LISTEN to today's conversation with Marc Graham!CASTLE ROCK, CO—Award-winning author Marc Graham creates a fresh tale that weaves history and legend in Song of Songs: A Novel of the Queen of Sheba (April 16, 2019, Blank Slate Press). Using the newest archaeological finds and linguistic research, Graham constructs an accurate depiction of the Middle East in Old Testament times while bringing to light an important but rarely touched upon historical figure.
Lift the veil of legend for the untold story of Makeda, the Queen of Sheba, and Bathsheba, wife and mother of Israel’s first kings. When Makeda comes of age she inherits what her father has left behind. Her city is on the brink of destruction as a crumbling dam threatens to wash away everything that Makeda has known. Graham’s characters explore the idea of familial honor in times of cultural disruption, their individual paths in light of their strong mythic beliefs, and to give voice to powerful women in history often neglected.
Award-winning author Marc Graham dives into a much glossed over historical figure in Song of Songs: A Novel of the Queen of Sheba (Blank Slate Press, April 16, 2019). Using the latest archaeological findings and linguistic research, Graham constructs an accurate depiction of the Old Testament Middle East to revive the untold story of Makeda, the Queen of Sheba, and Bathsheba, wife and mother of Israel’s first kings.
In an interview, Marc Graham discusses:
>The most recent archeological and linguistic research that led him to write Makeda’s story
>The current crisis in Yemen, Makeda’s homeland, and his partnership with Zakat Foundation of America
>His background as an award-winning author and how storytelling can be a tool to broaden perspectives and transform lives
>His use of Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Ethiopian, and Masonic myths for this non-traditional retelling of the Queen of Sheba’s story
>How the shift from matriarchal polytheism to patriarchal monotheism changed our view of history
>The importance of story, myth, and lore to social development
>The power of myth in the #MeToo era
Marc is pledging half of the book's proceeds to Yemen humanitarian relief and is partnering with the Zakat Foundation of America who will be matching his funds.
ABOUT MARC
Marc Graham was raised in Michigan before attending Rice University in Texas, where he studied mechanical engineering. After spending several years traveling the country with his wife, he eventually landed in Colorado where he lives along the Rocky Mountains. His first novel, Of Ashes and Dust, won the Paul Gillette Memorial Writing Contest and National Writers Association Manuscript Contest. Graham is an actor, speaker, story coach, shamanic practitioner, and whisky aficionado. When not on stage, in a pub, or bound to his computer, he can be found traipsing about the foothills and mountains with his wife and their Greater Swiss Mountain Dog. Learn more at https://www.marc-graham.com/.
