MARCIA FINE
Growing up as an only child in a small town, Marcia Fine found that her best friend was a good book. Reading was always an integral part of her life, so it was no surprise that she went on to earn a master’s degree in English and to become an English teacher. But her love of the written word didn’t stop there.
About 13 years ago, while planning her daughter’s wedding, Marcia kept running into situations that could be disastrous to some. But Marcia chose to see the lighter side of each occurrence and shared her viewpoints with her friends. They all urged her to put her thoughts down on paper. The result was her first book, entitled Gossip.com. Marcia had such fun with the process – and the book actually sold – so she continued. A consummate fan of the great satirists, Marcia wrote two more satirical comedies to complete her trilogy: Boomerang: When Life Comes Back to Bite You is her second book in the Jean Rubin series, and Stressed in Scottsdale is the conclusion. A Scottsdale resident since 1976, Marcia says it was easy to come up with the title of the third book. She was at a luncheon when a woman came up and said, “I’m all stressed out!” Marcia asked why and the response was, “I got a massage and they didn’t have the right oil!”
She loves the efficiency and ease of her iPad to write. Marcia finds that she entertains herself when writing. “The fact that others are entertained as well is a great bonus!” she adds. Marcia turned to stories her grandmother shared with her and began work on Paper Children: An Immigrant’s Legacy. The story encompasses the lives of three generations of Jewish women, starting from the early 1900s. She feels so fortunate to have had the time to talk with her grandmother, even record some of her stories. She encourages others to do the same. “I give talks all over the country about why your family history matters,” she explains. “Stories aren’t being passed down much anymore.
Numerous studies have shown that individuals are more secure and confident and have a greater sense of self if they understand who they are and where they came from.” Marcia then turned to a different type of historical fiction. She traveled to Portugal to add details and depth to her next
novel, The Blind Eye: A Sephardic Journey. The novel begins in 1492 with the expulsion of the Jews from Spain and follows them to Portugal and beyond, weaving historical events among the stories of two families that are generations apart. Her latest book is still a work in progress, but that didn’t stop Paris Lamb from garnering a first prize from the Arizona Authors Association. The book deals with anti-Semitism in America in the 1950s and ’60s, a subject Marcia believes is still under the radar in most people’s minds. “My family name was Blumenthal. My dad was a musician in the South. There were places he wasn’t allowed to play, so he used the name “Blue” to be able to make a living and play alongside his contemporaries.”
While her books have a wide variety of themes, they are all based on Jewish people and situations. “I think of the Jewish people as ‘marbled rye bread,’ ” says Marcia. “They have such rich and varied backgrounds and stories to tell. They are definitely not white bread!” Marcia plans to attend the Jewish Book Council Network Conference in June where she will present her book, The Blind Eye, to more than 100 JCC Book Fair representatives, with the hope of being invited to speak at some of their events during the year. The book has already received honorable mention at the Southwestern Book Festival. “I have two minutes to present my book, with the hope of receiving a no-fee invite,” she laughs. “But it can give you an opportunity to see new places and reach new people, which is something I really love.”
AMY FELLNER DOMINY
Amy Fellner Dominy, an Arizonan for more than 30 years, has written two award-winning books for teens. OyMG is a sizzling teen romance, with surprising secrets, and even some matzah ball soup in a funny yet heartfelt story about an outspoken girl who must learn to speak out for herself. Her second book is Audition & Subtraction, wherein best friends Tatum and Lori are used to doing everything together – even a clarinet/ flute duet for District Honor Band auditions. But all that changes when Michael transfers to their middle school and into their band.
Amy holds an MFA in playwriting from ASU and has also written plays and a children’s opera. She loves to speak to classes about the writing process and is currently working on a new young adult novel. amydominy.com
NANCY KRAVETZ
Nancy Kravetz has written a detailed family history, entitled Remember Me to the Little Ones, filled with lovely stories and photographs dating back to Ostryna at the crossroads of Grodna to Vilna, in what was “usually” Poland. The family photographs start with 1895, and copies of early documents are equally fascinating. The quality of this book should inspire people doing family genealogy to publish their work in some form as a legacy for their family and heirs. The book can be purchased at Beth El Synagogue in Phoenix with the proceeds donated to the congregation. [email protected]
RISA MALLIN
Risa Mallin, the former executive director of the Arizona Jewish Historical Society in Phoenix, collected stories from friends and relatives across the country for her book, Tapestry: A Collection of Stories Woven by Jewish Women. The book has beautiful illustrations and a wide variety of styles of vignettes. Among the Arizona Jewish women represented are Linda Aarons, Vicki Cabot, Barbara Mark Dreyfuss, Judi Gottschalk, Roberta Lewis, Ann Polunsky and many others. The book is available at The Jewish Collection in Scottsdale. thejewishcollection.com
MARILYN AND DAVID FRAZER
Marilyn Frazer and her husband David split their time between the Valley and Sedona. Marilyn has two books to her credit so far. When Angels Call Your Name was a finalist in the 2012 New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards Contest. It is a moving collection of true stories of “people who experienced incredible, miraculous and amazing events, told in their own words.”
Marilyn’s first book was The Relationship Trap, which was a finalist in the 2009 Indie Book Award from the Independent Book Publishers Association. In this book, Marilyn, who holds an M.A. in psychological counseling with an advanced degree in marriage and family counseling, uses true stories to show how women recover and rebound from negative relationships. Marilynfrazer.com
David Frazer’s new book, Ethical Meltdown: The Need to Recover our Vanishing Values, came out last October. With the use of major news stories as illustrations, David discusses what he sees as “an epidemic of unethical behavior that is reaching staggering proportions … in almost every walk of life.” David, a retired founder of the law firm of Frazer, Ryan, Goldberg and Arnold, believes he has some ways we can reverse this loss of values.
ethical-meltdown.com
SUSAN BROOKS
Susan Brooks is the founder and 30+ year owner of the Tempe favorite Cookies from Home. Her earlier book, Serves You Right!, outlines Susan’s Service Enthusiasm principles, which she often teaches and reinforces through public speaking engagements. She challenges her audiences to “renew their spirit and better serve both their external and internal customers.” Susan sold the company three years ago and recently completed her second book, Outrageous, Courageous, and Highly Contagious … Ignite the Bold and Brave in Your Life … Your World is Ready! The title definitely says it all!
servesyourightnews.blogspot.com
AMY WEINTRAUB
Tucson resident Amy Weintraub, has been bringing together yoga and mental health care for more than two decades, using concepts from her first book, Yoga for Depression, to train therapists and yoga teachers “to use breathing exercises, simple mantras, meditation, and yoga nidra (yogic sleep) in clinical settings.”
Her new book, Yoga Skills for Therapists: Effective Practices for Mood Management, offers mental health professionals yoga-based techniques for
helping clients manage their moods. Amy began her own recovery from depression in 1989 when she began a daily yoga practice. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in writing and literature from the Bennington Writing Seminars, Bennington College, and travels around the country speaking and giving workshops in Life Force Yoga. yogafordepression.com
JANNI LEE SIMNER
Janni Lee Simner, a writer of young adult fantasies, also resides in Tucson. She recently completed her post-apocalyptic fairy tale trilogy Bones of Faerie. The series is a “dark fairy-tale twist on apocalyptic fiction – as familiar as a nightmare, yet altogether unique.” The first book is called Bones of Faerie, the second is Faerie Winter and the much-awaited conclusion is Faerie After. She also traveled to Iceland to research Iceland’s medieval sagas, on which she based Thief Eyes, a contemporary fantasy. In addition, Janni has written four books for younger children, including Secret of the Three Treasures and her Phantom Rider Trilogy. simner.com
The Jewish Book Council Network site lists many books of Jewish interest. jewishbookcouncil.org
