Date Published: 04-08-2025
Publisher: She Writes Press
Jesus Christ—Yeshua, to his friends—is not happy. Two thousand years after his death, he sees Earth heading toward oblivion. Ever eager to save humanity, he asks Mary Magdalene (Magda) for help. It’s time to tell the real story of our time together, he says. Time to correct all the misinformation, misogyny, and lies spread by Peter, Paul, and the Roman Catholic Church. Still pissed that she’s been called a whore for almost two millennia, Magda resists—but ultimately, out of love for Yeshua, reluctantly agrees.
Through Magda’s words, Yeshua—to most today a symbolic, practically mythological Biblical figure—comes back to life as a man of flesh and blood, one wholly devoted to spreading his message of radical equality. Magda tells of her travels with Yeshua and his followers around Galilee, where they are menaced at every turn by Roman rulers. She relates tales of miracles and murder, jealousy and acceptance, misogyny and female empowerment. She describes her relationship with Yeshua, clarifying centuries of speculation about whether or not they were in love. And, painfully, she reveals the truth about who orchestrated his death.
But Magda’s narrative does not end there. Her life with Yeshua has taught her that she has more strength than she ever imagined, and she begins to tap into a spiritual power that is uniquely her own—the power to connect people. Magda’s true role in the history of humanity, it turns out, is just beginning to unfold.
What is
the hardest part of writing your books?
For me, the hardest part of writing is letting go of
something I’ve written that I later decide needs to go. Sometimes, that’s
because it’s not necessary, or it’s slowing the pace. In the case of Magda Revealed,
which involved a lot of research, I had some long paragraphs of description
that were based on research rabbit holes I had gone down. Ultimately, I decided
to cut them because I realized that they were superfluous, and I was only
keeping them because I wanted to show how much research I had done.
In
rare cases, I make the very painful decision that a character has to be cut,
because they’re not adding anything significant to the novel. That’s always
particularly painful, because I like most of my characters.
What are
your most played songs?
Oh, such a difficult question. My
youngest daughter is keeping a playlist for me, of songs that I love so much I
want to hear them on my deathbed, so I get to hear them one last time. At the
top of that list are the Iron and Wine songs–“Naked As We Came” and “Love and
Some Verses.” Also “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay. And I could listen to “The Joker
and the Queen,” by Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift, indefinitely.
Also,
songs that remind me of particular experiences, like “Tennessee Whiskey” by
Chris Stapleton (the first dance song at my daughter’s wedding); “It’s Time” by
Imagine Dragons (song I run to in the forests of Germany when I visit my
mother); “Despacito” by Justin Bieber (driving around Miami as a teenager); “I
Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston (people I loved once in my life, some
of whom I no longer see).
Do you
have critique partners or beta readers?
I have a regular writing group that shares work with each
other. Almost every chapter of The Good at Heart and Magda Revealed was
critiqued by that group. I also semi-regularly attend writing workshops given
by the Iowa Writing program. I have one or two teachers at Iowa whose classes I
try to attend as often as they give them.
What book
are you reading now?
I’m always reading more than one book.
Right now, it’s Daughters of the Bamboo Grove, by Barbara Demick; Wild
Dark Shore, by Charlotte McConaghy; and Perfect Puppy in 7 Days, by
Sophia Yin (I just got a Doberman puppy in April, and the training is ongoing).
How did
you start your writing career?
My full-time writing career got a late
start, because I spent many years working as an attorney and writing only
part-time. Back then, I wrote mostly humorous essays about parenting and my
dogs. In 2001. I was able to take a three-month sabbatical from my legal job at
the Justice Department, and that convinced me I really wanted to focus on the
creative writing. So for the past 25 years, I’ve been a full-time writer and a
part-time attorney. I didn’t publish The Good at Heart until I was 50
years old, so there’s hope for anyone out there who is a late bloomer.
Tell
us about your next release.
Right now, I’m working on a
mystery/crime novel, with an alcoholic as the main character. It won’t be The
Girl on the Train, but I’m hoping it will be as riveting.
About the Author
Ursula Werner has been writing for over twenty-five years. She has published one novel, The Good at Heart (2017), and two chapbooks of poetry, The Silence of the Woodruff (2006) and Rapunzel Revisited (2010). She holds graduate degrees in English literature and law, and works part time as an attorney. She and her husband live in Washington, DC, and are always trying to entice their three daughters to live nearby.
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