About the Book

Book: The Crooked Daughter

Author: D.M. Griffin

Genre: Biblical Fiction

Release date: March 28, 2024

Choices her father made before she was even born reached a bony finger into her life, clouding her future with hopelessness. Her father’s cold heart had no room for her. He easily cast her aside when the Law permitted it. Defined as an outcast because of a physical infirmity, Priscilla was told death was her destiny. Despite the limited perspective brought about by years of adversity, Priscilla fought to keep hope alive and wait for the Lord’s timing.

Aquila lost his father at the most critical time in his life. Battling against grief and bitterness, Aquila uncovers a secret about his father’s death that undermines his faith in a religious system that once defined him. Driven from his homeland, Aquila becomes someone he no longer recognizes.

Two people whose perspectives are skewed by adversity become divinely intertwined in mysterious ways. As they wait upon the Lord for His timing, would Priscilla and Aquila ever find the truth that would lift their eyes to the hills so they could see the purpose of life, not only between a man and a woman but between God and His creation? A poignant story about how God uses adversity for good in the lives of those who truly love and trust Him.

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I received a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions given are my own and not an endorsement of all author’s opinions.

Author Interview

1. If you could meet your characters in real life, what would you talk about?

It is rare for Scripture to mention a husband and wife ministry team. So I have always admired Priscilla and Aquila. If I could meet the characters in real life, I would like to talk to them about their faith, what it was like to live in the times they lived in, and what they thought their legacy was. I hinted at that a bit in the epilogue of The Crooked Daughter. Combining Priscilla with the crooked woman mentioned in the gospels into one characterwas a fictional leap I was willing to take for the sake of bringing out the thematic element of receiving healing before acknowledging the Healer. (A theme inspired by my life experience) If I had a chance to meet the real Priscilla, I would like to know what kind of things she might have suffered in her life. Persecution was definitely one of them.
2. What/Who inspired you to write in the main themes of this book?

The main themes in this book revolve around healing and acknowledging the Healer. I have had my own personal health struggles in life, so I related to Priscilla in the story. I would have to say that personal experience was a huge inspiration. While I wasn’t bent over for eighteen years, I have suffered from chronic back pain. I was bent for three months a few years ago and that was excruciating. I had to go to physical therapy for a year but at least I found relief. I used a lot of the struggles, both mental and physical, as inspiration for The Crooked Daughter. God didn’t waste anything in my experience, minor as it was.

3. What made you choose the setting/time period?

I chose the setting/ time period for The Crooked Daughter based on Scripture. I have always been intrigued by nameless characters in the Bible. When selecting the four unnamed women for The Encounter Series, I chose two known by theirafflictions and two by their circumstances. The woman with a demon-possessed daughter, the widow from Nain, the crooked woman, and the woman with the issue of blood.

4. What message do you hope readers take away?

What I want reader to take away is the beautiful truth that God works all things together for good for those who believe. My intention in this imaginary adaption of the unnamed woman who suffered for eighteen years by being in a bent-over posture was to show how God uses all things, even adversity, for His good. Though Aquila’s adversity was not physical, his perspective had been limited by grief. Whether we suffer physically or spiritually, God invites us to trust in His timing and proves that He will make all things right. Even when it appears that the villains win, Christ will have the final say on their fate. No person or couple is beyond purpose. It took the Priscilla and Aquila characters in this story years to come to an understanding of who Jesus really was. Sometimes when we are desperate for something, we focus more on the blessing and forget about the One who gave it to us. I wove this narrative into a thematic fabric using a fictional thread that combined Priscilla, mentioned in Acts, with the crooked woman mentioned in the gospels.

5. What is your favorite snack/drink while writing?

I hate to admit it, but when I am writing, I like to eat chocolate. My favorite are See’s Scotchmallows. Usually, I am too busy typing so that keeps me from getting carried away. I also drink tea or water. I have to force myself to get up and take a walk because I can get so engrossed in the story that the entire day goes by and I find I spent eight hours writing when there was so much else to do.

About the Author

D.M. Griffin is the author of several Biblical Fiction novels as well as devotionals, prayer journals, and Bible studies. She will be releasing a Christian Fantasy series in 2025. She 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 England girl, she fondly remembers spending her summers there as a child. Thick accents, small towns, and fascinating weather stirred the imagination of a young heart. She has always had a fondness for stories thanks to her imaginative mother who would make up wild, adventurous tales to tell when 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.

My inspiration for writing The Crooked Daughter is multi-faceted. First of all, I was intrigued by the unnamed characters in the Bible who had a single extraordinary encounter with Jesus. The woman who was bent over for eighteen years was one of the four that I selected for The Encounter Series.

Though there were few verses dedicated to this woman, I felt the deeper pull of a story tucked inside the folds of those verses describing Jesus healing her on the Sabbath. I wondered what her story was. What led her there that day? Did she go searching for Him or did Jesus pick her out of the crowd?

Reading that the woman was in that condition for eighteen years is worthy of pondering. I think a lot of times when we read Scripture, we miss the impact of time’s passage. As someone who has suffered from back pain for many years, I could relate to the crooked woman’s story. Eighteen years is a long time to be bent over. The longest I had to remain in a bent position was three weeks. It is extremely difficult to move through the world when the only thing you can see is the ground. Pain is bad enough to endure. Pain for eighteen years must have been excruciating. I know when I am in pain my mood and attitude definitely need adjustment. I would have been a monster after eighteen years!

Developing Priscilla’s character challenged me as a writer. As someone who suffered an early rejection in life only to endure physical infirmity on her own, I didn’t want her to become embittered the way most would after enduring such a trial. There was a delicate balance between lamenting her fate and holding onto hope as it slipped away. Therefore, I introduced the playful, furry character – a dog named Patch.

Aquila’s character was complex and layered. While he was physically able-bodied, his heart was agonizing with grief, responsibility, and disillusioned faith. He was a man who could stand straight even while his soul was bent over.

I have always been intrigued by Aquila and Priscilla in the Bible. As an inspirational couple who served the Lord together, I enjoyed weaving the threads of their story into the fictional account about the crooked woman. I believe that love soothes the wounds of suffering. Falling in love straightens the crooked perspectives of circumstances. Who doesn’t enjoy a good love story that culminates in a strong, enviable marriage?

In The Crooked Daughter, the main character’s condition is symbolic of the political climate of those days. The religious leaders were the ones who were bent over, their perspective about God’s acceptance of people horribly skewed under the heaviness of pride. They could not lift their eyes to the heavens to recognize the Messiah in their midst. Their hearts were hunched under the weight of selfish ambition and prejudicial attitudes. Condemnation was the chain that kept them bound, unable to see the horizon of eternity.

Physical infirmities are horrible to endure. Even worse are the infirmities of the soul. So many things can truly bend us away from God – rejection, selfishness, anger, grief, regret. Thankfully, Jesus is more than a healer. He is our Savior. I truly enjoyed exploring these themes throughout The Crooked Daughter. I hope that readers come away from the story with hope as an anchor for hard times. God truly uses all things for good when we trust in His plan.