I’m honored to be Sarah Potter’s guest storyteller this month. My story is more than 100 words and one of my favorites. 😉
Kansas City native Rochelle Wisoff-Fields is a woman of Jewish descent and the granddaughter of Eastern European immigrants. She has a close personal connection to Jewish history, which has been a recurring theme throughout much of her writing. Growing up, she was heavily influenced by the Sholom Aleichem stories, the basis for Fiddler on the Roof. Her novels Please Say Kaddish for Me, From Silt and Ashes and As One Must, One Can were born of her desire to share the darker side of these beloved tales—the history that can be difficult to view, much less embrace.
She is also the author and illustrator of This, That and Sometimes the Other, an eclectic anthology of short stories.
Before becoming an author, Rochelle attended the Kansas City Art Institute, where she studied painting and lithography. Her preferred media are pen and ink, pencil, and watercolor. Her artwork is featured…
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Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple 
So glad to find you as Sarah’s guest writer! And what a beautiful story you chose to share. I was so into it I wanted his memories to go on and on and…. well, you get the picture!
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Dear Dale,
I wrote that story some time ago for a flash fiction contest that had a 500 word limit. It didn’t win…sigh. I also submitted it to a local literary magazine. They didn’t accept it. What’s a girl to do? When Sarah extended her invitation I jumped on the chance to share one of my favorites. I’m glad you enjoyed it. When someone asks me which is the dream and which is reality, my answer is always, “Yes.” Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I love that answer!
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I could not think of a better Storyteller for Sarah to feature. More than 100 Words, oh dear, well, I guess as long as it’s not FriFic that’s okay.
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Dear Ted,
When necessary, I can jump out of that 100 word box. 😉 Thank you for stopping by. Tell Ethel and Cheryl hello for me.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Rochelle. Years ago when we met the first time at an OWL meeting, I knew you were someone special. Since then, you have achieved so many good things, you do noting but prove me right. You are someone special. Jeanie
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Dear Jeanie,
As you know, I will never forget that first meeting. It was a huge turning point in my life and career as an author. When Nancy invited me to OWL I was convinced that a bunch of cowboy writers wouldn’t care about what I was writing. I’ve never been more wrong about anything than I was about Ozarks Writers League. With one meeting and your warm welcome, it became my safe haven, my learning place, and, eventually, my jumping off point.
Thank you so much for stopping by, reading and commenting. It means a great deal to me.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle
It’s an absolute pleasure having you guesting at my blog. It’s been very busy over there, with many of devoted fans of your visiting and saying such lovely things about you and your writing that your ears must have been burning! Even your agent, Jeanie, stopped by, and of course she was full of praise for you, too. All well deserved.
Great days. I can’t wait for your next book.
All best wishes,
Sarah
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Dear Sarah,
I dropped by your page briefly an saw Jeanie’s comment and my head swelled to twice its normal size. I’d sent her the link to your page and she posted it on both of her FB pages. She’s such an encouragement. Hope to get the edited book back to my publisher soon.
Thank you again.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle
It must be wonderful having an agent who believes in you 100%. We all need encouragement. I’ve been told by a few agents that they love my writing but that they don’t know where to place it, as it’s too quirky ! Maybe one day I’ll write something that fits into an identifiable slot. The indie publishing lark is certainly very tiring and I’m finding very little time for writing anything new as I experiment with marketing (and I mean “experiment”). This is why I’m very intermittent with posting anything for FF.
By the way, how long did it take you to write all three books in the series? It seems very little time at all since I read the first one, then the second, and now am waiting in great excitement for the third!
All best wishes
Sarah
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Dear Sarah,
I think it just takes diligence. From what I’ve read Gone with the Wind was turned down 39 times. I’m sure all of those publishers felt like Decca Records turning down the Beatles. 😉
I was turned down by one agent who told me that PSKFM was too much like Fiddler on the Roof and a story that “everybody already knew.”
I’ve been fortunate in finding Jeanie, there’s no doubt about that. And, at that, it took her three years to find a home for PSKFM. Although she never shared the rejection letters I know she received many. Actually, she did share one with me because she wanted to encourage me. The editor who rejected it, said that she could tell the author had done her homework and the history was spot on. However she (the editor) didn’t agree with Havah’s choice in Arel. She thought that Havah should’ve chosen Ulrich or Nikolai. That was why she turned it down. Really?
As far as how long it took…I ‘finished’ PSKFM many times in a ten year period. Meanwhile I started and ‘finished’ From Silt and Ashes. So when the contract came at last, the publisher picked up both books with an option of picking up the third.
Last year I started looking at As One Must One Can…again. I started it six years ago and then laid it aside when I went back to the other two books. At that point I had 60,000 words of it finished. When I came back to it, only about 20,000 of those words survived because the characters had gone through so many changes,…particularly Lev.
While I’m not self published, my publisher falls under the Indie category so much of the marketing is left to the author. There are advantages and disadvantages. I don’t know if one of the larger houses had picked me up if I would have the privilege of creating my own book covers.
One of the disadvantages has been the speed at which the books are released and lack of care in editing and formatting. That is something I’m pretty much responsible for as well. So this third one might not make it out until after the first of the year sometime. I’m being extremely picky.
I understand about FF and it’s the reason we had repeat stories all summer long.
All the best and Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle
You have really cheered me up at the end of a long, long, not in the least productive week for me on the publishing front. I think you’ve just shown me that perseverance is the key, but not the sort that involves banging one’s head against a brick wall.
I started writing my first novel 23 years ago. Have written 5 altogether, and indie published two of them. My children were both preteens when I started out. I’m now a grandmother of a teenager and a 6-year-old!
Like you, I’m exceedingly picky about editing and formatting, to the extent that I drive my husband nuts. He sometimes gets me to read through his work stuff, but then gets cross when I pick up proof errors.
Anyway, your lengthy comment has helped get my head into focus and make some decisions.
1) I want to get back to blogging more regularly and productively. I’ve missed having time for communicating with my fellow bloggers and reading their posts.
2) I’m going to abandon the idea of paying for advertising. Having researched it in depth over the last 3 weeks, I’ve decided that most paid advertising is set up to make money for the advertiser rather than the poor old indie author.
3) I have some fun ideas for promoting my audiobook when it comes out; hopefully, ideas that won’t annoy people but will entertain them. So I will concentrate on that.
4) I shall start submitting my 5th novel to publishers and agents again.
You’re a gem, Rochelle, and I’m so glad to have met you through FF. And did you know, you’ve starred all week on my blog, right at the top of the home page, as I haven’t got around to posting anything else. And everyone loves your story 🙂
All best wishes,
Sarah
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Good posts, beautiful blog.
Congratulations.
Welcome to see my creations:
http://paintdigi.wordpress.com
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Thank you, paintdigi,
I see we have something in common.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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yeeees . you’r welcome artist friend 🙂
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