Hello and welcome to my website. For those of you new to my work, I am passionate about giving voice to women who have been marginalized throughout history. My new series of historical novels delve into the lives and times of women who have been either ignored or misrepresented throughout history. The Magdalene Chronicles, my current work in progress, parts the veil to reveal the times, places, and events we’ve heard about for two thousand years from a male perspective now told by the woman behind the legend, Mary Magdalene.
The Last Magdalene, the first novel in The Magdalene Chronicles, was released in April 2024. It’s an exciting time for writers to explore the past with new eyes, and present stories about powerful, dynamic women who actively participated in historical events that shaped the world in which we live.
My first published book, House of the Moon: Surviving the Sixties, deals with the same theme in relatively modern times. It is a memoir about my growing up outside Los Angeles, California, during the Sixties with an undercover narcotics agent father and a sister whose boyfriend dealt drugs to all the major rock bands that came through Los Angeles. It is a memoir but reads like a novel while providing a realistic look at the decade that changed the world.
Please roam around my website, read articles about the Magdalene and the Sixties, discover my upbringing celebrating the Celtic Quarter Days, and my blogs that cover a myriad of subjects. Feel free to use my Contact page to engage with me about my writing or writing in general. I’m an open book as you’ll find out when you read House of Moon: Surviving the Sixties.
Cheers!
Donna Conrad
Book One of The Magdalene Chronicles
“An enthralling tale of the many faces of love—and its ultimate triumph over prejudice and hate.”
—C.C. Humphreys, author of Vlad, the Last Confession and Someday I’ll Find You
“The Last Magdalene is superbly conceived, and serves both as immersive entertainment and, in the case of the titular character, a needed corrective to what we have been taught. Ms Conrad has produced the finest novel of the Biblical Era I have read.”
—Octavia Randolph, author of The Circle of Ceridwen Saga
Filled with passion and yearning, The Last Magdalene brings to life the people and events that brought about the eradication of goddess worship in Judea, sparked the flames of rebellion, and gave birth to a new religion. This is the story of one woman’s determination to be heard in a land where women of power were silenced.
Forced into a dynastic marriage with an obscure Rabbi from Galilee, Yeshua bar Yosef, Miriam must abandon the man she loves to fulfill the prophecy that a true king in the line of David will rise and bring about a golden reign of peace. Relinquishing her role as Qedeshah, a highly trained priestess in the arts of love and a surrogate of the Goddess, Miriam joins her husband in his quest for the kingship of a united Judea and Israel.
Faced with the might of Rome and the enmity of the priesthood, Miriam must find the strength and courage to fulfill the fate she was born to embody by claiming her role as The Magdalene, High Priestess of Asherah, the only person ordained to anoint the rightful King.
Grounded in historical and archaeological research, and written with tenderness and insight, The Last Magdalene is an inspiring account of one woman’s journey to reclaim her passion and honor in a land that shunned her.
Featured Podcast with Donna
By: Joshua Finley
Donna Conrad is a multifaceted personality: an award-winning author, journalist, activist, and teacher. Her journey, much like her writing, is a tapestry of diverse experiences and passions. Growing up outside Los Angeles in the tumultuous 1960s, Donna found solace and purpose through literature, thanks to the guidance of a beloved high school English teacher. This pivotal influence steered her toward a career in journalism and education, where she thrived before discovering her true passion for storytelling.
