Today, while the world is focused on the birth of Jesus, I have a special treat for you. You get a chance to talk to one of the most interesting authors I know.
Linda Dindzans, M.D., is a speaker , writer and retired ENT surgeon with a longstanding love of God and fascination with in-depth Bible study. She is grateful for this time to lay down her scalpel and pick up her pen to follow His call to write. A Certain Man is her debut novel set in ancient Samaria. A Certain Mercy, Book Two in A Certain Future Series just released December 9, 2025.
Like the first book, A Certain Man, this new story will drop you into the world Jesus knew when he walked on earth. I hope you enjoy learning about Linda Dindzans, and her wonderful books.
Jenny: Hi, Linda. I am so happy you are here to talk to our readers. I know that all successful authors are also readers. Can you tell us about your own favorite authors, and what you have learned from them?
Linda: I’ve been an avid reader for many years, especially of biblical fiction. Like many, I was first swept in by Francine Rivers, but Brock and Bodie Thoene kept me up far too late on countless nights with their richly layered series spanning many eras.
More recently, Mesu Andrews has become a must-buy author for me. She offers both superb storytelling and generous mentorship at conferences.
I also read widely across genres. It’s not only personal interest; I see it as cross-training for writers. In romantic suspense, I’ve especially enjoyed Deb Sprinkle’s work, which I discovered through our Word Weavers critique group. I was thrilled to see her receive the Golden Scroll Book of the Year for Death Under the Ice.
Another must-buy author is Cindy Sproles. From Mercy’s Rain to Coal Black Lies, her authentic characters and the life lessons woven through their stories linger with me long after I turn the final page.
Jenny: I love that your favorites are spread across different genres. So, when did you feel you had “arrived” as an author yourself?
Linda: I hope I never reach a point where I feel I’ve fully “arrived.” I want to keep learning and sharpening my craft so I can better translate the stories unfolding in my mind onto the page.
That said, when my first novel, A Certain Man, was published, I felt a shift—from writer to author. It was a deeply meaningful moment.
Jenny: That was a deeply moving book as well. Now that the second book in the series has been released, can you tell us what inspired this story?
Linda: The inspiration for A Certain Mercy came from listening to the struggles of women—bright, accomplished women—who felt unseen by friends, family, and especially husbands.
The novel also wrestles with forgiveness: both forgiving others and forgiving oneself. Many years ago, I read The Bait of Satan by John Bevere, which pushed me to examine my own responses in those areas. I’ve come to believe those two forms of forgiveness are intertwined. Jesus taught that we must forgive in order to be forgiven. Even the Lord’s Prayer says, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive others.”
If I’m honest, I’m sometimes tempted to pray, “Please forgive me better than I forgive others.” But the truer prayer is, “Lord, show me how to forgive both others and myself.”
Jenny: Yes. Forgiving ourselves is often very difficult. I am fascinated by the research that goes into writing Biblical fiction. What is the most interesting thing you learned while researching this book?
Linda: I once heard a sermon (I wish I remembered the source) suggesting that something very specific at the empty tomb must have convinced Peter—who initially did not believe the women—to suddenly understand that Jesus had risen.
Exploring commentaries, I found discussions about the state of the burial cloths. The shroud was likely wrapped lengthwise over the body, tied around the arms and the legs due to the hasty burial. Some scholars suggest the ties may still have been intact when Peter looked inside, leaving the shroud collapsed but undisturbed, as though the body had passed through it.
The Gospel writer goes out of the way to mention that the face cloth was folded and placed aside. If Peter saw an intact, collapsed shroud and a separately folded face cloth, it’s not difficult to imagine him realizing the body could not have been stolen. Perhaps he even remembered Lazarus, who needed help removing his grave clothes—yet here, everything was different. Miraculous. And a fulfillment of what Jesus had already promised.
Jenny: Wow. That creates such a vivid picture. I know our readers will enjoy A Certain Mercy. Can you tell us about the major message want readers to get from this book?
Linda: That mercy reigns.
Because mercy toward others is essential for our own forgiveness, God will not ask us to offer what He refuses to equip us to give. Forgiving others and ourselves is ultimately an act of freedom. I love the saying: “Holding onto unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.”
Jenny: That is such a wonderful way to explain it. Now, just for fun, tell us about some of your favorites:
Day of the week? Not a day, exactly—rather the early morning, when my energy feels new and full.
Hot beverage? A vanilla latte.
Holiday? Thanksgiving—connection and gratitude without the extra expectations layered onto other holidays. I still love Christmas, of course, but I try to keep it balanced.
Genre you enjoy besides the one you write? Historical fiction beyond biblical settings. After that, action blended with mystery and suspense.
Jenny: Thanks so much for talking to us today. Do you have any parting words for our readers?
Linda: I hope to draw readers into the scandalous, dangerous world of the Bible so they can imagine how they might have responded to the teachings of Christ, the struggles of my characters, and perhaps even the challenges in their own lives.
Note from Jenny: See, I told you Dr. Linda was a fascinating person. Now, if you’d like to win a copy of one of her books, answer this question in the comments:
What biblical character do you most identify with?
Everyone who answers will be in a drawing to win! A paperback copy of A Certain Mercy and a digital copy of A Certain Man will be given away. Enter now!
Don’t want to wait to take a chance on winning? Here are the links you need to purchase your own copy now.
A Certain Man: https://a.co/d/6ppK0WP
A Certain Mercy: https://www.amazon.com/Certain-Mercy-Future-Book-ebook/dp/B0FTTCK72Z
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