Interview with Sandra Biber Didner, author of The Conspiracies of Dreams
My new book is about Christians, Jews, Muslims, and Canaanites who all share an ancient dream of possessing the land that lies between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea which they hold sacred. In 1956 an Egyptian spy, Ishmael al Mohammed, is determined to gain information which will reclaim the infant state of Israel for the displaced Palestinian Arabs. While on an espionage mission posing as an Israeli, he falls passionately in love with a Jewish woman, Rebecca Silverman. He must decide if he will betray the only person he will ever care for or be true to Islam, Egypt, and his family. A Christian, Danny O’Halloran, dreams of walking the Stations of the Cross while the pagan donkey goddess Palés dreams of being worshipped again by the original natives of Canaan. Israeli politicians dream of making Israel a nuclear power while Britain and France conspire to regain the Suez Canal, which the President of Egypt nationalized. Against the backdrop of circumstances leading to the 1956 Suez War between Israel and Egypt a love story which encompasses the forbidden romance of Romeo and Juliet, Delilah’s betrayal of Samson, and the treachery of Britain’s MI6 double agents unfolds as Ishmael and Rebecca’s story spans three millennia of history. What genre is it? What kind of readers will it appeal to? Tell us a little more about the spy Ishmael al Mohammed and the woman he fell in love with. He has been groomed from birth to become a general in the Egyptian army, but he wants nothing to do with actual fighting after his brother’s tragic death. On an espionage mission to Israel he falls in love with a beautiful, sensitive, patriotic Jewish actress and is torn between his feelings for her and his duty to his country and his religion. She never suspects that he is a spy and when he abandons her, she thinks he has died in the 1956 Suez War and continues to cherish the time they spent together. When he accidentally meets her 23 years later, they both learn surprising truths about their relationship. Actually, the Israeli woman is my sister-in-law and 80 per cent of the novel actually occurred. What?! So Ishmael al Mohammed is a real person too? Not another family member, we’re sure! Complete this sentence for us: if you like _____________________, you’ll love The Conspiracies of Dreams. What has been the reaction to the book? Have you written any other books that we should read next? That’s exciting. But won’t you write any more novels? Come back and talk to us about it when it’s published. In the meantime, tell us a bit about yourself. Do you have a website where we can keep up with your work? How can we follow you on Twitter and/or Facebook? |
Pingback: Top 10 Books: Week ending June 28, 2013 | Indie Author Land