Welcome to the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! If you’ve just discovered the hunt, be sure to start at Stop #1, and collect the clues through all the stops, in order, so you can enter to win one of our top three grand prizes!
• The hunt BEGINS on 10/23 at noon Mountain with Stop #1 at LisaTawnBergren.com.
• Search through our loop using Chrome or Firefox as your browser (not Explorer).
• There is NO RUSH to complete the hunt—you have all weekend (until Sunday, 10/26 at midnight Mountain)! So take your time, reading the unique posts along the way; our hope is that you discover new authors/new books and learn new things about them.
• Submit your entry for the grand prizes by collecting the CLUE on each author’s scavenger hunt post and submitting your answer in the Rafflecopter form at the final stop, back on Lisa’s site. Many authors are offering additional prizes along the way!
If you’ve never visited this site before, I’m Angela Hunt, wife and mother to adult children, mastiffs, and a flock of chickens. I’ve been writing for years, and I particularly love historical fiction set in biblical times. Which brings me to my latest release: RESCUED HEART, THE STORY OF SARAH.
In Ur of the Chaldeans, Ishcah faces the daunting prospect of marrying Abram, a man she has never met and who renames her Sarai on their wedding day. Their union, arranged since childhood, tests her as she grapples with uncertainty about her future and Abram’s character, including his devotion to an unseen God–entirely unlike the idols she has worshiped all her life.
When Abram reveals that Adonai has directed him to leave the family, Sarai chooses to trust him and follow his God, even though she is not sure Adonai can make them a great nation. As the years pass without conceiving a child, Sarai wrestles with doubt and faith within her marriage. Her skepticism that their descendants will “outnumber the stars” grows with time. It will take nothing short of a miracle to prove Adonai’s faithfulness to His promise.
Sarah, wife of Abraham, has only one line of dialogue in the Bible. We are told a few things about her, but we are never given a full picture of who she is, or how she feels about being taken into Pharaoh’s harem, being beautiful, or being taken into Abimelech’s harem. (That’s why the book is called RESCUED HEART–Sarah was always being kidnapped!)
So I was delighted to find an ancient book that’s mentioned twice in Scripture, though it never claims to be inerrant or the Word of God. It’s the Book of Jasher, and it contains stories about the Old Testament characters. In it I read a lot about Sarah and Abram, and it really helped me to write Sarah’s story. Without it, I would have had to make everything up, and that’s not my favorite thing. I much prefer writing historical fiction that’s based, you know, on actual history.
One Jewish tradition that I found fascinating is the idea that Sarah–after going through menopause–began to age backward, rather like Benjamin Button. We see this reflected in the fact that she was so beautiful–at NINETY years of age–that Abimelech took her into his harem. So in my book I had her looking into her looking brass and thinking that her neck seemed a little less crepey than it had the day before . . . wouldn’t that be fun?
Another thing I learned was that Sarah was probably pregnant before Abimelech took her. The angel appeared to Abraham and said they would have a son in a year’s time, and then Abram moved to Gerar, the Philistine city where Abimelech was entranced by Sarah. Sarah wasn’t obviously pregnant at that time, so she couldn’t have been in the harem very long. the Bible tells us that Abimelech’s women weren’t able to have children after Sarah’s arrival, and most preachers interpret that by saying the women were struck with infertility–well, it takes time to discover and diagnose infertility, and Sarah didn’t have that long. So in my story, I had that they were literally unable to bear children–pregnant women were unable to give birth–which forced Abimelech to release her in a hurry. Can you imagine?
In any case, I hope you’ll enjoy learning more about Sarah and her fascinating life.
Here are the Stop #2 Basics:
If you’re interested, you can order Rescued Heart: The Story of Sarah on Amazon,
Barnes & Noble, ChristianBook, Target.com, or at your local bookstore!
Clue to Write Down: UP WITH
Link to Stop #2, the Next Stop on the Loop: Robin Lee Hatcher’s site!
I’m excited to learn about this book and will definitely read it because it’s the genre I most enjoy
I just finished this book! I found your research fascinating! Also, I have always wondered about how Sarah was still so beautiful at that age that King Abimelech would want her in his harem! But nothing is too difficult for our God!!
Amazing covers! Beautiful
I can’t wait to read it!
I can’t wait to read this one!
It sounds like a book I would be interested in. I can’t wait to give it a read!
Interest sounding book. Will definitely put it on my list to read!
Sounds interesting!
Can’t wait to read it. Your research is always so thorough and you come up with interesting facts
This sounds like such a great story
Sounds exciting!
This book sounds like a great story
Sounds so amazing Thank You
I love the cover!
Sounds like a good book! I’ll check it out!
I’ve read this book and loved learning more about Sarah. But I love all your books!!!
I am very much looking forward to this story. I think I have read all of yours at this point and delight in new stories you release!
Love your books. Excited to read Rescued Heart!
Can’t wait to read this one, I love your books!
The cover and that other image of Sarah is so pretty!! How fascinating that you found other ancient stories to glean from.
I look forward to reading the story of Sarah
That’s neat what you found in the Book of Jasher to enrich your story of Sarah. Looking forward to it.
Sounds wonderful!!
I have always admired Sarah.
Sounds like a great read!
Isn’t history great? What fun facts!
Going on my to read list!
Would love to read this book. Do you think this backward aging will be our lot in heaven?
That sounds intriguing and I love that you have based it on historical foundations and creativity for perspective.
This sounds great, and the cover is beautiful!
I loved this book! Most other accounts of Sarah that I’ve read had me not liking her or being able to relate to her. This one did neither, and the ending was so beautiful. I loved the way the Book of Jasher was incorporated and how it enhanced the story for me!
I ordered and it’s on my TBR to be read… can’t wait.
so interesting. I always like reading about Bible people.
Looking forward to Sarah’s story!
I’ve read and reviewed it. Great story!
Your book sounds like a great story!!
I love reading biblical fiction.
Interesting story and beautiful cover.
Just wow!
Love the cover.