April 30, 2006
Award nominations
I want all my fans and friends to know that "Rashi's Daughters: Book One - Joheved" is a finalist for the following awards, to be presented next month in conjunction with BEA (Book Expo of America) which will be meeting in Washington DC the week of May 17-21:
PMA (Pubiisher's Marketing Association) Ben Franklin: Bill Fisher Award for Best First Book (Fiction) and also Best New Voice (Fiction)
IPPY (Independent Publishers): Best historical fiction
Foreword Book of the Year: Best historical fiction and also Best religious fiction
I'm looking forward to lots of parties and fun in DC to celebrate. Oh yes, for those of you in the DC area, I'll be signing copies at Biblio's Booth at BEA on Friday, May 19, at noon. Maybe I'll see some of you there.
April 06, 2006
Book 2 Miriam, update
Hurray!! I finished the first draft of Book Two - Miriam this week. Now comes the hard part, revising and editing. So to help celebrate Passover, let's lift a glass (either wine or water) to Miriam, the biblical heroine (and the heroine of my Rashi's Daughter sequel).
April 02, 2006
References you asked for
At some of my recent speaking engagements, folks asked for books where they could learn more about medieval Jewish women and superstitions. So here's three:
1. "Pious and Rebellious - Jewish Women in Medieval Europe," by Avraham Grossman, Brandeis Univ Press, 2004.
2. "Mothers and Children - Jewish Family Life in Medieval Europe," by Elisheva Baumgarten (Princeton Univ Press, 2004)
3. "Jewish Magic and Superstition" by Joshua Trachtenberg (Univ Pennsylvania Press; 2004, 1939)
Notice that all of these are very recent editions. Obviously interest in the subject is growing these days.