Middle Tennessee-based author and playwright Paula K. Parker returns as a guest on Bridges, the flagship talk show on WHTN, the Nashville affiliate of the Christian Television Network (CTN), to discuss her latest novel, Sisters of Lazarus: Beauty Unveiled. The episode is scheduled to air at 9:30 a.m. C.T. and 8:30 p.m. C.T. Friday and will be streamed online at the station's website, ctntv.org.

"Author Paula Parker made me a fan of biblical fiction," says Bridges host Monica Schmelter. "I can see why her book made Amazon's hottest new releases list for biblical fiction. As I interviewed Paula about her book, Sisters of Lazarus, I was intrigued and I'm confident our viewers will feel the same way too."

 

Schmelter is not the only celebrity to discover the novel. Sisters of Lazarus has attracted the attention of a number of high-profile entertainers, including Emmy and Golden Globe nominated actress Roma Downey, star of the  popular television series Touched By An Angel and executive producer of the epic mini-series The Bible on the The History Channel. 

 

"Sisters of Lazarus is a fun and meaningful read, offering the best of what biblical fiction provides--a tale built around beloved scriptural figures," Downey says. "But Paula Parker goes deeper than just creating an entertaining story featuring Mary and Martha. She explores the eternal question of what it means to be truly beautiful."

 

In Parker's novel, Martha and Mary, the two sisters of Lazarus, couldn't be more different. Martha, the elder, is plain and self-conscious; Mary, the younger, is beautiful and vain.

Sisters of Lazarus: Beauty Unveiled is the latest biblical novel by author Paula K. Parker

One sees her value only in serving, while the other believes her outward appearance is her only asset. Their worlds are turned upside down when their brother Lazarus offers hospitality to an intriguing new teacher named Jesus.

 

Parker invites her readers in, allowing them to feel like a fellow guest sharing the sisters' wonder at meeting Jesus for the first time and experiencing His transforming power, demonstrated by one of the most astonishing miracles ever recorded--raising Lazarus from the dead.

 

More than simply a re-telling of a familiar Bible story, Sisters of Lazarus: Beauty Unveiled explores what it means to be a woman of God, and how the true value of a woman does not lie in her outward appearance or her skills, accomplishments, possessions or intellect.

 

"In Sisters of Lazarus: Beauty Unveiled, Paula K. Parker pens a riveting story of love, longing and faith," says Bonnie Keen, author and recording artist with the Dove Award-winning vocal trio, First Call. "Parker's novel bears the profoundly satisfying mark of her gift as a playwright. She combines masterful story-telling with well-crafted dialogue. The result is a cast of Biblical characters fresh and human and real."