C.L. Smith

C. L. Smith, retired junior high school English and history teacher, former missionary, and life-time Bible student, has been captivating audiences around the world for years with the timeless thrill of biblical tales. The "Stones of Gilgal" novels weave the author’s lifetime love of learning and people into the fabric of obscure ancient texts from the books of Numbers, Joshua, and Judges. The resulting tapestry of rich scenes and colorful characters will enchant readers for years to come.

Who am I really . . . ?

To my friends, I’m Carolyn.

To former students in California and Washington, I’m Mrs. Smith (formerly Miss Benson).

To those who remember me from mission days in Thailand, I’m Khun Kru, the English and music teacher who volunteered at the mission school and tagged along with Phuket Mission Hospital’s hard-working surgeon.

To my husband Eden, the aforementioned hard-working surgeon, I’m Babe.

To my four grown kids, I’m Mom, and to my five grandchildren, I'm Grandma.

To two strangers, adopted out at birth, who in an amazing DNA discovery turned out to be my brothers, I am delighted to be called "Sis."

To my two dogs and two cats, I’m the source of regular meals, way too many treats, lots of petting, and occasional walks out into the wilderness surrounding our mountaintop home in the beautiful Sierra Nevada foothills.

This series of biblical novels began when Othniel, the first of the biblical hero-judges, caught my attention. His love story with Acsah and his heroic adventures are summarized in only a few words of scripture, but I saw a lot of possibilities embedded in those brief verses. Digging deeper, I realized that Othniel and Acsah came of age during the turbulent era of Joshua along with a handful of other fascinating minor biblical characters. The saga of their lives includes several "tales of terror," dark episodes standing in juxtaposition to some of the Bible's most dazzling miracles. I see these stories as dark and light puzzle pieces, making sense only when viewed within the framework of the Great Cosmic War. Whether read as ancient history or truth-teaching myth, these incidents are chapters in the epic story of the entire Bible, a good God working to save humanity from the forces of evil.

The more I thought about Othniel, Acsah, and friends, the more I was convinced that their impressive and important story had been buried too long among the spectacular events of the time of Joshua and it was about time someone told it. The result is the six-part Stones of Gilgal saga showing how the obstacles overcome in their youth shape each character for their ultimate roles in the story of the settlement of Canaan. The series ends with Othniel rising to save Israel from an oppressive enemy as the first and most noble of the hero-judges.