Lynda Cohen Loigman, Melodie Winawer & Rochelle Weinstein: A Conversation

Lynda Cohen Loigman is the author of The Wartime Sisters and The Two-Family House. She received a B.A. in English and American literature from Harvard College and a J.D. from Columbia Law School. In The Matchmaker’s Gift: A Novel (St. Martin’s Press), two women, two generations apart, improbably share a gift. Even as a child in 1910, Sara Glikman knows her gift: she is a maker of matches and a seeker of soulmates. But in the streets of New York’s Lower East Side, Sara’s vocation is dominated by devout older men – and they see a talented female matchmaker as a dangerous threat to their traditions and livelihood. After making matches in secret for more than a decade, Sara must fight to take her rightful place and claim the recognition she deserves. Fast forward to her granddaughter, Abby, a successful Manhattan divorce attorney representing the city’s wealthiest clients. When Grandma Sara dies, Abby inherits her collection of handwritten journals recording the details of her matches. But in the faded volumes, Abby finds more questions than answers. Why did Abby’s grandmother leave this library to her, and what did she hope Abby would discover within its pages?

Melodie Winawer is the author of The Scribe of Siena (2017), which was praised by Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Kirkus Reviews, and was declared a “Must Read Book” by the New York Post. She also contributed to We All Fall Down: Stories of Plague and Resilience, an anthology of short stories by nine historical fiction writers. A physician-scientist and associate professor of neurology at Columbia University, Winawer has published more than 50 scientific articles. In Anticipation: A Novel (Gallery Books), Helen, a widowed overworked scientist and single parent to 9-year-old son Alexander, desperately needs an escape. So when Alexander proposes a trip to Greece, Helen quickly agrees. After spending several days exploring the tourist-filled streets, they stumble upon the ancient city of Mystras and are instantly drawn to it. Its only resident is Elias, a mysterious tour guide. As it turns out, in 1237, Elias’ mother promised his eternal service to the Profitis Ilias in Mystras in exchange for surviving a terrible illness. But during his 800 years of labor, he’s had one constant enemy: the noble Lusignan family. They are cursed by a deadly disease and a prophecy hints that Elias’ blood is their only hope for a cure. Now the last Lusignan is desperate to avert his family’s fate and Elias unwittingly puts Helen and her young son in danger.

Rochelle B. Weinstein is the USA Today and Amazon bestselling author of This Is Not How It Ends, Somebody’s Daughter, Where We Fall, The Mourning After, and What We Leave Behind. Born and raised in Miami, Weinstein is a former entertainment industry executive. She is currently working on her seventh novel, scheduled for release May 2023. In When We Let Go: A Novel (Lake Union Publishing), when Jude Masters, a widowed father and the man she loves, proposes to Avery Beckett, it should be a time of great joy. Instead, she’s on edge – wary of the idea of family, doubtful of happy endings, and too afraid to leap. It’s the kind of fear that comes from having secrets. So before Avery commits to a new life, she must make peace with the one she left behind. Returning to her childhood home on a farm in the North Carolina mountains, she’s surprised to be saddled with a companion: Jude’s teenage daughter, Elle, who’s grappling with the loss of her mother and the complicated emotions of first love. As they mend wounds and break down walls, Avery and Elle form an unexpected alliance that gives them both the courage to move forward.