Star Song: They Met Jesus by Katheryn Maddox Haddad

 

STAR SONG

Novel #1 of THEY MET JESUS

 

Star Song is the Christmas story, the first of eight lyrical novels on the life of Christ through the eyes of one hundred people who met and struggled with him.

What is a lyrical novel? It is one that is written to teach lessons.  To Kill a Mockingbird is a lyrical novel. So are Moby Dick and Grapes of Wrath.  A lyrical novel is about a person or persons with inner struggles.

In order to make these people come to life for you, I wrote them in present tense. It allows you to crawl inside the skin of the characters. I even give you, the reader, a chance to talk to the characters. When the angel appears to Mary, the reader chimes in and says, “Come on, Mary. You can do this. You believed part of what the angel said. Believe the rest. You can do this, Mary. Try. Really try.”

Star Song is set in Palestine dominated by cruel King Herod who did not hesitate to kill family members to protect his throne. Amidst national turmoil, the Prince of Peace is born, and everyone involved in his birth has a personal struggle of their own: “Is he really the Son of God? If so, how do I tell other people who probably won’t believe and will turn on me instead?”

Mary is visited by an angel who announces she’s going to be the unwed mother of God’s Son.  How long does it take him to convince her?

Elizabeth goes into seclusion when she becomes pregnant in her old age.  Will her shyness get in the way of raising a future prophet, especially with a husband who cannot talk?

Joseph’s betrayal by Mary pierces his heart like nails. Can he make it through the night without cutting up every board in his workshop the way his dreams have been cut up?

Joseph struggles with those who taunt him for marrying a woman already pregnant, and his inability to even find a bed for Mary and her soon-coming baby in a strange city.

The Shepherds are dirty, smelly, and the dregs of society, but angels appear to them instead of holy people worshiping in the temple at Jerusalem. Will they even know how to act around baby Jesus?

Anna and Simeon live through decades of Roman slaughters right there in the temple, always looking for the Deliverer.  When old and tired, will their faith hold out?

The Wise Men in far-off Persia study a never-before-seen star.  Will the holy books of their gods help them find its meaning before the emperor throws them into the lions’ den?

The Wise Men finally decide the star is a sign of a god being born in the west.  They are appointed ambassadors to pay homage.  Will they only attract the attention of the newborn’s enemies?

Zechariah has a son born in his old age.  Will he be able to break little John’s (the Baptist’s) habit of taking after his shy and reclusive mother?

King Archelaus manages to be more savage than the Jews’ cruelest king, his father Herod. The year Jesus is 11, he kills thousands in the temple.  Will the temple ever be safe?

Katheryn Haddad was born in the cold north, but now lives in Arizona where she does not have to shovel sunshine. She enjoys hot weather, palm trees and cacti in her yard, and a computer with the letters worn off.
With a bachelor’s degree in English, Bible and social science from Harding University and part of a master’s degree in Bible, including Greek, from the Harding Graduate School of Theology, she also has a master’s degree in management and human relations from Abilene University.
Her newspaper column appeared for several years in newspapers in Texas and North Carolina ~ Little Known Facts About the Bible ~ and she has written for numerous Christian publications.
Currently she teaches English over the internet every morning, using the Bible as a text book. Most of her students are Muslims. She has taught some 6000 thus far, and has former students, now Christians, in hiding in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, Jordan, Uzbekistan, and Palestine. “They are my heroes” she declares.
She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Christian Writers of the West, and is also an energetic public speaker who can touch the heart of audiences.

Website: http://inspirationsbykatheryn.com

Purchase Star Song HERE