Hello everyone, happy weekend! 🙂 Today is the day that I am revealing my book cover for Shepherd Girl. It’s just perfect and everything that I hoped for! The mood, the design, everything suits my story very well. I hope you like it as much as I do! The girl on the cover looks deep in thought – and my character broods a lot in the story.

I want to thank the talented designers over at Beti Bup for creating book covers that go so well with my stories. Their prices are so cost effective, too! You can check their designs out here.

My book’s release date will be next weekend – on Saturday, October 23. It will be available in both e-book and in print and I’ll set them at affordable prices for my readers. ❤

I’m very excited to release my story into the world.

Now I’m going to include an excerpt from my book below to give you an idea of how it flows.

***

After supper, Zara helped Judith clean up while their mother went to get something from her room. Even though she had bathed before the meal this time, Judith snubbed her. She wanted to talk to someone about what happened earlier. Surely Judith would find it interesting. With a sigh, she decided it was worth a try.  

“Don’t tell Mother, but I met two visitors today,” she whispered.

“Who were they?” asked her older sister with a raised eyebrow. 

“Two brothers.”

“Do they live close by?” she asked, suddenly very interested in what Zara was saying.

“I think so.”

‘Well, were they handsome?”

Zara laughed at Judith’s animated expression. There was no girl in Israel who was more boy crazy than her sister.

“Yes,” admitted Zara. “Especially the younger one, David.”

Judith’s jaw dropped. “Listen to you! Since when are you interested in boys?”

Zara shrugged. “I didn’t say I was interested.”

It was unlikely she’d cross paths with them again. Most shepherds were nomadic, especially the young unmarried ones.

Judith gave her a sidelong glance. “I bet neither of them would have been interested in some shepherd girl like you.”

Zara cringed. “Why do you always have to be so rude?”

“You’re so easy to insult.”

“Girls!” scolded Mother as she passed by them to start her mending. “Could we have one peaceful evening without you two bickering?”

The sisters finished up their chores without another word then turned in for the night. Judith’s annoyed huff was loud and clear as Zara climbed up the ladder to their shared bedchamber in the attic. Their beds were on opposite sides of the room. A large wooden chest separated their quarters, allowing them some privacy. Sitting on her mattress and looking out the window, Zara stared up at the stars and sighed. She couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. Far from the city, the views of society didn’t matter as much on the farm. Some people, like Judith, were drawn to the city’s conveniences and architecture, but Zara always felt trapped when they visited. Bringing the tip of her finger to the window, she traced patterns on the glass using the stars as points. It amazed her that they never moved from their placement in the sky. Ten years from now, the same lights in the sky would still be there to remind her that no matter where life took her, she would always be the same person on the inside – a girl who loved the outdoors.

As the red sun rose in the sky the next morning, she looked over her family’s flock and felt a wave of pride wash over her. In all her seventeen years, she had never been so certain of anything. This was who and where she wanted to be. As the afternoon heat beat down on the land, Zara remembered her Papa’s advice to lead the sheep down to the stream where there was shade from the trees that grew along the water. She led the sheep and Ember trailed behind them, always keeping watch over the gentle animals. They wandered the plains for an hour before reaching the small creek. The sheep drank from the cool waters, and she knelt to refill her canteen, pouring some of the water over her face before drinking it. She scanned the area for predators, but none were in sight. That didn’t mean there wasn’t one eyeing them in distance, though.

***

Her life is very idyllic and simple at the beginning, as she loves it to be. There is much in store for Zara later on – more than she could ever imagine. I hope you enjoy taking an incredible journey with her through the lands of Ancient Israel.

Thank you so much for reading my blog today! I hope you enjoy your weekend. ❤