Welcome to the Blog Tour for Across the Lake: Traveling with Jesus Around the Sea of Galilee by Barbara M. Britton, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About the Book
Title: Across the Lake: Traveling with Jesus Around the Sea of Galilee
Author: Barbara M. Britton
Publisher: Scrivenings Press
Release Date: January 6, 2026
Genre: Biblical Fiction Devotional
Discover the life changing power of Jesus in six short stories from the Gospel of Mark. The miracles of Jesus will leap from the page in a Biblical Fiction story, author reflection, and relatable study.
Travel with Jesus as he calms a storm, heals a desperate woman, raises a dead daughter to life, sends His disciples on a minimalist mission, feeds thousands on a hillside, and shows compassion to a persistent mother.
A perfect study for your small group, personal or family devotions, or even a book club. If you know Jesus, fall in love with Him all over again.
If you haven’t experienced Jesus’s power and love, jump in His boat and engage with the Creator and Savior of the world.
PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Scrivenings Press | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | BookBub
Book Excerpt
Felix’s muscles seized, though not from fear of demons nor the fright of never seeing his father again. Jesus was leaving. The man who had saved him from his possessed father, and who had saved his father from the demons, strode toward the sea.
Felix kissed his father’s cheek. “I will return.” He raced to the shore.
Jesus chatted with some of his friends near their boat. It wasn’t too late.
“Jesus!” He scrambled closer and threw his arms around the Teacher’s waist. Jesus embraced him as if the squeeze of Felix’s arms wasn’t an intrusion. “Thank you for healing my father.” He let go of the man and stepped back, meeting Jesus’s gaze. A gaze that would live in his dreams forever. “I believe it. I believe you are the Son of the Most High God.”
Jesus smiled as if Felix was a loyal friend. Not someone he had met hours before, but as if he had known him all of his life.
He would treasure Jesus’s broad smile. The smile of the only God who had restored his family and given him a reason to hope.
About the Author
Barbara M. Britton is an author of Christian Fiction who loves to bring little-known Bible stories to light. She has taught the Bible in church and schools for thirty years. 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 barbarambritton.com.
Author Interview
Q: What inspired you to write Across the Lake?
I enjoy writing about little-known Bible stories and Bible heroes. I prayed to the Lord to show me where to go next in the Bible. I wasn’t finding anything that inspired me to write a book.
My husband and I took a trip to Israel in March of 2023. After four days, our trip was cut short due to a family emergency. Fortunately, I was able to travel around the Sea of Galilee and be where Jesus walked. While I was sitting in a boat on the sea, I knew I had to write about this special place. So many accounts in the Bible came alive as I walked the paths that Jesus strode. “Across the Lake” highlights stories from the Gospel of Mark that transpired around the Sea of Galilee.
There were many “firsts” in this novel. I had never written a New Testament story. I don’t write short stories usually, but there are six in this book, and I had to write about Jesus. I didn’t give Jesus any more words than what He says in the Bible. I used the Disciples and other characters to show the power and compassion of Jesus.
Q: How long did it take to write this book?
I found it easier to write short stories than a longer novel because you have less characters to keep track of and less plot twists to create. I wrote this book in seven months. With the nonfiction portion of this book, I had to schedule time to run the theology and phrasing by trusted theologians who had seminary training.
Q: What surprised you while researching/writing this novel?
We just celebrated Christmas. I think most Christian know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, and that He grew up in Nazareth. We also know He was crucified in Jerusalem. I didn’t realize the importance that Capernaum played in Jesus’s life. His public ministry was headquartered in Capernaum. When you visit the town, there is a sign “Capernaum-Home of Jesus.”
Peter lived in Capernaum and the ruins of his house are by the Sea of Galilee. Unfortunately, Capernaum is one of the towns Jesus cursed due to its unbelief. I also shouldn’t have been surprised about the role of Capernaum in Jesus’s life because it is prophesied in Isaiah 9:1-2.
Q: Do you have a favorite quote from Across the Lake?
I wrote a poem while rocking in a boat on the Sea of Galilee. One reader told me these words encouraged her heart.
No matter where you are in your life, No matter how small a place that you come from, Or how small a reach you think you have, God can use you. No matter what you’ve been through, or where you have been, God can use you to shine a light for Him.
Q: When did you first know you wanted to be an author?
I didn’t know that I would become an author. I did not grow up in a Christian family, so I knew nothing about God. I didn’t even realize that there was an industry for Christian Fiction. I don’t type either. I hunt and peck my way over a keyboard. I’m also not particularly good with grammar.
I prayed for creativity while creating chapel lessons for elementary school students. I received ideas to write the curriculum, but I also received a desire to sit down and write a novel. That was thirteen novels ago, although only eleven of my stories are published.
Q: Would you share something about yourself that most readers wouldn’t know?
I think I’m pretty boring. I love to bake cookies and sweet recipes. Now that my sons are grown, I freeze a lot of what I bake and ration it out to my husband and myself. I do enjoy driving on quiet country roads, especially during the summer and fall. I pray during those uneventful drive times.
I’m currently reading A Certain Mercy by Linda Dindzans. The book is Biblical Fiction about what the life of the woman caught in adultery might have been and how her life changed when she meets Jesus.
I enjoy Biblical Fiction, but I also like Contemporary Christian Romance. I enjoy the second-chance romance trope and the “caught in a storm” or forced proximity trope.
Q: What is your favorite hobby?
I’m not sure I have a hobby. When I’m not writing, I do teach an occasional chapel lesson to elementary or middle school students and older women. I guess my hobby would be teaching. I also enjoy walking in nature. Living in Wisconsin, that gets harder to do in the winter months.
Q: What is your favorite season and why?
Fall is mesmerizing here in Wisconsin. The tree colors are breathtaking. It is the time of year when wildlife is active. You must be careful to avoid hitting deer or a flock of wild turkeys. Many people decorate with pumpkins and bales of hay. There’s a harvest feel in the air.
Tour Giveaway
(1) winner will receive an Across the Lake book box which includes a paperback copy of Across the Lake: Traveling with Jesus Around the Sea of Galilee, a Hebrews 12:2 Scripture Rock, a necklace with cross and GRACE tag, a print copy of the Shelter in the Night devotional by LoRee Peery, a Philippians 4:13 notebook, and a $20 Amazon gift card!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight January 26, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on February 2, 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.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
