Behind the story

It was the Aramaic teachings of Yeshua along with fascination about the character of Martha of Bethany that inspired me to write this novel. She is only mentioned three times in the Bible but was clearly loved by Yeshua. However, as sister of Magdalene and Lazarus, she felt lacking and unsure of herself, similar to many people today. Hence my idea of paralleling her story with another Martha, whose search for truth begins in 2000 AD on a farm in the Lake District. Both women face similar challenges, experience the same insecurities, but inspired by the mystical teachings of Yeshua, transmute their fear into love so serve as inspiration for us all today.

In researching the book, I travelled to the Old City of Jerusalem, Bethany, now called Al-Eizariya, Galilee, southern France, Spain and also visited sacred sites in Britain. Spending time in these places allowed me to imagine what life would have been like for Martha two thousand years ago . . . and from this the book arose.

Photos by Eliza    Music: Oud Masterpieces by Alan Bardezbanian