Shirley Russak Wachtel

Shirley Russak Wachtel is the author of the short story collection Three For A Dollar, the book of poetry, In The Mellow Light, and several books for children. Her short stories and poems have appeared in various literary journals. A daughter of Holocaust survivors, Wachtel was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She holds a doctor of letters degree from Drew University and for the past thirty years has taught English literature at Middlesex College in Edison, New Jersey. The mother of three grown sons and grandmother to two precocious granddaughters, she currently resides in East Brunswick, New Jersey, with her husband, Arthur.

Wachtel's new novel is A Castle in Brooklyn.

My Q&A with the author:

How much work does your title do to take readers into the story?

I am so pleased with the title of my book, but it was not easy to settle on it. I originally called the book Jacob’s Castle since it is about Jacob, the central character, and his dream of building a home which he envisioned as a “castle.” However, upon collaborating with my agent and editor, we came up with a better title which quickly immerses the reader in the novel. Have you ever walked down a street in Brooklyn and noticed a castle? Hardly! The title, A Castle in Brooklyn, is ironic and piques the reader’s curiosity, yet it succinctly suggests the novel’s theme. After enduring a traumatic childhood during the Holocaust, Jacob dreams of building a home of his own in America, a land full of possibilities. For him, the home would be a castle. The reader will be curious as to how he accomplishes his goal despite the tragedy he endures along the way.

How surprised would your teenage reader self be by your novel?

I don’t think my teenage reader self would be surprised by my novel. When I wasn’t studying or hanging out with friends, I wrote. My dream was to be a published author. Writing was a wonderful outlet for a girl who moved several times, wherever my father would find a new business. What did I write about? Mostly, my parents’ hardships during the Holocaust and their adjustment to a new life in Brooklyn, as well as my own dreams of making my life meaningful. So, A Castle in Brooklyn would not surprise me. What would surprise me is how long it took to get there!

Do you find it harder to write beginnings or endings? Which do you change more?

I begin writing with the nugget of an idea, and generally I know where I am going, how it all will end. However, I am not sure how I will get there, and allow the character to lead the way. I recall writing about a particular character, only to realize halfway through the novel, that she would not survive. Sometimes I surprise myself! Beginnings are always difficult and sometimes require “rewrites,” whether on paper or in my head. Introductions must catch the readers’ attention, make them want to turn the page. I hope I have accomplished that with my novel.

Do you see much of yourself in your characters? Do they have any connection to your personality, or are they a world apart?

I never write with the intention of portraying myself. But sometimes, I find some aspects of my personality “sneaking” into my writing. For example, as a baby boomer, I grew up during the time in which the novel is set, watched the same TV shows, saw the same movies, etc. Like Esther, I went to college and became a teacher in a high school and had empathy for many of my students. And, like the characters in my book, I had dreams. Becoming a published author was one of them.

What non-literary inspirations have influenced your writing?

Family is certainly my greatest inspiration. Like Jacob and Zalman, my parents were Holocaust survivors, my mother, one of eight, losing all but two brothers, while my father lost his entire family. Like Jacob, my father courageously saved himself from death when he was sent to the line headed for the gas chamber in Auschwitz and ran to the line for life. My parents, like the characters in my book, sought to rebuild their life in Brooklyn, not with a home in their case, but several business ventures. Above all, family was important. Besides family, current events motivate my writing. The problems which diverse immigrants have gaining a foothold in the US, a country which offers freedom; and the issue of increasing antisemitism, have inspired me to write literature which forces the reader to see our similarities, not our differences.

Visit Shirley Wachtel's website and Twitter perch.

The Page 69 Test: A Castle in Brooklyn.

My Book, The Movie: A Castle in Brooklyn.

--Marshal Zeringue