Monday, February 5, 2024

Blog Tour and Giveaway: Winds of Ruach by D M Griffin

About the Book

Book: Winds of Ruach

Author: D.M. Griffin

Genre: Biblical Fiction

Release Date: October 18, 2022

Winds of Ruach is a compilation of five novellas fictionally traversing a period in Israel’s history that spans three hundred years. God used the prophets to speak to His people during a tumultuous time when faith was challenged and spiritual discipline was necessary. Five prophets lived out the message of God in a way that girded their faith and inspired those who truly listened to God’s voice. Jonah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Obadiah, and Malachi were God’s chosen spokesmen.

Book One: Jonah felt he had every right to be angry when tragedy struck his household. He would soon learn that anger was a barrier to a right relationship with God no matter how justified the source of that anger. What happens when Jonah realizes that his deep-seated anger might cost him everything? Will he learn to embrace his forgiving God?

Book Two: Nahum was a victim of God’s wrath as it fell on the land of rebellious Israel. Intimidated for the majority of his life with little memory about his origin, Nahum struggles to trust God for vindication. Grappling to understand why everything keeps going wrong, will Nahum surrender to the only One who can truly defend him?

Book Three: As a child, Habakkuk’s faith was pure and unadulterated. As a priest serving in the Temple, however, Habakkuk realizes that something is keeping him from experiencing the fullness of that faith. He doesn’t truly trust God’s heart toward him. Will he learn to be brave despite the circumstances that threaten the very existence of the Temple?

Book Four: Obadiah lived in two worlds while feeling as if he spiritually belonged to one. Born to an Edomite father and Jewish mother, he was constantly at war with his brother. How long would it take for Obadiah to learn that the Lord was with him in the battle? Even if he lost it all, would having God be enough?

Book Five: Malachi wrestles with what he knows to be true about God and how his life is unfolding in contrast to that knowledge. What does it mean to worship with a pure heart, not with ulterior motives? As God has the final say with His people, will they listen and faithfully wait for the promised future of redemption?

Explore the themes woven into the books of the minor prophets through these fictional journeys that reveal how mighty the Winds of Ruach (Spirit) truly are as they blow across history into today.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

D.M. Griffin currently resides in Northern California with her husband. They met in middle school a few days after she was transplanted to the West Coast at the tender age of twelve. She has three adult children who have been an endless source of delight and inspiration. She also has a precious new grandchild who brings her joy.

As a native New Hampshire girl, she fondly remembers spending her summers there as a child. Thick accents, small towns, and fascinating weather stirred the imagination of her young heart. She has always had a fondness for stories thanks to her imaginative mother who would make up wild, adventurous tales to tell her while tucking her into bed as a child.

She truly believes that a book that sits on a shelf unread is like a planted seed that never blossoms. Nothing delights her more than sharing a story.

More from D.M.

I am a creature of habit who thrives on predictability. That being said, Winds of Ruach fell outside my comfort zone. If you have ever heard the phrase – if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans – you get the idea. I was deep in the throes of researching and writing a twelve-book series on the disciples of Jesus. My schedule was set. The routine was fixed. I had spent two years dedicated to The Follower Series. In between writing the first draft of book seven and editing book one, I was divinely halted. I didn’t exactly hit a block, so to speak. Instead, I was inspirationally diverted. It frustrated me for a short time.

Looking back on it now, I realize it was a blessing in disguise. At the time, my daily bible reading took me through the book of Jonah. Jonah 4:4 snagged my attention like a burr clinging to a pant leg. “Is it right for you to be angry?”  That single phrase snared my heart with a compulsion to self-reflect. That meditation took me to places I had not been before. I followed the thread of anger woven throughout my life. Not the anger that manifests itself in hot, fiery outbursts but the hidden, silent anger that can turn into deadly pride or unrecognizable prejudice.

Anger wears many disguises. Some of those are loneliness and grief. I began wondering what might have happened in Jonah’s life to make him, a man of God, so angry that he would directly and blatantly disobey the Lord. The first short story was the beginning of a five-month diversion in my predetermined writing schedule.

I was inspired by other verses as I walked the landscape of Scripture through the books of the minor prophets.

With Nahum, I pondered how tragedy affects the trajectory of a life. With Habakkuk, I explored the difference between authentic worship and disingenuous faith. Obadiah is a short and sweet book of the bible, but it packs a punch. The theme of the resulting short story is about claiming one’s true identity as a child of God. Finally, Malachi wove the final thread into the fabric of this anthology which is ultimately about the Spirit of God moving through history to accomplish His will and purpose. Malachi is a story about knowing when to remain silent and when to ask questions of God. As I wrote Winds of Ruach, I thought about the importance of destiny and promise.

Some of my early readers asked me which was my favorite prophet. Honestly, the only way I could answer that question is to say that it is whichever story I am reading at the time. I was greatly blessed while writing Winds of Ruach, drawing out biblical themes I had never noticed before. These five prophets are near and dear to my heart. Truly, the imagination is a gift from God. And yes, I did go back to the ‘routine’ in writing. It took three and half years (half a year over my schedule) but the series I was working on prior to Winds of Ruach is now complete. God is good even in the distractions.

Blog Stops

Fiction Book Lover, January 31 (Author Interview)

Lots of Helpers, January 31

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 1

Guild Master, February 2 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, February 3

Artistic Nobody, February 4 (Author Interview)

Locks, Hooks and Books, February 5

Beauty in the Binding, February 6 (Author Interview)

Abba’s Warrior Princess, February 7

A Reader’s Brain, February 8 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, February 8

Cover Lover Book Review, February 9

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, February 10

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, February 11 (Author Interview)

Little Homeschool on the Prairie, February 12

Lights in a Dark World, February 13

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, D.M. is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card & copy of book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/29b07/winds-of-ruach-celebration-tour-giveaway


My Review

I found Winds of Ruach to be a wonderful introduction to the talented author’s books. After reading this one, it will not be the last. This one is based on five different Biblical figures. Each of these are featured in five novellas and they include: Jonah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Obadiah, and Malachi. The author does a fantastic job with the historical details that made me feel as though I was transported back in time to when each of them lived. I loved being immersed into their stories and thought they were all equally great to read.

I am going to give Winds of Ruach five stars. I believe readers who enjoy reading Biblical Fiction will want to grab this one up and give it a read. I would love to read other books from author, D M Griffin, in the near future. 

I received a paperback copy of D M Griffin’s Winds of Ruach from the publisher, but was not required to write a positive review. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion. 

4 comments:

  1. This looks like a fantastic novel. Thanks for hosting this giveaway.

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  2. How do you feel when your characters resonate deeply with readers?

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  3. I can't wait to give this a read! Thanks so much for sharing it!

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  4. This Biblical fiction novella collection is a definite choice for the TBR.

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