The Night Sky Lined with Silver follows four friends in the 1940s Catskills who must brave a snowstorm and rally their community to find a beloved hero, all while celebrating the traditions of Hanukkah. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

The inspiration for the setup of my story is the miracle of Hanukkah, with eight days of light and only one day of oil, relating to the miracle of finding Uncle Morrie after he disappears in the terrible snowstorm. Following the struggle of searching for Uncle Morrie and his golden retriever, Honey, the four friends help prepare for Hanukkah. Making delicious latkes from my great-grandmother’s recipe is another ingredient of my inspiration when families and friends come together to celebrate the holiday. Frying the latkes (potato pancakes) in oil, we remember the Maccabees’ story and their lack of oil, and we connect to the traditions of past generations of our family.

To understand my influence on the setup of my story, I feel I should share the fascinating background of the Apple Tree Series. My son’s Bar Mitzvah teacher requested that I write a quality book for the Jewish High Holidays. I told her I was not the person to write this book. However, after an image of a twelve-year-old boy taking apples from an orchard came to me at one o’clock in the morning, I started writing a story for the holidays entitled Out of the Apple Orchard, based on the image I saw in my mind’s eye, set in the early 1900s. After my son’s request to create a series, the boy becomes Doc Bieman in Book 2, The Night Sky Lined with Silver. The Hanukkah story of the Maccabees deals with prejudice against Jews, and I included Bieman family members leaving Germany after Kristallnacht in 1938 and coming to America. I met a beautiful lady whose family had twenty-four hours to leave Frankfurt with only the clothes on their backs and one small suitcase. Her story moved me so much that I added elements of her real-life experiences to my historical fiction book.

How did you balance the suspense and intensity of Uncle Morrie’s disappearance with the warmth and festive spirit of Hanukkah for a children’s audience?​

Snowball fight! The children also build a snowman that looks like Uncle Morrie with his signature hat and a long carrot nose with the tip turning up. They play catch in the snow with a baseball glove and ball and make latkes. A white cloud sprays back into Abbie’s face when she adds flour to the potato mixture. “The snowstorm is back,” cried Martin, charging with a wooden spoon. “Stay away! . . .The children laughed together.”

Are there any themes or lessons from the book that you hope resonate most with young readers?

Looking for the light in the darkness also echoes the theme of Hanukkah, and searching for the good that comes out of a bad situation can help young readers get through hard times. It is not easy, but looking for blessings in disguise proves a critical tool when dealing with life’s challenges. Read the book to find the blessing in disguise and look for a similar incident in your own life. Soaking up the Hanukkah festivities, where families and friends come together, is even sweeter after the struggles. A further lesson found in this book is to show how Eliot acts with courage in spite of his fear. He overcomes his dread of taking chances when the winter storm hits, as he must find the lost Uncle Morrie. Eliot enlists the help of the Bieman Buddies, whose motto is never to leave anyone behind. His younger sister, Abby, becomes the heroine. She is spunky and brave, adorable and caring. “I have a feeling that Honey will bring me back to him. She is a retriever, after all.” . . . Abbie looked up at her brother with knowing eyes, “I’m a good finder.”

What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?

I have completed Book 3, but it needs a major rewrite. Writing historical fiction requires much research, especially when deciding which historical references to include. I shall work on the next draft of Book 3, set in Mountaindale, New York, in the Catskills, which takes place in the springtime in the early 1950s. Abby and Eliot will feature in this book, as will Doc Bieman. It will be available in a year.

Author Links: Facebook | Website | Apple Tree Series