Roni Robbins has been knowledgeable author for 35 years, however her first novel “Palms of Gold,” attracts from her household’s real-life expertise and flight from anti-Semitism earlier than the peak of the Holocaust.
“Palms of Gold”
“Palms of Gold” is a piece of fiction, however Robbins pulls from the unique cassette tapes left by her maternal grandfather, who survived tuberculosis, a office taking pictures and an unintentional killing, and walked 1000’s of miles throughout a number of international locations to flee anti-Semitism in pre-Nazi Europe.
The story follows Sam Fox, a person who spent his entire life working towards the palms of time throughout 4 international locations, 9 many years and 5 generations. “Palms of Gold,” weaves collectively Sam’s love affair along with his “lady,” Hannah, and his immigrant adventures. From his early days as a self-centered hustler – a personality you’ll like to hate – to his travails as household supplier, Sam in the end positive aspects the reader’s sympathy as he exposes the frailty of life and proves his power as a survivor within the face of unmistakable odds.
Sam’s path takes him from war-torn Europe on the flip of the twentieth century by Prohibition, the Nice Melancholy, labor union reforms and the golden age of radio and tv in America. He’ll face quite a few monetary, emotional and well being challenges alongside the way in which. Particularly, he’ll contract tuberculosis, unintentionally kill a person in a trolley collision and lose a grown son to leukemia.The novel begins and ends in a nursing dwelling with a exceptional secret, a previous price chronicling and a cherished treasure that was buried for years and uncovered.
In 2009, “Palms of Gold” was a quarter-finalist for historic fiction within the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest.
Robbins is an editor and author for Medscape/WebMD, having beforehand served because the affiliate editor of the Atlanta Jewish Occasions/The Occasions of Isreal. Her writing has appeared in main publications comparable to Forbes, Huffington Submit, WebMD and the New York Each day Information. She at present resides in Atlanta.
Cobb Life Editor Madison Hogan requested Robbins to share a few of her insights as a author and talked the nitty gritty about discovering inspiration in household historical past, dedicating her time to her craft and diving deep into the secrets and techniques of the previous.
CL: How did the thought for “Palms of Gold” come about?
RR: My grandfather left 450 minutes of cassette tapes for the household. I used to be impressed by his phrases and he stated if there was a author within the household who wished to do one thing with the tapes, so be it. I took it as a private calling as I’m the one full-time author within the household as a profession journalist. At first, I wrote a narrative for the Atlanta Jewish Occasions, after I was a reporter there within the 90s, titled “Giving Reminiscences a Voice: My grandfather left a bit of himself behind as a legacy to his progeny” that was the precursor to the novel. Across the similar time, I additionally gained a Rockower Award, often known as the Pulitzer Prize of Jewish journalism, for a bit I wrote about seniors in nursing houses, “Out of Contact.” This will have influenced the start and ending of the e-book and my particulars inside about growing older.
CL: What separates this e-book from different items you’ve written? What connects it?
RR: As a journalist, I’ve solely written nonfiction, primarily based solely on info and interviews. My longest items had been perhaps 5,000 phrases max. This novel is a few 70,000 phrases. I’ve additionally by no means written this a lot fiction, making up quotes and creating characters and scenes from my very own creativeness. Admittedly, I created a number of pretend tales as celebratory presents for family and friends, together with one about my grandparents in 1986, “Further! Further! Grandma and Grandpa rejoice sixtieth anniversary.” A few of the traces in that piece could have influenced “Palms of Gold.”
What connects my nonfiction article with this novel is that the latter relies on reality – I initially transcribed the cassette tapes – and concerned analysis to make sure credibility, simply as my articles do. I began with info as I’m accustomed to in my non-fiction and constructed the fiction round that base. Each forms of writing make use of the artistic course of and storytelling.
CL: What can readers anticipate from “Palms of Gold”?
RR: Readers can anticipate to be transported to a distinct place and time, beginning on the flip of the final century earlier than the world wars. They’ll anticipate to study European and American historical past, the struggles of Jewish households in each international locations, immigrant life, basically, and the tradition and developments of that point interval. This can be my household’s story, however it’s largely common, related for any ethnicity or descendants of immigrants, which is most of us.
As well as, readers will stroll away having learn a well-researched e-book, the end result of my 35 years as an award-winning journalist who has been revealed by some extremely revered media. I deliver the most effective of my writing expertise to bear on this novel. It has gone by a number of edits, e-book group critiques, two publishers and proofing.
CL: How does inspiration strike you?
RR: Inspiration comes from using my 5 senses. When my children had been little, I believed they smelled like baked items. After I sit on the ocean and shut my eyes, I hearken to the respiration of the waves. Generally sufficient strikes me about an expertise to jot down about it. Sometimes, that writing has taken the type of a poem, because it’s extra rapid and shorter.
In my longer-form writing, it’s the similar. The temper strikes, and I write it down. I hear or learn one thing that conjures up me and I mess around with phrases strung collectively to kind phrases till they move the way in which I imagine they need to. After I listened to my grandfather’s phrases on tape, they touched me, and I simply allow them to lead me. I did a number of analysis and drew connections within the textual content, discovering indicators and symbols that guided me too.
CL: Do you may have any rituals/finest practices for writing?
RR: I don’t have rituals precisely, however I’m not a procrastinator, and I don’t have author’s block. For me the latter doesn’t even exist. A author writes. For my part, blocks are for individuals who don’t write for a residing as I do.
If I get caught, I write round the issue space, however hold going. I attempt to get all of it out of my head or if it’s an interview, out of my pocket book and onto the pc, after which revise, revise, revise. However the primary activity is to jot down it down as quickly because it involves me, even when it needs to be on small items of paper or a notepad till I can put it within the correct kind within the story. I discover it’s finest for me to carve out time to jot down, normally after lunch after I’m not hungry or distracted.
CL: What recommendation are you able to share with different native aspiring authors?
RR: Simply write. Don’t be afraid of what others will say about your writing, don’t let anybody inform you it could possibly’t be completed or there’s an excessive amount of competitors. For my part, you don’t need to be a celeb, have a e-book already revealed or have an enormous social media following. Definitely work on the latter as you write your e-book. However don’t hand over.
It took me 20 years. I obtained some 50 rejections and that’s simply those that responded. I’m on my second writer. All you want is one “sure.” I obtained two. It requires large willpower, however in order for you it, it’s like some other aim: Set your coronary heart on it and make it occur for your self. And though I write for a residing, and receives a commission for it, I don’t assume my path was any simpler, although I knew I had a well-tested talent that propelled me to remain on observe.
CL: How has your atmosphere influenced your work?
RR: “Palms of Gold” relies on the Jewish household life expertise, which has at all times been part of my life. I used to be a reporter for the Atlanta Jewish Occasions for 4 years within the 90s after which affiliate editor for 3 years from mid-2018 till August, after I took the same place with Medscape/WebMD, the latter with workplaces in Midtown. I’m additionally energetic in my synagogue, Congregation Etz Chaim in Marietta. I’m the primary usher and I’m serving my second non-consecutive time period on its Board of Trustees. In my youth, I additionally was a pacesetter in Jewish organizations. So Judaism is a vital a part of my life and positively influenced my Jewish journalism and the creation of this novel.
I additionally grew up in New York not terribly removed from our prolonged household, together with my grandparents and others talked about within the e-book who influenced a lot of my early childhood and Jewish life.
CL: What’s your favourite a part of writing? Your least favourite?
RR: My favourite a part of writing is when the phrases string collectively to kind a form of poetry or all of the items of an article unite like a puzzle. It at all times amazes me when the completed product mirrors the concord of an orchestra, all of the sections working in unison to create a refined manufacturing. Clearly, I like when readers say they loved my article or discovered one thing new. Writing is my manner of constructing a distinction, educating and entertaining. It truly is a present from God I’m blessed to share with others.
My least favourite a part of writing is the rewriting and rewriting. In fact, the writing can enhance on this course of, however typically I’ve to surrender some seemingly valuable phrases, sentences, graphs, as a result of the piece is just too lengthy or I’ve misplaced my focus attempting to pack in an excessive amount of. It’s onerous to chop if you labored onerous to create.
CL: Why did you begin writing? What made you make the leap?
RR: At first, I used to be writing poetry. I believed I wished to be a musician, however I quickly realized I simply preferred writing the lyrics. A preferred buddy from highschool stated she was going to main in journalism and had taken a journalism class. So I adopted go well with and after I learn what I proposed for a category project because the opening copy of the yearbook, the room was silent. I ended, and the trainer stated to proceed, and afterwards I used to be named the yearbook copy editor, which meant I wrote many of the copy. At that time, I noticed I should be good at journalism and I by no means regarded again. I obtained a journalism scholarship to the College of South Carolina and there once more, my ego led the way in which. In all probability an excellent clue that I used to be heading on the appropriate path was that I really loved writing my school essays.
CL: What/who was your favourite e-book/writer of all time? Why?
RR: That is most likely the toughest query as a result of I don’t have one favourite e-book or writer; I’ve many. Those which have most likely influenced me probably the most embrace: “Exodus” by Leon Uris, “The Crimson Tent” by Anita Diamant, “Letters from Rifka” (My Hebrew title) by Karen Hesse and naturally, “The Diary of Anne Frank.” Why these? As a result of I can keep in mind the characters and the storylines years later they usually run by my thoughts after I’m writing about Jewish themes.
The next is an excerpt of “Palms of Gold.”
She was an actual hotsy-totsy. Completely a doll, for my part. I might have sworn I used to be having hassle respiration or at the least I used to be respiration quicker whereas admiring her, I’m unsure which. She was busy making the rounds, greeting family with kisses. When she glanced over at me, she smiled, after which a visitor pulled her again into dialog and he or she continued her rounds. Had she returned my glare I’d have absolutely been caught gawking.
As she moved nearer, I might inform she didn’t put on a lot make-up, besides a pale pink gloss on full lips, however her cheeks had been extenuated as if with a touch of shade. Her pores and skin was so easy and unblemished. Thick auburn curls had been pulled again from her face and secured with a clip of tiny plastic flowers in the back of her head. I scanned her determine as soon as extra down her curves to her hemline, revealing hearty calves, her ankles springing from double-strapped black, leather-based heels that didn’t look in the least comfy. Then once more, I didn’t see how girls wore these sorts of footwear anyway.
Apparently, Leah Stein observed my attentions and grabbed her sister by the arm, excusing her from her rounds. Arm in arm, the 2 sisters approached. “That is Hannah,” Leah stated, smiling mischievously, nudging Hannah in the direction of me. “She’s visiting from New York. She’s a seamstress there within the garment district.” Our eyes met and he or she might hardly take a look at me with out blushing – as I used to be – and smiling coyly.
All all through dinner we glanced at one another between mouthfuls of brisket and lokshen kugel. After we weren’t speaking to others on the desk, we exchanged temporary smiles. We had been clearly flirting, and it made me really feel heat and a bit flushed. I needed to loosen the highest button of my shirt. She watched me as I did it, after which regarded away earlier than I might catch her eyes.
Within the night, after we completed supper, as I ready to depart, Leah advised to Hannah, “Why don’t you see Sam out?” Hannah nodded, attempting to hide her fascination with the stranger.
