I am happy to announce that my short story, "Frau Professor," was published as a Kindle e-book single at the beginning of September, and is available on Amazon.
I have been asked if there is a connection between this short story and my novel ESCAPING THE WHALE.
In the novel, the protagonist is a 28-year old New York Jewish woman who is the daughter of Holocaust survivors. All too aware of her family's suffering, she suffers from inherited trauma and this prevents her from leading a "normal," happy life.
In "Frau Professor," on the other hand, the protagonist is a Christian college freshman somewhere in the Midwest. She hails from a sheltered, small-town background and has never had any personal contact with anyone who lived through the Holocaust. One of her professors, a German woman teaching medieval literature, bears a number tattoo on her arm and everyone is aware of the fact that she had been in a concentration camp. This student is captivated by the tattoo and then becomes obsessed with the professor's history. Her imagination regarding the professor's experiences release emotions this girl has never encountered before.
So, yes, there is a connection. Although the protagonists and their backgrounds and points of view differ, both works examine someone from the post-Holocaust generation. It is a fascinating subject to me -- how do different people from different cultures react to the Holocaust? I believe it is important that all types of people be aware of the facts, and then it will become easier to acknowledge the emotional reactions these facts provoke.
I welcome your thoughts on this subject. Contact me!
Visit www.RuthsWhale.com to download and read the first chapter now.