For Book Clubs • Bible Study Groups • Synagogues • Church Groups • High-School & College Classes
Book Your Free Zoom “Meet the Author” Event
If your group of 15+ has read (or is reading) The Blood of Birds, I’d love to offer you a lively, no-holds-barred 30-45 minute discussion. These sessions are completely free, interactive, and packed with enlightening and sometimes controversial thoughts to consider. (Oh, and if you're still debating using the book for the club, here are a few sample passages to give your members a feel for the tone/subject matter)
If you send questions in advance, I can focus the discussion on the questions readers are most interested in. If not, we can talk about specific plot points, the general historical period, and/or the craft of writing biblical historical fiction.
Here are some of the topics groups most often ask me to unpack (pick any you'd like to focus on, or I’ll bring a mix):
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Historical fiction vs. historical truth: Where does rigorous accuracy end and respectful “midrash” begin? When is bold invention actually more honest than blind fidelity?
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Archaeology vs. the biblical narrative: What happens when the spade and scroll disagree? Who wins on the page—and should they?
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Cities of Refuge: The Torah gives detailed laws, but never shows one actually working. Revolutionary justice reform, clever political power-play, or both?
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Blood vengeance in the ancient Near East: How Israel’s system compares to temple asylum in Babylon, Egypt, Hittite law, and Greek sanctuaries.
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After the Five Books: The narratives of later books were written by human authors - How do their memories, motives, and process impact how we consider the text we have?
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Daily religion in David’s time: Sabbath? Kosher slaughter? Torah scrolls in the villages? Somehow, everyone still felt deeply “Israelite.” What did real observance actually look like in 1000 BCE?
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Philistines beyond the Sunday-school villain: Sea Peoples, iron monopoly, feathered helmets, and the moment their gods went silent.
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Justice without a Temple: Elders at the gate, oaths, witnesses—how law and mercy worked on the ground.
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Women’s agency in a patriarchal world: From quiet influence to outright violence—Adnah, Kami, and the unnamed daughters who change history with a single decisive act.
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Writing biblical-era fiction without sanitizing the violence or the faith: How to keep both religious and secular readers in the same tent.
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The scent of bronze, goats, and frankincense: Sensory authenticity and why getting the little details right (shepherd darts, cistern arrows, Philistine cursing) matters more than big battles.
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Language choices in ancient settings - Archaic flavor vs modern clarity: Why dialogue sounds the way it does.
To book a discussion, please fill out the contact form below, including your organization, preferred time slots (I'll do my best to accommodate), and 5-6 numbered topics from the list above (or feel free to add your own ... I'd prefer to talk about what matters to your group!).