Click Here To Purchase From Amazon Rashii's Daughters Volume 1

Today, Norm Goldman, Editor of Bookpleasures.com is pleased to have as our guest

Maggie Anton, Author of Rashi’s Daughters.

Good day Maggie and thank you for agreeing to participate in our interview.

Norm:

How did you get the inspiration for Rashi’s Daughters and how did you come up with ideas for the book? What methods did you use to flesh out your ideas?

Maggie:

I started studying Talmud in 1992 and thus discovered Rashi. I became intrigued with the idea that this great Jewish scholar had no sons, only daughters – daughters who studied Jewish texts. I did research for over 7 years, and I found many fascinating scenarios in the medieval Jewish responsa literature. It was like reading “Dear Abbey” of 900 years ago.

Norm: 

What challenges or obstacles did you encounter while writing your book? How did you overcome these challenges?

Maggie:

My biggest challenge was finding the time to write, since I have a full-time day job, and also disciplining myself to write at night and on the weekends.

Norm:

Did the writing of Rashi’s Daughters have a broader mission than simply entertaining or storytelling? If so, can you tell us more about that mission?

Maggie:

Thanks for asking. Yes, I did have a broader mission. I want to inspire more women and non-Orthodox Jews to study Talmud. I hope the short Talmud lessons in Rashi’s Daughters will inspire them to do so.

Norm: 

How did you approach writing the various characters? Did you plan her out or did she evolve as you wrote the book?

Maggie:

I had a spreadsheet to keep track of my characters’ descriptions, personalities, relationships, etc. Many of them were based on people I know, but they tended to evolve as I wrote the book.

Norm:

You include some very detailed dialogs in the book, between the various daughters and Rashi. Where did that dialogue come from?

Maggie:

The Talmud discussions are based on Rashi’s commentaries, but other conversations came from my imagination.

Norm:

Perhaps you would care to elaborate, from your own experiences, as to what are the differences between the historian and the novelist?

Maggie:

The historian must be sure of the facts and never speculate without differentiating between fact and speculation, and must say so if he/she doesn’t know what happened. The novelist must still be sure of the facts, but may invent plausible scenes and speculate when the facts are unknown. The historian must be right, while the novelist must not be wrong.

Norm:

Perhaps you could give our readers some tips as to how you go about creating believable dialogue.

Maggie: I imagined the scenes happening in front of me. Also, I read every line in the book aloud, especially the dialogue, revising it until it sounded right.

Norm:

If you had to choose 3 all time favorite historical novels, which ones would you choose and why?

Maggie:

This is a hard question. I finally settled on (in no particular order):

Clan of the Cave Bear, Shogun and Girl With a Pearl Earring. All three novels were set in a time and place I was completely unfamiliar with, and I loved learned about new cultures. Also, each had at least one strong female protagonist.

Norm:

Apart from completing the trilogy are there any other books in the works?

 Maggie:

I think completing the trilogy will take up the next several years, however if the response to Rashi’s Daughters goes well, it looks like there may be enough material for a fourth novel, Rashi’s Granddaughters. I have also been asked to do a young adult version of Book One – Joheved.

Norm:

Is there anything else you wish to add that we have not covered?

Maggie: I hope my readers will be patient waiting for Book Two – Miriam. I’m about 75% through the first draft, but this year I’ve had to spend a lot of time promoting Book One – Joheved. So I hope to have the next installment ready in late 2006 or early 2007.

Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavors.

Click Here To Purchase From Amazon Rashii's Daughters Volume 1

 The above interview was conducted by: NORM GOLDMAN:  Editor of Bookpleasures &CLICK TO VIEW  Norm Goldman's Reviews.

To read Norm's Review of the book CLICK HERE

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