Ginger Garrett
Author of Chosen
How long did it take to write Chosen”! Was there a lot of research involved?
I began my research by reading many sources and commentaries about Esther, and moved on to studying the country of Iran itself and its history. It is more beautiful than most Americans realize, with mountains and snow and incredible wildlife. Something about her story kept telling me to dig deeper, and when I stumbled onto protests from archeologists and museum curators about their anger over stolen treasures from Iran and Iraq, I knew 1 was onto something.
Throughout my research, I decided to experience things myself in an effort to truly know Esther – like learning to belly dance while pregnant with my third child. I also sampled Persian food, created a Persian dinner menu for book clubs that read the book, tried Esther’s ancient skin care secret, and used a lot of my training as a theatre major to get into the “roles” in the story. And when I delivered my baby girl, an Iranian nurse cared for me for a time. She told me of how Americans perceive her, and her country, and we talked of how physically beautiful the country of Iran really is.
The book reads so realistically – are there really lost diaries of Queen Esther?
I won’t comment about whether the lost scrolls are in existence and if I have seen them. However, Donald Rumsfield has dispatched agents from the FBI and the CIA to the Middle East, where they will be joined by agents from Interpol and other international police agencies. Their mission is to stop the mysterious thieves who have looted the world’s most valuable archeological treasures, with thousands of artifacts going into the underground market, perhaps even in the United States.
What gave you the idea to write about Queen Esther?
When I published my first nonfiction book for couples experiencing infertility, my agent told me 1 had to sell another book immediately, or my career might not take off. I panicked, because I didn’t have any ideas. 1 began feeling a strange tug towards Esther and her story. I got into the research and realized how explosive, and very present, her story is. When you consider the conflicts in the Middle East it’s amazing to think a Jewish queen once ruled them all. Her grave is still a shrine in Iran today.
Are you planning any more books written as the “lost works” of females in the Bible?
Chosen is my first novel. I am working on a NavPress trilogy of 5 historical women who lived in Biblical times. It’s usually assumed that evil and violent predators are men, so it’s shocking to read about these women. Every time I hear about a violent crime, especially one involving children, I wonder about those women and what they unleashed on the earth. I wonder if anything spiritual from our decisions lives on after we’re gone. Artifacts have been found belonging to at least one of the women, but, unfortunately for me, no lost diaries. I’m keeping close tabs on my sources, though, and will be the first to let you know if any new scrolls are found!
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