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
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.
Excerpt
Middle of Chapter 11: Digging for Answers
(CONTEXT: Akilah’s estranged cousin, Farzaneh, helped finance Akilah’s trip to Jerusalem to look
for Yeshua. Farzaneh is recently widowed, and part of her task in atending to her husband’s final
wishes is to find a Levite in Arbela (capital of Adiabene) to deliver something to him. Farzaneh has
recently become a God-fearer, as did her husband late in life, so she’s wrestling with her new
faith—which is countercultural to Persia’s official religion. In this scene, Farzaneh is talking to
Elyakim, the Levite, about the writings of Isaiah.)
Elyakim’s face lit with a warmth that seemed to rise from the bottom of his heart. “Ah,
Isaiah. Court official to four kings. Devoted to speaking Adonai’s words. Wept when our people
didn’t heed him. Yes, he wrote many important things about Israel’s past, present, and future.”
He steepled his fingers and pressed them to his lips. “But perhaps his most profound
passages are his predictions of the birth of a child who would also be born an eternal king. One who
would be the Savior of the world.”
A stone dropped in Farzaneh’s stomach. Ignoring all customs and formality, she reached for
Elyakim’s arm. Realizing the error of her impulsive action, she drew back. “My cousin Akilah who
serves in Persia’s Magi society saw a star that he believed heralded the child’s birth. He risked his
reputation and more to find the child. I … helped him finance his trip.”
Elyakim’s eyes widened. “Did he succeed?”
“I don’t know. No one has heard from him since he left.”
Elyakim’s ample hands gripped his knees. “My dear, I don’t mean to cause you distress, but
he is in grave danger.”
“What do you mean?”
“More than seven hundred years ago, Isaiah prophesied Adonai would give a miraculous
sign of His love when a virgin would give birth to a son and call him Immanuel—meaning ‘God
with us.’ Isaiah further described the child as Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. An
eternal ruler of a government without end. Imagine how audacious—and threatening—that would
sound to anyone in power. Especially if it came true.”
“Do you think it has?”
“According to our prophets’ predictions, the time is right. Consider what any ruler would do
if he thought he and his kingdom would be replaced by another—forever. He would justify any
means necessary to snuff out that child’s life—and the lives of all who knew of the child.”
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 a packet of 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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