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Author Barbara M. Britton has done a bit of genre-hopping, from Biblical fiction to historical and contemporary fiction. With her newest release, Across the Lake: Traveling with Jesus Across the Sea of Galilee, she has uniquely combined two genres into one. This book is the perfect combination of Biblical fiction and devotional. 

Barb entwines her storytelling skills with a devotional consisting of additional insights, questions, and spiritual applications. These insights are enhanced by her recent experience of traveling to Israel—Capernaum and the Sea of Galilee. 

Barb’s other books

The Tribes of Israel series began with:

• Providence: Hannah’s Journey, based on II Kings 5
• Building Benjamin: Naomi’s Journey, based on Judges 19-21, set during the time of Israel’s war with the tribe of Benjamin
• Jerusalem Rising: Adah’s Journey, based on Nehemiah 1-8, which recounts the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s wall after Israel’s captivity

The Tribes of Israel series continued with the Daughters of Zelophehad, books 4 – 6:

• Lioness: Mahlah’s Journey
• Heavenly Lights: Noah’s Journey
• Claiming Canaan: Milcah’s Journey

Ones I’ve featured on the blog:

• Building Benjamin: Naomi’s Journey — Tribes of Israel series (June 11, 2018)—on my Journey to Imagination blog
• Lioness: Mahlah’s Journey — (March 8, 2022) — The oldest daughter of Zelophehad summons all her courage to ask Moses for their dead father’s land. Based on Numbers 27.
• Defending David — (March 1, 2022) — The tale of the Ittai the Gittite who aided King David during Absalom’s rebellion. Derived from II Samuel 15-19:8.

Barb took a detour to write Until June, set in the aftermath of World War I in Alaska.

Barb’s Contemporary Romance (featured on the blog):

• Christmas in Whispering Creek 
• Escape to Whispering Creek

Blurb

Discover the life-changing power of Jesus in six short stories from the Gospel of Mark. The miracles of Jesus will leap from the page in a Biblical Fiction story, author reflection, and relatable study.

Travel with Jesus as he calms a storm, heals a desperate woman, raises a dead daughter to life, sends His disciples on a minimalist mission, feeds thousands on a hillside, and shows compassion to a persistent mother.

A perfect study for your small group, personal or family devotions, or book club.

If you know Jesus, fall in love with Him all over again. If you haven’t experienced Jesus’s power and love, jump in His boat and engage with the Creator and Savior of the world.

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My thoughts

Barbara M Britton has done a beautiful thing by blending her storytelling skills with a devotional. The six stories from the gospel of Mark are told from multiple unique perspectives that bring each tale to life in vivid detail. 

We walk in the sandals of twelve-year-old Felix, son of the Gerasene demoniac, healed by Jesus. We feel the rejection of the woman with a twelve-year bleeding disorder—also healed by Jesus. We experience the feeding of the 5000 from the perspective of Miriam and Daniel in the crowd of hungry followers. We feel the devastation and anguish of a Gentile woman who seeks Jesus’s help to restore her daughter. 

These scenes are interspersed with the perspective of Peter. As a disciple, he knew Jesus well, though he still hadn’t figured everything out. He was walking with both faith and astonishment at the ways the Savior loved and touched many. 

While each scene is creatively fleshed out with imagery and dialogue, the author uses only Scripture’s words for Jesus’s dialogue. Each story is told over several short chapters or scenes. The author’s reflections enrich each story as she shares insights from her own time spent near the Sea of Galilee as well as cultural details during Jesus’s time. Each section is followed by discussion questions and applications.

If you’re looking for a unique devotional—either personally or for your Bible study group—give this one a try. 

Join me for some Q & A with author Barbara M. Britton.

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Comment below for a chance to win an ebook or paperback of Across the Lake–-USA only.

Questions about Across the Lake

What was your inspiration for writing Across the Lake, particularly in this story/devotional format? What’s your personal connection to the setting?

BARB: I didn’t set out to mix fiction with nonfiction, but I’m sure glad I did. I hope readers will grow closer to Jesus by reading this devotional or meet Him for the first time.

I had been praying about what Bible story to write about next. During that season of prayer, my husband I took a trip to Israel. As I was praying on a boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee, my eyes were opened to the setting and how impactful it was to travel where Jesus ministered.

When I returned from the trip, I began to write about the miracles Jesus performed. I added my reflections from visiting the sea and a short “digging deeper” section. I like the way the book turned out.

Two photos taken by Barb in Galilee:

What a privilege to visit the Holy Land and see the places where Jesus walked and lived! How did you choose which Bible stories to focus on?

BARB: In Israel, we were taught from the Gospel of Mark, and we visited sites where some of Jesus’s miracles occurred. Mark writes his Gospel narrative with quick accounts of Jesus’s compassion, healings, and powerful interactions in chapters four through seven. I focused on these chapters and their accounts of Jesus’s ministry.

We visit Jesus calming a storm, casting out a legion of demons, healing a woman bleeding for twelve years, raising Jairus’s daughter, sending out the disciples, feeding over five thousand people, and restoring a demon possessed daughter. 

There are many more accounts in Mark’s Gospel, but these are the ones that I covered in Across the Lake.

So many stories to choose from! Once you picked them, how did you choose which points of view to use?

BARB: Writing about Jesus is a blessing, but it has its challenges. My previous books covered stories in the Old Testament.

I was careful not to add any words to what Jesus spoke in the Bible. As a writer, I am accustomed to adding character quirks, backstory, inner thought, and other craft skills to a story.t I did not want to employ these skills when writing about Jesus. I relied on the disciples and the people Jesus healed to show the power and compassion of Jesus.

I understand wanting to be careful to only use Jesus’s words in Scripture. Which Bible story was the biggest challenge to write and why?

BARB: The first short story intertwines Jesus calming a storm and then landing on shore and healing a demon possessed man. We cover a lot of Scripture. Many Christians are familiar with those accounts, but there are details that were new to me. 

I incorporated those details to bring out the emotion in this story and to bring fresh eyes to stories that Christians may gloss over.

Beginning with these accounts places Jesus front and center. The demon possessed man states “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?” (Mark 4:7) There’s no mincing these words.

After years of being in the Scriptures, it must have been fascinating to learn new details. What unusual or interesting thing did you do or discover while researching for this book? Was there an exceptionally interesting tidbit you knew you had to include?

BARB: It’s difficult to name one tidbit as I discovered so many. If we stick with the story mentioned above, I never realized that the demon possessed man living in tombs had a family. He also begs to go with Jesus and spread the Good News about Jesus. 

This man’s humanity and offer were new to me. Focusing on the drama in this story, which I have heard often, overshadows the reaction and heart change this man felt after Jesus delivered him from evil.

This new realization changed how I crafted the story and brought out the emotion in the account.

You brought that out well. I liked reading the story from his son’s perspective. How do you want this book to resonate with readers?

BARB: I hope readers will grow closer to Jesus or come to know Him as their Lord and Savior. I made sure my book was reviewed by theologians so sound doctrine surrounding Jesus would be upheld. 

Some religions distort who Jesus is. Jesus is the Son of the Most High God. Jesus paid the price for our sin by dying on the cross and rising from the dead. Amen!

May this book be a little light that goes forth and encourages Christians or enlightens the shadows.

The book is definitely grounded in truth. How does this book connect to your previous work—or signal a new direction for you?

BARB: I stayed with my love of Biblical Fiction and wrote short stories. Venturing into the New Testament was new for me. Writing directly about Jesus and His ministry was a first. Although, all my books could have the theme “God is in control even in the chaos of life.”

Whether writing contemporary stories or historical stories in Christian Fiction, God is at the center of the story. We serve a triune God: Father, Son, Holy Spirit.

That theme is definitely woven through all of your stories. Any final thoughts?

BARB: I’ve always prayed before writing a book that the Holy Spirit would help me. I didn’t grow up in a Christian family. I don’t type. My grammar is mediocre at best. I shouldn’t be an author—a Christian one at that. But God had plans for me that I didn’t see coming.

His ways are so much bigger than I could fathom. I hope my stories send readers to their Bibles to understand the Scripture better and to love Jesus even more today than yesterday.

<<< I’M RUNNING A GIVEAWAY OF BARB’S BOOK . . . SEE BELOW >>>

Comment below for a chance to win an ebook or paperback of Across the Lake–USA only.

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Back to Laura . . . On a similar note . . . 

If you like dual timeline fiction about family dynamics in a small town Midwest (Wisconsin) setting, try The Broken Weathervane (launched September 2). Two co-workers seek the same information. One wants to publish it; the other has good reasons to keep it hidden. The timeline alternates between 2015 and the 1950s. Check out the reviews and book trailer here.

If you like historical fiction, you might enjoy A Hundred Magical Reasons (launched January 2025). This story spotlights L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, his friendship with a young girl, and his impact through the decades. Set in Holland, Michigan, this dual timeline novel alternates between 1980 and the early 1900s. Read more and watch the book trailer here. 

If you like Southern fiction and small town/rural stories about family dynamics and secrets, you might enjoy my novel All That Is Hidden. Set near North Carolina’s Smoky Mountains in 1968, the story spotlights the bond of family and the connections of a tight-knit community. Northern exploitation threatens as a father’s hidden past catches up to him and tests family ties. Learn more and watch the trailer here.

All That Is Hidden is now an audiobook! 

I invite you to join my monthly newsletter for writing updates, freebies, and giveaways. Sign up and I’ll send you a prequel and 7 Oz-inspired recipes: StandoutStoriesNewsletter.com  

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Barbara Britton bio:

Barbara M. Britton is a multi-published author of Christian Fiction. Her Tribes of Israel series brings little-known Bible characters to light. You can also travel to Whispering Creek, Tennessee with her sweet romance duology. Barbara takes us to the Sea of Galilee in her new Biblical Fiction devotional. She has a nutrition degree from Baylor University but loves to dip healthy strawberries in chocolate. You can find out more about Barbara and her books on her website barbarambritton.com.

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Join me next time for a visit with author Deena Adams.

Meanwhile, have you read any of Barb’s novels or Across the Lake? Which New Testament stories (by any author) have you enjoyed reading as historical fiction? 

Answer in the comments below for a chance to win an ebook or paperback of Across the Lake–USA only.

Ever reading,

Laura

Sign up for my monthly newsletter and receive the 7 free Oz-inspired recipes: StandoutStoriesNewsletter.com