From Cassette to Manuscript: A Historical Fiction Journey with Author Roni Robbins

My guest today on the Online for Authors podcast is Roni Robbins, author of the book Hands of Gold. Hands of Gold capitalizes on Roni Robbins’ nearly four decades as a published writer: a staff reporter for daily and weekly newspapers; a freelancer for national, regional, and digital publications. She is currently a freelance reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Medscape/WebMD, where she was previously an editor after serving as associate editor of the Atlanta Jewish Times.

 

Hands of Gold won, among others, the 2023 International Book Awards for multicultural fiction and the 2023 Global Book Awards gold medal for biographical-survival. In addition to the fiction awards, Robbins won three Simon Rockower Awards for Jewish journalism, including an investigative piece about Jewish seniors who feel “Out of Touch” in nursing homes. Hands of Gold begins and ends in a nursing home.

 

Selected as a touring author with the prestigious Jewish Book Council, Robbins appeared in one of the nation’s largest Jewish book festivals. Hands of Gold consistently ranks high on Amazon’s bestseller lists for biographical literary fiction and Holocaust biographies.

 

In my book review, I stated Hands of Gold is an amazing Jewish historical fiction. According to Roni, the story is loosely based on her Hungarian grandfather, but rather than write a family memoir, she chose to write a historical fiction about Sam Fox.

 

We meet Sam, first at his dying wife's side, and then travel back to see him as a young boy in Hungary at the turn of the 20th century. Sam's life is never easy. From Jewish hardships in the old country, to fleeing from Hungarian conscription, to stealing into first Canada, and then the US, to illness and poverty, Sam figures out how to find joy in a life that continuously throws him lemons.

 

And now, after 65 years of marriage, his dying wife, Hannah, tasks him with telling their children their parents' real history - with all the secrets - even secrets they have kept from one another.

 

This story is a wonderful family saga, filled with Jewish history and culture, determination, and religion. I found the details fascinating and often wondered which parts were true family history and which were merely the figment of Roni's imagination. I loved the book and believe you will, too!

 

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You can follow Author Roni Robbins

Website: https://www.ronirobbins.com/

FB: @roni.k.robbins

X: @ronirobbins

LinkedIn: @ronirobbins

IG: @roni.robbins

TikTok: @handsofgoldnovel

 

Purchase Hands of Gold on Amazon:

Paperback: https://amzn.to/436tjq9

Ebook: https://amzn.to/4j0y3Uo

 

Teri M Brown, Author and Podcast Host: https://www.terimbrown.com

FB: @TeriMBrownAuthor

IG: @terimbrown_author

X: @terimbrown1

 

Want to be a guest on Online for Authors? Send Teri M Brown a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/member/onlineforauthors

 

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