IF I PERISH
A Queen’s Sacrifice
She was an orphan. She was an outcast. She was the queen of the most powerful empire the world had ever seen. And she was born…For such a time as this.
A bold new retelling of the Story of Esther by Pulitzer Prize nominee Paula K. Parker
ABOUT THE NOVEL
Haddasah was born in to a loving, wealthy Jewish family in the Persian Empire’s capital city of Susa. But before she even comes of age her world is swept away by events over which she has no control. Her parents murdered, she is left with only one living relative, her much older cousin, Mordecai, who shelters her as his own daughter. Just when life regains a semblance of normality, on the eve of her betrothal, she is taken against her will into the King’s harem, where she assumes a new name and is admonished to never speak of her family or heritage.
Over the course of a year, she had become an orphan and an outcast. Yet even here she is destined to serve the purposes of God. As Mordecai prophesied, she was born for such a time as this.
The story of Esther is familiar to Jews and Christians; at least the bare bones of the story. Paula’s respectful and creative novel brought the story alive as a dramatic epic. Knowing the story, I was still compelled to turn the page and discover what happened next! Her gift of weaving fact with fiction to further illlustrate a Biblical history has achieved a higher level!
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Paula K. Parker Bios; Long and Short
About Paula Internationally Acclaimed Author and Pulitzer Prize Nominee Paula K. ParkerPaula’s Full Bio Paula’s Full Bio Paula K. Parker is a Pulitzer Prize nominated, award-winning, best-selling, and internationally acclaimed author, playwright, magazine...
Paula K. Parker’s Article on IF I PERISH: A Queen’s Sacrifice was Featured on Fiction Friday
On February 14, 2025, my article on the story behind my writing of IF I PERISH: A Queen’s Sacrifice was featured on Linda Wood Rondeau’s Fiction Friday blog. Linda followed with a humbling review of my novel, beginning with the statement, “This is a book for the...
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It was early March. Mike and I spent most of the day in our yard, getting it ready for the coming growing season. Before I could stop him, Mike used the weed-wacker in one of our flower beds where I had left some flowers from the previous year. “There was nothing...