Don’t let the cover throw you–this is not a children’s chap book.
Although Joab’s Fire is set in Canada’s Northwest Territories in 1903, the story itself is far older, predating Christianity by roughly 4000 years. It’s a cleverly written modern rendition of the story of Job.
Lynn wove the lives of two men, Joab Black, who suffered from all the same arrows Satan aimed at Job, and Sgt. Clarence Dixon, who watched his struggle. Dixon, an official in the Northwest Mounted Police, is haunted by a past he believes God will never forgive him of. And as he watches Joab’s suffering, he no longer cares. If such a righteous man can suffer such atrocities, there either isn’t a God, or God isn’t just. Either way, Dixon insulates himself from the still, soft voice calling him to repentance and salvation.
Although she currently lives in California, Lynn was raised on a farm in southern Alberta, Canada where she “spent her days playing a pioneer or a character from a book (and every so often succumbing to her parents’ work ethic).” She chose the setting based on her great grandparents’ struggle to settle the wild and vast land. The occurrences in the book are actual events in Western Canadian history. Lynn did her research, and did a wonderful job blending Canadian history with the ancient story of Job to come up with a page-turner of a novel.
Because of its compelling story, Joab’s Fire won a spot in the Canopy Bookstore. I’m anxious to present Lynn’s book to festival-loving Texans during the coming months!
You can learn more about Lynn at her site Lynn Squire, Author, Speaker.
Several years into it, and this blog still refuses to be categorized. It's eclectic and includes everything from writing posts to snippets from my ordinary life. 
Linda W. Yezak 
Linda, Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate your very positive and kind review and pray that God will use this book to bless each reader.
Thought you might like to know a bit about the cover. The artist is Darlene Crane. Darlene lives in Arrowwood, AB, the real name of the town where Joab’s Fire is set. Darlene was determined to bring authenticity to the cover. In the coldest time of the year, January, she took her sketch book to the very site Joab Black’s farm would have stood. In fact, there had once been a farm on that site. Darlene then studied the pictures of the farm, especially with respect to its demise, to get a feel for what it might have looked like. The only thing left standing of that farm today is the windmill. If you want to see more her sketches depicting the barn and the house that originally stood there and of a soddy, you can go to: https://sites.google.com/site/joabsfire/home/pictures
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Thanks for sharing about Darlene and about the story of the site. She went above and beyond to get what she needed for a terrific cover. You were fortunate to have her!
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Sounds interesting! Job has always been a story of so much depth – and confusion. I’d be interested to hear a good fictional take on it.
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There is a lot in Job that confuses me too, but the story is captivating!
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The more I study the book of Job, the more I learn about God and about life. I know a lot of people stay away from Job because it can be depressing, but I have come to love the book and see it more as a comfort. No matter what I go through in life, I have the assurance that God is in control. The trials only give me opportunity to see more of God. I love God, and I long for more of Him. If going through trials allows me to understand Him more, then don’t hold them back.
“Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ” I Peter 1:6-7
I know it seems crazy, maybe even cruel and harsh, to view hardships as opportunities to know God, but when we pass through those trials and have remained faithful, our perspective changes and joy and peace can be found.
My prayer is that everyone might find that joy and peace that comes after the storm, when nothing is left except the perfection of God.
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