Entries Tagged 'Jewish' ↓
January 21st, 2010 — A-C, Alien, Another Planet/Dimension, Book Intro, Enemies, Guest Blogger, Interracial, Jewish, Kidnapping, Science Fiction, Space
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by Julia Rachel Barrett, guest blogger and author of Captured.
I am a scrappy, fiery redhead and my heroines, poor things, generally end up redheads too. Mari Damon, in my new work of Science Fiction, Captured, gets kidnapped by an interstellar trapper because he notices her red hair shining in the sun. Like she says in the book – I’ll paraphrase – If I’d known you were coming by, I’d have worn a hat!
The story of Mari and Ekkatt flowed out of me – I had a blast writing it. Not only is the book an extremely sexy read, I touch on subjects like the Stockholm Syndrome, where victims begin to identify with their kidnappers, collective guilt and its repercussions, and religious intolerance and bigotry. Writing the book touched me in unexpected ways – like me, Mari is Jewish and her situation is fraught with guilt – she suffers from survivor guilt because she has managed to survive while the other women she arrived with were were auctioned off, and worse, she has fallen in love with her captor. She feels as if she’s betraying herself and her own people. Her captor, Ekkatt, on the other hand, is wracked with guilt over what he’s done. No, he’s never killed or even injured a human and his species is vegetarian, but in his job as a trapper, he’s sent many women like Mari to the meat market, having been taught by his own religious authorities that humans are nothing more than beasts, that they have no soul. From our perspective, it would be comparable to a tribe in the Amazon hunting and eating a monkey. When Mari inadvertently awakens from stasis during the voyage and Ekkatt has his first chance to actually speak with a human female, he experiences an epiphany…his entire life has been a lie and he is guilty of condoning murder. From that moment on, keeping Mari alive becomes his primary goal. Only her forgiveness can heal him.
Mari never expects to find herself caged in a cargo hold on a spaceship. She learns from her captors she's headed to the meat market. When they try to return her to stasis, she resists. The male in charge, Ekkatt, allows her to remain awake. Mari realizes her survival depends upon connecting with Ekkatt. She must make him see her as a sentient being or she will end up dinner.
Ekkatt has never spoken to any human. Humans are beasts. They are valued for one thing, the money they bring at auction. The Attun are vegetarians, but other species prize human flesh and Ekkatt makes good money trapping. Then the female with red hair awakens. She speaks to him and forces him to admit she has a name. Mari throws Ekkatt's entire life into question, the biggest question...can he watch her sold to the highest bidder?
Excerpt:
Mari heard him utter something in a guttural voice to his companion, right before he strode her way on his long, powerful legs. His strides ate up the distance between them. Unconsciously, Mari backed away from the door of her cage. In her current state, naked and vulnerable, if this thing wanted to rip her limb from limb, gut her, and eat her alive, he could.
He stopped in front of her and stared into her face. Legs shaking, Mari ordered herself to meet his eyes. She watched his nostrils flare, as if he could smell her fear. How could he not? She could smell it herself. Being naked made it worse. But, what was she supposed to do? Attempt to cover herself with her hands? That would be an exercise in futility. His eyes roamed over her perusing her from head to toe. He grunted something. Even though the language sounded alien to her it was impossible to miss the dismissive tone in his gravelly voice.
He stood in front of her with his arms crossed and his eyes challenging. He was obviously waiting for her to cower and cringe. Mari didn’t know where she was or what the hell was going on, but she remembered something she’d once read: the antidote to fear is courage. She realized she had no choice but to stare right back, step forward, cross her arms mocking his posture, and say loud enough for his companion to hear, “Fuck you, asshole.”
The fucker laughed. His laugh sounded human. Mari recognized it instantly. She didn’t know if he laughed at her words or at her chutzpah, but the fucker laughed.
“That is good,” he said in heavily accented English. The words sounded slow on his tongue. “You have courage, female.”
Mari watched him shift his weight. He seemed impatient. “You should not be awake,” he stated in his very thick accent.
Mari shrugged.
The man swept a sheathed hand toward all the other women lying on the floor of their cages. “You should not be awake,” he repeated.
Mari ignored his statement. Instead she pointed at his uniform. “I want my clothes.”
The man grimaced.
“You speak my language. You understand what I’m saying. I want my clothes.” One thing at a time.
“You have no need. You are a beast. An animal.” He enunciated clearly for her sake. “An animal has no need of clothing.”
“If I’m an animal, then why do you bother to speak with me? I want my clothes.”
He laughed again. “You are like a trained pet. Pets have no need of garments. Our buyers must be able to see the merchandise with imperfections and all.”
____________________
Thanks for hosting me! Enjoy! Julia
To buy Captured, click here.
To visit Julia’s Website...Facebook.
Giveaway: Julia is offering an e-book copy of CARA, her now out-of-print romantic suspense from Cerridwen Press, as a prize. Open to all blog readers and visitors with valid email addresses! 
Enter by leaving a comment or asking Julia a question. One entry per relevant comment; multiple entries allowed. Ends January 28, 2010.
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May 11th, 2009 — 4.5 Stars, Contemporary, Executive, Friends, Interracial, Jewish, Movie Reviews, Religious, United States of America
This love triangle features a priest, a rabbi, and a–oh you heard that joke have you? Well, drat there goes my punch line!
Anyway this movie is a bit old, but I saw it for the first time the other day and I’m so glad I sat down to watch it, VHS tape, preview ads, broken remote and all. Can you imagine? Wow! If you’re a person who has a hard time watching Ben Stiller because he stars in movies along the same vein as Will Farrell you’ll be pleasantly surprised by his comedy routine in this movie. There’s nothing over the top, gross, or poorly done on his part to disrupt the romantic overtones of the story.
Jake, Brian, and Anna were friends in eighth grade until tragedy struck and Anna had to move away. Jake and Brian continued on being the best of friends. They were both interested in religion and teaching each other about their faith. Eventually their interest lead them to seek becoming leaders of their respective faiths. Years of study, devotion, and passion for their cause lead us to present day where Rabbi Jake Schram (Ben Stiller) and Father Brian Finn (Edward Norton) are making a splash in the community. New York will never be the same. As luck would have it Anna Riley turns up after all their years apart, as a high power executive woman ready to kick butt and take names and with a little... erm... faith reconnect with old friends. She laughs herself silly upon hearing their occupations.
Jake and Anna are immediately attracted to one another, but Jake must marry in order to receive his due (a promotion when the old Rabbi leaves for retirement). Unfortunately the woman must be Jewish and all the mothers in his congregation are trying to hook him up with their daughters and he can't say no for fear of offending them. When Jake gives up trying for the perfect Jewish girl, he pursues Anna with a vengeance and passion that leave them both stunned and Jake a little fearful. Nobody will understand - not his parish, not the board members, and most certainly not his mother.
Meanwhile, Brian is struggling his his vows of celibacy as he faces the undeniable truth: he's in love with his best friend, Anna. Every conversation, every touch, every look feeds into his confusion. He's reading more into her every action. When things come to a head after a teary phone call from Anna, Brian is stunned, hurt, and furious with his other best friend Jake.
Will the friends be able to patch up their broken hearts, misunderstandings, and keep the faith? Watch and find out!
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Originally posted 2009-01-11 05:28:34. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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December 22nd, 2008 — Gifts, Jewish, News
Hanukkah began tonight at sundown. This is night one of eight consecutive nights. To celebrate, I have put together a collection of romances featuring strong Jewish characters, themes or written by Jewish women (or all three!). Those listed here are not an endorsement as I have not read them personally but they looked good and I thought I would share.
Lights of Love:
Everything was set and in place this holiday season for Nancy Gardner until her old flame Mike Powers sweeps back into her life. She thought she had forgotten him, she had built a life without him and his sudden presence disrupted all her plans. Everywhere she went, no matter whether she went to visit family or friends, he was there and the more they saw each other the more she knew she was in trouble as old flames started to spark. Mike has the tough task of convincing her to rekindle their flame.
Scenes from a Holiday:
There are three short stories in this compilation including Eight Dates of Hanukkah, Carrie Pilby's New Year's Resolution, and Emma Townsend Saves Christmas. The Hanukkah story is one of commitment phobia on the part of the heroine. Nikki Heller is afraid to marry her kind and loyal boyfriend Mark. A bump on the head causes her to slip into a coma or more to the point a Christmas Carol kind of situation but instead of visiting with the spirits of Christmas she ends up dating eight truly awful men.
Rashi's Daughters, Book I: Joheved:
This is the first of three novels written about Rashi's daughters set in medieval France. Rashi is both winemaker and scholar of the Talmud. Book one focuses on the eldest daughter. 39 of 52 reviews at Amazon gave the book five stars. Meticulous research combined with flowing fictional prose weave the tapestry of the novel. Joheved makes a request of her father to learn the Talmud, is betrothed and must keep her knowledge hidden which she does until the first crisis erupts between herself and her husband.
The Red Tent:
Dinah is the only surviving daughter of four sisters married to the same man. "They traded secrets like bracelets, and these were handed down to me the only surviving girl. They told me things I was too young to hear. They held my face between their hands and made me swear to remember." The Red Tent is more biblical than a strictly Jewish and looks to be very promising as I found out about it scrolling through reviews on other books and this kept cropping up as a recommendation.
The Kommandant's Girl:
Told during the times of the Nazi occupation of Poland, Kommandant's Girl is about a bride forced to assume another name and live with her husband's aunt. During Emma's stay (under the guise of Anna) she catches the attention of Kommandant Georg Richwalder, number two himself of the General Government, during a dinner party. When it's clear that her German is exceptional he offers her a position as his assistant. Anna accepts thinking to help the resistance and must struggle with a chemistry she never expected. Will she resist the handsome and charming officer and stay true to her husband? I don't know, but I'm personally dying to find out!
Dearest Anne: A Tale of Impossible Love:
Dearest Anne does not appear to have a happy ending, which would explain the title even if the circumstances described did not paint a vivid picture of how impossible it was to be in love and stay that way. Rivi is a young artist in the 1970s; she fell in love with her married literature professor, Michaela. Michaela and Rivi if you haven't guessed are both women and so the impossible aspect of their relationship is taken one step further into the realm of hopelessness.
Jane Austen in Boca:
Imagine Pride and Prejudice but with widowed Jewish women cast in the roles of the Bennet sisters. In other words this tale is about retired Floridians acting out a classic that translates to its sunny setting. With 22 people of 35 people ranking it a five, Jane Austen in Boca looks to be a great retelling as well as a great beach read. Can you just imagine all the wackiness that is bound to ensue? I wonder who is the Mr. Darcy character... anybody read this and want to tell me? Hint. Hint.
Goy Crazy:
Set in high school, this young adult story is about a Jewish girl with a crush that is tired of her good girl ways. Sounding vaguely like Mean Girls
, the main character Rachel is desperate to fit into the So Very crowd and spice up her life with a little romance. She even begins to act dumb in math to attract the attention of the very non-Jewish basketball hunk Luke Christiansen. Bound to crack you up!
What stories would you add to the list?
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