Spotlight on 'Anna of Arimathea' by Susanne Blumer

Hello Bookworms!

Winter is here, baby, and boy, what an entrance it's making! I live in the southern United States and am currently bracing for a possible ice storm. I had plans this weekend, but it looks like those plans will be postponed, which means more time to relax, try to stay warm, and read!

Today I am shining a spotlight on a Biblical Fiction book with an excerpt from the first book in a new series and an amazing giveaway from JustRead Tours at the bottom of this post. I hope you enjoy and stay warm and safe wherever you are.

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Anna of Arimathea by Susanne Blumer, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Anna of Arimathea
Series: The Arimathea Chronicles #1
Author: Susanne Blumer
Publisher: Sutton Avenue Press
Release Date: December 7, 2025
Genre: Biblical Fiction

Some wounds are carried in silence. Some healings require more than medicine.

Eighteen-year-old Anna bears the marks of a childhood tragedy that left her motherless, scarred, and lame. Hidden within the household of her father, Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy councilman of the Sanhedrin, her days are measured in herb gardens and healing tinctures, in the steady work of hands trained to help others, and in the quiet safety of a world made small.

Then Andrew of Bethsaida arrives at her father's gate with urgent business for Joseph and talk of a teacher who calls ordinary people to extraordinary purpose. A fisherman turned disciple, Andrew follows the rabbi Jesus with a conviction that unsettles every long-held expectation—including Anna's own.

When Andrew's kindness cracks open the door to a larger world, Anna faces an impossible choice: remain in the safety of her father's estate or risk everything for the possibility of healing, love, and a life she never dared imagine.

Set against the dusty roads and fishing villages of first-century Judea, where miracles unfold and mercy walks among the broken, Anna of Arimathea opens The Arimathea Chronicles—a richly imagined tale of faith, first love, and redemption in the footsteps of the Messiah.

Anna of Arimathea is perfect for readers who love:

   Biblical and historical fiction with rich period detail
   Redemptive love stories that explore the cost of faith
   Immersive historical worlds
   Characters who choose courage over comfort

Excerpt

I See You

(Themes: divine encounter, loneliness, being seen by God)

ARIMATHEA 30AD. Anna, alone and forgotten in her garden, cries out to God—and

receives an answer that changes everything.

The wind circled me, wrapped around my shoulders, lifted my hair, stirred my robe

against my ankles. I stood in the center of something vast and holy, something that had

come for me alone. My scarred hands tingled where they gripped the iron as the air

swirled around me.

Then, as suddenly as it had come, the wind stilled completely. The birds stopped mid-

note. Even the hens stopped their scratching and stood motionless, heads cocked,

listening. The silence stretched and deepened until it seemed the very air held its

breath, waiting.

I did not hear it with my ears first. It came up through the ground, through the stone,

through the bones that ache in the rain, until it reached the place where fear had made

a tiny house inside me.

"I see you, Anna."

The latch slid from my fingers and struck the stone. My knees loosened and would have

given way if not for the wall. Those four words moved through me the way floodwater

roars down a dry streambed, finding every hollow place.

About the Author

Susanne Blumer lives her life surrounded by stories—some she writes, and some she sells. As the CEO and Founder of Sassafras on Sutton LLC, she is the owner of three magical indie bookstores nestled in the North Carolina mountains of Black Mountain and Waynesville and Beaufort, South Carolina. One even has a full coffee bar. Oh, happy day!

She is the author of The Arimathea Chronicles, a series set in first-century Judea and centered on the life of Anna, the daughter of Joseph of Arimathea. The first book, Anna of Arimathea, published in December 2025 and the second, Anna of Bethsaida, will be available in March 2026. She's also written several children's books, including the award-winning Bell Tower Bible Adventure series she co-wrote with her husband. Her new children's picture book series, The Story of You, will release its first book late Spring 2026 called Before Your Story Had A Name.

When she’s not writing or doing other entrepreneurial tasks, you can usually find her hanging out on the floor of one of her stores, drinking coffee and learning the stories of her customers or spoiling her eight chickens. Susanne splits her time between Waynesville, NC in her beloved mountains and Beaufort, SC on the enchanting Lowcountry coast.

Connect with Susanne by visiting susanneblumer.com to follow her on social media and subscribe to email updates.

Tour Giveaway

(2) winners will each receive a signed print copy of Anna of Arimathea plus a $50 Bookshop.org Gift Card!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight January 21, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on January 28, 2026. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!