Hallelujah! I just finished the first draft of Book III - RACHEL. Thirty-three chapters, beginning in Summer 1091 and concluding in Summer 1105. Readers will travel with Rachel and Eliezer to Provence, Egypt, Tunisia, Spain and Jerusalem, plus spend lots of time in Troyes with the rest of Rashi's family.
Readers will also experience the First Crusade through the eyes of Elisha, Catharina and Samson, Cousin Elazar, and Daniel (who were carefully located in the Rhineland in early books), as well as some new secondary characters. For those who objected to the explicit sex scenes in JOHEVED and MIRIAM, they will be able to complain about the explicit violence in RACHEL. But don’t worry. There will be explicit sex - as well as astronomy, anti-Christian polemics, and everything you wanted to know about the medieval woolens business. And of course there will be Talmud!
Now starts the editing process: reading the whole thing as one story, not a series of unconnected chapters. And turning a good book into a better one, maybe even a great one. I hope.
While at Book Expo, I was interviewed about my new YA book, "Rashi's Daughter: Secret Scholar," by Heidi Estrin, children's librarian in Boca Raton, FL. Heidi runs the website, "The Book of Life," all about Jewish books and authors. I invite you to listen to (or download) the podcast.
This address will take you straight to the episode that includes my interview. Feel free to post a comment on the web page!
Well fans - it looks like I'm almost done with Book III; I've just started what I hope is the final chapter.