What inspired you to write this story?

I think the answer to that is two-fold. As a young Jewish girl being raised in Naples, Florida, I was not exposed to other Jewish people. Yet, still I felt this huge tug in my soul for a connection. At twelve I read Leon Uris’s, Exodus. The journey for answers began. In 1986 I went to Israel and met and befriended Menachem Perlmutter. At 16 Menachem was sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp where his mother, father, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins were all exterminated. Menachem and his brother survived. Menachem moved to Israel after the war, became an engineer, pioneered drip irrigation and spoke throughout the world. His impact on me was that he never lost faith in God or his love and belief in humanity. Intrigued by this, I decided to explore those issues in a fictional setting.

Did you begin with an outline? Did you know the ending when you began?

No and no. Writing for me is as much of an adventure as I hope it is for the reader. I knew what I wanted to explore, I knew where I wanted the book to be set, and that it would have a back story in the Holocaust. That was all I knew. As for the ending, I didn’t know that until I wrote it.

Tell us about your character studies:

As my characters are born I begin to outline their personalities, what they think, what makes them unique. It helps me create separate and distinct voices. And in a book like mine, where there are many characters, it is important to understand them all.

What did you hope to accomplish in writing this story?

I wanted people to explore what I believe is deep within all of us. I call it the soul, others may choose another name. It is that voice whispering to us, urging us on, pushing us towards our destinies. I also wanted to explore just how far the human spirit can rise and move beyond obstacles. On a spiritual level I wanted to send the message that we all live on this planet, we share a Higher Power, and that no one is right or wrong in what they believe as long as in the end we are all seeking love.

You have decided to offer your book in not only a trade paperback addition on Amazon but also as an E-book. Can you tell me why?

I am so excited about this new technology. Just imagine, people from all over the world can now have access. If a man in Bombay wants to read my book, or a lady in Singapore, all they have to do is go to Smashwords.com and download the book to their computer, laptop, I-phone, or reader for only $4.95. And, they can read the first 100 pages for free. There is no downside for the reader or for me. I want my work out in the universe. This will allow that to happen.

What are you working on now?

I am writing a story that takes place in the year 130 CE, when the Jews of Israel defeated Rome and ruled their country for three years under the direction of Bar Kockba, a man that was declared the messiah by the leading rabbis of the time. No fictional book has ever been written in this era and the elements of the book are every bit as intriguing as the Da Vinci Code. Watch for the release sometime in the next year.