J. Clarke McIntosh 
Prodigal Daughter 

Where is the mandate dictating that the study of Scripture should be onerous or stodgy? Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres of literature because it entertains, teaches, and conveys truths, often much better than non-fiction. The Prodigal Daughter combines the lives of Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus of Bethany, and Mary Magdalene, the repentant harlot. Though some question whether these Marys were the same, I believe they were. This story is about a "nice girl" who falls into harlotry, regains her footing with the help of a friend, and then finds grace in Jesus. The book covers many of the events of Jesus’ life, particularly his death and resurrection, and touches several events from the early church. The book also gives a plausible reason why Jesus, the Galilean-carpenter-turned-rabbi, has such close friendship with an apparently affluent family in Bethany. The book struggles through a wide spectrum of human emotions, describes many adventures in Jesus’ ministry and in the early church, and, of course, contains a love story. The book centers upon grace and our response to it. Only those who are recipients of grace will inhabit the New Heaven and the New Earth. Without God’s unmerited favor towards us, we die. Because I have experienced amazing grace in my life, in many ways similar to what Mary experienced, I hope my writing will provoke others into exploring the grace that God lavishes upon us.