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Let’s chat about more about my book, Mumma Shana.

Rather, I’ll talk – you listen and then click on the Amazon link to buy my book. It will be a best seller any minute now and I’ll have to raise my price. (grins) I’m calling on the Law of Attraction here.

Mumma Shana is my phonetic use of the Yiddish Mah-meh Shay-na which is a common term of endearment for a young girl.  Dorie Mitchell, the main character, is Mumma Shana. She is adored and cherished by her grandmother who calls her by this beautiful name. At first glance of the title, one might think this is a “Jewish” story and perhaps would not be interested in reading in that genre. I must admit I struggled with the title for just that reason but in the end decided to use it because as you will see when you read it, the character, Mumma Shana, is the very essence of the story.

Many of my family and friends have read my book and loved it. Of course they did. They would never want to hurt my feelings but, I needed someone beside dear old Aunt Sally to validate me before I put this in print. Boldly, I took the plunge and asked complete strangers to read it. I received nothing but positive feedback there too. Fabulous.  I’m feeling empowered now.  Then it dawned on me that up to this point my readers have all been Christian. Nothing bad about that but the protagonist in the novel is a young Jewish girl who is unsure of her religious beliefs and wants to explore Christianity. This is a huge No No in most Jewish households.   How would the gentle bubbie readers attracted to my title on Amazon react to this? Oh the controversy (grins again).

This story is already chockfull of controversy; abortion, alcoholism, adultery, child abuse,- you can pretty much pick your poison here.  Then there is the BIGGIE. A Jew who finds Christ. Yikes. I can hear the tearing of garments as parents turn their backs on their children and mourn their loss. Well perhaps I am being a bit overdramatic but it has been done. Have you ever seen Fiddler on the Roof? And Chava only married a Christian – she didn’t become one. Oy vey.

 Preview My Book On Amazon

the beginning.

I wrote a book. I called it Mumma Shana. No one wanted to read it. I couldn’t find a publisher or literary agent to save my life. Maybe my book was never meant to be published. I got so tired of querying literary agents only to be turned down. I began to think I was chasing the cat up the proverbial wrong tree. Why, though, was so much of my time and energy poured into that project if it was just meant to sit in my closet and collect dust? Was this all to be some kind of grand learning experience for me?  I refused to accept that.

I willed and willed my manuscript to find its way into the right hands. I maintained positive thoughts and believed that the right agent would pick it up - The Law of Attraction and all that. It didn’t happen. Was this the effect of allowing those negative thoughts to bite at me when I wasn’t looking? Had too much of those unwelcome thoughts seeped into my consciousness or was it something else? I didn’t know the answer to that but I DID know that my book was meant to be published.

I’m meant to write. I’ve always known this.  I feel words swelling inside of me just aching for release and I breathe a sigh as they come forth from the center of my soul without any conscious thought. Every fiber of my being is alive and pulsing with energy as I write. It is an ever continuing cycle of need and release that feeds me.  It is every writer’s dream to be published and yet, the goal to have this book published seemed unattainable. I packed my handwritten story into a box. Yes, I said handwritten. That’s a blog for another day.

I threw the box in the closet and went on with life. I journaled and rambled on paper through the years but nothing struck the chords of my soul like Mumma Shana. Nothing I wrote ached to be published like that story. It began to scream at me from the deep recesses of the dusty box in my closet as if it were a living being that had been buried alive. It wanted to live. I had to find a way to give it life.

Once again, the endless round of agent querying began and soon after, the rejection letters piled up in my email. It didn’t matter to me this time. I had decided to self publish. There was no longer a stigma attached to self publishing as there had been when I started on this journey some years ago. Indie publishing was now the thing to do and I was going to do it.

My book would be read. My writing would be appreciated and it would be criticized. My story would be called controversial by some and to others, it would be enlightening.  Pay particular attention here as this is where I shamelessly self promote. J  There are things in this story that will make you angry. Some will make you cry and others will invoke laughter. There are issues that many struggle with daily and yet, for others, these issues are unfathomable. Most importantly is the message of hope that I have tried to convey in this story.

I, of course, am posting the link to Amazon in the hope that you will read it. It’s only available on kindle at the moment (at a very affordable price I might add) but I hope to have it in print in the next couple of months. As an aside, if you don’t have a kindle you can download the free app from Amazon and read any kindle book on your pc or phone.

I look forward to your comments and hope we get to know each other well. It won’t hurt my feelings if you don’t like my book or anything else I blog about. We can agree to disagree. Please post anyway. I’d rather be noticed than ignored. :-)

 http://www.amazon.com/Mumma-Shana