It’s September 22, 1928—Jack Pool’s 16th birthday—and he’s about to be accused of murder.
Today, North Shore’s freshman class had the opportunity to engage in a Skype session with Shirley Reva Vernick. Vernick, author of the summer reading novel, The Blood Lie, generously offered her time to discuss the book and her writing process with students. Additionally, Vernick fielded student questions and posed a few thought-provoking inquiries of her own.
Finding her way into a career in writing later in life, Vernick shared the real-life inspiration for her book about the 1920s blood libel in her home town of Massena, New York. Learning about this time in history from her father, Vernick first wrote a college paper on the topic; she later developed it into a full-length novel. Vernick described to the group her lengthy writing and editing process—including drafts in first person, varied first person, and finally third person point of view. She also revealed the real-life inspiration for the protagonist Jack Pool: her father.
Rounding out the session with a Q&A, students asked Vernick a variety of questions, from the role Judaism plays in her daily life to her plans for future novels. Vernick explained that she is currently working on three novels, one of which is due out this spring. She is also working on a sequel to The Blood Lie. Vernick challenged the students to think on their feet as the Skype session came to a close, asking whether they had ever experienced prejudice in their own lives and to what extent they thought the plot of the novel might have been different had current technology (cell phones, the internet, facebook) existed in the 1920s.
All in all the discussion was a success; conversing with and hearing from the author of one of their books was a real treat for the freshman class.
Thanks to Mrs. Zabinsky for the writeup!
Finding her way into a career in writing later in life, Vernick shared the real-life inspiration for her book about the 1920s blood libel in her home town of Massena, New York. Learning about this time in history from her father, Vernick first wrote a college paper on the topic; she later developed it into a full-length novel. Vernick described to the group her lengthy writing and editing process—including drafts in first person, varied first person, and finally third person point of view. She also revealed the real-life inspiration for the protagonist Jack Pool: her father.
Rounding out the session with a Q&A, students asked Vernick a variety of questions, from the role Judaism plays in her daily life to her plans for future novels. Vernick explained that she is currently working on three novels, one of which is due out this spring. She is also working on a sequel to The Blood Lie. Vernick challenged the students to think on their feet as the Skype session came to a close, asking whether they had ever experienced prejudice in their own lives and to what extent they thought the plot of the novel might have been different had current technology (cell phones, the internet, facebook) existed in the 1920s.
All in all the discussion was a success; conversing with and hearing from the author of one of their books was a real treat for the freshman class.
Thanks to Mrs. Zabinsky for the writeup!
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