Rebekah’s Treasure by Sylvia Bambola Review & Interview

Rebekah's Treasure

FIRST PLACE WINNER FOR ADULT FICTION IN THE FLORIDA STATE ASSOCIATION NATIONAL LEAGUE OF AMERICAN PEN WOMEN Forced to flee war-torn Jerusalem in 70 A.D., Rebekah and her husband, Ethan, each take something of value: Rebekah, the cup of the Last Supper; Ethan, a copper scroll detailing the whereabouts of a vast Temple treasure. Ahead, separation and danger face them as each tries to survive. But it's not only external forces that could keep them apart forever but internal ones as they struggle to discover where their true treasure lies. Buy This Book   Amazon.com   Barnes and Noble   Books-A-Million Find Local Bookstore: Christian Store Digger Google Related Links   Rebekah's Treasure Chapter 1 Excerpt

:Sylvia's Bio

Sylvia Bambola was born in Romania in 1945 and was adopted from a German orphanage five years later by an American Army Colonel. When she was seven she saw the Statue of Liberty for the first time as well as the shores of her new country. As an army brat, she called eight different states home, an experience that gave birth to a deep passion for her new homeland. The vastness yet friendliness of America, as well as its diversity yet parallelism still continue to amaze her. She met and married her husband, Vincent, when she was attending nursing school in New York. Raising two children occupied most of her time, but in between she worked in marketing for several companies, was the president of a local chapter of Women's Aglow, hosted and taught bible studies, spoke at various women's groups and wrote on the side. Once her children graduated college, she quit her job and began writing full time. Her first novel, A Vessel of Honor, which she wrote under the pen name of Margaret Miller, won a 1998 Small Press Editor's Choice Award. Her second novel, Refiner's Fire, won a 2001 Silver Angel Award and was a 2001 Christy Award finalist. Sylvia currently lives in Florida, is enjoying her grandchildren and working on her seventh novel.

Interview:

Question: Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Answer: I love all aspects of writing. But once I’m really engaged, it’s very difficulty for me to disengage. Rather it’s like pulling teeth to get me to stop and do laundry or go food shopping or cook dinner, all of which I do, of course, but while I’m doing it my mind is constantly full of my characters, the plot, the hook, the next scene. Because of this I’ve learned to carry around either a small pad of paper or a small tape recorder.

But having said that, there is one aspect of the writing life I truly dislike and that is marketing. Authors must do the bulk of their own book promotion. That’s the new reality, or perhaps it’s not that new. Anyway, marketing is business, important business to be sure, but writers by definition are creative and want to create not conduct business, but authors need to learn how to do both.

Question: Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

Answer: One of my favorite authors is Jan Karon. Her Mitford series is delightful. Her work is both entertaining and inspirational but what I like best are her characters. She knows people and what motivates them. And because of this her characters are believable and relatable.

Question: Do you have to travel much concerning your books?

Answer:  If you mean for research purposes, then the answer is, “No.” But I always do a ton of research. In my last novel, Rebekah’s Treasure, it took almost as much time to research it as it did to write it. But now that we have a wealth of information at our disposal, not only through books but the internet, research has never been easier.

Question: What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Answer: As a Bible study teacher I was very interested in learning about the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. Jerusalem and all the events leading up to it and after. And this prompted me to write Rebekah’s Treasure. But at the same time this knowledge proved truly heartbreaking as I learned of these sad times and the destruction of this glorious Temple as well as the destruction of a nation so favored by God. And it was even more difficult to write about it.

Question: What would you like my readers to know?

Answer: I’d like them to know how important they are to a writer, and how much authors appreciate it when readers take time to read one of their books. And if a reader should write a comment or review, it is read and seriously considered by the author.

My Review:

I loved this book. I loved it because it is about a time in history that there are no survivors to ask what really happened. The author's take on the past is a possibility. To think that the cup Jesus drank from was being held by a person and not hidden away really made me think. Especially the cup from The Last Supper. There was so much historical accuracy to this book that I felt like I was drawn into the past. This was not a good time for the followers of Jesus, and I was reminded of his sacrifice's for us. He was not the only one that made sacrifices, and it was nice to read about them. I also really liked the parts about the Copper Scroll. I liked the ending and would love to read more books by this author. I am giving this book a 5/5. I was given a copy to review via Book Review Buzz and the author, however all opinions are my own.