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Why I wrote “The Day After His Crucifixion.” In researching the culture and traditions of first century Palestinian Jews, I was deeply dismayed by the attitudes regarding girls and women. They were considered inferior.   Because it was assumed that education was wasted on girls, most women were illiterate. Women were seen as unreliable or incompetent witnesses and could not testify in court, even in cases that involved themselves. And there were strict rules regarding interactions of men and women. Women were to be shunned or ignored in public. Men were specifically prohibited from speaking to women in public. There is even a prayer that men traditionally offered which included the sentence, “Thank you, God, that I am not a Gentile, a woman, or a slave.” Hobbled by such assumptions, can you imagine how women and girls must have thought or felt about themselves? And yet, Jesus, something like a rock star with huge crowds following wherever he went, totally ignored the rules. He freely interacted with women, taught them, and welcomed them as his followers. What must it have been like to have him, a famous prophet and teacher, gaze at them with respect rather than ridicule, listen to them, teach them as he taught his  male disciples? A woman was the first to whom Jesus confided that he was the Messiah. And a woman was the first to see him after his resurrection.  Despite the fact that women’s testimony was considered invalid, he chose a woman to bear witness to the greatest event of his earthly life — his resurrection. Considering such a patriarchal society, it is astonishing that within the gospels there is no preaching on the status of women.  Yet there are several stories of Jesus’ public encounters with them. Encounters in which he treats them with dignity, concern, and compassion. He relates to women as human beings rather than sexual objects.  He is interested in them as persons. The more I researched the amazing interactions of Jesus and women, the more I knew I had to write about them. I decided to introduce Jesus through his experiences with women.  There would be no religious jargon in my book.  I wouldn’t even use the name “Jesus,” but rather his birth name, the name by which everyone in his life knew him — Yeshua. My book would not be a theological study.  It would be a collection of stories. Women’s stories. Where to start?  Well, nothing draws friends and colleagues together to talk and remember, to laugh and cry, like the death of someone they love. So I started with Yeshua’s crucifixion, and let the women take it from there.

Interview with the Author

• Do you read books in this genre? If so, who do you like to read?

The two books that come to mind first are “Joshua, a parable for today” by Joseph F. Girzone, and”Had Eve Come First and Jonah Been a Woman” by Nancy Werking Poling.

But “The Red Tent” by Anita Diamant could also be considered part of the genre of

fictionalizing Bible stories. I’ve enjoyed all three of these works.

However, the authors focusing on Jesus that I most commonly read are Marcus J. Borg

And N.T. Wright. Both have numerous books exploring the life and times of Jesus.

• What helps you write?

Believe it or not, taking a walk helps me write. I’ll write for 20 minutes, then go for a short walk, maybe 10 or 15 minutes, and when I get back the words just flow from my finger tips.

Sometimes half the day is spent walking and writing and walking and writing.

• What is one thing readers would be surprised to learn about you?

When I was in my 20s I took up sky diving for a summer. At the time I was under a tremendous amount of pressure at my job. And jumping out of airplanes on the weekend seemed to relieve that pressure.

I’ve never experienced anything else as frightening, exciting, and exhilarating as that.

• What inspired you to write The Day After His Crucifixion?

I had a long career of writing non-fiction for magazines and newspapers, corporations and universities. The Day After His Crucifixion is my first fiction book. It actually took years. The kernel of the idea began in college, when I was studying sociology and women’s studies.  I started thinking about all the women in Jesus’ life from his mother to the many he interacted with and how quickly they disappeared from the written word after Jesus’ resurrection.

Like the disciples, they had lives of their own and yet we know little about them. It’s almost as though they are invisible. Some of these women were healed by Jesus. Some were taught by him. Some became part of his entourage. Jesus related to each one in a way that was revolutionary – he treated them as equal human beings rather than sexual objects. He was interested in them as persons.

Years later, when I was studying for a master’s degree in Spirituality and working full time, I realized that many of my colleagues knew nothing about Jesus or his world. They were curious but weren’t interested in church. Maybe they’d be interested in reading a book about him.

Eventually my thinking and imagining, along with my studying and researching turned into the desire to write a book about Jesus. It would not be a religious or theological study, but a collection of stories. Women’s stories. I’d use Jesus’ birth name, “Yeshua,” rather than the English translation of “Jesus.” I’d do my best to give voice to the women involved, letting them describe their life-altering experiences with the Son of Man/Son of God.

So, with lots of prayer and research (and encouragement from my husband), I took on the task.

 

• Share with me a few of your favorite things.

Reading and writing are two of my favorite things. I love to have my mind expanded and my heart enriched and I get that from reading a wide range of books and articles. Writing helps me organize my thoughts and ideas. It’s an excellent way to express myself and share my discoveries with others. I also love to travel and explore new places. My husband and I have traveled to more than 30 countries as well as every state in the union. We also explore little towns throughout the USA and sometimes write about our explorations.

I’m also a lover of cats. Their independence, grace and beauty intrigue me.

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