In 2006 I attended a “Girlfriends Night Out” fellowship at my church. The speaker asked us to rewrite Mary’s conversation with Gabriel beginning in Luke 1:29, but using our names and making it personal.
During that period in my life, my children were slowly drifting into their own lives. I knew being a full-time mom was coming to an end. The years passed too quickly, and before I knew it, I was helping my baby move into a college dorm. I left her school feeling a bit of freedom.
Washing dishes one morning, I saw the school bus driving down the street toward the spot in front of our house where my children once climbed on board. I looked around for lunches and backpacks, reflexively ready to shout, “The bus is here!” But the house was quiet, and there was no one but me to greet the bus.
I stepped out on my porch, sat down, and sobbed as I watched the yellow vehicle drive down the street and out of sight. Grief came home to rest in my heart as I understood the permanence of my loss. It happened so fast, the end of the sweetest season in my life.
But we serve a God who sees us and knows our needs before we even realize them. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do next but knew I needed purpose. Kingdom purpose. That is what was on my mind during that night at church when we rewrote Luke’s passages.
This is what mine said:
“Do not be afraid, Denise, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive an idea and bring forth a book, and shall praise the name, Jesus. The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you. For with God, nothing will be impossible.” Then Denise said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.
The next day, I typed out the words I had written the night before, tucked it away, and forgot all about it. A few years later, during a Bible study, I heard the name Hagar. I could not get her out of my mind and began to research her in earnest. That’s when I uncovered the Hebrew and Arab tradition of her being a princess of Egypt before becoming a maidservant to Sarah.
My idea became reclaiming Hagar’s story, which historically has been overshadowed by her infamous marriage to Abraham. I began to study the craft of writing so I could write a book about her.
Over a year ago, I stumbled on my rewrite of Mary’s prayer as I cleaned out a bin filled with school work from my children. It was the only thing in the container that belonged to me. My cell phone rang as I stood reading the words I had written fifteen years earlier. My agent called to tell me that Mountain Brook Ink was interested in publishing my work.
I had forgotten those now prophetic words I typed out, but God didn’t. On April 5, 2021, the first book in The Women of Valor trilogy, “The Egyptian Princess: A Story of Hagar,” was released by Mountain Brook Ink.
Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.
Blessings,
KD Holmberg
KD Holmberg, is an award-winning historical and Biblical fiction author and retired flight attendant who turned an empty nest into creating stories around remarkable women. She and her husband have five adult kids, live in the foothills of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, and love to travel and golf. They also run a girl gang of seven granddaughters, and have one male grandchild that the author can safely declare as her favorite grandson.
Two women, one ancient Egyptian harem, and the daring decision that changed the course of human history.
In the opulent court of Egypt’s tenth dynasty, Princess Hagar has always known her destiny. One day, she will marry the Crown Prince Merikare and become the Great Royal Wife, the most powerful woman in Egypt. But dark dreams afflict Hagar the moment she hears of the latest addition to Pharaoh’s harem: the stunning, iridescent Sumerian, Sarai. Princess Hagar feels a powerful presence around the Sumerian woman. Hagar suspects Sarai has brought black magic into the palace—but what can she do to convince Pharaoh?
The intrigue of Pharaoh’s court pales in comparison to that swirling in the Royal House of Women among the wives, children, and concubines of the king. Sarai’s arrival upsets the already precarious balance. Loyalties divide, and betrayal, jealousy, and tragedy plague the once peaceful household. When a series of disasters befalls Egypt, Hagar must make a daring decision, and the stakes could not be higher. She could lose everything—her position, her power, her family, and even her life.
Torn between the silent gods of Egypt and the powerful presence that surrounds Sarai, Hagar’s world falls apart around her. She must acknowledge the terrible price of truth, and decide for herself who she will serve.
