#SaturdaySpotlight is on Barbara M Britton & Defending David!

 

Good Morning and Welcome to the first Saturday Spotlight of July 2025!

Hope your Independence Day celebrations are safe and happy.

Today we bring Barbara Britton back with her book, Defending David, part of her "Tribes of Israel" series.

Thanks for visiting us again, Barbara. Tell us what makes Defending David so special...

Thank you for having me back on the blog, Pam.

King David is a popular Bible hero and recently people have taken a renewed interest in David’s life with the drama “House of David.” Amazon Prime takes a few licenses with Scripture, but viewers tune in to see how a shepherd boy rose to power and became king over Israel.

In my novel “Defending David,” I capture David’s life when it is in turmoil. David is older and his son Absalom is determined to kill his father and claim the throne. David flees Jerusalem like a criminal. David is not fighting with armies or even a sling. David retreats in weakness.

David is still the man after God’s own heart as we read in I Samuel 13:14, and God provides a helper for David. God has a sense of humor because He sends a Philistine exile to assist David. This enemy exile has hundreds of fighting men and is sold out to the One True God. Who is this unlikely hero to David? A man with a fun name—Ittai the Gittite.

I enjoyed shining a light on Ittai and showing how David trusted him during a tumultuous time. Ittai is front and center as the buff warrior who saves an aging king, and he also finds love along the way.

“Defending David” covers a chunk of Scripture in II Samuel, chapters 15-19:8. 

Wonderful! Give us more please...

Sure here's the cover, blurb and an excerpt...

When a quiet journey to Jerusalem turns tragic, newly orphaned Rimona must flee a kinsman set on selling her as a slave. Racing into the rocky hills outside of Hebron, Rimona is rescued by a Philistine commander journeying to Jerusalem with six-hundred warriors.

 

Exiled commander, Ittai the Gittite, is seeking refuge in the City of David. Protecting a frantic Hebrew woman is not in his leadership plan. Although, having a nobleman's niece in his caravan might prove useful for finding shelter in a foreign land. Rimona and Ittai arrive in Jerusalem on the eve of a rebellion. In the chaos of an heir's betrayal, will they be separated forever, or can they defend King David and help the aging monarch control his rebellious son?

Excerpt:

Stifling a laugh, Ittai surveyed the approach of the closest stranger. Why was anyone traipsing over rock and crevices in the dark when sunlight wasn’t far off? Some men had no sense. How many fools had he encountered in battle? Too many and they were dead. Crouching near a tower of rocks and a spindly sapling, Ittai unsheathed his blade. He breathed in cool air untainted with kicked-up camel dust. His eyes overcame the darkness to rest on a form breeching the top of the hill. 

Sandal slaps. Wheezing. One fool had made it to the crest. Hamuran would cut off the others. 

Nearer and nearer the climber came. Ittai swallowed. The sour taste of bile pulled his jaw tight. 

Lord, give me victory. 

The man stumbled over a rock and whimpered. 

Ittai lunged. 

He grabbed the stranger and pulled the thin frame taut to his chest. His knife rested against the flesh of the prowler’s neck. 

“Stay silent, or I will send your head thumping to the dirt.” 

His captive turned to stone. Trembling stone. 

A swell of breast rose and fell beneath Ittai’s arm. No stench of sweat or body odor offended his nose. This quivering climber smelled of scented soap even after a trek up a hill. An abundance of soft curls tickled his chin. 

He’d caught a woman. 

What was a woman doing out at night? In the wilderness? In his arms? 

He eased his blade from her neck. “I mean you no harm. I am not a foe. I will release you if you keep your voice low.” 

She nodded ever so slightly. A tiny whine escaped from her lips as if she were agreeing to his demand in earnest. 

He loosened his hold but kept her upright with a commanding grasp of her arm. A crazed or enraged woman could do harm. He had learned that in the most difficult of ways. He gave her enough slack to turn and face him in the shadows. 

“Help me,” the woman rasped. “Men are chasing me.” 

Securing his weapon, he kept his gaze centered on the gleam in her dark eyes. 

“They mean to cut out my tongue.” Her chest rose and sunk like the sea. “And sell me as a slave. My father is not a thief.” 

The woman’s eyes blinked without rest. He had only seen someone so undone under two circumstances—when he told his mother he was going off to war, or in war, when a man was pleading for his life. His mind became a fog of memories. His calm, tranquil night had been set ablaze.

AMAZING! I remember how much I enjoyed reading Defending David. Get your copy on Amazon (FREE in KU), you won't regret it!

Barbara M. Britton writes Christian Fiction from Bible Times to present day. Her Tribes of Israel series brings little-known Bible characters to light. She also authored a WWI Historical set in Alaska and created Christian romances set in Tennessee. Barbara has a nutrition degree from Baylor University but loves to dip healthy strawberries in chocolate. Find out more about Barb’s books on her website, barbarambritton.com, or follow her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. 

Hope you enjoyed Barbara's visit today folks and that you'll check back every week for another Saturday Spotlight. See Barbara's other spotlights HERE.

Until next time take care and God Bless.

PamT

#SaturdaySpotlight is on Barbara Britton @BarbaraMBritton & Christmas at Whispering Creek!

Good Morning,

It's a rainy day here in SW Louisiana. A line of storms moved in during the night and we've had lot's of wind and rain. What better to do on a gloomy day than relax with a good book and this time of year, a Christmas romance! Please welcome Barbara Britton back as she shares her new relase with us....

Thank you for having me back on the blog, Pam. I am thrilled to share about my first contemporary romance novel. It’s a Christmas novel, too. I’m known for writing Biblical Fiction, but I couldn’t pass up the chance to write about something I lived through—breast cancer. It would be difficult to write cancer into a storyline in Bible Times.

My young heroine, Samantha, is a breast cancer survivor. I’ve had breast cancer in my rear-view mirror for 6 years. Praise the Lord! I added a brief account of my journey at the end of “Christmas at Whispering Creek.” I hope you enjoy my story which is two stories—one fiction and one real.

All Samantha Williams wants to do is to use her teaching degree to instruct a classroom of second graders. But, after a breast cancer diagnosis at the age of twenty-three, and failed reconstruction surgery, Sam finds herself without a job and temporarily living with her parents. This isn't the life Sam expected. When a family friend dies and leaves Sam a house and land in Whispering Creek, Tennessee, Sam must decide if leaving Wisconsin for Southern living is in her lesson plans.

Nashville native, Cole Donoven, left his family' s electrical business to write country music. When Cole' s song-writing partner and girlfriend dumps him for a country music star, Cole abandons Nashville to hole up in Whispering Creek and compose one more song. The last thing Cole expects to find in the sleepy small town is a deceased friend, estate squabbles, and a Northern beauty. Will the chaos in Whispering Creek help create a bestselling song for Cole and possibly help him find a life-long collaborator?

Excerpt: Samantha eased away from Cole’s warmth not wanting to seem too needy. She was the queen of log throwing after all. But had she shared too much? Cole’s arm remained at her back, firm and comforting. 

     He picked up the string cheese. “How about some spoiled mozzarella.” 

     Sniffling, she laughed at his ploy to lighten the mood. “They’re expired. But totally edible.”  

 

     “How long have you been boyfriend‐free?” Cole’s comforting arm slid away as he stripped plastic from their second course of dinner. She missed the kindness in his touch. 

     Not long. “Since Thursday at lunchtime.” Would Cole think she was on the rebound? 

     “Three days?” He handed her the first roll of cheese. “I think you need this more than me. After three days, I was laying around in bed.” His leg jiggled as if he readied to run from this topic. “I didn’t get a good‐bye. I got a note on my kitchen table. Had to figure out what I had done to get left for another man. I’m not sure I ever will know the answer.” His gaze glanced over her head and out into the tree‐lined moonlight. 

     This wasn’t Christian of her, but in Sam’s book, Jillie Lynn became lower than a nightcrawler. How did you ghost someone as sweet as Cole? 

     “If I’m honest.” She swallowed a hunk of cheese, nearly choking. “Our relationship had been strained for months. Karlton traveled to cement a law firm offer—” 

     “Your ex was an attorney named Karlton?” Cole stroked his chin while a grin played with his mouth. “I don’t know whether to laugh or to punch the guy.” Cole’s protective streak had her sitting tall on the wooden bench. 

     “A week ago, I would have said laugh, but today, I’m OK with a punch. Nothing too bloody.”

     “Man, your boyfriend leaves, and then you find out about Ted?” 

     “A half‐hour later.” She jabbed an unwrapped cheese stick his direction. “And while I was on the phone with Chester, I saw Karlton and his neighbor holding hands as they walked across his apartment complex.” Rehashing Karlton’s betrayal to a handsome friend didn’t seem so bad. Cole had more emotional awareness in his thumb than her ex did in his entire designer‐suited body. “How’s that for a neat, tidy bow?”

Barbara M. Britton lives in Southeast, Wisconsin and loves the snow—when it accumulates under three inches. She writes Christian Fiction from Bible Times to present day USA. Her Tribes of Israel series brings little-known Bible characters to light. Her novel “Christmas at Whispering Creek,” is a compelling, yet fun story, shining a light on breast cancer. Barbara has a nutrition degree from Baylor University but loves to dip healthy strawberries in chocolate. You can find out more about Barbara and her books on her website www.barbarambritton.com.

You can buy Christmas at Whispering Creek at Amazon, B&N or wherever books are sold. And you can check out Barbara's previous visits HERE.

Oh, Wow, Barbara, I am SO excited for you with your debut contemporary romance and a Christmas one at that! Good luck and God's blessings with it!

Hope you enjoyed Barbara's post friends and that you'll check back weekly for Wednesday Words with Friends and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time take care and God bless.

PamT