Cloisonné – Beauty Below the Surface
With all the barbarism we're facing these days (the truck-ramming terror attack in New York being the latest), I find it's good to remind ourselves of all the beauty and exquisite craftsmanship we humans can create when we're at our best and most civilized. This image got me thinking about how much richness lies beneath the surface, and how much depth [...]
Book Companion Post: Answering Reader Questions
Storefront in Liberec, 2016 (Sadly, I wasn't able to figure out the exact site of Guido and Resi's store.) What happened to Ludwig during the war? Was he sent to the "Front"? Let me first answer this by quoting a passage that was cut from the book: Towards the end of 1943, Resi was not able to hold [...]
Jewish Encounters in a Non-Jewish Land – Traveling in Scotland
Today I'm happy to share my essay "Jewish Encounters in a Non-Jewish Land," published recently in the brand-spanking new Sasson Magazine. Please head on over [...]
Book Companion Post: Görlitz
I received this picture of my book from a reader in Germany. Without any input from me, she chose to take it in front of the post office in Görlitz (doesn't it look like a castle?). How perfect! Görlitz is mentioned in Jumping Over Shadows as my grandparents are experiencing the end of World War II in their hometown of [...]
#Spreadalittlekindness
On a day like today, when you wake up to such terrible news as the mass shooting in Las Vegas, what is there to do? Of course I'm following the news for updates, but that's so terribly paralyzing and unproductive. Thankfully, I had scheduled a post on my Facebook page for this morning and when that notification popped up it [...]
The Ups and Downs of the Author’s Life
"So how's it going with your book?" I'm often asked these days when I meet someone I haven't seen in a while. The truth is I'm never quite sure how to answer because it depends on the latest developments. The author's life is a roller coaster ride, or a ride on the ferris wheel, up and down, up and down. [...]