Historical fiction reclaims the narrative of Jesus’ ‘favorite disciple’
Washington D.C. – What would Jesus do? Or more importantly, what will Magda do? “Magda Revealed” (She Writes Press, April 8th, 2025) is a wry, irreverent, fictionalized account of his life and ministry—told from the perspective of disciple Mary Magdalene—that will implode everything you thought you knew.
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. Still pissed that she’s been called a whore for almost two millennia, Magda resists—but ultimately, out of love for Yeshua, agrees.
Magda’s evocative story revisits Yeshua’s life as a man of flesh and blood, one wholly devoted to spreading his message of radical equality. Magda recounts her travels with Yeshua and his followers around Galilee, where they are menaced at every turn by Roman rulers. She weaves tales of miracles and murder, jealousy and acceptance, misogyny and female empowerment. She uncovers 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.
Magda’s life with Yeshua teaches her that she has more strength than she ever imagined, and she begins to tap into a spiritual power 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.
“A provocative novel, Magda Revealed is constructed as an alternative gospel that retells Jesus’s message with added contemporary relevance.” –Foreword Reviews
“Magda Revealed”
Ursula Werner | April 8, 2025 | She Writes Press | Historical Fiction
Paperback | 978-1647428648 | $17.99
Ebook | 978-1647428655 | $12.99
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. Find out more about them at her website.
Follow Ursula Werner on social media:
Facebook: @UrsulaWerner
Instagram: @UrsulaWerner_Author
In an interview, Ursula Werner can discuss:
- The historical implications of Magda’s story, and how it impacts religion & feminism today
- Why Ursula felt drawn to the history of Mary Magdalene, and how she hopes “Magda Revealed” “sets the record straight” about Magda’s reputation
- How her philosophy of “uncovering truth, justice, and history through storytelling” is important in today’s political and social climate
- Researching Mary Mary Magdalene and creating a compelling fictional narrative
- Why it is timely and critical for feminist-driven stories to give a platform to marginalized voices silenced by history
- The disconnect between today’s political climate and religious beliefs: What did Jesus really teach and believe? How can people vote for morally bankrupt politicians who call themselves Christian?
Praise for “Magda Revealed”
2024 Firebird Award Winner for Best Christian Fiction
Co-winner of the Pinnacle Book Achievement Award in Fiction for Winter 2024
“Fresh take on the story of Jesus, from Mary Magdalene’s perspective…Fans of historical retellings will be captivated.”
–BookLife Reviews, Editor’s Pick
“A message of love and equality is centered in Magda Revealed, a piquing alternative historical novel that reconstitutes a figure whose significance was buried in the Bible.”
–Foreword Reviews
An Interview with Ursula Werner
1. Why is Mary Magdalene important today?
If Jesus Christ is important today, then so is Mary Magdalene.
Now, not everyone will agree with the ongoing importance of Jesus, especially non-Christians. But the messages Jesus tried to bring to humankind – love each other as yourselves, tolerate your differences, forgive each other your wrongs – are messages that withstand the test of time.
Mary Magdalene was Jesus’ right-hand woman. More than anyone else – even other apostles – she understood what Jesus was trying to say. She was the apostle Jesus told others to turn to for guidance after his death. In fact, in 2022, after 2000 years of falsely labeling Mary Magdalene a whore, the Catholic Church finally acknowledged her importance, hailing her as the “apostle to the apostles.”
2. How has Jesus’ message gotten hijacked through the ages and how does your re-telling share the truth?
Jesus’ message to humanity in the first century was a simple one with profound implications: Everyone is equal. Everything Jesus said and did underscored his belief that all people are inherently the same, regardless of race, nationality, or economic position.
In fact, a fundamental premise of all Christianity today – that humans can only be “saved” if they adopt Christ as their savior – would flat-out be rejected by Magda and Jesus. Jesus never demanded that people believe in him, nor did he think of himself as divine. (This last assertion might be disputed by New Testament theologians, but I believe it is consistent with the historical Jesus presented by most historians.)
3. Tell us more about your writing of “uncovering truth, justice, and history through story-telling.” How is this mindset especially important as an author writing in today’s political and social climate?
I love to tell stories, and I love language. I didn’t know that my concern for social justice would end up informing my novels as much as it does. I thought, when I began my narrative about Magda, that hers would be a story of intense love and devotion, and it is that. But it is also a story of re-making society – how does one begin doing that, and is it even possible?
The superpower that Magda has (spoiler alert here!) – uniting people together, merging their spirits – is her first step in reforming society. If you experience someone else as you experience yourself, how can you turn around and hurt them? As an author, my only superpower (if I’m being effective) is to expand the reader’s world, to introduce them to an experience they would otherwise not have had. And maybe even, to give them a more compassionate view of the world. We could certainly use more compassion in the current political and social climate.
4. What do you hope readers will take away from this story?
Ideally, I would love readers to take away two ideas. First, what I think of as Jesus’ primary message – that we are all basically the same and that we should look past superficial differences and try to connect with each other. (One reviewer of Magda Revealed chastised me for reducing the complexities of “Christian theological categories” into this “exasperatingly simple” message. That person, I respectively submit, completely missed the point.)
A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.
Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.
