About the Book

Book: Winds of Ruach Author: D.M. Griffin Genre: Biblical Fiction Release Date: October 18, 2022

Winds of Ruach is a compilation of five novellas fictionally traversing a period in Israel’s history that spans three hundred years. God used the prophets to speak to His people during a tumultuous time when faith was challenged and spiritual discipline was necessary. Five prophets lived out the message of God in a way that girded their faith and inspired those who truly listened to God’s voice. Jonah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Obadiah, and Malachi were God’s chosen spokesmen. Book One: Jonah felt he had every right to be angry when tragedy struck his household. He would soon learn that anger was a barrier to a right relationship with God no matter how justified the source of that anger. What happens when Jonah realizes that his deep-seated anger might cost him everything? Will he learn to embrace his forgiving God? Book Two: Nahum was a victim of God’s wrath as it fell on the land of rebellious Israel. Intimidated for the majority of his life with little memory about his origin, Nahum struggles to trust God for vindication. Grappling to understand why everything keeps going wrong, will Nahum surrender to the only One who can truly defend him? Book Three: As a child, Habakkuk’s faith was pure and unadulterated. As a priest serving in the Temple, however, Habakkuk realizes that something is keeping him from experiencing the fullness of that faith. He doesn’t truly trust God’s heart toward him. Will he learn to be brave despite the circumstances that threaten the very existence of the Temple? Book Four: Obadiah lived in two worlds while feeling as if he spiritually belonged to one. Born to an Edomite father and Jewish mother, he was constantly at war with his brother. How long would it take for Obadiah to learn that the Lord was with him in the battle? Even if he lost it all, would having God be enough? Book Five: Malachi wrestles with what he knows to be true about God and how his life is unfolding in contrast to that knowledge. What does it mean to worship with a pure heart, not with ulterior motives? As God has the final say with His people, will they listen and faithfully wait for the promised future of redemption? Explore the themes woven into the books of the minor prophets through these fictional journeys that reveal how mighty the Winds of Ruach (Spirit) truly are as they blow across history into today.

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About the Author

D.M. Griffin currently resides in Northern California with her husband. They met in middle school a few days after she was transplanted to the West Coast at the tender age of twelve. She has three adult children who have been an endless source of delight and inspiration. She also has a precious new grandchild who brings her joy. As a native New Hampshire girl, she fondly remembers spending her summers there as a child. Thick accents, small towns, and fascinating weather stirred the imagination of her young heart. She has always had a fondness for stories thanks to her imaginative mother who would make up wild, adventurous tales to tell her while tucking her into bed as a child. She truly believes that a book that sits on a shelf unread is like a planted seed that never blossoms. Nothing delights her more than sharing a story.

More from D.M.

I am a creature of habit who thrives on predictability. That being said, Winds of Ruach fell outside my comfort zone. If you have ever heard the phrase – if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans – you get the idea. I was deep in the throes of researching and writing a twelve-book series on the disciples of Jesus. My schedule was set. The routine was fixed. I had spent two years dedicated to The Follower Series. In between writing the first draft of book seven and editing book one, I was divinely halted. I didn’t exactly hit a block, so to speak. Instead, I was inspirationally diverted. It frustrated me for a short time. Looking back on it now, I realize it was a blessing in disguise. At the time, my daily bible reading took me through the book of Jonah. Jonah 4:4 snagged my attention like a burr clinging to a pant leg. “Is it right for you to be angry?” That single phrase snared my heart with a compulsion to self-reflect. That meditation took me to places I had not been before. I followed the thread of anger woven throughout my life. Not the anger that manifests itself in hot, fiery outbursts but the hidden, silent anger that can turn into deadly pride or unrecognizable prejudice. Anger wears many disguises. Some of those are loneliness and grief. I began wondering what might have happened in Jonah’s life to make him, a man of God, so angry that he would directly and blatantly disobey the Lord. The first short story was the beginning of a five-month diversion in my predetermined writing schedule. I was inspired by other verses as I walked the landscape of Scripture through the books of the minor prophets. With Nahum, I pondered how tragedy affects the trajectory of a life. With Habakkuk, I explored the difference between authentic worship and disingenuous faith. Obadiah is a short and sweet book of the bible, but it packs a punch. The theme of the resulting short story is about claiming one’s true identity as a child of God. Finally, Malachi wove the final thread into the fabric of this anthology which is ultimately about the Spirit of God moving through history to accomplish His will and purpose. Malachi is a story about knowing when to remain silent and when to ask questions of God. As I wrote Winds of Ruach, I thought about the importance of destiny and promise. Some of my early readers asked me which was my favorite prophet. Honestly, the only way I could answer that question is to say that it is whichever story I am reading at the time. I was greatly blessed while writing Winds of Ruach, drawing out biblical themes I had never noticed before. These five prophets are near and dear to my heart. Truly, the imagination is a gift from God. And yes, I did go back to the ‘routine’ in writing. It took three and half years (half a year over my schedule) but the series I was working on prior to Winds of Ruach is now complete. God is good even in the distractions.

Interview with the Author

What helps you to write? Do you eat snacks, listen to music?

I credit the Holy Spirit for the inspiration that typically comes to me when I am taking walks around the lake by my house and listening to worship music. What truly helps me to write is solitude, a few scented candles burning, soft jazz playing in the background, and my comfy writing chair in the corner where I sit with my computer on my lap and get lost in my imagination. When I am writing the first draft of a novel inspiration often comes in the middle of the night when my mind slips into the world of imagination and my heart hears the echo of my characters.

If you could travel back in time, what time period would you go to?

If I could travel back in time, you would think I would want to travel to ancient times when Jesus walked the earth. Honestly, I don’t think I could handle the smell and the dirtiness of those times (I am not a fan of camping either). Since I was a girl, I have been fascinated by the Civil War time period. I like the idea of wearing big, poofy dresses and riding horses. Of course, it was probably not as romantic as it seems in my imagination. Truthfully, however, I think I am best suited to the times I am living in where I have access to many wonderful books. If I traveled back in time, I would only want to visit.

What is your favorite hymn and why?

My favorite hymn is Come Thou Fount because the lyrics truly whisper to my heart. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. Take my heart, Lord. Take and seal it. Seal it for thy courts above. It is a daily prayer of mine. This is especially relevant as I write trying to be mindful of handling Scripture with reverence and holy intentions.

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

One thing I think readers would be surprised to learn about me is that I did not become a follower of Christ until I was in my thirties. That is an amazing story that would be too long to tell here. Needless to say, when doctors told me I would not have children and God blessed me with three, I started wondering if He was real. Then, years later, my son (who I was never supposed to have) read the Bible at the tender age of ten and shared it with me. I thought it was my duty as his mother to read everything he read…but the bible? I was shocked. God was not.

Share with me a few of your favorite things.

Some of my favorite things include long walks in the fall when the leaves are floating on invisible breezes, hot cocoa with whipped cream and cinnamon, the quiet of early morning hours when imagination tickles me awake and curling up with a really good book.

What is one question you would like readers to ask you? What would be your answer?

If readers were to ask me if my work is limited to biblical fiction, I would answer no. I have also written devotionals and books on prayer. Currently, I am working on a Christian speculative fiction series called The Illumination Chronicles which I hope to release in 2025. That series has been a delight to write so far while also challenging me as I weave relevancy into the biblical allegory.