Anna of Bethsaida: Read an Excerpt + Enter to Win

Anna of Bethsaida JustRead Blog Tour

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Anna of Bethsaida by Susanne Blumer, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Anna of Bethsaida
Series: The Arimathea Chronicles #2
Author: Susanne Blumer
Publisher: Sutton Avenue Press
Release Date: March 16, 2026
Genre: Biblical Fiction

Anna believed choosing Andrew meant gaining a home. Instead, she finds herself on the dusty roads of Galilee, under the watchful eyes of hostile Pharisees, walking ever closer to miracles that both heal and unsettle.

As a healer traveling with Jesus's ministry alongside Andrew, Anna takes her place among the women who follow, forming bonds that offer strength as the journey grows harder. While crowds press close to hear the Teacher's words, a different kind of attention gathers. In Jerusalem, her father Joseph of Arimathea, walks an impossible line within the Sanhedrin, and with each miracle Jesus performs, the net draws tighter around them all.

The cost of discipleship, Anna discovers, is not counted in miles walked or comforts surrendered. It is measured in the space between what she hoped following Jesus would be and what it actually demands.

Some journeys test what you believe.
Some reshape who you become.
Anna's does both.

This is Book 2 of The Arimathea Chronicles. Begin Anna's journey from the beginning with Book 1, Anna of Arimathea, where a scarred, isolated young woman discovers healing, first love, and purpose in the footsteps of Jesus.

Anna of Bethsaida is perfect for readers who love:

Deeply researched biblical fiction with authentic period detail
The untold stories of women in the early church - Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and the community that sustained Jesus's ministry
Love stories tested by faith and dangerous callings
Political intrigue woven through spiritual transformation
Character-driven narratives where personal loss intersects with world-changing events

Book Excerpt

The young scribe had moved while Jesus spoke, working his way through the crowd, using the distraction to get nearer. Too close. Three people away from where I stood with Andrew. Ink stained his fingers, and when he looked at me, he held my gaze deliberately.

My hand tightened on Andrew's arm.

He was near enough now that I could smell the ink on his hands, sharp and acrid, mingling with sweat. My mouth had gone dry. He smiled, a small tight smile that never reached his eyes, never warmed the cold calculation there.

"Joseph of Arimathea's daughter," he said, his voice low.

I stepped back, colliding with Andrew's chest.

"Move away," Andrew said, shifting to put himself fully between us.

"I am only observing." The scribe's smile widened. "Taking notes. For the council. They will want to know who keeps company with this blasphemer. Who follows him. Who on the council has family among his followers."

"You need to leave," Andrew said, and there was iron in his voice now.

Peter pushed through the press of bodies and stepped up beside Andrew, his shoulders squared. "Let them try."

The scribe's eyes flicked from Andrew to Peter, then back to me. "Two of the twelve defending the councilman's daughter. How touching." He glanced down at his tablet. "The council will be very interested in this."

My hands had started shaking. I pressed them against my sides.

He saw my fear. Marked it with everything else he had observed, another weapon to be used when the time came. "You seem afraid, daughter of Arimathea."

"I am not afraid. I have broken no law."

His smile never wavered. "Perhaps not yet. But laws change, daughter of Arimathea. So do council memberships."

"Anna. We are leaving." Andrew took my arm and pulled me backward through the crowd. People complained as we pushed past them, and I caught fragments of Jesus's words floating over the noise — "the sign of Jonah," "three days and three nights," "the heart of the earth." Andrew was relentless, clearing a path with his body when words would not move people aside.

I looked back once. The young scribe was still watching me, still smiling that cold smile, and his hand was moving across his tablet.

Writing.

About the Author

Susanne Blumer lives her life surrounded by stories—some she writes, and some she sells. As the CEO and Founder of Sassafras on Sutton LLC, she is the owner of three magical indie bookstores nestled in the North Carolina mountains of Black Mountain and Waynesville and Beaufort, South Carolina. One even has a full coffee bar. Oh, happy day!

She is the author of The Arimathea Chronicles, a series set in first-century Judea and centered on the life of Anna, the daughter of Joseph of Arimathea. The first two books, Anna of Arimathea and Anna of Bethsaida, are available now. The third book, Anna of Calvary, will be available later this year. She's also written several children's books, including the award-winning Bell Tower Bible Adventure series she co-wrote with her husband. Her new children's picture book series, The Story of You, will release its first book late Spring 2026 called Before Your Story Had A Name.

When she’s not writing or doing other entrepreneurial tasks, you can usually find her hanging out on the floor of one of her stores, drinking coffee and learning the stories of her customers or spoiling her eight chickens. Susanne splits her time between Waynesville, NC in her beloved mountains and Beaufort, SC on the enchanting Lowcountry coast.

Connect with Susanne by visiting susanneblumer.com to follow her on social media and subscribe to email updates.

Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a $25 Bookshop gift card and a signed copy of Anna of Bethsaida!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight March 17, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on March 24, 2026. 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

Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

Tuesday, March 17, 2026