Those who didn't know him would have been surprised at these qualities. On the other hand, Samantha's deceased husband, an esteemed member of the clergy and a highly regarded theologian, had a dark side that was completely unknown to his followers. I realized this was an illustration of why it's never wise to base our opinion of another on appearance or on the face they present to the world. I didn't set out to teach a lesson with the contrast between Jack Kane and Bronson Harte. B. J. believes that historical fiction is one of the best and most dramatic means of depicting the ways God works his will in our lives.
Problems change, at least to some extent.
In every generation, in every time, he is among us, manifesting his love and his grace and his power. As my characters try to understand the events in their lives, they're also showing the reader how the past really does affect the present. Witnessing the ways God worked in the lives of our ancestors can often give us new hope for our own lives, for he continues to work in similar ways in the present. Hope is a word frequently associated with B. J.'s works. Many readers write to her of the fresh hope they've found in one of her books.