Interview with Sigrid Fowler and #giveaway!!

Today we welcome Sigrid Fowler to my blog. Sigrid is giving away one copy of her new book to one person who comments. (USA only) Please leave contact information in the comments.

Sigrid, glad to have you stop by. Tell us about the book:

Don’t Tell the Rabbi, Bk I, Three Friends and an Old Lady is a story about three childhood friends who grew up to be a rabbi, a Baptist minister, and an English professor. The minister tilts with his Jewish buddy about various points of the gospel, and he deeply desires the reconciliation of his two friends. Ill will has chilled their relationship for years. The old lady is a retired diva whose voice breaks glass. She chose Beulah, SC, her hometown and theirs, for retirement. Now she’s next-door neighbor to the rabbi and rabbitzen. The ancient opera singer is a much-loved, local celebrity now suffering from dementia. In the novel, we listen as chats of congregants and church members, friends and family, the main characters and their colleagues, tell the story through conversations, actual and internal. Ruth, the pastor’s wife, interprets what we’re hearing. What secret is being kept from the rabbi? That’s the big question. The foreshadowing in Bk I becomes full revelation in Bk II, already written and in the editing process. There will be a Bk III.

Have you always liked to write?

Yes and I’ve written for publication since the mid-1970s. My articles in professional journals and newspaper columns have covered literary subjects, local news, and topics of community interest. For ten years I’ve written a biblically based column for the Edgefield Advertiser, the local paper in Edgefield, SC, and oldest newspaper in the state.

Just as your books inspire authors, what authors have inspired you to write?

Charles Dickens has been a huge inspiration, but as a teenager, I became interested in the novels of Dostoevsky. Jane Austen is another favorite. Robert Whitlow’s legal thrillers are a recent discovery. His books are page-turners with a gospel focus. The Bible, the best seller of all times, is my daily sustenance. The brevity and clarity of its sixty-six books amaze me—poetry and proverbs, narratives and parables, prophecy and letters to friends. Modern Hebrew is similarly action-based and to-the-point. Our God is the best-selling author!

How did you decide upon the title, Don’t Tell the Rabbi: A Comedy of Religious Proportions, Bk I, Three Friends and an Old Lady?

The idea of a secret from the rabbi began everything. The title, when it came to me, seemed to say it all. In our first conversation, my publisher (True Potential) told me he loved that title. There has never been a question about using it. When I realized that the ms. was the size of two, I simply divided it into two books, so Don’t Tell the Rabbi is the series title. Three Friends and an Old Lady is the title of Book I. My son Sam suggested the subtitle, “A Comedy of Religious Proportions,” and I liked the idea. Book II is called Balagan, a Hebrew expression meaning a badly screwed-up situation.

How important are names to you in your books? Did you choose the names of characters in Don’t Tell the Rabbi, Bk I, Three Friends and an Old Lady based on liking the way they sound or the meaning? Do you have any name choosing resources you recommend?

The names of my characters have just happened. I made up some, decided on others—really, for no particular reason. One was suggested by a conversation with an Israeli friend. Others just seemed to fit. I should say a word about names in these novels: There are nicknames, pet names, variations/translations of names. One is a name change to suit a writer’s purposes. I realized how confusing this could be, so I’ve included a Glossary of Names to help the reader know who’s who.

What were the challenges (research, literary, psychological, and logistical) in bringing it to life?

During this writing, I was a graduate student, then an English teacher with piles of papers to grade. The idea for the novel developed from a paper I wrote in seminary. Later, as I began writing, hours would go by if I allowed myself to pick up the ms. I had to restrain myself—papers to grade! Writing was so much fun. I even enjoyed the editing, and when I began to draw illustrations, it was more of the same. Now I’m retired, trying to learn what it means to market a novel—not a party for the average writer, I’m guessing.

Share your bio:

I was born in Winston-Salem, NC, have lived all over the South and in NH, PA, and the W, DC, area.  Edgefield, SC, is place of origin on my mother’s side and the family center for many years—my home now, as well. Beulah, SC, the imagined setting of my novel, has much in common with Edgefield but isn’t a specific snapshot. I did English at Agnes Scott College and Emory U, and my M.Div is from Erskine Theological Seminary. In 2012, I studied Modern Hebrew in Jerusalem at a Hebrew University ulpan (i.e., language immersion). The Lord Jesus walked into my life when I was a college student studying Dostoevsky, a writer whose dark scenes convey the gospel in many ways. I have three children—Liz, my justice-impassioned daughter lives in Seattle; Sam, guitarist/song writer, lives with me; and Thomas the craft brewer/contract negotiator, lives in Fort Worth. Ellie, my ballerina/ musician/ artist granddaughter, also lives in Seattle. I wish I could fold the US map and shorten the distances! It’s a good thing Sam and I like road trips. We get to Fort Worth often, but Seattle is more of a challenge. Soli Deo gloria!

Social media and buying links:

My novel is available on Amazon. At this point, no social media platforms, but I’m planning to start a blog soon.

You can buy my book here:  https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Tell-Rabbi-Religious-Proportions/dp/1943852685/