The rough draft of my next book is now finished, and I’m about to dig into the editing phase, trying to polish the story and make it shine!  And we have a title!  Next out will be The Queen’s Handmaid.

This new work is a story set about 25 years before the birth of Christ, featuring larger-than-life real characters like Cleopatra and Mark Antony, Herod the Great and Octavian (aka Caesar Augustus).  We’ll follow our characters from Egypt to Rome to Jerusalem and beyond, with all the suspense and intrigue I love, some romance, and history coming alive.

At the same time, I hope to give readers a framework of the religious and political world into which Jesus was born — the turning point of human history!

This book is scheduled to release in February of 2014. If you’d like a reminder when it comes out, fill out the form at the bottom of the page under “Tracy’s Next Book.”

I’m always excited to dive into a new project, and my next work is going to focus on the “backstory” of the magi who came to see Christ at his birth. We’re going to explore what their lives were like before their journey, why they came, and what they brought back to their home.

Here’s a painting by one of my favorite artists, Tom duBois, that always inspires my imagination!

Would you like to help with this book? Use the form below to suggest ideas, or to ask questions you have about those mysterious magi!

photo: And the Wisemen Came Bearing Gifts by Tom duBois.