Author Spotlight: Anna Grace Miller

It’s an honor to welcome Anna Grace Miller to today’s author spotlight. We’ve been in a critique group for over 5 years now (how is that possible?) and grown together in our craft. Jonah: The Belly of Hell takes us back to the Biblical character but Anna has so much history and other threads woven in that you will not want to miss reading her book. Welcome Anna!

Tell us about your latest release

 My latest release is an historical fiction on the life of Jonah the prophet. While staying as close as I could to the biblical story, I weaved in a gripping fictional story to fill in all the gaps. The Bible informs us that Jonah prophesied against the wickedness of Israel, infuriating King Jeroboam II. Where the Bible leaves off, I pick up. Angry at Jonah for his prophesying, the king frames Jonah in a heinous crime, and sends bounty hunters for his head. Jonah uses this as his excuse to flee the command to preach to Nineveh. And thus, the hunt, the hide, and the search for forgiveness ensues.

What inspired your novel?

Well, while I was still single, the young, and handsome associate pastor at our church preached a lengthy series on the book of Jonah. He opened my eyes to the amazing culture of Nineveh and their atrocious sins, and the challenges Jonah faced. I was enraptured and began taking notes furiously. I knew I would dedicate my book to my associate pastor, but I didn’t know that I would also fall in love with him and become his wife.

Share an interesting tidbit about your story

We aren’t quite sure what atrocities Nineveh committed; all we’re told is that they were a very wicked city. I wanted to parallel some of America’s sins with that of Nineveh, hoping to open the eyes of some readers. I chose abortion. Nineveh uses the blood of infants to bring strength and health to their great warriors. In my story, the king of Nineveh had just passed a law that will allow thousands more children to be offered for this great sacrifice to their warriors. The clock begins ticking when the king passes this law. Will Jonah arrive in Nineveh in time to stop the bloodshed?

What is it about your chosen genre that keeps you writing those stories

There are very few books written on the minor prophets. If you want a novel about women in the bible, you’ll find the shelves loaded with them. If you want a book about the life of Jesus, you’ve got a million. But what about those side characters in the Old Testament that lived rough lives, obeying God’s word to prophesy to wicked countries and rarely getting anything in return? Where are their stories? I wanted something on the shelves that contained meat and substance. I wanted the real questions of this life to be asked, the moral compass of our society to be checked, and less-known heroes to come to life.

What are you working on now?

 I’m presently in the midst of writing what might be termed as the sequel to Jonah. It’s on the life of Amos the prophet, but since Jonah was his contemporary, they meet in my story. I’m also plotting a series of western books for young boys. Louis L’Amour is my hero in the writing world, and after reading most of his novels, and having a six-year-old son in love with cowboys and Indians, I feel it’s time I try my hand at this genre.

Do you enjoy research?  Why or why not?

 Interestingly enough, I do not like research. Biblical stories force me to do the drudgery work, but I do it, and I ensure I am thorough. The only thing worse than a dull story is one where the author has obviously failed in his research. I research because I must, but I write these historical stories because of a passion deep within me. Why don’t I like research? Well, I suppose it’s because I’m too eager to get to the character creating, scene painting, and story building. But without all the foundation of research, I would have no realistic characters, no accurate settings, and absolutely no story.

Bio:

Anna Grace Miller lives on a little farm in the foothills of the Tennessee Valley with her husband and three children. She writes, plays music, and schools her children at home. Having completed an apprenticeship in Jerry B. Jenkins Writer’s Guild, and receiving a bachelor’s degree in biblical studies, Anna then wrote for seven years in a local magazine. She has been president of a Word Weaver’s International page for eight years and focuses her writing on biblical fiction and children’s allegorical fantasy. You can find her on facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/annagracemichael