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Luana Ehrlich

Luana Ehrlich

About

Luana picked up her first adult spy novel when she was eleven years old. Today, she continues to have a passion for the thriller/suspense genre of fiction. In addition to being an avid reader, she is also a news fanatic, following events around the world on a daily basis, particularly the Middle East.

Luana is a minister's wife and has lived in Norman, Oklahoma for the past two decades. Previously, she resided in several states in the South and Midwest. Along with her husband, she also served as a missionary in Costa Rica and Venezuela.

Occasionally, she reports on the experiences of newly converted Christians for Baptist Press, a national news service for Baptists. At one time, she wrote a weekly column for The Indiana Baptist, entitled "A Story To Tell," which told the stories of ordinary people who became followers of Christ. Luana is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers.

The Sons of Godwine: Part Two of The Last Great Saxon Earls

The Sons of Godwine: Part Two of The Last Great Saxon Earls

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<p>Emerging from the long shadow cast by his formidable father, Harold Godwineson showed himself to be a worthy successor to the Earldom of Wessex. In the following twelve years, he became the King's most trusted advisor, practically taking the reins of government into his own hands. And on Edward the Confessor's death, Harold Godwineson mounted the throne—the first king of England not of royal blood. Yet Harold was only a man, and his rise in fortune was not blameless. Like any person aspiring to power, he made choices he wasn't particularly proud of. Unfortunately, those closest to him sometimes paid the price of his fame.<br /><br />This is a story of Godwine's family as told from the viewpoint of Harold and his younger brothers. Queen Editha, known for her Vita Ædwardi Regis, originally commissioned a work to memorialize the deeds of her family, but after the Conquest historians tell us she abandoned this project and concentrated on her husband, the less dangerous subject. In THE SONS OF GODWINE and FATAL RIVALRY, I am telling the story as it might have survived had she collected and passed on the memoirs of her tragic brothers.<br /><br />This book is part two of The Last Great Saxon Earls series. Book one, GODWINE KINGMAKER, depicted the rise and fall of the first Earl of Wessex who came to power under Canute and rose to preeminence at the beginning of Edward the Confessor's reign. Unfortunately, Godwine's misguided efforts to champion his eldest son Swegn recoiled on the whole family, contributing to their outlawry and Queen Editha's disgrace. Their exile only lasted one year and they returned victorious to London, though it was obvious that Harold's career was just beginning as his father's journey was coming to an end.<br /><br />Harold's siblings were all overshadowed by their famous brother; in their memoirs we see remarks tinged sometimes with admiration, sometimes with skepticism, and in Tostig's case, with jealousy. We see a Harold who is ambitious, self-assured, sometimes egocentric, imperfect, yet heroic. His own story is all about Harold, but his brothers see things a little differently. Throughout, their observations are purely subjective, and witnessing events through their eyes gives us an insider’s perspective.<br /><br />Harold was his mother's favorite, confident enough to rise above petty sibling rivalry but Tostig, next in line, was not so lucky. Harold would have been surprised by Tostig's vindictiveness, if he had ever given his brother a second thought. And that was the problem. Tostig's love/hate relationship with Harold would eventually destroy everything they worked for, leaving the country open to foreign conquest. This subplot comes to a crisis in book three of the series, FATAL RIVALRY.</p>

Story Behind The Book

I was inspired to write this book when I heard about the persecution experienced by Iranian Christians in Iran. Then, since I have a passion for the mystery/suspense/thriller genre, I asked, “What would happen to a veteran CIA intelligence officer if he encountered the faith and commitment of a group of Iranian Christians? What if he made a commitment of faith because of their influence? What would happen in his career if he began trying to live a totally different life, a life of faith?

Media Links

Article in The Norman Transcript

🔗 http://www.normantranscript.com/news/entertainment/one-night-in-tehran-a-thriller-with-perfect-balance-of/article_e74605e0-5029-11e4-a226-3373dce63c73.html

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Reviews

<p>&quot;One Night in Tehran is a well-written, suspenseful page turner of a book. We first meet the protagonist, Titus Ray, as he makes a daring escape from Iran. We hear him recount his mission to his CIA colleagues in a debriefing session. Both the escape and the debriefing set up the greater thrills yet to come when Titus relocates to Norman, Oklahoma. If you like suspense novels, spy novels, current events, &quot;fish out of water&quot; stories, or stories about 21st century life in an American college town; you will like this book. The story is timely and plausible. It contains characters that grow emotionally and spiritually as the events of the book unfold. As the story ends, we find ourselves wanting to follow Titus Ray on his next adventure - an adventure promises to be coming soon.&quot; --David Grogan, Goodreads Reviewer</p>