Guest post and...COVER REVEAL! Barbara M. Britton

Once again, I'm happy to welcome fellow Pelican Book Group author, Barbara M. Britton, to Chirp 'N Chatter. It is no less a pleasure this time than it was on her first visit. Today, Barbara will talk about the editing of Building Benjamin while on radiation therapy, and then...she'll introduce her brand new cover for the next book in the series, Jerusalem Rising: Adah's Journey. What fun to be the first to see this stunning cover! 

In addition, Barbara will give away a copy of Building Benjamin to a commenter on this post. Winner's choice of digital or print format. So be sure to say hello in the comments. Let us know what you're thinking about this series...and about the new cover. 

Building Benjamin...Through the Fire of Radiation

Thank you for having me on your blog today, Delia—Again! 

In two days, my second novel in my Tribes of Israel series will release in print. I am a print book reader, so I am thrilled to actually hold this story in my hands. “Building Benjamin: Naomi’s Journey” was inspired by Judges 19-21 where the tribe of Benjamin is almost wiped out by the other tribes of Israel. I had no idea this story was in the Bible. A lot of chaos happens in these final chapters in Judges, and a lot of chaos happens to Naomi, Cuzbi, and Jael in my story.

But, God is at work to save the tribe of Benjamin. I’m happy He did! The apostle Paul is from the tribe of Benjamin as is Saul, the first king of Israel (although that didn’t work out as well).

If you open “Building Benjamin” to the acknowledgements page, you will see a list of doctors and medical professionals who helped save my life. We know God is the ultimate healer, but these surgeons and nurses and physical therapists gave me a chance to beat breast cancer. I’m optimistic my cancer will not return because I had radical surgery and radiation therapy. But even if it does, I know God is in control.

My radiation therapy was to catch and kill any cancer cells that were left behind from my surgery. It was during radiation therapy that I edited Naomi’s story.

At first, I almost panicked to get my edits when I had to go to the hospital every day. Not to mention, I had to rest, drink water at every turn, and be a big grease ball of lotion to keep my skin from burning. I added a drop, or two, of Calendula oil to my lotion to prevent burning, so not only was I greasy, I was yellow! My edits were a blessing in disguise. I could turn my attention from cancer and oncology wards to something fun and rewarding—my writing.

God guided me through my cancer journey. He gave me peace and strength to battle the fear of the unknown. I’m not a big fan of needles, and God provided the grit for me to make it through many unpleasant procedures. The prayers of His saints were like a vitamin elixir every morning.

And while I was getting ready for Naomi and Eliab to have their day in the publishing sun, God gave me the idea for another story. Since Delia has been a huge support to me during my publishing career, I thought her readers might like to see the cover to my next Tribes of Israel novel. I’m sure Naomi won’t mind sharing her release day with Adah.

My next heroine is a daughter of Shallum who helped build the wall around the city of Jerusalem with Nehemiah. Adah’s story will release in November of 2017.

I’m happy to answer any questions about Naomi, Adah, or breast cancer. God is good!

About BUILDING BENJAMIN:

Love Grows Where God Grafts the Tender Shoot.

Naomi desires to dance well enough to catch the eye of a wealthy landowner. Her father needs a substantial bride price due to the deaths of her brothers at the hands of the tribe of Benjamin. But when Benjamites raid the Ephraimite feast and capture young girls, Naomi is bound and carried from her home by Eliab, a troubled shepherd who needs a wife.

As Naomi awaits rescue, she finds Eliab has a strong faith in God and a just reason for abducting her. A reason that affects all the tribes of Israel. The future of the tribe of Benjamin hangs in the balance, but if Naomi follows her heart and stays with Eliab to rebuild his lineage, she must forfeit her family and become a traitor to her tribe.

Cover Reveal!

Jerusalem Rising: 

Adah's Journey

When Adah bat Shallum volunteers to rebuild Jerusalem’s wall, she soon discovers not all of Judah’s enemies lie outside the crumbling rocks.

Delia here: Isn't this cover gorgeous? I absolutely love it! All of the covers for the Tribes of Israel series have been breathtaking. Side by side, they're quite the eye-catching set of book covers. Don't you agree? :)

About the Author:

Barbara M. Britton was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, but currently lives in Wisconsin and loves the snow—when it accumulates under three inches. She writes Christian Fiction for teens and adults. Barb has a nutrition degree from Baylor University but loves to dip healthy strawberries in chocolate. Barb kicked off her Tribes of Israel series in October with the release of “Providence: Hannah’s Journey.” Naomi’s journey, “Building Benjamin” is out now. Barb is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Romance Writers of America and Wisconsin Romance Writers of America.

Connect with Barb: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Book Video

Buy Links…. Amazon, B&N, Target

Author Interview: Barbara M. Britton

It is my pleasure to welcome Barbara M. Britton back to Chirp 'N Chatter! We're talking about her new release, BUILDING BENJAMIN: NAOMI'S STORY. Barbara will give away an electronic copy of this exciting book of biblical fiction, OR a print copy of PROVIDENCE: HANNAH'S JOURNEY. Leave a comment below to be entered in the drawing.

Welcome back, Barbara! I'm eager to hear about your new release. I gotta say, I'm intrigued with this series. And both of your Tribes of Israel covers are absolutely stunning!

Thank you for having me back to talk with your readers. I am so excited to be launching another Tribes of Israel novel into the world. BUILDING BENJAMIN: NAOMI'S STORY releases today in e-book. The print edition comes out April Fool’s Day. I’m going to have to think of something fun to do on April 1^st.

Absolutely! You can't pass up an opportunity like that. :) Are your characters based on real people?

In my first book, I was inspired by the servant girl in the story of Naaman (II Kings 5). The servant girl was mentioned briefly, but we didn’t know her backstory or whatever happened to her. Building Benjamin is inspired by the chaos in the last three chapters of the book of Judges (Judges 19-21). I had no idea this Sodom and Gomorrah story was in Judges and that the tribe of Benjamin was almost wiped out—by the other tribes of Israel, no less. We know the incident from the Bible narrative. I threw some characters into the mix.

How interesting! What is your favorite book you’ve written and why?

I love all my books, so it is difficult to pick a favorite. I will say that Naomi’s story was the most difficult to write because it is an enemies-to-lovers story. I had to change Naomi’s feelings for Eliab 180 degrees. And I changed them in a short amount of time. I found that hard to do and make it seem believable. I find boy-next-door romances or handsome stranger romances much easier to write. But I’ll never say never on doing another whirlwind transformation. 

I love coming up with titles for my own books. How did you come up with the title for this one?

At the end of Judges, the tribe of Benjamin is left with 600 men and no women or children. Wives are a necessity if the tribe is going to survive. But alas, the rest of the tribes have taken an oath not to give their daughters in marriage to those nasty Benjamites. What’s a man to do when God has forbidden the Hebrews from marrying foreign women? Well, some Benjamites hide in a vineyard and steal Ephraimite women when they come out to dance. What would it be like to be one of the women stolen? Naomi, Cuzbi, and Jael find out. The tribe of Benjamin needs babies to continue on. The tribe needs to be built up, so Building Benjamin.

On a Biblical note, both Saul, the first king of Israel, and Saul of Tarsus (later named the apostle Paul) come from the tribe of Benjamin. God had a plan to rescue the tribe.

Now let's get really up close and personal... lol  What did you edit out of this book?

Nothing. This was a shocker! I thought I would have to tone down some sensuality, but I sailed through the editing process. I mean, this is Christian fiction, so there are no sex scenes, but my characters do fall in love. I did however have a ton of comments on one certain scene where a lame ewe is left on the roadside. Oh my, did I get scolded. Now, being the author, I knew what was going to happen, but my poor editor didn’t. She was so relieved later on in the story. So when you hit that scene, trust me—even though you might shed a tear.

When you wrote this book, did you have an idea of how it would end at the beginning?

I followed the Bible narrative, but the last chapter of Judges treats the capture of the women matter-of-factly. The ending loses steam compared to the accounts of all the battles and the kidnapping. I added a bit of spice based on what might have occurred from the text. The ending remains the same, as the tribe of Benjamin was saved.

I was wondering if any of your readers were familiar with this Bible story before today. I remember Sunday School and VBS stories about Deborah, Samson, and Gideon, but never this story from the book of Judges.

How about it, readers? Are you familiar with this story in Judges?

About BUILDING BENJAMIN: NAOMI'S STORY:

Love Grows Where God Grafts the Tender Shoot.

Naomi desires to dance well enough to catch the eye of a wealthy landowner. Her father needs a substantial bride price due to the deaths of her brothers at the hands of the tribe of Benjamin. But when Benjamites raid the Ephraimite feast and capture young girls, Naomi is bound and carried from her home by Eliab, a troubled shepherd who needs a wife.

As Naomi awaits rescue, she finds Eliab has a strong faith in God and a just reason for abducting her. A reason that affects all the tribes of Israel. The future of the tribe of Benjamin hangs in the balance, but if Naomi follows her heart and stays with Eliab to rebuild his lineage, she must forfeit her family and become a traitor to her tribe.

About the author:

Barbara M. Britton was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, but currently lives in Wisconsin and loves the snow—when it accumulates under three inches. She writes Christian Fiction for teens and adults. Barb has a nutrition degree from Baylor University but loves to dip healthy strawberries in chocolate. Barb kicked off her Tribes of Israel series in October with the release of PROVIDENCE: HANNAH'S JOURNEY. Naomi’s journey is set to release this spring. Barb is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Romance Writers of America and Wisconsin Romance Writers of America.

Want to learn more?

Barbara’s website          Facebook

Twitter                          Goodreads

Purchase links:

Amazon                         Pelican Book Group