We’re getting closer to Christmas day and day 1 of our list. Today, our blog post is by Roberta Kagan. I’ll let Roberta tell you a little about herself before getting into her post.
When I was a child my mother kept a black suitcase in our basement. She forbade me to look inside. Of course as we all know the way to spark a child’s curiosity is to tell them they are forbidden to do or see a particular thing. One afternoon when my mother was out, I raced down stairs. Nobody was around so I opened the suitcase. Inside I found pictures and letters in a foreign language. Later that night I asked my mother what all of it meant. She told me that she was trying to protect me by keeping the suitcase out of my reach, but since I’d found it I might as well know that she and my father both lost their entire extended families in the Holocaust. So began my obsession with the Nazi occupation of Eastern Europe. Being that my father was Romany and my mother was Jewish, I had many aspects to research and much to learn. Finally, many years later…I wrote my first novel. It is set in this period. It comes to you, along with all of my work, from my heart, with love and hopes that someday there will be understanding and tolerance among all peoples. I thank you so much for your interest in my writing.
Love, Blessings, Good Fortune, and as the Gypsies say Good Road to all of you,
Roberta Kagan
**********************************************
Happy Holidays Everyone! I am so excited and honored to be a part of the Twelve Blogs of Christmas. I want to take a moment to thank Martin Crosbie for hosting this event and for inviting me to participate. It is just like Martin to create a program that will benefit both authors and readers. He is a kind and generous man who has always made himself available as a source of guidance to the indie author community. What a great person, he is, and an amazing author as well! And as for my fellow writers on this blog, R.J Cryaton, Jamie Lee Scott, Jennifer Ellis, Helga Zeiner, Laurie Boris, M.L. Gardner, Sarah Lane, Dianne Greenlay, and Wendy McClelland… it is truly a privilege to work with you.
Bubby’s Christmas Story
“Come, I’m going to tell you a story. A Christmas story.” My grandmother said as she sat in the thick upholstered chair on the side of the picture window in the living room. I tried to rush by. I was far too excited to sit and listen to anything. It was Christmas day and my aunt had just given me a gift. A gift I’d been hoping and praying for, a very special doll, and I wanted to play with it.
“You don’t want to hear a story? You’d rather go and play with your present?”
“Yes, Bubby.” Although Bubby is a Jewish term for grandmother, I called both of my grandmothers Bubby. My Romany Grandmother didn’t mind. In fact, I think she liked it. “I finally got the Shirley Temple doll that I wanted. I’ve been hoping for this for so long and I want to play with her. She came with three outfit changes too!”
My Bubby nodded. “I see. Well, it is your choice, but I think you’ll like my little tale, it’s a good story. It’s a story about a present that I got long ago. A present from God himself. “
I looked at her a little confused, a present from God? It was true that Bubby did always tell great stories. And usually I loved to sit and listen. I looked into her eyes, considering her offer.
“So… Come sit on my lap, bring your doll and she can listen too.”