{"id":29951,"date":"2023-10-09T13:27:17","date_gmt":"2023-10-09T17:27:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lilith.org\/?p=29951"},"modified":"2023-10-11T14:42:27","modified_gmt":"2023-10-11T18:42:27","slug":"nina-simon-on-mystery-murder-and-the-unusual-jewish-mother","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lilith.org\/2023\/10\/nina-simon-on-mystery-murder-and-the-unusual-jewish-mother\/","title":{"rendered":"Nina Simon on Mystery, Murder, and the Unusual Jewish Mother"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Unraveling the snarled connections between three generations of women forms the basis of Mother-Daughter Murder Night<\/em> (William Morrow, $30) and when Jack, the youngest of the three, discovers a dead body while kayaking, familial tensions rise and simmer. Debut novelist Nina Simon talks to Fiction Editor Yona Zeldis McDonough about how she came to write this sharp, taut tale that starts with a death but morphs into an unexpected celebration of life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
YZM:<\/strong> After having worked as a NASA engineer, slam poet, game designer, nonprofit CEO and inclusive arts activist, you turned to novel writing\u2014why, and why now? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
NS:<\/strong> I never expected to write a novel. Then, in fall of 2020, my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. I quit my nonprofit CEO job to support her through treatment. We were lucky to be together, but it was a scary, stressful time. We desperately needed a distraction\u2014something that wasn\u2019t<\/em> cancer\u2014to give us hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
My mom and I have always loved murder mysteries, and I\u2019ve always loved writing. So, I decided to try to write a story with someone like her\u2014a tough, smart California businesswoman\u2014as the hero. We brainstormed about the story and the characters in chemo clinics and hospital waiting rooms. I wrote, and she read, and we both got stronger through it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the project went on, I discovered it was more than just a source of shared comfort and healing. I found myself captivated by the challenges and puzzles involved in writing a great story, and I decided to embrace writing fiction in the next chapter of my career. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
YZM:<\/strong> Lana is not a typical Jewish mother; can you talk about how she goes against type? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
NS:<\/strong> When I think of the typical Jewish mother, I think of someone who demands others\u2019 attention while denying her own power. Lana certainly wants everyone\u2019s attention, but she\u2019d never present herself as weak. She\u2019s more aggressor than victim\u2014both by nature and as a survival strategy in the male-dominated world of real estate development. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I grew up around Jewish women a bit like Lana. My mom was a smart, tough LA businesswoman who pushed to be respected as a technology executive in the 90s. She worked long hours to provide for me and my sister. Many of her friends were also divorced career women giving everything to their families. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lana Rubicon has a selfishness my mom didn\u2019t exhibit. But I like to imagine a world where my mom and her friends wouldn\u2019t have had to be so selfless. I like to imagine the possibility of a Jewish mother who can be wholly herself, hold others to high standards, and love deeply at the same time. That\u2019s what I see in Lana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n