So Shines the Night by Tracy L. Higley

  This is an intriguing story set during the time of Paul in Ephesus.  Daria is a widow, who must make her way in the world using her keen intellect as a tutor, if any will hire a woman.  She meets up with Lucas, a troubled man who hires her, but she senses is hiding something.  In her quest to know the truth, she will stumble upon three powerful groups: sorcerers, people who follow Artemis and other Greek gods, and Paul and followers of the Way.  Tension is building in the city and when she finds her life in danger, will she depend on herself and the gods as she's always done or turn to the one true God?  Will Lucas let his lust for vengeance control him or will he make a different choice?

I loved the history and realistic depiction of life in Ephesus.  I especially liked seeing the culture and what was happening when Paul was there.  I really felt like I was experiencing the darkness and the struggles.   I was frustrated with some of the characters, but liked the suspense and hint of romance.  This is a well-written and interesting story and I look forward to reading more from Tracy.

Interview:
 

1. You have gone on so many amazing travels. What was one of your favorite things about visiting Ephesus?

I think it was the sense of being somewhere “where Paul walked.” Sitting in the theater, looking down over the Harbor Street where he was likely kept prisoner at times, I had this amazing moment of “I can’t believe I’m here” – the kind of moment that gives you chills and makes you feel connected to something larger than yourself.

   

      2.    What inspired the theme of So Shines the Night?

The idea of community is dear to my heart, and the struggle we all have to not live in isolation. I wanted to take a look at two people struggling to do the right thing, but going about it the wrong way because they were isolated both from other people and from God, and to see what would happen when they brushed up against a community like the first century church.

  

      3.   How has your writing, research, and travels affected your spiritual life?

Great question. All of it has definitely given me a larger sense of the world and what God is doing in it, both now and through the past. It’s made me realize, as I’ve studied God’s work in the nations throughout history, that He has always been calling all people to Himself, and that He still is. It’s also given me a desire to see the kind of Christianity that was born in the fires of Roman persecution become part of our experience now – a living, breathing faith that radically transforms our lives.

      4.    What are your 5 favorite things, excluding your family?

   

Dark chocolate, BBQ chicken pizza, a good book, foreign travel, a movie that makes me cry.

     5.    Do you worry about the integrity of the story when you have to add so much to the story              to flesh it out from the actual Biblical account?

Yes. It’s a core value of mine that as I write fiction that brushes up against actual biblical events, that I not alter what we know of this history and people. I may not always get it right, and some may argue about their interpretation of what really happened versus mine, but I always strive to keep the integrity of the biblical account intact. There is plenty to “flesh out” around the reality, and I let myself get creative there, but not with what we truly know from Scripture.

I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

My bio

Tracy L. Higley started her first novel at the age of eight and has been hooked on writing ever since. She has authored nine novels, including Garden of Madness and Isle of Shadows. Tracy is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Ancient History and has traveled through Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Jordan and Italy, researching her novels and falling into adventures. See her travel journals and more at TracyHigley.com