Interview with Yonah: Main Character Monday
Interview with Yonah: Main Character Monday
Welcome to Main Character Monday and my interview with Yonah. Unlike many of my interviews, Yonah isn’t the main character in the series where she lives. Instead, she is a side character that lives in book one and book two of the A Certain Future series by Linda Dindzans. This is wonderful as she has a great understanding of the happenings in the lives of everyone in the series.
A Certain Man, the first book in the series released in 2024. Linda’s newest release, A Certain Mercy, releases on December 9, 2025. Both are published by Scrivenings Press, and A Certain Mercy is available for pre-order in eBook format. It will also be available in paperback starting on release day.
Interview with Yonah
Welcome to Main Character Monday, Yonah. Let’s start with something interesting I’ve heard about you. Your name is Yonah, but that isn’t the name you were given at birth. Who gave you this name and why was it chosen for you?
I was sent in secret to Shechem to serve as Dovekeeper for the High Priest of Samaria. My mother chose the name Yonah, meaning Dove. She said it was fitting for my new life.
It’s a beautiful name. Thank you for sharing. Now, I’d like to ask you to tell me and the readers a little more about yourself.
Though I am not the heroine in either A Certain Man or A Certain Mercy, my obedience to my mother—rather than refusing her evil schemes—proved pivotal in Mara’s reunion with Samuel after seven years of separation. Mara says the One God’s ways are not our ways. He can turn what was meant for evil to good.
That is very true. Now, you said you were sent to Shechem. Will you tell us why?
My mother lost favor with King Herod, who was known to plot the deaths of kinsmen and even wives. When she failed to regain his attention, she commanded me to dance for him—to dance for her life and mine. I obeyed, and it cost me dearly. After one night with Herod, I was left a raving madwoman, speaking all manner of treason.
I see you are dressed as a common Samaritan woman. However, you still carry yourself with dignity that isn’t often attributed by certain people to Samaritan commoners.
I am neither common nor Samaritan, but I am content in my new life. A Dovekeeper must be trustworthy and steadfast. Messages of great import pass through my hands. Those who cannot read come to me to read or write messages on their behalf
I’ve heard Shechem is a small village full of “rumor ravens”. You are an outsider. Are you content with your life?
When I first came to Shechem, only caring for her husband Samuel’s infant daughter, Lyra, kept me from madness. At first Mara assumed I was Samuel’s wife, yet she showed me kindness. Now she knows Lyra’s mother died in childbirth. She married Samuel and treats me as a sister, though she does not know who I once was.
Madness? You seem stable and sane to me. What happened?
Yes. Both Mara and Samuel, each in their own time, met Yeshua of Nazareth and came to believe He was the Promised One. Their testimonies brought many in Shechem to faith. I was one— and my reason returned.
When was this?
Before Yeshua set the religious and political world aflame—and before all three of us were immortalized in the gospels.
Tell me something about you that readers may find surprising?
Despite my scarlet past, I have repented and been blessed with friends. I have also found a good man—Ozri, Samuel’s apprentice. I hope one day as the story of A Certain Mercy unfolds, Ozri finds the courage to ask my mother for my hand.
Surely, you can share your birth name with us. Our readers pose no threat.
It is not safe. If I am found, those who sheltered me could suffer. Yet my true identity can be gleaned from history outside Scripture. Some believe I married Philip the Tetrarch—but that, too, was my mother’s cunning deceit. In A Certain Mercy, another famous Jew hiding in Shechem threatens to expose me.
What is your favorite part of the writings of Moses, the prophets, or the psalms?
As a Herodian Jew and a young woman, I knew little of the holy writings, but I heard the Baptizer many times when he stood before Herod. His cry—“I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness”— a promise of the coming Messiah— filled me with dread and hope. Now, I long to hear Yeshua’s voice myself and see His miracles— perhaps I shall in A Certain Mercy.
God called Gideon to lead his army. Gideon didn’t believe he could, but he trusted and did as God asked. Like Gideon, have you ever felt unworthy of God’s call?
Often. Satan taunts me with the memory that I caused the Baptizer’s death. The Evil One wants to pull me back toward madness. But Mara and Samuel pray with me and remind me that the Lord’s mercy is certain for those with a penitent heart
Micah 6:8 says to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. Which is easiest—or hardest—for you?
Samuel, Mara, and Ozri have shown me how to love kindness. Each day I seek to walk the path of mercy and show kindness to others, even those who remain suspicious of a stranger.
If you could leave readers with one message, what would it be?
The Messiah walks the earth, lives among us. He says His kingdom is come. One day we will have eyes that see and ears that hear. One day we will understand the mysteries He teaches.
Just for Fun Questions
Wow. I feel like you’ve lived a full life in your few years. And you’ve learned so much. Thank you for sharing with us. I do have a few fun questions for you, since everything to this point has been so serious.
If you could have one exotic pet, what would it be?
I am content with my messenger doves, but I do have a favorite white one I have named Metuka, my sweetie.
If you could travel through time, would you?
No. I have come to believe that the times of our birth and death and the days of our lives are appointed by the Lord. I only hope my story lives on to reach those who have never heard of Yeshua’s mercy and miracles.
Sunrise or sunset?
Sunset— the beginning of the Jewish day ,moving from darkness toward the light.
Chocolate or vanilla?
I do not know chocolate, but vanilla is an exotic flavor that Judean kings infuse into wine. It is a favorite of mine. In the House of Herod Antipas, this special treat was offered to certain guests as a sign of the king’s favor.
No electricity or no plumbing?
I do not know this electricity of which you speak, but I do miss the aqueducts, cisterns, and elaborate bathhouses in Herod’s palaces. We always had fresh water for drinking, gardening, and bathing. Here in Shechem we must go to Jacob’s well and draw water each day.
One last question for you before we say farewell. If you could describe Linda Dindzans using only three words, what would those words be?
Lively. Truth-seeker. Persistent.
Thank you for being with us today, Yonah. I hope you’ve enjoyed your time here as much as I’m sure our readers have enjoyed the opportunity to get to know you better.
Readers, stick around for more information on Linda Dindzans and her soon-to-release book, A Certain Mercy.
More About the Author
Linda Dindzans, M.D. is a writer with the heart of a healer who offers readers stories of redemption and restoration. Though her compelling 
characters inhabit the treacherous times of the Bible, Linda believes there is nothing new under the sun. The struggles of her characters still speak to hearts today. Only a profound encounter with the Son transforms her characters from victims to victors.
Connect with Linda
More About the Book
A mysterious Judean prophet forgave her sin––now she must learn to walk the path of mercy.
Zara is trapped in a lonely, loveless marriage with an obsessed gambler. She secretly longs for freedom and love. Her only solace comes in stolen moments with Auriga Maximus, famed charioteer and her husband’s slave. She finally surrenders to Auriga and is captured and cast at the feet of Yeshua of Nazareth. Accused, condemned, facing death––He offers her mercy.
Zara must now face the cruel schemes of her husband, a husband who wants her dead. What begins as a desperate fight for survival and a chance at a new life, becomes a journey of faith, freedom, and mercy. A journey following Yeshua of Nazareth to His suffering on the Cross.
Set in Jerusalem under the ruthless rule of Rome, A Certain Mercy blends romance, suspense, and biblical truths. This is a powerful story of redemption and forgiveness–– forgiveness of others and forgiveness of self.
A story of hope, a story of trust.
A story of the path to eternal love and eternal life.
Pre-order A Certain Mercy
Haven’t read A Certain Man yet. Purchase it here.
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