His Brother’s Wife came the same way as Temper the Wind: with a scripture that caught my fancy. When I’m looking at scriptures as settings for a romance novel, there has to be a germ that will let a man and a woman come together.

I have seen a number of Biblical romances out on the market that deal with characters we know well, adding to their history. My approach is different. I want a situation, not usually a  person. (Although I did put Jephthah in Javan’s stories.)

That said, I do have a very small character in the Bible whose story is nibbling in the back of my brain, but it’s not ready to share yet.

Anyway, back to Hannah. I knew I wanted to write a brother-in-law marriage romance, but it had to have more drama than two people in the awkward position of going from loosely linked family to being married. Not that that situation isn’t dramatic, but I needed something that would make obedience to the Law difficult.

What is more dramatic and faith-testing than having to remarry after abuse? Add to that a trial implicit in the command: infertility.

Which brings another interesting angle that I cover in His Brother’s Wife. What if it isn’t the wife who is infertile? What if the man’s fertility is the issue? Fertility is a multi-faceted thing. It takes two people’s contribution to make a child, and it might be the combination of them rather than either alone that leaves them childless.

This is something that hits very close to home for me, and I knew it had to be handled carefully. I was told as a teenager that I would never have children. It turned out that the doctor was wrong, but had I married someone other than Hubby, he might well have been right.

“Wonderful, heartwarming story!” – customer review

“Such an engrossing story! So very well written!” – customer review

“Fantastic story dealing with an abusive husband and the aftermath of PTSD. Great depth, characters, setting. I couldn’t put it down!! Cudos” – customer review

“Excellent storyline, imaginative plot, and well-written!! I couldn’t put the book down, often losing sleep, but well worth it!” – customer review