Blog Tour: The Art of Being Rebekkah by Karoline Barrett (spotlight, interview, excerpt)

The Art of Being Rebekkah
written by Karoline Barrett
published by E-Lit Books

find it here: (affiliate links) Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Book Depository, Goodreads

About the book: When Rebekkah Gelles suspects her husband, Avram of not only lying to her, but also contriving not to have the children she so desperately wants and embezzling money from his business, she wants out of their marriage.

Her life gets complicated when she falls in love with detective Nick Rossi. Convinced Nick’s wrong for her—he’s not Jewish for one thing—she walks away after they share a night of passion. Nick warns her even though he loves her, he won’t beg. Their budding relationship seems to have ended.

When Rebekkah finds herself staring at a positive pregnancy test, she wavers between joy and sadness. Motherhood wasn’t supposed to happen this way.

Rebekkah had just finished a turkey sandwich and the last brownie Pamela had sent her home with when the doorbell rang. She opened it to find a well-dressed woman standing there. “Yes?”

“Good afternoon. I’m Cindy Gates-Barber. Is Mr. Gelles at home?”

“No, he’s not. Was he expecting you?” Rebekkah asked.

“He said he would be here.” The woman scowled as if Avram not being at home had put a severe damper on her day. “He wanted me to bring his wife—”

“Here’s his car now,” interrupted Rebekkah, surprised at seeing Avram pull into an empty space across the street. What was he doing home so early?

“Oh good,” gushed the woman. She turned and watched Avram get out of the car, her hands folded primly in front of her, the toe of one shoe tapping against the cement in a staccato rhythm.

Seconds later, Avram joined the woman at the front door. “Ms. Barber. I’m glad I made it in time. Come in, come in.”

His eyes briefly met Rebekkah’s as she stepped aside to let Avram and his visitor in. He brushed a kiss on Rebekkah’s forehead.

“Who is this? ”Rebekkah managed to whisper in his ear.

“Sweetheart, this is Cindy Gates-Barber. Ms. Barber, this is—”

“This must be your lovely daughter,” Ms. Barber effused.

A laugh escaped Rebekkah as Avram scowled. It was probably her low cut jeans and her Hard Rock Café t-shirt that made the woman think she was Avram’s daughter. As amused as she was, Rebekkah tried to stifle her laugh for Avram’s sake.

“She’s my wife,” Avram ground out.

The woman clutched at her chest as her face turned a bright shade of red. “I’m so sorry…I didn’t realize…I thought…I’m sorry…”

Avram was still glaring at the poor woman, so Rebekkah decided to put her out of her misery. She held out her hand. “It’s okay. Rebekkah Gelles.”

“Mrs. Gelles. So nice to meet you.” Her head swiveled between Rebekkah and Avram, her face still a warm pink. Her free hand fussed at the buttons of her blouse. She made Rebekkah think of a fish flopping around on dry land.

“Why don’t we sit down in the living room,” Avram suggested, ignoring Rebekkah’s questioning look.

As soon as they were settled, Ms. Barber, once again all business, pulled out a glossy brochure. “As I told you when you came by my office, Mr. Gelles, this condominium won’t last long. The owners have dropped the price to three million seven hundred and fifty thousand.

Rebekkah couldn’t believe her ears. She couldn’t sit silent another second. “Wait a minute. You’re a real estate agent?”

“Well, yes. Mr. Gelles told me you were thinking of moving to Manhattan and asked me to come by with a brochure of my best listings for you. This one will be perfect for growing family. It has three bedrooms and—”

“I’m sorry Ms. Barber, but I—”

The woman held up a hand to stop Rebekkah from speaking. “Please, call me Cindy. We’re going to be working together on finding the perfect home for you, and I think this is it right here in my hand,” she waved the brochure under Rebekkah’s nose, “no need to be formal.”

Rebekkah smiled sweetly. “I need to speak to my husband in private, Cindy. Would you excuse us for a few minutes? Would you like some water or ginger ale?”

“No, thank you. I’m fine. Please, take all the time you need. I’m not going anywhere. Here, take at the brochure. Once you look at it, you will love it,” replied Cindy flinging an arm across the back of the couch and crossing her legs.

Rebekkah took it out of Cindy’s hand and got up. “Avram?”

Reluctantly, he stood. “Excuse us, please.”

Rebekkah took his hand and dragged him across the hall, through the kitchen, and into the dining room, leaving Ms. Barber out of earshot.

“Why is a real estate agent sitting in our living room?” Rebekkah hissed.

Avram hung his head for a second then placed his hands on either side of Rebekkah’s face. “Sweetheart, I thought we would move to a bigger place, that’s all. It’s a better neighborhood, the best schools, and business-wise, a better address. You know, better for my image.”Please tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book. It illustrates the female journey, is character driven, emotional, suspenseful, and easily digestible.

Where did you get your inspiration for The Art of Being Rebekkah? I wanted to write something that the market wasn’t already saturated with (like vampires); there isn’t a lot of Jewish women’s fiction out there.

I see on your website that you love the beach. I do, too. If you could live on any beach anywhere, where would you choose?  New Jersey (don’t laugh!)

Any other books in the works? Goals for future projects?  Right now I am working on a cozy mystery set in upstate New York, featuring Molly Tyler, owner of Batter Up Bakery. I hope to make it into a series. I have a couple of romances that I’d like to finish also.

You said that you wish you could write deep literary fiction. Why? And if you could, what would you write about? Because, it’s so different from how, and what, I write. It’s always good to leave your comfort zone and stretch your imagination. I would probably write about family, or relationships between different people. I once read an excellent piece of literary fiction about a woman and the doorman in her apartment building. 

What is your favorite genre to read?  Women’s fiction

Who is your favorite author?  I have lots of favorites…But, if I have to pick just one, I’ll go with Ann B. Ross, the author of the very funny Miss Julia series.

In your opinion, what is one book that everyone should read? Rebecca, by Daphne DuMaurier.

Tell us three things about yourself that cannot be found on the internet…at least not found easily.

i. I am deathly afraid of the Tappan Zee bridge (those in the New York City area will understand).

ii. I can eat a package of cheddar Goldfish crackers in a single sitting.

         iii. I used to speak and write Portuguese fluently.

 

About the author: She was born in upstate New York and has lived in South America, Indiana, Florida, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. At the moment, she lives in a small Connecticut town with her husband.  When she’s not writing, she loves reading, spending time by the water, traveling, and doing anything that has nothing to do with math.

She’s currently working on her second novel, a cozy mystery set in upstate N.Y.

Find Ms. Barret here: web, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads