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Tessa Afshar joins us for a chat about King Darius of the Bible, writing historical fiction, and her latest release The Peasant King. Don’t forget to enter to win a copy of this great book!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tessa Afshar is the Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author of biblical and inspirational historical fiction, including Land of Silence, which won an INSPY Award and was voted by Library Journal as one of the top five Christian fiction titles of 2016, and Harvest of Gold, which won a Christy Award in the Historical Romance category.
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, and she served in women and prayer ministries for twenty years before becoming a full-time writer and speaker.
Tessa is a devoted wife, an enthusiastic cook, and a mediocre gardener. But that has not cured her from being exceptionally fond of chocolate.
Questions
Let’s start with something fun.
- I love how on your website you welcome readers in true Middle Eastern style. What would you say is your favorite part of Middle Eastern culture that you still carry with you today?
- If you could have tea with anyone from history, who would it be?
- What is a common piece of life advice you hear that you disagree with (and why)?
- Is there anything interesting that you haven’t covered in other interviews that you could share with us, or is there something God has laid on your heart that you would like to share with your readers?
ABOUT THE BOOK
Jemmah has always thought of herself as perfectly ordinary . . . until she faces extraordinary circumstances.
When her mother, the Persian king’s famous senior scribe, is kidnapped, Jemmah and her sister must sneak undetected into enemy territory to rescue her. But infiltrating their adversary’s lands proves easier than escaping them. Fleeing through dangerous mountain passes, their survival depends on the skills of a stranger they free from prison: a mysterious prince named Asher.
Despite his royal blood, he has had to climb his way out of poverty to forge success from nothing. A manufacturer of some of the best weaponry in the East, Asher has only one goal: to destroy his father. But following his escape from prison, Asher is irresistibly drawn to Jemmah, unaware that she guards her own secret.
Jemmah must convince Asher to give up everything he has worked for, all for the sake of a higher purpose he’s not sure he believes in. The fate of the Persian empire—and possibly the Judean people—hang in the balance, and in the persuasive power of one ordinary woman.
A prince living as a peasant and an ordinary girl trying to free her mother – sounds like a great Medieval set up, but this is biblical times fiction!
- Do any famous Bible figures appear in this story?
- I love the theme of an ordinary young woman accomplishing extraordinary things. Could you tell us a little more about who Jemmah is? She basically answered this
- Did you learn anything surprising about ancient weaponry and warfare while researching Asher’s trade? (Or share some interesting tidbit you researched especially for this story.) 🙂
- What is next for you with your writing?
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