Survival Secrets is the second book in The Magi’s Encounters series and follows Akilah and the Wise Men on a layered journey through Egypt, politics, threats, family wounds, and spiritual uncertainty. How did the idea for Survival Secrets first take shape?

Survival Secrets is rooted in the final verse the Bible records about the Wise Men. Matthew 2:12 says, “And having been warned in a dream to not return to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.” What seems like a footnote to their story is really a beginning. They couldn’t return home on the Roman roads because Herod would have alerted those guards to watch for the Wise Men and drag them back to Jerusalem in chains. Roman roads were peppered with watchtowers every 10 miles, and their guards’ main job was to snag runaway slaves and other “illegals.” The Wise Men were added to that list as soon as Herod realized they wouldn’t return to him as he’d commanded. So where did they go? Without access to Roman roads, their choices were limited. Judea’s geography further narrowed their choices. By process of elimination, I mapped the most plausible route they might have taken. It was circuitous and dangerous. They had to hide their identity to protect themselves from Herod and other enemies. I believe their returning home “by another route” was also the first acid test of their newfound faith–and each Wise Man responded to that challenge differently.

How did you balance biblical tradition with historical imagination?

The Bible is my north star for writing the series. It’s infallible in recording what happened, but it doesn’t always say why things happened. For that, I dig into world history, using accounts by 1st-century historians and other reliable resources to understand how world politics, religions, and culture influenced people’s thoughts, motivations, and actions. The Wise Men were priest-scholars in Magi society, a powerful, influential entity in the Parthian Empire. They were duty-bound to uphold the empire’s official religion, plus officiate for other religions. What if they suddenly believed in something other than what their empire’s official religion espoused? That’s exactly what happened with the Wise Men when they found Yeshua/Jesus. Think of what conflict and danger that caused for them. History records a lot about Herod as well as how the Roman and Parthian empires treated Jews long before Jesus’ ministry started. That tension is the backdrop behind Matthew 2:12. That tension is where I judiciously exercise my historical imagination.

One of the book’s strengths is its patience with faith as a process rather than an instant transformation. Why was that important to you?

A common misconception is that a person can “grow” their own faith–but the Bible doesn’t say that. The apostles could have asked Jesus for many things, but they said, “Increase our faith!” (Luke 17:5), They inherently knew that faith didn’t come from them, but from God. In that verse, the Greek word “increase” is the root of our English word “prosthesis.” It literally means “to add or increase.” Its connotation is to make something stronger and more functional–which is exactly what a prosthetic (and faith) does. Put another way, when we let God work in our lives, He lays down more train tracks to guide our lives, which increases our faith and strengthens our resolve to trust Him more.

Can you give us a glimpse inside Book 3 of The Magi’s Encounters series? Where will it take readers?

Geographically, Book 3 will take readers to the northern fringes of the Parthian Empire, where small, semi-autonomous vassal states form a buffer zone that controls the tensions between the mighty Roman and Parthian Empires. Emotionally, Book 3 shows each Wise Man’s faith on trial. It differs for each of them, but taking center stage is our main character, Akilah, whose pursuit of the prophesied child-king (Yeshua/Jesus) lands him in prison. Now he must answer to allegations of civil and religious crimes against the Parthian Empire that could cost him his life.

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