You
What I Promise You
What I Left for You
When the Sky Burned

Books by some of the show's most popular authors:
Embers in the London Sky by Sarah Sundin
For a Lifetime by Gabrielle Meyer
The Rose and the Thistle by Laura Frantz
By Evening's Light by Leslie Gould

Create your podcast today! #madeonzencastr

Christian Historical Fiction Talk is listener supported. When you buy things through this site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

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Tessa Afshar joins us on the show this week to talk about her upcoming book, The Queen's Cook. We chat about her research for the novel, her love of cooking and what she's growing in her garden, and many other fun topics. Patrons will hear what her first impressions of America were when she came to the country.

The Queen's Cook by Tessa Afshar

"A tender and touching tale. Tessa Afshar has given us two wonderfully charming heroines."--ANGELA HUNT, New York Times bestselling author of The Emissaries series

In the heart of ancient Persia, the empire's Jewish citizens face an ominous edict that threatens their very existence. Roxannah, the daughter of an impoverished Persian lord, is devastated by the news but feels helpless to come to the aid of her Jewish friends. Desperate to support her family, Roxannah approaches the royal physician, Adin--the man whose kind eyes haunt her--and seeks his help to find employment in Queen Esther's kitchens.

In the opulent palace of Susa, Roxannah tries to survive the spiteful ploys of the other cooks as she ascends through the ranks. Her loyalty earns her the trust and friendship of Queen Esther, who is navigating dangerous politics with wisdom and grace. When Roxannah and Adin uncover a sinister plot against Amestris, the king's most powerful wife and Esther's archenemy, they find themselves tasked with the impossible job of discovering the culprit. As secrets unravel and alliances are tested, the fate of Esther's reign hangs in the balance.

Get your copy of The Queen's Cook by Tessa Afshar.

Tessa Afshar’s historical fiction has been on Publishers Weekly, CBA, and ECPA bestseller lists and has been translated into 12 languages.

Her novel, Pearl in the Sand is the recipient of the ECPA’s Bronze Milestone Sales Award. Tessa’s books have received the Christy, INSPY, and ECPA Christian Book of the Year (Bible Study category) Awards, and are Carol, Christy, and ECPA Christian Book Award finalists.

Tessa was born in the Middle East and lived there for the first fourteen years of her life. She then moved to England, where she survived boarding school for girls and fell in love with Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte, before moving to the United States permanently.

Her conversion to Christianity in her twenties changed the course of her life forever. Tessa holds a Master of Divinity from Yale, where she was elected as the co-chair of the Evangelical Fellowship at the Divinity School for one year. She served in women and prayer ministries for twenty years before becoming a full-time writer.

Tessa is a devoted wife, a mediocre gardener, and an enthusiastic cook of biblical recipes.

Visit Tessa's website.