Barbara Stark-Nemon
Author Interview - Barbara Stark-Nemon
Author of Isabela's Way
In early-seventeenth-century Portugal, Spain, France, and Germany, dangers are plentiful—especially for those of Jewish heritage. Non-Catholics have been expelled from Spain, and the Inquisition has come to Portugal to impose its prohibitions. Fourteen-year-old Isabela, an obedient “New Christian” with a talent for needlework, believes she has nothing to fear from the Inquisition. But when a mysterious woman arrives with a message from Isabela’s traveling father, the girl must leave her home and embroider her way along the clandestine network of sanctuaries created to conduct Conversos, or secret Jews, to safety.
A host of supporters and spirit guides, as well as one special young man, assist Isabela as she escapes the Inquisitors and makes her way across countries and cultures. As she travels, she learns of the danger and importance of her work, with its coded symbols, and is shocked to discover her family’s true origins.
In this enthralling coming-of-age tale of resistance, love, and danger, Isabela employs her talent and fierce determination to find her way despite the powerful forces that buffet her at every turn.
Author Interview - Barbara Stark-Nemon
Author I draw inspiration from:
Barbara Kingsolver- Demon Copperhead, Mary Morris- Gateway to the Moon, Rachel Kadish- The Weight of Ink
Author Interview - Barbara Stark-Nemon | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
Snuggled in my bed, or in my favorite chair on a rainy day
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
I would love to "get down" with Eleanor in Joyce Maynard's How the Light Gets In. I'm always interested in how people respond to the unexpected and unwelcome events life throws at us, and I loved this character's resilience in the face of so much. I see us each having treated ourselves to a hazelnut cappuccino before getting into that elevator and then when we get stuck, identifying all the commonalities of women/moms who've gone through a lot and managed to hold onto themselves and their families. What works?" What nurtures? What saves?
Author Interview - Barbara Stark-Nemon | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
Standing in the dining room of my great aunt in a small town in Germany, and hearing her story of survival and thriving after devastating experiences through WWi and WWiI. The victory of love and loyalty over anguish and trauma was inspirational, and writing a novel was the top item on my bucket list.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
I have become a serious audiobook listener as I do a lot of long distance driving, and I also listen when gardening, cooking, doing laundry walking, biking. I've always loved being read to!... starting when my Dad would sit on the floor of our bedroom and read to us when my brother and I were little. I dislike that my memory for what I hear is not as good as for what I read. I read a lot of e-books when I travel, and also at night so I don't need to keep my husband awake with a light on. I do seriously love to hold a real book- paper or hardback in my hands, though it's not as easy to carry with me traveling. I read using all these forms!
The last book I read:
Here One Moment- Liane Moriarty- I love her work, and I listen to her audiobooks because the narrators, Caroline Lee, and Geraldine Hakewill, are fantastic. The premise, that a woman on an airplane walks up and down predicting each passenger's date and cause of death, and how that plays out in their lives and connections to each other is so interesting. Moriarty is a wonderful observer of human nature and a great writer. Compassion, humor and insight figure prominently in this intricate story.
Author Interview - Barbara Stark-Nemon | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
I have the world's worst handwriting, and always have. So I'm a computer writer for sure.. a pretty good typist..
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
Claire Fraser from the Outlander series... we share adaptability, interest in healing, an adventurous nature, resilience, and some no-nonsense thinking skills.
Author Interview - Barbara Stark-Nemon | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
I had a thirty year career as a speech-language therapist and English teacher working with deaf and language disabled kids from pre-school to young adults. I loved that career and was pretty good at it, and feel so fortunate to find mself in the last ten years in an encore career as an author that has been every bit as satifsfying! I have also always wanted to study medicine and become a pediatric neurologist..
Favorite decade in fashion history:
1940s. wish I'd been around to wear those tailored styles. Second choice Victorian!
Place I’d most like to travel:
My favorite place that I've been (twice) is Norway.. I love the natural beauty of forest and fjord, and the very functional towns and cities. Remining bucketlist places are Alaska, and Scotland.. hope to hike, boat, and explore and in scotland, access the vibrant fiber arts communities.
My signature drink:
A good bourbon or a dry martini
Favorite artist:
As an art history student I loved late 19th century and early 20th century artists like John Singer Sargent, Vincent Van Gogh, Mary Cassatt, Edgar Degas. Music-wise I love singer songwriters like James Taylor, and Carole King. To PLAY music, I like Bach!
Number one on my bucket list:
My top bucket list item was to write a novel... this fall I will launch my third novel, Isabela's Way, and I'm so looking forward to talking and writing about it and watching it make its way into the world.
Anything else you'd like to add:
As I've gotten older, my main characters have gotten younger! I've been thinking a lot about that. At three different stages of life, my characters "come of age" having had to confront danger, displacement and traumatic events. I also LOVE doing research for my novels and have traveled extensively to all the places that form the settings. I've become knowledgable about hard apple cider, WWII history, and embroidery as communication for my books Hard Cider, Even in Darkness and now, Isabela's Way.
Find more from the author:
@bannstark- Instagram and Threads and Pinterest
https://barbarastarknemon.substack.com/
www.facebook.com/starknemon
www.barbarastarknemon.com
About Barbara Stark-Nemon:
Author Interview - Barbara Stark-Nemon
Barbara Stark-Nemon, author of award-winning novels Even in Darkness and Hard Cider, lives, writes, cycles, swims, does fiber arts and gardens in Ann Arbor and Northport, Michigan. She has degrees in English literature, art history and speech-language pathology from the University of Michigan and worked with deaf and language disabled children. Even in Darkness is historical fiction based on a family story in 20th century Germany. Hard Cider, contemporary fiction is set in northern Michigan. Her third novel, Isabela’s Way is a 17th century European coming of age refugee story. It will be published in September, 2025. You can learn more at www.barbarastarknemon.com.
