Join me in welcoming author Lana Christian as she shares about her upcoming release.

Matthew 2:1-12 chronicles the story of the Wise Men who visited Jesus. Twelve verses. A pencil sketch. A cardboard cutout, colorized in some stained glass windows.

My debut biblical fiction novel, New Star, follows the Wise Men before and after they find Jesus. Why would I write about them, and what can their story tell us about risk-taking or writing?

During the year of research I did for the book, I learned how much they truly risked and what it cost them to do what they did. Sure, they faced a long journey with inherent physical dangers. Their gifts were lavishly expensive. But their greatest risks exceeded quantifiable value. Those highly respected, well-educated men were one notch below royalty. They wielded great religious and governmental influence in a powerful empire. Why did they put their reputations, careers, and much more on the line to study some foreign religious writings? What compelled them to risk their influence to investigate an elusive star? (I say elusive because the star did not guide them from their home base all the way to Bethlehem, as tradition depicts.)

What circumstances could woo them to do something so counterintuitive and counter-cultural?

It makes no sense.

Unless you figure out their motives.

That was one of my first tasks when I set out to write their story.

In many respects, their story is every writer’s story. Why do we do what we do? The risks are great; the chances of success are slim. There’s far more to lose than gain from the process. And yet we write.

What motivates us? Some say passion. “I can’t not write.”

Others say purpose. “I’m called to write.”

The two usually overlap. In the midst of our motives, God graciously invites us to co-create with Him in writing. How awesome is that?

If our call is clear, then it’s not good stewardship to ignore it. But the call does cost us. The price varies in lost free time, socializing, sleep, and more. We’re tempted to quit when words won’t flow. We face ridicule and rejection. We wish we could eliminate distractions—like that pesky day job that pays the bills. But we body check those idyllic thoughts when our kids clamor for supper or we realize we’ve read more of their grammar homework than our own words this week.

Darn. If that half-written scene would just resolve itself.

The writing journey doesn’t travel in a straight line. Neither does life or faith. I invite you to immerse yourself in the Wise Men’s journey in New Star.

FIRST PAGE OF NEW STAR

Chapter 1

This Could Change Everything

Persia, the second week of March, 4 BC

Akilah pored over the last scroll in his stack. Again, nothing.

At the opposite end of his reading table, his younger colleague remained hunched over a codex. Akilah tapped the table. “Anything?”

“No.” Rashidi shut the codex with a sigh.

Akilah rose and paced the length of the room. “Then we keep looking.”

“Where?” Rashidi leapt from his seat and double-timed his steps to match Akilah’s long-legged strides. “I think the head librarian suspects something.”

“There’s nothing suspect about doing research.”

“He suspects we haven’t found anything.” Rashidi plucked Akilah’s sleeve. “He questioned me on how all the volumes we’ve pulled on history, world cultures, and religion pertained to an astronomy project. Somehow he knows I went to Nineveh’s library for three weeks. And yesterday, the head of the Lower Council almost smirked when he asked me how our research was progressing.”

“That’s Sassanak’s way. He was baiting you. Only the lead researcher of any study can report its results.” Akilah dismissed Rashidi’s concern with a hand wave, but his brow furrowed.

What Akilah’s superior knew—or thought he knew—about this study could influence the Council at large.

New Star releases September 24, 2024. Buy it here. 

Getting to know Lana:

Lana Christian is an award-winning author in business and creative writing. Since 2019, she has won six faith-based writing awards, including one from Baker Publishing Group for her short story about Lot. She’s passionate about making the Bible and history come alive, while connecting those dots to applications for today. Her author website includes her devotional blog, “Encouragement from Living History.”

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