Survival Secrets: Read an Excerpt + Enter to Win

 

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Survival Secrets by Lana Christian, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Survival Secrets 
Series: The Magi's Encounters #2 
Author: Lana Christian 
Publisher: Scrivenings Press 
Release Date: September 23, 2025 
Genre: biblical fiction

On the run from Herod and the Nabataeans, Akilah makes a desperate decision to venture into the unforgiving Wilderness of Paran. To reach Egypt’s safety, his caravan must survive the elements while maintaining their anonymity and protecting the secrets they harbor. Their knowledge of Yeshua is one of many secrets that jeopardize their lives. When calamity tears one Wise Man away from the others, the group’s resolve and newfound faith start to crumble. Farther from their goal of returning to Persia than ever before, they encounter Yeshua’s family again. Its ramifications raise the stakes for their cost of belief in the Hebrew God. 

Two thousand miles away, Akilah’s estranged cousin, Farzaneh, wrestles with the same as she tries to uncover secrets her husband took to the grave when he embraced the Hebrew faith. As life shifts radically for everyone, each person must risk trusting an unfathomable, sovereign God.  

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

More in This Series

Book Excerpt

One month prior: Herod’s Jerusalem palace complex, 7 days after his death

If tonight’s banquet contained a scrap of authentic homage, Antipas would be surprised. The preplanned excesses of Herod’s funeral and the past six days of mourning had been staged farces.

Why should tonight’s gathering be sincere? His brother, Archelaus, had been entrusted with the arrangements for both.

Antipas balled his hands into fists. A deathbed twist in Herod’s will had denied Antipas the entirety of his father’s kingdom as well as his title. He hadn’t even inherited Judea. Archelaus ruled it now.

Antipas paused at the entrance of the banquet hall. The last time he’d dined there, he had watched his father regale the Magi from Persia. Although he wanted to leave Jerusalem and tonight’s spectacle, his mind nagged him to stay. He had unfinished business here. With his dead father.

As an interminable roll call of guests droned on about Herod’s accomplishments, Antipas asked himself what he owed his father. No one knew of the private pledge Herod had forced upon him. Only the gods could hold him accountable for it, and he was fairly sure they didn’t care. Why should he still be obligated to fulfill his promise to eliminate the Magi?

He wasn’t a killer like his father. On the other hand, following through on his pledge could gain him visibility, demonstrate his decisiveness in exercising authority. On a larger scale, it could cement his stance against false prophets and others seeking to disturb the peace with their talk about Yeshua. Antipas would be seen as a strong ruler, even if it was from a throne in Galilee.

Maybe he should have pursued the Magi more ardently. No matter. Eventually they would have to travel Roman roads to return home, and the stationarii remained on notice to apprehend the Magi until they—or someone else—did.

Antipas observed his barely older brother from a distance. Archelaus maneuvered from guest to guest with gusto, his face flushed with schoolboy adrenaline. Tsk. An overeager host with no sense of pacing. Had he learned nothing from their father? At such events, Herod the Great always moved with precision timing—lingering long enough to make each guest feel seen and appreciated, while devoting the shortest possible measure to leave that impression. Herod reserved longer encounters solely for his benefit: to make a point, glean information, gain approval, or woo an unlikely ally.

Enjoy your moment, brother. You’re already in trouble with the Jews.

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About the Author

Lana Christian is an award-winning author in business and creative writing. Since 2021, she has won a dozen awards for her biblical fiction and nonfiction. Her debut biblical fiction novel, "New Star," has garnered six awards to date. She was a 2025 Selah Awards finalist in the Devotions Online category and also won an award from Baker Publishing Group for her short story about Lot. Lana is a science and history geek who loves hiking, secret staircases, and masala chai tea. Her greatest desire is that her stories will immerse readers in another place and time they may know little about but come away with an experience that exceeds their expectations.

Connect with Lana by visiting lanachristian.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

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Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a $15 Amazon gift card + Plum Deluxe tea sampler*

(1) winner will receive a $15 Amazon gift card

*tea sampler will include 3 packets each of the following Plum Deluxe teas: No Obligations Decaf (a hazelnut almond black tea and author's fave) Comfort Blend Cinnamon Orange black tea (caffeine) Magical Butterfly Herbal tea (butterfly pea flower + berries) (a close substitution may be made if one kind of tea is not available)

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight September 29, 2025 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on October 3, 2025. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

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