Meet author Lana Christian

Lana Christian has had a dual writing career for many years—in the healthcare industry and in creative writing. In the former, she garnered numerous Apex awards. Since 2019, she has won six faith-based writing awards, including one from Baker Publishing Group for her short story about Lot. She routinely guest blogs, and her author website includes her devotional blog, “Encouragement from Living History.”

Tell us about your newest book.

New Star follows the Wise Men before and after they find Jesus. What compelled them to research a foreign culture’s religious writings? What risks did they face in doing so? What was going on in their world at the time that made their study so dangerous? Why did they pursue something so countercultural and counterintuitive? That speaks to us today: what motivates us to leave our comfort zone to do something costly, risky, with a low chance of success (like a writing career)? And where does faith fit into the equation?

What inspired you to write New Star?

Watching the live Nativity that was part of Shadow Mountain Community Church’s church service.

How would you describe this book to someone in a 30-second blurb?

Studying a star linked to an eternal king ensnares Akilah in three countries’ religious and governmental power struggles. He must choose to protect what he knows of Jesus or stay true to Magi society and its religion. Either choice could cost Akilah his life.

What genre do you focus on?

I focus on biblical fiction because true stories thrill me the most, and I want to bring them alive to my readers. The Bible gives us 2D “pencil sketches” of people and events. I dig into the history surrounding those events to turn those pencil sketches into 3D people that readers will identify with.

Why do you write?

I want readers to have a “go-beyond” experience when they read my books. I want to deliver more than they expect, and I want them to feel they’ve changed in some small way after they finish my books. My books are a combination of entertainment, escape, a smidgen of education (about cultures, events, and inventions that have largely been lost to time), and a dose of hope. Most of all, I want to write compelling stories that honor God.

Who is your main character, and how did you choose that name?

Akilah is my main character in New Star. As the lead Wise Man, he, along with two colleagues, pursues the study of an elusive star. In the language of Akilah’s homeland, his name means “wise.” (Ditto for how I named the other Wise Men.)

What is your work schedule like when you’re writing a book?

I juggle my creative writing with a very deadline-driven day job, so my work schedule varies constantly. Some days I won’t write a single scene. But I keep at the discipline of writing. Otherwise, I’d wake up and realize it’s been three months since I wrote a line. So, even during my busiest weeks, if I don’t write a chapter, I still do some combination of research, marketing, and “noodling.” My noodling time can include sketching subplots, mulling over “what-ifs,” writing about what I want to have happen in a certain scene (without actually writing narrative or dialogue), or trying to figure out how to get my characters out of tight spots.

What is the hardest part of being an author?

The discipline of it. You must be disciplined in both the craft and business of writing. Both are essential for succeeding in today’s market.

What’s the best part of your author’s life?

The best part is co-creating with God. I need to put in the hours of sweat equity, but God’s fingerprints are all over my work. I could tell many “God stories” about U-turns with plot development that made the book stronger, how I found the exact research I needed for a particular scene … and other God-guided details.

What’s one thing your readers should know about you?

I’m passionate about “getting it right.” Even if readers don’t know much about a topic or era, their innate radar pings them whenever something seems unrealistic or inauthentic. That’s bad; it takes them out of the story. I strive to make every scene realistic and authentic. That requires research, and that goes double for biblical fiction. A contest judge who read a very early partial draft of New Star said she couldn’t tell whether she was reading fact or fiction but said it didn’t matter because I’d written it so well. What a compliment! (She was more amazed when I told her that what she’d read was fact!)

What’s one unusual fact about you?

As a child, I loved summer reading programs. But I terrorized the librarian by checking out books that were way above my age level. By second or third grade, I was reading high school and adult books (fiction and nonfiction).

How have you changed or grown as a writer?

I’ve become comfortable with several things:

1. No two books “write” the same way. I wrote New Star In contrast, Book 2 of this series is getting written in bits and pieces, often out of order. It’s like solving a big jigsaw puzzle that’s been dumped on the floor with most of the pieces upside-down.
2. Move or cut whatever you need to—whatever it takes to write a better book. Nothing is sacred when writing.
3. Regardless of how a book is unfolding, keeping at it is the only way it’ll get written.

What is your favorite pastime?

When I have the time, I hike. I also like to cook and create new recipes. For the past five years, I’ve been working on a cookbook for people who have medically restricted diets—for example, because they have autoimmune disease or cancer.

Do you have other books? We’d love to know.

I wrote a biblical nonfiction book that was published in 2017, but it’s out of print now. I’m repurposing it.

Book 2 of The Magi’s Encounters series should launch the end of September 2025.

(Other books I’ve written have been in business and healthcare sectors.)

What are you working on now?

• Most of my energies are focused on finishing Book 2 in my series. It’s part of a four-book series, so I’ll have a January deadline every year for the next three years!
• For my author website, I write a biweekly blog called “Encouragement from Living History.” It connects the dots between the Bible, history, archaeology, and practical application for today.
• In my spare time, I’m also working on:
  • Several devotional books
  • A duology about a falsely accused/disgraced midwife. The first book is set in the mid-1500s. The second book is split time.

Website:            https://www.lanachristian.com/

Link to book:   https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D9T1PW9W

Social media links:

X (Twitter)      @LanaCwrites

Facebook         https://www.facebook.com/lana.christian.50/