Photo: Courtesy of Lori Banov Kaufmann
Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your background.
I grew up in Charleston, South Carolina but moved up north to go to college and grad school. After graduation, my husband and I made Aliyah and I worked as a strategy consultant for high-tech companies. When I retired from consulting, I thought about writing. And then the story behind Rebel Daughter found me!
In a chance conversation, I learned about the discovery of a 2,000 year-old gravestone of a Jewish woman in Southern Italy. I was fascinated with the intriguing love story the inscription revealed and this momentous time in Jewish history when the Jews rebelled against Rome and the survival of the Jewish people was at stake.
I never expected to be debut fiction author at the age of 62 and certainly not for the book to become a 2021 National Jewish Book Award winner.
What inspired you to become an author?
It’s not a what – it’s a who. My grandmother Edna. I remember her pounding away on her manual typwriter on a folding card table in front of the window. She taught me to notice the natural world and find joy in describing it.
Where and when do you write? Do you have a writing routine?
Carving out time to write is my biggest challenge. I keep promising myself that I’ll be more disciplined but life gets in the way. Israel is an exciting place with too many distractions!
How long does it take you to finish a novel?
It took me ten years to write Rebel Daughter (and then another two for it to make its way through the publishing pipeline!). I felt an obligation to my real-life characters to tell their story as accurately as possible and worked closely with some of the world’s leading historians and archaeologists. But if I had known it would have taken so long, I’m not sure I would ever have started it!
Which authors can we find in your library?
I love reading works by Allegra Goodman, Etgar Keret, Dara Horn, Rachel Kadish and other contemporary Jewish authors.
What advice would you give an aspiring author?
Just keep going… and going and going. It’s not a sprint, it’s a gruelling marathon. But eventually, you’ll reach the finish line.
Where can our readers purchase your books?
Rebel Daughter is available everywhere books are sold.
On which Social Media channels can our readers connect with you?
I love to hear from readers and am happy to zoom in to synagogue or community book events or book clubs! Please contact me through my website.
Instagram @loribanovkaufmann
Facebook @loribanovkaufmann
Twitter @LoriKaufmann
Photos: Courtesy Lori Banov Kaufmann
