Q&A with Barbara Lerman-Golomb

  

 

 

Barbara Lerman-Golomb is the author of the new children's picture book The Sukkah Hop. She is also an educational content creator, and an environmental advocate.

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Sukkah Hop?

 

A: Sukkot was a natural choice–a happy harvest holiday that takes us outdoors to connect with our ancient, agrarian roots.

 

Years ago I trained as an experiential environmental educator. As Barbara WOW (Wonders of the World), I led eco awareness programs in schools and summer camps, encouraging kids to be shomerei adamah, caretakers of the Earth. I’ve always enjoyed the cozy feeling of being surrounded by the greens in a sukkah.

 

When I thought about writing a holiday book, sweet memories came to me of going sukkah hopping with my kids when they were little, moving from sukkah to sukkah, of the different activities we engaged in along the way, and how each sukkah was unique.

 

More inspiration came from an event a few years back. A group called Reboot launched Sukkah City in New York City, a design competition featuring installation-art. Twelve sukkahs were constructed in Union Square Park for a three-day celebration. The focus was on fragility, humility, and a connection to nature.

 

The arts are a huge part of my life, particularly visual arts, and so I was thrilled by the high-concept designs and varieties of natural materials used. 

 

Q: What do you think Talia Drigues’s illustrations add to the story?

 

A: Talia’s art adds a wonderful sense of whimsy and evokes the joy and energy of moving from sukkah to sukkah that I wanted to convey through my rhyming text.

 

Her illustrations elevated the story with the variety of family groupings and its playfulness, especially the cat and dog motif. This was a particularly fun addition. It just so happens when I was around 10 years old, we adopted a dog on Sukkot that I named Sooki!

 

Q: What are some of your own favorite traditions for Sukkot?

 

A: Getting creative by decorating with elements of nature and art. While each sukkah has its own identity, at the same time, it is a communal place to bring people together and of course to eat!

 

For the matriarchs of my foodie family, the sukkah has been a place to literally “share a meal.” My great-grandmother, Anna Bernstein Freed, aka Bubba Freed, famously made trays of gefilte fish to feed the elders of the synagogue who slept in the sukkah for the week of Sukkot.

 

She left strict instructions in her will that after her passing, my Nana, Myne Cohen Freed, pick up the task! Despite the fact that she had four daughters of her own, she knew my grandmother, whose parents owned a kosher restaurant, would carry out her wishes and get the job done!

 

Years ago I shared this anecdote in an article I wrote for The Forward, “Why Gefilte Fish is the Perfect Symbol for Sukkot.” My matriarchs (and patriarchs) lived tikkun olam, the value of repairing the world.

 

Q: What do you hope kids take away from the story?

 

A: I hope they are left with the overall message that Sukkot is a fun and inclusive holiday, and that they will have a greater appreciation for nature and our connection to the fall harvest, food, and farming.

 

I also have a background as an edutainment materials designer, so I hope through this lively journey they learn traditions of the holiday (and for an added bonus they get to do some counting too!). I am also creating a dance/hop to make the reading experience interactive.

 

I am told it’s the only book on this topic for young readers. I hope it will inspire their families and friends to go sukkah hopping!

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: Some of my current works in progress include: a Hanukkah board book with an enlightening twist, a tale about a young Jewish seamstress who ends up sewing a glorious gown for the royal Tsarina Romanov (loosely based on a true story), a book about a library that becomes a climate change hero, an art history mystery, and two picture book biographies about family members who accomplished groundbreaking things. 

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: It’s wonderful that Sukkot embodies the value of hachnasat orchim, welcoming the stranger. Years ago I was interviewed by the magazine Lilith for an article, “Eco-Ushpizin: Women Take on the Environment,” about the tradition of inviting in mystical guests—known as ushpzin into the sukkah.

 

Two guests I invited were Rachel Carson, whose landmark book Silent Spring helped launch the modern environmental movement, and my mother, Etta Freed Lerman. As was passed down from our matriarchs, everyone was welcome at my mother’s table. 

 

I am thankful every day for my mother, who was my biggest champion. She instilled her own love of writing and books in me. A key reason she and my father chose the house I grew up in is because it was walking distance to our local library.

 

I also want to extend my gratitude to Harold Grinspoon and PJ Library for all they have done to enhance Jewish life for families across the globe, and personally for their support and encouragement in my efforts to share stories.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

Q&A with Lindsay Lovise

  

 

 

Lindsay Lovise is the author of the new young adult novel Gingerbread Bones. Her other books include the novel Never Blow a Kiss. She lives in Maine. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write Gingerbread Bones, and how did you create your character Georgie?

 

A: I had written a series of survival books for younger readers, and my agent loved them so much that she floated the idea of writing a book for teenagers that took place in the woods.

 

Once I started thinking on it, I knew I wanted to create a cast of teen characters that weren’t perfect, that were already written off by society and the adults in their lives. I wanted to show their growth and how they came together to survive. Some other plot aspects came later, but the core teens remained the same from the very first draft. 

 

The book is told through Georgie’s perspective, and when I was crafting her reactions and dialogue, I had to do it through the lens of not only a teenager, but also a girl who’d suffered abandonment and had her own demons to battle. It was definitely a challenge at times, especially when her reactions didn’t reflect what my own would have been. 

 

Q: How was the book’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: Oftentimes book titles change (almost always, in my case), but this book was titled Gingerbread Bones from the very first chapters. There was some discussion about it possibly being too long, but ultimately everyone agreed it was the best title.

 

It’s a nod to the content of the book, and honestly kind of disturbing. Gingerbread is supposed to conjure memories of cookies and other sweet, innocent things. Adding bones made it feel almost wrong, which fit the book perfectly. 

 

Q: The Kirkus Review of the book says, “The novel’s Survivor-esque reality TV vibe and dark fairy-tale horror make for a grimly propulsive read.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I think the “grimly propulsive” part aligns with what readers have been telling me, and honestly I’m so honored. To be told Gingerbread Bones was the book they couldn’t put down, the book they took to the grocery store and that made them ignore adulting and stay up too late, is SUCH an honor.

 

I’ve had many books over the years do that to me, and there isn’t a bigger compliment for an author (in my opinion) than to be told that someone couldn't put your book down. 

 

Q: This is a young adult novel--why did you decide to write for this audience?

 

A: Long before I became an adult author I wrote almost exclusively YA books, so it was really fun to have the chance to take another stab at it once I had an agent and had dipped my toes in publishing. I adore both adult and YA books, so it really feels like the best of both worlds to be able to publish for both audiences. 

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I officially have two more YA books coming, although they’re not yet announced so I can’t share too much about them. I’m also working on a couple more adult projects that I’m really looking forward to. I wish I could give more specifics, but just know there are more books on the way!

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Please visit my website, www.lindsaylovise.com, and sign up for my newsletter to be the first to see cover reveals. I also occasionally send out various bits of information/behind the scenes stuff that I don’t share anywhere else. I’m also most active on Instagram @lindsaylovise if you want to follow me there. 

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Lindsay Lovise. 

Q&A with Bree Despain

  

 

Bree Despain is the author of the new young adult novel The Killing Rules. Her other books include The Dark Divine. She lives in Salt Lake City.

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Killing Rules, and how did you create your characters Harper and Grayson?

 

A: The Killing Rules was born out of the #MeToo movement, and especially the sins it exposed in the publishing world. It was heart-wrenching to see how much pain my author friends (and myself) had experienced for just being women in the industry. I had a lot of pent-up feminine rage that needed a place to go, so I turned to the page.

 

TKR touches a little bit on the publishing world, but focuses more on high school, and similar struggles that teen girls face on the regular.

 

I created Harper because I saw so many terrible men getting away with terrible things and I loved the idea of letting a girls’ girl who loves pink, and baking, and cheerleading to be the one to dole out justice and take those men down. Those men see her as a potential victim, but little do they know the power she wields.

 

Grayson was inspired by the journalists out there who still care about exposing the truth and not just writing clickbait, like Ronan Farrow. Grayson is a truth-seeker who doesn’t let anything stop him—and that can sometimes land him in dangerous situations.

 

Q: How would you describe the dynamic between Harper and Grayson?

 

A: Harper is someone with a lot of secrets (aka killing terrible men) and Grayson is someone who dedicates himself to exposing secrets. They both are working towards what they believe is the common good, but their goals constantly bump up against each other.

 

Grayson’s truth-seeking is one of the things Harper admires the most about him, but she also knows it’s the reason they can’t be together. This relationship dynamic makes for a lot of interpersonal conflict, angst, and a healthy dose of yearning between the two of them.

 

Q: Did you know how the novel would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?

 

A: I had an idea of how I wanted the book to end when I first started writing it, but when I got to that ending, I realized that the book wasn’t over yet.

 

It dawned on me that if I was making the patriarchy and misogyny villains in my story, I needed to write an epic scene where Harper gets to symbolically take down the patriarchy—and that scene made for a bloody good time!

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the novel?

 

A: A sense of hope and empowerment in a world where terrible people seem like they’re always winning. Obviously, this book is fantasy and I do not condone violence in any way, but I hope it will inspire people to speak up and use their voices against the bad things and people of this world.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I have a few projects underway, including a couple of adult thrillers. I am also crossing all my fingers and toes that I will get to write a companion novel (or more) to The Killing Rules. I have some really fun ideas.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: When The Killing Rules publishes, it will have been 10 years since my last traditionally published book came out. TKR has been in the making for almost nine of those years!

 

This novel is the “book of my heart” and it’s also my “comeback” to the publishing world. I am so grateful to people like you who are lending the book their platform and support. Thank you so much!!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

Aug. 7

 

 

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
Aug. 7, 1928: Betsy Byars born.

Q&A with Anna Johnston

  

 

 

Anna Johnston is the author of the new novel When Lemons Give You Life. She also has written the novel The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife. She lives in Melbourne, Australia. 

 

Q: How much did your own experiences working in residential care homes inspire you to write When Lemons Give You Life?

 

A: Working in aged care gave me a front-row seat to both the challenges and the extraordinary humanity that exist within those communities. I met remarkable residents, families and caregivers whose resilience, humor, and capacity for love stayed with me long after I left work each day.

 

While When Lemons Give You Life is entirely fictional, its emotional heart is deeply rooted in those experiences.

 

One of the most confronting things I witnessed was how easily residents—particularly those living with dementia, including my grandfather—could become invisible. They were often spoken about rather than spoken to, defined by what they had lost instead of everything they still were.

 

Every resident I met had a lifetime of stories, relationships, triumphs and regrets, and I wanted to write a novel that challenged readers to look beyond the diagnosis and see the person behind it.

 

I also witnessed just how profoundly something as simple as food could shape a person’s quality of life.

 

Like music, a thoughtfully prepared meal could spark conversation, awaken memories and bring people together, while poor-quality, joyless food could deepen withdrawal and rob people of one of the few pleasures they still had. That contrast stayed with me and became one of the novel’s central inspirations.

 

Though one staff member was inspired by someone I worked with, the nursing home in the book is intentionally the most negligent imaginable—an exaggerated fictional outlier.

 

It doesn’t reflect the countless real homes where attentive, devoted and hardworking staff provide compassionate, dignified care every day. I want to honor their work while exploring what can happen when a system fails the people inside it.

 

Q: How would you describe the dynamic between your character Griff and his sister, Lisa?

 

A: Griff and Lisa are connected by love but divided by perspective. They experienced the same childhood through completely different lenses, and long-held family secrets and misunderstandings have shaped the way they see one another.

 

Much of the novel explores how easily the people we love most can misinterpret our actions when we don’t know the whole story.

 

On paper they are opposites––Griff is ordered, rough, and closed off, while Lisa is chaotic, emotional, and empathetic. In the present day, Griff is largely unable to communicate, so their relationship unfolds less through conversation than through memory, gesture and the gradual uncovering of the past.

 

As readers move between the present and the flashbacks, they begin to understand that beneath years of hurt and misunderstanding, Griff and Lisa have always desperately wanted the same thing: to be seen, understood and loved by each other.

 

Q: Can you say more about why you decided to have food be a major part of the novel?

 

A: I’m a passionate home cook, food, for me, is among life’s purest joys and one of our oldest languages. When my children were born, I taught myself to make elaborate themed cakes for their birthdays and even went on to make a three-tiered cake covered in handmade sugar flowers for my brother-in-law’s wedding.

 

I was often told I should turn my cake making into a business, but for me, baking was always about personal connection and love and the joy on someone’s face when they saw my creation. Food tells people they matter.

 

Q: You’ve spoken about how you developed a cooking program for widowed older men, and the impact it had on them—can you tell us more about that?

 

A: Flavors unlocked memories—childhood kitchens, family tables, holiday feasts. Many went from barely eating, or relying on Meals on Wheels, to proudly hosting the family Sunday roast dinner.

 

This remains one of the most joyful measures of success I have ever witnessed. My years working in nursing homes echoed the same quiet truth: thoughtfully prepared meals could gather people together across grief, illness, and time, and return a vital sense of self.

 

Sadly, the quality of food in many aged care homes falls heartbreakingly short of the ideal, with alarmingly low daily food budget in some facilities, resulting in high rates of malnutrition and meals that are often poor quality and monotonous, deepening withdrawal, dulling appetite, and stripping daily routines of pleasure and agency.

 

In nursing homes, where so much is controlled and pared back, good food can be transformative—and in this story, it becomes a way back into the world.

 

It’s not only essential for physical and mental health —it’s a universal vessel of care, and I wanted to celebrate its emotional and sensory power while inviting readers to imagine what dignity really tastes like.

 

Writing a book about food also provided some wonderful opportunities, like taste testing as many lemon tarts as possible (all in the name of research of course)!

 

Q: The author Matt Cain called the novel a “gorgeous, moving, life-affirming tale of second chances, redemption and the power of love in its many forms.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I was incredibly touched by Matt’s words. He’s an author whose books I really admire, who does great work in queer and neurodivergent spaces, so receiving such generous praise meant a great deal.

 

What I love most about his description is that it captures the heart of what I hoped to achieve. At its core, the novel is about believing that it’s never too late to change, to forgive, to love, or to find happiness in unexpected places. If readers come away feeling hopeful, then I’ve done what I set out to do.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m currently working on my third novel, The Last Milkman, which is set on a dairy farm.

 

At its core, it’s about the importance of slowing down and returning to a more human pace in a world that’s becoming increasingly fast, digital, and instant. It’s exploring themes of community, purpose, and connection, and asking what we lose when we forget to make time for one another.

 

I’m having a wonderful time getting to know this new cast of characters, and I can’t wait to share them with readers.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Anna Johnston. 

Q&A with Virginia Shaffer

  

 

 

Virginia Shaffer is the author of the new book Oyster Society: Adventures with the Shellfishly Motivated. She is the founder of Lady Oyster Tours & Tastings, and she lives in Bath, Maine. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write Oyster Society?

 

A: Oyster Society began as a very simple food curiosity! I had such an insatiable hankering for oysters, I’d refer to myself as a “raw bar fly” at Boston seafood restaurants.

 

But what sparked the journey was a cold call to an oyster farmer on a whim. I wanted to more deeply understand aquaculture practices as a consumer. That freezing January day in knee-high saltwater launched an oyster odyssey that would change my life forever. 

 

Q: What would you say are some of the most common perceptions and misconceptions about oysters?

 

A: “Is the “R” rule true?” This is my favorite question at the table in my current work as an oyster sommelier. This rule suggests that oysters should only be eaten in months with an “R.” It is often assumed that oysters in warmer months can be dangerous for human consumption.

 

This best-kept rumor was invented in 1566, in Colchester, England. It was an era without refrigeration, water quality testing, and modern aquaculture practices. It was also a time when oysters were harvested from wild reefs, and needed summer’s spawning months to repopulate oysters for the next harvest year. 

 

Today, there’s so much water quality testing where we have oyster aquaculture. We can also keep bacteria from being a concern for humans with proper temperature control measures after harvest (in refrigerators).

 

My advice? Eat from a trusted restaurant, and if you’d like to recreationally harvest, check your local water closures and regulations first!

 

Q: How did you research the book, and what did you learn that especially surprised you?

 

A: There are a great number of oyster books, historians, marine science research papers, and environmental nonprofits who helped me source great research to support the stories I was writing.

 

But much of who I interviewed was through word of mouth and my own personal journey. “Have you chatted with the Reids on Vancouver Island?” or “Let me call Jack and tell him to come to the bar. You need to meet him.” 

 

There are so many prominent people doing incredible work in oysters. This book only captures a small handful! But it was true to my story, who I was meeting, and the people who I thought captured a very special lens on the industry.

 

I was so surprised by the complexity of this food system, which was layered with eccentric characters, vivid backdrops, and strong values.

 

Some of the most intimate conversations around restoring Black maritime history, rebuilding indigenous food sources, and trusting wild fisheries to support climate initiatives, really gave me pause and reflection. Before the book, I had never investigated a specific food so deeply through the perspective of human identity, culture, and history.

 

Q: What impact did it have on you to write the book, and what do you hope readers take away from it?

 

A: If you’ve ever found yourself in a bizarre position, where everything you’ve ever worked for is at stake and you’re about to annihilate a 15-year career, that’s where you’ll find me towards the end of Oyster Society!

 

It was hugely impactful on my life. About halfway through writing the book, I couldn’t omit how the people in oysters were changing every part of me. I want readers to see my unraveling and vulnerability as a way for them to confront and process their own fears of change, whatever that may be.

 

This book carries stories of entrepreneurs who turned life upside-down for a bivalve, and survived to tell the tale. I hope that if they find themselves where I once was, that this book gives them more courage to take the plunge.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: After completing the book, I launched a business! Today, I am building Maine’s first team of oyster sommeliers, who are storytelling and imparting taste appreciation to Mainers and visitors alike.

 

It’s a way in which I can continue what Oyster Society started: a deep appreciation for our human ecology in relation to oysters, a new noble purpose in life, and celebrating a food that’s an unsung hero for ocean health.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

Q&A with Alec Litowitz

  

 

 

Alec Litowitz is the author of the new book The Adaptability Quotient: Rewiring Your Mind for Success in the Next Human Era. He is the founder of QStar Capital. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Adaptability Quotient?

 

A: I never set out to write a book. I spent more than 30 years building investment firms, beginning as one of the original partners at Citadel and later founding Magnetar Capital, where success depended on making decisions when the future could not be modeled with certainty.

 

When I stepped away in 2022 and AI began reshaping how we think and work, I realized the same adaptive principles that had guided my career were suddenly becoming essential for everyone.

 

The Adaptability Quotient is my attempt to make that way of thinking explicit—a practical framework for navigating a world where change is accelerating faster than certainty.

 

Q: What role do you see adaptability playing in decision-making?

 

A: Life isn't a series of known probabilities; it's a series of changing realities. Too many people approach uncertainty as if it were simply risk, trying to optimize when the real challenge is learning, updating, and adapting as new information emerges.

 

AQ is the discipline of making decisions right over time rather than trying to make the perfect decision once. It's not about avoiding mistakes—it's about updating faster than the world changes around you.

 

Q: How do you see AI affecting human adaptability and decision-making?

 

A: AI is the first technology that doesn't simply process information—it participates in meaning-making. That's why I believe we're entering a Second Cognitive Revolution, where the greatest changes will occur not only in what we produce but in how we think.

 

Used well, AI dramatically expands our capability by widening the set of possibilities we can explore. The danger is allowing it to replace judgment rather than augment it. My rule is simple: use AI to widen the option set, but never outsource the verdict.

 

Q: What impact did writing this book have on you, and what do you hope readers take away from it?

 

A: Writing the book changed how I understood my own career. I thought I had spent 30 years building investment firms, but looking back I realized I had really spent 30 years studying adaptation under uncertainty.

 

My hope is that readers come away with a practical operating system for thinking: understanding their own biases, exploring multiple explanations before committing to one, and learning how to experiment their way through uncertainty.

 

The book isn't a collection of answers; it's a method for asking better questions and making better decisions in a rapidly changing world.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: Everything I'm working on is an extension of the same mission: helping people become more adaptable. The book is one piece; my Early Adapters newsletter is another, where I explore these ideas in real time with a growing community.

 

My wife, Jennifer, and I also founded the Litowitz Center for Enlightened Disagreement at Northwestern University because we believe one of society's greatest needs is teaching people not simply what to think, but how to think together despite disagreement.

 

We're also developing an AQ assessment to help individuals and organizations measure adaptability, while continuing to invest through QStar Capital in technologies—including AI, energy, aerospace, advanced manufacturing, and biotechnology—that we believe will shape the future of human capability.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Despite writing about uncertainty, I'm fundamentally optimistic. Every major technological revolution has expanded human capability, and AI will be no different. The question is whether we develop our own minds as quickly as we develop our machines.

 

Every technological revolution creates three groups: resistors, who try to stop change; adopters, who use new tools to do old things faster; and adapters, who rethink the game itself. History ultimately belongs to the adapters, and my hope is that The Adaptability Quotient helps more people become one of them.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb