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about the book
On the run from Herod and the Nabataeans, Akilah makes a desperate decision to venture into the unforgiving Wilderness of Paran. To reach Egypt’s safety, his caravan must survive the elements while maintaining their anonymity and protecting the secrets they harbor. Their knowledge of Yeshua is one of many secrets that jeopardize their lives. When calamity tears one Wise Man away from the others, the group’s resolve and newfound faith start to crumble. Farther from their goal of returning to Persia than ever before, they encounter Yeshua’s family again. Its ramifications raise the stakes for their cost of belief in the Hebrew God.
Two thousand miles away, Akilah’s estranged cousin, Farzaneh, wrestles with the same as she tries to uncover secrets her husband took to the grave when he embraced the Hebrew faith. As life shifts radically for everyone, each person must risk trusting an unfathomable, sovereign God.
publisher: scrivenings press
release date: september 23, 2025
other books in the series
excerpt
A few minutes later, Akilah slipped away from camp. Beyond everyone’s sight, he dropped to the hardened ground. “Are we on a fool’s journey?” he asked the sky.
No caravan traveled this far or long at one time. Even along the Silk Road and Spice Route, travelers and their wares switched caravans at way stations, getting fresh supplies and rested camels for each leg of their journey.
They were nowhere near Egypt yet. Akilah thought of the tired legs carrying them. The rugged territory behind them. The uncertainties ahead of them. The griffon vultures that seemed to follow them.
How can we get to Alexandria?
Akilah’s heart buckled under the weight of the question.
Reason and logic had always served him well. If his first plan didn’t work, he found an alternate strategy. Yet, despite all his education and capabilities, despite rationing food and finding hidden water, he couldn’t see how this would end well. They were still far from villages and farmland. They didn’t dare travel on Roman roads. Herod’s sentries would surely overtake them.
Akilah replayed Bethlehem in his mind. After they’d found Yeshua, the angel’s message had been the same to all three Wise Men. Don’t go back through Jerusalem. Don’t talk to Herod. Don’t go home the way you came. Their flight was a group decision. Yet, as head Wise Man, the full weight of that responsibility rested on Akilah.
He longed for easier decisions. Rest. Safety. Guidance.
Oh, to see the star that had led them to Yeshua. The memory built momentum, welling from his inmost being until it burst from his lips. “God of the Hebrews, I don’t have the strength to carry this burden. Lift it from me!”
about the author
Lana Christian is an award-winning author in business and creative writing. Since 2021, she has won a dozen awards for her biblical fiction and nonfiction. Her debut biblical fiction novel, “New Star,” has garnered six awards to date. She was a 2025 Selah Awards finalist in the Devotions Online category and also won an award from Baker Publishing Group for her short story about Lot. Lana is a science and history geek who loves hiking, secret staircases, and masala chai tea. Her greatest desire is that her stories will immerse readers in another place and time they may know little about but come away with an experience that exceeds their expectations.
Connect with Lana by visiting lanachristian.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.
giveaway
(1) winner will receive a $15 Amazon gift card + Plum Deluxe tea sampler*
(1) winner will receive a $15 Amazon gift card
*tea sampler will include a packet of each of the following Plum Deluxe teas:
No Obligations Decaf (a hazelnut almond black tea and author’s fave)
Comfort Blend Cinnamon Orange black tea (caffeine)
Magical Butterfly Herbal tea (butterfly pea flower + berries)
(a close substitution may be made if one kind of tea is not available)
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight September 29, 2025 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on October 3, 2025. 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
I liked the excerpt.
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