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about the book
Anna believed choosing Andrew meant gaining a home. Instead, she finds herself on the dusty roads of Galilee, under the watchful eyes of hostile Pharisees, walking ever closer to miracles that both heal and unsettle.
As a healer traveling with Jesus’s ministry alongside Andrew, Anna takes her place among the women who follow, forming bonds that offer strength as the journey grows harder. While crowds press close to hear the Teacher’s words, a different kind of attention gathers. In Jerusalem, her father Joseph of Arimathea, walks an impossible line within the Sanhedrin, and with each miracle Jesus performs, the net draws tighter around them all.
The cost of discipleship, Anna discovers, is not counted in miles walked or comforts surrendered. It is measured in the space between what she hoped following Jesus would be and what it actually demands.
Some journeys test what you believe.
Some reshape who you become.
Anna’s does both.
This is Book 2 of The Arimathea Chronicles. Begin Anna’s journey from the beginning with Book 1, Anna of Arimathea, where a scarred, isolated young woman discovers healing, first love, and purpose in the footsteps of Jesus.
Anna of Bethsaida is perfect for readers who love:
—Deeply researched biblical fiction with authentic period detail
—The untold stories of women in the early church – Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and the community that sustained Jesus’s ministry
—Love stories tested by faith and dangerous callings
—Political intrigue woven through spiritual transformation
—Character-driven narratives where personal loss intersects with world-changing events
publisher: sutton avenue press
release date: march 16, 2026
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other books in the series
excerpt
The sun had set, and Mary disappeared into the house.
When she returned, she carried an alabaster jar. Small, no larger than her palm, carved from translucent stone that glowed honey-gold in the lamplight. She held it with both hands, crossing slowly toward where Jesus reclined at the head table. Every eye followed her. Even the street sounds faded until only the soft shuffle of her feet on stone remained, the whisper of her robe against the ground.
She kneeled at his feet.
Then she broke it.
The crack echoed through the courtyard, and the scent hit — nard, pure nard, the kind carried by traders who crossed deserts and mountains to bring it west. The air grew thick with it, coating the inside of my mouth and lungs. The smell of exotic spices and resin, of distant places I would never see, of wealth so extravagant it felt obscene.
Mary tilted the jar over Jesus's feet. The oil poured out in a thick stream, coating his skin, running between his toes, pooling on the stone floor beneath them. The scent grew stronger, filling every corner of the courtyard until I could taste nothing else.
Jesus sat very still, watching her. Tears gathered in his eyes.
Mary set the empty jar aside. Then she reached up and unbound her hair. It fell around her shoulders in dark waves, tumbling down her back to her waist. She bent forward until her hair brushed the floor, and wiped his feet with it.
The gesture was so intimate, so tender, that part of me wanted to look away. This was not a servant washing a master's feet. The sound of her hair against his skin whispered through the courtyard.
No one spoke. No one moved. We all sat watching what we did not fully understand but knew in our bones was sacred.
about the author
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Susanne Blumer lives her life surrounded by stories—some she writes, and some she sells. As the CEO and Founder of Sassafras on Sutton LLC, she is the owner of three magical indie bookstores nestled in the North Carolina mountains of Black Mountain and Waynesville and Beaufort, South Carolina. One even has a full coffee bar. Oh, happy day!
She is the author of The Arimathea Chronicles, a series set in first-century Judea and centered on the life of Anna, the daughter of Joseph of Arimathea. The first two books, Anna of Arimathea and Anna of Bethsaida, are available now. The third book, Anna of Calvary, will be available later this year. She’s also written several children’s books, including the award-winning Bell Tower Bible Adventure series she co-wrote with her husband. Her new children’s picture book series, The Story of You, will release its first book late Spring 2026 called Before Your Story Had A Name.
When she’s not writing or doing other entrepreneurial tasks, you can usually find her hanging out on the floor of one of her stores, drinking coffee and learning the stories of her customers or spoiling her eight chickens. Susanne splits her time between Waynesville, NC in her beloved mountains and Beaufort, SC on the enchanting Lowcountry coast.
Connect with Susanne by visiting susanneblumer.com to follow her on social media and subscribe to email updates.
giveaway
(1) winner will receive a $25 Bookshop gift card and a signed copy of Anna of Bethsaida!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight March 17, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on March 24, 2026. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
tour schedule
thank you for sharing about Anna of Bethsaida today!
ReplyDeleteThis is an emotionally moving scene.
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