Why do I say that my website is the place where "Mystery and Jewish History Meet"? A look at my books will provide some clues.
First, there is the Jewish Regency Mystery Series, whose volumes include Tempest in the Tea Room, The Doppelganger's Dance, The Moon Taker,The Vanisher Variations, Matzah Mia!, The Wreck of Two Brothers, Fancy's Favorite, and two volumes of Jewish Regency Mystery Stories. In addition to the mystery at the heart of the book, I try to give readers an insight into the Ashkenazic community living in London at the time.
The crypto-Jews of Spain and Portugal are another interest of mine, and I've written two novels about them. The Banished Heart is a novel that presents a fictional look at what might have happened while Shakespeare was writing The Merchant of Venice (and, yes, there were crypto-Jews living in London at the time).Terra Incognitaexplores what happens when modern-day descendants of Spain's crypto-Jews confront their Jewish past. While my fantasy novel Everby: Theo's Tale isn'tabout crypto-Jews, it is about being hidden in a different way. In the novel,a young man with schizoid personality disorder goes on a journey where he discovers that sometimes the hardest dragon to slay is the one inside you.
My day job, before I began writing books full time, was writing about Jewish history for venues like The Jewish Press, Mishpacha Magazine, and Aish.com. Many of the essays in Day Trips to Jewish History, my anthology about lesser-known people and places in Jewish history, originally appeared in Mishpacha Magazine.
While I live in Jerusalem, my family's roots go back to Eastern Europe, which is perhaps why I love to retell Chassidic stories. Three of my grandparents came from Ukraine, not too far from where the Baal Shem Tov and several other Chassidic masters made their home.
And while my Agatha Krinsky Mystery Series may have no obvious connection to Jewish history, the exploits of these elderly Jewish detectives will bring some fun to your Chanukah and Passover. If they seem familiar, that's because the series is a humorous homage to the Queen of Crime - Dame Agatha Christie.
I could say more - and if you have a blog or a publication that does author interviews, let's talk. You cancontact me here. Or,if you've dropped by to find your next great read, enjoy your visit!