24 February 2017

Published February 22, 2017 by rochellewisoff

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PHOTO PROMPT © Sarah Potter

PHOTO PROMPT © Sarah Potter

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Genre: Historical Fiction

A tweaked excerpt from my first novel PLEASE SAY KADDISH FOR ME. 

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Word Count: 100

CHARNEL HOUSE

            Havah gazed out the window.  Snowflakes like milk-white dove wings glimmered past the streetlamp and floated to the sidewalk.

            “Have you ever seen anything more beautiful, Arel?”

           “We had snow in the old country. It’s all the same.”

            She grasped Arel’s hand and held it to her belly. Their unborn child kicked against his palm with such force Havah flinched. Brushing her lips across her husband’s disfigured cheek she fought the stone forming in her throat. One by one, faces of those who had perished before her eyes drifted through her memory.

           “No, Arel, nothing will ever be the same.”

***

*Reviews do help sell books. If you’ve read any of the three, would you do this author a favor and leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads or both? Thank you. 

 

street-light-in-kc-1903

Original Artwork © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

Look who I visited with at the Ozarks Writers League Conference.

rr-at-owl

Russell Gayer and the Purple Obsessed Princess

110 comments on “24 February 2017”

    • Dear Neil,

      Charnel House refers to the images, housed in her mind, that will never leave…so in this way it refers to both past and present.
      I’m glad you liked the story and the snowflakes. 🙂

      Thank you for your faithfulness to comment.

      Shalom,

      Rochelle

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓

    • Dear Corina,

      I agree. Which is why I tell these stories. As the last of the Holocaust survivors are aging and passing, we are in danger of repeating history. We’ve all but forgotten the history I tell in my books…some 40 years before Hitler. The dark side of Fiddler on the Roof I call them.
      I’ll cease from expounding now and say thank you.

      Shalom,

      Rochelle

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓

  • Very powerful write, heart breaking story. Don’t know that I can top that one this week on the tear-jerker scale. 🙂 ❤ Very busy day today for me, so I might not get back to write until morning.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  • I’m right with Havah, experience tends to reshape things in ways that make them nearly unrecognizable. Sometimes, we are lucky enough to see the beauty in the change.

    Thank you for the glimpse into your novel and for the prompt, too, Rochelle.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

    • Dear Magaly,

      I’m so pleased you decided to join us this week. 😀

      Havah is a young woman, who by this stage, has seen more by her 20th birthday than most see in a long lifetime. (Of course you’ll have to read the book to know more 😉 )

      Thank you for such a nice comment.

      Shalom,

      Rochelle

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓

  • Dear Rochelle,

    Oh yes, I remember where this comes in your book 🙂

    The title you’ve chosen for this excerpt is spot on and has real impact. I see the ash that falls like grey snow, contrasting with the purity of the white snow Havah is celebrating in the new country. I see the promise of new life, contrasting with her memories of death and mayhem. But what comes over the most, is that Havah can still see beauty in things and is determined to persuade those around her to see it too. She is like a candle that shines in the dark.

    Well, you know I love your books, all three of them, and I’m sure that Havah will stay with me forever, as a fictional character who seems so very real.

    All best wishes,
    Sarah

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply ↓

    • Dear Sarah,

      I almost changed the title of Please Say Kaddish for Me to A Candle in the Darkness, but it seemed too cliché. 😉

      Thank you for such a lovely comment. Glad you liked my choice of title for this snippet, too. And, of course, I can’t thank you enough for your stunning reviews of all three of the books. My agent shared the last one on her website.

      Of course, Havah is very real to me. But nothing compares to a reader feeling the same.

      Shalom,

      Rochelle

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓

    • Dear Michael,

      I fear that as long as there are those who feel superior to others there will be evil. Sadly this snippet takes place some 40 years before the Nazi Holocaust. Some call it the dress rehearsal.

      Thank you for such an affirming comment.

      Shalom,

      Rochelle

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓

  • Dear Nurse Diesel,

    A blanket of snow covers many imperfections. Change is inevitable, as Havah pointed out.

    Now, for the good news. I performed a colonoscopy on that passage and found none. Drink the milk of two coconuts with a tablespoon of honey. That should hold you over until your next check-up.

    Blessings,
    Father Kowalski

    P.S. – nice photo of the distinguished author from Arkansas.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

    • Dear Liz,

      I can’t divulge that information as it would be a spoiler. 😉 It’s nice to know that you did read it. (would you mind leaving a review?) I hope you’ll move onto the sequels. At any rate, thank you on all counts.

      Shalom,

      Rochelle

      Like

      Reply ↓

    • Dear Subroto,

      Naturally, I hope that you’ll read the books and find out for yourself. I will say that this scene is the beginning of a better future for Havah and Arel. More than that I will not add. 😉
      I’m glad you took the time to Google the title. Thank you.

      Shalom,

      Rochelle

      Like

      Reply ↓

  • I like your take Rochelle. Futuristic, perhaps after a dystopian society has collapsed and this couple is trying to make the best if after a war. Their child is their hope for a better future.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

    • Dear Plaridel,

      Survivor’s guilt is a very real thing and hard to overcome. As the reader will find in book two the baby comes with some interesting challenges of its own. 😉

      Next to me, just about everyone over the age of ten is tall. Although Russell isn’t what I’d call short. Big guy.

      Thank you.

      Shalom,

      Rochelle

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓

  • Querida Rochelle,
    I, now, have a stone forming in my throat. Ooopppsss … ©rochellewisoff
    I think I am going to need a box of tissues as I navigate the pages of your book.
    I could feel the baby kickand Havah flinch. BRAVO …. ❤️
    You look adorable in the photograph with RG. Your wings are flapping purple rainbows.
    Mucha salud, risa y amor …
    Isadora 😎

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

    • Querida Isadora,

      I don’t think this will be too much of a spoiler. It is quite possible you’ll need the tissue. The author did. 😉

      Glad you like the photo. Mr. Gayer is as much fun in person as he is in print.

      Muchas gracias.

      Paz y Abrazos,

      Rochelle

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓

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