Ask the Author: Jacob M. Appel
Answered Questions (102)
Jacob M. Appel
I work as a psychiatrist in a New York City emergency room, so there hasn't been much quarantine for me.... Just many hours in the ER.
I've written a handful of op-eds in various newspapesr on the current crisis. They are linked on my webite (www.jacobmappel.com) near the bottom of the front page for anyone who is interested.
Stay safe!
Jacob
I've written a handful of op-eds in various newspapesr on the current crisis. They are linked on my webite (www.jacobmappel.com) near the bottom of the front page for anyone who is interested.
Stay safe!
Jacob
Jacob M. Appel
Hi Chris --- Please email me directly at jacobmappel@gmail.com (I don't think I can send files through goodreads) and I'll be glad to send you a PDF; you should be able to convert it. Hope that works. Jacob
Jacob M. Appel
I had an amazing fifth grade teacher who had no sense of what was "appropriate" reading for a fifth grader. I remember the first two books we read that year were Exodus and Gone with the Wind; he gave us a whole week to read each and then grilled us on the content. I am confident my classmates are the only living people to read historian Bruce Catton's centennial Civil War trilogy for an assignment in elementary school. (I realize all of these books are controversial -- but the point is that none are written for ten year olds...)
Jacob M. Appel
Absolutely. The job of an ethicist in the public eye is to advocate for policy, but in the hospital it is to help people make decisions according to their own values, not to impose ours upon them.
Jacob M. Appel
Thanks, Robert. Alas, they're well above my price range.
Jacob M. Appel
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Jacob M. Appel
Thanks for the vote of confidence. Alas, I have a hard enough time selling the books I've already written, so I think I'm going to have to hold off a bit on the autobiography.... Maybe I'll write it now but let my heirs publish it for me posthumously for dramatic effect.
Jacob M. Appel
For fiction, I’d recommend starting with Einstein’s Beach House. For non-fiction, Who Says Your Dead. But take my suggestions with many grains of salt—I am far from an expert.
Jacob M. Appel
There will be another eventually. By then, of course, the rabbi may be old enough to retire....
Jacob M. Appel
Thanks! Miracles and Conundrums of the Secondary Planets and The Magic Laundry are probably the most similar to Einstein's Beach House in terms of style and tone. I do hope you enjoy! Jacob
Jacob M. Appel
Not at the moment. But if you know a book store or festival in the area interested in having me read and sign books, I am always glad to accept invitations....
Jacob M. Appel
Thanks, Anne. Anyone interested should email me directly at jacobmappel@gmail.com
Jacob M. Appel
The hardest part of the publishing process for me is always asking people for favors: blurbs, reviews, etc. I realize how busy other writers are, and how much of a sacrifice it is to give up some of their own writing time to help me out; it's far more emotionally demanding than actually writing the novel.
And then there is the process of finding an obscure work by a well-known author and changing just enough of the text so people won't realize it's not original to me. Fooled them 18 times already.....
And then there is the process of finding an obscure work by a well-known author and changing just enough of the text so people won't realize it's not original to me. Fooled them 18 times already.....
Jacob M. Appel
I wish there were an exciting answer to this, but it's rather mundane: We submitted the review copies before the final cover design was available. I do wonder if there is a way to update it....
Jacob M. Appel
I usually keep my non-writing life under wraps, but I'll confess that I used to appear in movies under the name Gregory Peck. Just don't tell anyone.
My favorite of my books is always the next one. That's the only way I've found to keeping on pushing the literary boulder up the publishing mountain. But "The Liars' Asylum" is arguably my strongest collection.
I have far exceeded my potential, which was extremely low. When I was born, my family was just relieved that I had opposable thumbs.
My favorite of my books is always the next one. That's the only way I've found to keeping on pushing the literary boulder up the publishing mountain. But "The Liars' Asylum" is arguably my strongest collection.
I have far exceeded my potential, which was extremely low. When I was born, my family was just relieved that I had opposable thumbs.
Jacob M. Appel
Thanks! Vandalia/WVU did a wonderful job with the cover.
For what it's worth, I've found that introducing myself as "Old Yeller" at parties and telling people I'm 6 1/2 yrs old rarely wins over the crowd.... It's all well and good if you're Lassie, I suppose, but I've had much better results on the dating market when I tell people I'm "Jack Benny" and I'm 39....
For what it's worth, I've found that introducing myself as "Old Yeller" at parties and telling people I'm 6 1/2 yrs old rarely wins over the crowd.... It's all well and good if you're Lassie, I suppose, but I've had much better results on the dating market when I tell people I'm "Jack Benny" and I'm 39....
Jacob M. Appel
You've caught me! I dare not reveal my actual age or I'll have to stop trick-or-treating on Halloween and paying the children's fare at the movie theater, but I will confess I accompanied Olivia de Havilland to her high school prom.... Alas, my track record at fooling women is rather limited. I did manage to convince my third grade teacher that I was a distant cousin of the Russian royal family, but I can't say this opened any romantic doors....
Jacob M. Appel
It is certainly on my to do list. Somewhere between playing shortstop for the Yankees and dating Sophia Loren, so there are no guarantees in life, but I keep dreaming the impossible dream on all counts. Stay tuned.
Jacob M. Appel
99% of my time is spend practicing medicine -- like anything else, I keep hoping that if I practice enough, I might get good at it. I have to cram all of my writing into that other 1%..... I keep hoping I win a Pulitzer Prize, so the hospital will appreciate my non-medical skills and give me 2% of my time to write. Ah, to dream the impossible dream...
(Thanks for the kind words. Please do consider recommending to friends/family and to your local library and independent bookshop.)
(Thanks for the kind words. Please do consider recommending to friends/family and to your local library and independent bookshop.)
Jacob M. Appel
Yes -- Just send me a quick email with your full name and mailing address (including zipcode) to jacobmappel@gmail.com and I can send out a complimentary copy.
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