I happened upon Lynn’s books in the library and fell head over heels in love with them. The first series I read is based on the life of King Hezekiah from the Bible, and I enjoyed reading about that time and having it brought to life for me. I asked Lynn some questions about that series, and she delighted me by answering them. Here are her thoughts, exclusively for Families.com.
Lynn, can you tell us a little bit about how your series about King Hezekiah came to be?
My husband and I went on a tour of Israel with a group from our church and the guide took Ken and me on a trip through Hezekiah’s tunnel (Everyone else on the tour was too chicken to go with us!) On the way home from Israel, my husband and I stopped in London for a few extra days so I could research the Assyrian culture at the British Museum. They have one of the best Assyrian collections in the world, and I was able to purchase some resource books there.
A few years later I had the opportunity to spend a month in Israel as a volunteer on an archaeological dig with my oldest son. We excavated one of Hezekiah’s storage cities called Timnah. The dig also included coursework in Biblical Backgrounds with lectures from the archaeologists, so that was where I learned a lot of the details about everyday life in that time period. (I also wrote a novel about my adventures on the dig, called “Wings of Refuge.”)
I read several commentaries on the biblical books from this time period, such as Isaiah and Micah and Chronicles, and read as many other biblical resource books as I could find in college and seminary libraries. There is quite a bit of historical information on this time period if you know where to look. One of the advantages of writing about this period–compared to, say, the WWII era–is that no one is likely to come up to me and say, “You made a glaring mistake! I was there, and that’s not the way it happened!”
The Hezekiah books are actually the first books I ever wrote. Hezekiah’s story grabbed me when I was a Junior in high school studying the Bible in catechism class at church. When I decided to try writing a book, his was the first story I wanted to tell. I began writing it right after my daughter was born (she is now 22) and since I could only write during her nap times, it took me several years to finish.
What is your writing schedule like now?
Now I research and write one book a year, but I still approach it the same way; reading a multitude of non-fiction books on the historical period and visiting the actual sites whenever possible. My current project takes place very close to home–in Chicago–but the time period is 1893 when the World’s Columbian Exposition came to the city.
Lynn has also written some fabulous books about the Civil War, my favorite being “Fire By Night.” You can learn more about her by visiting her website.
Lynn, thank you so much for joining us today. I know your schedule is so hectic; it means a lot that you took time out to be with us.
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