Jewish Life Digital Edition September 2015 | Page 37
is finished. I find that no matter how many
books I write, I always have the fear that
this time, I won’t get it done.”
From her childhood view of authors being too famous to be real, to becoming a
real-life, famous author, Miriam is enjoying everything that this brings with it,
but she still keeps her head firmly out of
the clouds and her feet on the ground. “I
wouldn’t say this new vocation changed
my life. Rather, I’d say that it enriched it.
Not surprisingly, I am a big believer in the
value of reading. It’s tremendously gratifying for me to know that I have played a
part in encouraging so many children and
young adults to read. The best feedback I
can ever get is from a parent who tells me
that his or her child never liked to read
before they found one of my books! One
of the nice offshoots of my writing has
been the travelling I have done for research purposes. Together with my husband, I have gone to see many of the places where my books are set, and I’ve enjoyed the opportunities I have had to visit
schools in Toronto and the New York
area. I love meeting students and speak-
ing to them about the writing process and
answering questions about my books. I
would like to think that by meeting me,
they realise that, contrary to what I believed as a child, you don’t have to be ‘famous’ to write books!”
And Miriam doesn’t just write for girls
or even children. Her book, “The Stars
Will Guide You”, tells the emotional and,
at times, heartbreaking story of a family
in Rome facing the harsh realities of the
Holocaust, as they are forced to separate
and go into hiding to save themselves. Although the characters are fictional, the
events and circumstances they find themselves in are very real, and Miriam includes notes about the extensive research
she undertook when writing the book.
Another of her works, “The Jewel and The
Journey”, a fictionalised account of Jews
HE AIN’T HEAVY,
He’s my brother.
in the early 1800s who were inspired by
the disciples of the Vilna Gaon to make
aliyah, was written as a gift for one of her
sons. The inspirational account tells of
the incredibly perilous, costly and lengthy
journey that required those brave souls
who undertook it to say goodbye forever
to the extended families they left behind.
Miriam is currently working on another
book for boys, after being blessed with her
first grandchild – a boy – last year. “I decided at that time that the next book I would
write would be for him. As always, it’s set
in the past. My hope is that my books continue to appeal to children and young
adults. I would be thrilled to know that
one day in the future, a mother or father
will recommend one of my books to their
own child, because they themselves read it
and enjoyed it when they were young.” JL
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