MANTLE

MANTLE
Friday, September 12, 2025 by DANA MCNEELY

Categories: Friday's Fiction / GUEST AUTHORS / Reviews and Interviews

PLEASE WELCOME

DANA MCNEELY

FICTION FRIDAY

FROM THE AUTHOR

At the Signpost of “What If?”

A writer’s journey can be a meandering path of twists and turns. But the real adventure begins at the signpost: “What if?”

After wandering through journalism, romance, and mystery, I found an intriguing signpost early one morning. Coffee in one hand, Bible on my lap, I read in 1 Kings. The emotion in chapter 17, verse 18, stopped me:

“[The widow of Zarephath] said to Elijah, ‘What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?”

Her words struck me with their pain and hopelessness. Her son was dead—presumably because of some great sin—and now she was alone in the world.

I read on, pausing again at verse 22, this time at the understated retelling of a momentous event:

“The Lord heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived.”

The Bible is sometimes that way—this happened, then that happened. Often, we are left to imagine the why and the how. Caught up by these characters, I began to imagine backward. Who were the widow and her son? What was their life before meeting Elijah? What brought them to this day? I researched everything I could find about Elijah and his times.

Six years later, those questions became Rain, the first book in my Whispers on the Wind series,

Whirlwind followed, and most recently Mantle,

continuing the adventures of Elijah, Elisha, and those whose lives intertwined with theirs.

I love writing Biblical fiction for many reasons. First, the research is endlessly fascinating. Second, plotlines are already there in Scripture—I simply connect the dots and fill in the scenery along the way.

If you love stories about Biblical characters and their adventurous journeys of faith, you may enjoy Rain, Whirlwind, and Mantle.

Buy Links, Website, Blog, and Free book: https://danamcneely.com/books-by-dana-mcneely/

MORE ABOUT DANA MCNEELY AND HER BOOKS

Dana McNeely dreamed of living in a world teeming with adventure, danger, and romance, but she had a problem—she also needed a lot of peace and quiet. She learned to visit that dream world by stepping into a book. Better yet, hundreds of books. Soon, she began writing her own stories, fact and fiction.

Inspired by the Bible stories of Elijah, Dana wondered why the prophet came to stay with the widow of Zarephath and her son. Who were they? What was their life before? How did the boy change after he died, saw the other world, and came back?

Those questions led to Dana writing RAIN, in which she built her dream world of adventure, danger, and romance. Peace and quiet, however, have remained elusive.

No stranger to drought, Dana lives in an Arizona oasis with her hubby, the constant gardener, two good dogs, an antisocial cat, and migrating butterflies.

Her debut novel, RAIN, spins the tale of a mysterious prophet, a desperate youth, and a relentless queen. In 2021, RAIN became a finalist in The Christy Award® and was also a finalist in the 2022 ACFW Carol Award.

WHIRLWIND, the second novel in the “Whispers on the Wind” series, tells the story of a king’s downfall and a love that transcends war.

A prophet’s call. A nation at war. One woman’s courage could change everything. MANTLE—gripping Biblical Fiction.

MY REVIEW of MANTLE *****

You will love reading this well-written book. The author expertly filled in the gaps from what the
Bible says to explain plausible scenarios to Elisha’s miracles and the prophets who followed him. I especially loved Ziva’s character, the possible slave girl who recommended Elisha to her master, Naamon, a general from Israel’s army. Faith, forgiveness, and restitution are prominent themes in the book. Every character is portrayed in their faith struggle and humanity, the best portrayal of Elisha I have read in years.

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