Author Description

The Roman occupation is brutal. The governor's grip on the region is fragile. The authorities throw banquets in palaces while fishermen go hungry. Speaking out is dangerous. Two men, John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth dare to, and pay with their lives. Their disciples' risk everything to follow. Families are abandoned and livelihoods are lost. In this turbulent world, people look to the promise of a better world for consolation. And either the hope of a new Kingdom begins a fresh era of justice, liberation and love, or a delusion based on a false expectation. The truth isn't clear, but a choice is required. What is the price of freedom? How much sacrifice is required? Context This historical fantasy novel, complete at 65,000 words, is a reimagining of the execution of John the Baptist following Salome's dance (based on Mark 6:21-29 and Matthew 14:6-11). The novel brings this renowned biblical story to life; re-telling it by using the voices of peripheral characters and re-imagining the events from original viewpoints. As a historical fantasy set in first-century Palestine, this story does not set out to describe historical events. Summary Salome's Wish is a character-driven story is told from the viewpoints of two young people who belong to different communities. The protagonist, Salome, is the privileged palace-dwelling young Herodian, who cannot forgive her mother for presenting her with the head of John the Baptist on a plate. The secondary main character, Zeb, is an ambitious but poor young fisherman and the younger brother of Jesus of Nazareth's disciples, James and John. Zeb's brothers destroy his dream to expand the family business when they leave with Jesus, a wandering preacher. Salome and Zeb meet in unlikely circumstances when they are both guests at the house of Levi the tax collector. Belonging to the highest and lowest places in their society, the characters try to hide their identity as they set out