Questions and Answers

Q: I have been asked numerous times how it came about that I wrote about Mary Magdalene along with the question of ‘did you channel this?’
A: First, I will address why I chose to write this book about Mary Magdalene. Having once been a minister, I became so aware of the exclusion of beautiful, intelligent and powerful women in the Bible. Somehow, I couldn’t see Mary Magdalene being a prostitute. I had already become a champion of women and worked to pass the Equal Rights Amendment and fortunately today it is alive, only needing three states to ratify it. It is a travesty that women in the United States need an amendment for equal rights! In fact, it is a travesty the way women are treated all over the world.

In my quest for knowledge, I studied the lives and roles of many women in the world. What I noted was that most famous women were usually portrayed in an unflattering way. Now, I am not anti-male. I have three beautiful sons and I learned a great deal about males from them; and if we women had been smart enough to train them, we probably would not have the mindsets in society that we do today. Ignorant men have written history.

In 2000, while on a trip to Spain and the Languedoc area of France, I became intrigued with the Black Madonnas I came across. It seemed as though almost every church I visited had one and usually she was placed off to one side. From this trip, I began in earnest to research the Black Madonnas and the possible relationship to Mary Magdalene. My research evolved into the book, Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls.
Having traveled through the French side of the Pyrenees, it seemed logical to begin the story there. I wrote it as fiction because the story would be more acceptable and it was more fun for me.

The idea of having two women find the unknown cave with the scrolls came to me as a natural occurrence. And as I began writing, the story began flowing, and I had no outline. This is why I have said to many people that "the book almost wrote itself." No, I did not channel it. I became so caught up in the story that my mind was freed up and the story unfolded. I never knew where the next twist or turn would take the characters.

Q: I have been asked why I portrayed her as being black.
A: To me all the pieces of the puzzle are coming together. If one would reason it, the people of Palestine were not white. Jesus was not white and I do not believe Mary Magdalene was white either. From all my research, I came to the conclusion that she was black and my knowingness tells me I am correct.

Q: I have also been asked if I thought I had been Mary Magdalene.
A: The answer is an emphatic "NO."

Q: Am I a descendant of the lineage of Mary Magdalene and Jesus?
A: I wouldn’t want to presume that. My deceased brother did a genealogical search and I will say I do come from a long line of interesting people with roots in Scotland and England.

Q: Do I think my portrayal of Mary Magdalene is close to the truth?
A: It depends on what one calls truth. We each have our own perspective and we each might call it our truth. To answer the question, I know I have portrayed her evenly and it is my hope that this portrayal of her will be an inspiration to all women and men.

Q: Am I writing a sequel?
A: Yes. The sequel began writing itself in my head in January of this year. There is much more research to accomplish and perhaps it will be ready in 2006. The title is something I am not sharing at this time. In addition to researching, I am preparing "Secrets" for its revised second edition to be available in June 2005. My editor, Jo Stockstill, is a gem.

Q: Have I read The DaVinci Code?
A: I had never heard of Dan Brown until Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls was two-thirds completed. By then it was already breaking all records. I purchased a copy and found it exciting and refreshing. I have also read his other books and have a great respect for him as a researcher and a writer. From my perspective, my book compliments his.

I also want to thank you for the comments about the book cover. There is a grand deeper meaning to the red rose that I will leave up to you to research. My son, Kenneth D. Brown, took my idea and created this beautiful cover. He also created this website and now two great women have taken his idea and are creating even greater aspects of the site. I thank Jan and Kathleen Hazelton for their enthusiasm and expertise.
Please continue to send me questions and your comments. ~