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Behind the Scenes

Salt Mine Press is a product of Leslie and Meryll's imagination. We wanted a name that would make us smile. Although some might think "high blood pressure" or "hard work" seeing the name, it reminds us of our dad. Each morning he awoke whistling and singing. As he left, he cheerily shouted, "I'm off to the salt mines." For years we thought he mined salt although he was dressed nicely in a suit each day. Eventually, we learned he sold couplings although Meryll heard "cufflinks" for many years. It wasn't a glamorous business, but our dad had a good time no matter what he did. In his spirit we truly enjoyed the work of writing and self-publishing.

"Self-published" is a bit of vranya. (See the book for definition). Many friends and many professionals helped. If you have any interest in self-publishing or just want to read more about the exceptional team behind us, here's a list.

Patricia Francisco—developmental editor

Patricia Francisco is a developmental artist extraordinaire. Although neither Leslie nor Meryll trained as a writer, she welcomed us to the club with encouragement and wisdom. Most importantly, she allowed us to explore within the genre and respected and nurtured our creative process. She inspired us and believed in this sister team. Patricia serves as Artist-in-Residence at Hamline University's Creative Writing Program. She is the author of Telling: A Memoir of Rape and Recovery, Cold Feet, and Village Without Mirrors.

Leslie Rubin—editorial consultant

I (Meryll) met Leslie in 1966 when she was my counselor at Camp Ramah. Our relationship didn't end there because I became close friends with Leslie's niece Lori Rosen when I moved from Columbus to Minneapolis. In the past few years Leslie and her husband Rabbi Miles Cohen have been house guests when they visit Minneapolis. When Leslie talks about her editing work, she lights up. It is difficult for me to imagine enjoying copy editing and indexing, but for Leslie it is far more than a job. When we were advised to make our manuscript as clean as possible before sending it to agents and publishers, Leslie's name popped up immediately. She was a patient teacher and pushed us hard to think from the reader's point of view.

Patti Frazee—book designer and publishing consultant

Before we wrote this book, we had no idea what a book designer was. From all directions the name, "Patti Frazee" floated to us. We think of her as the midwife for the book. She readied the copy for publication including the design elements, working in the many photos, and exhibiting abundant patience. Patti patiently explained the steps and made so called "self-publication" a seamless process.

Cathy Spengler—cover designer

Before we had finished more than a chapter or two, we were speculating about the book cover. Then the revelation—we are not designers. We spent hours trolling bookstores and looking at covers. We examined the covers of the books in our own libraries. Once I (Meryll) received the book The Assassination of Hole in the Day as a parting gift from the Minnesota Humanities Center board, I knew I had found my favorite cover designer. We looked at Cathy's website and debated the etiquette of contacting her. She set us at ease with the first email reply and once we met her and she embraced the project, we knew we had chosen well. The cover is a far cry from the one I first saw, but it's just right for Jewish Luck. We feel like we found another friend working with Cathy.

Scott Edelstein—consultant on moving from manuscript to book

Scott was highly recommended by independent authors and our developmental editor, Patricia Francisco. We needed to decide: should we contact a literary agent? Send the book to publishers? Self-publish? We needed a literary cartographer. He laid out the options in metaphorical language and offered an illustrated map of how to reach our goals. We followed the itinerary and it led us to publication.

Debra Kass Orenstein-literary property and entertainment attorney

Debbie is an entertainment attorney and she is, herself, a consummate entertainer. We knew working with her would be fun as well as efficient. She can turn on her New York City accent and rhythm and legal opinions fly across the room. She is generous with her time for both friends and philanthropy. She gives attorneys a good rep. 

Lisa and Giora Shimoni—LiteSites Website Creation

We tout local talent and everyone else on our list works and lives in the Twin Cities or is a Twin Cities native. Lisa and Giora are close to our hearts. Our cousin, Lisa, and her husband live in Modiin, Israel and develop websites. Who better to help us out than our honorary other sister who can fill in the blanks in our thinking and knows instinctively what we like and what we don't. In addition to designing our website, Lisa was one of our first readers and conscientiously sent us comments, chapter by chapter.

Recent Blogs

Meryll
Meryll
09 April 2021
Jewish on the Down Low
I snapped up the invitation to speak at a zoom meeting for the Jewish Affinity Group from Columbus School for Girls. Self-quarantining for almost a year has made me hungry to talk about Jewish Luck. It's certainly clear from the news that Vera and Alla's perceptions about the "New" Russia are just as relevant now as they were when Vera first encountered Putin in Leningrad.More than the intellectua...
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Leslie
Leslie
07 February 2021
American Kompromat
What I learned from American Kompromat by Craig Unger (2021) Dutton: NYC has prompted me to write a blog. Trigger Warning: This book contains potentially distressing content that could trigger trauma that we have experienced regarding the previous US President. I whisper this mantra to myself: "We're safe now. He's gone. We're safe now." The purpose of this exercise is to reduce my blood pre...
Read More
Leslie
Leslie
31 January 2021
Alexey Navalny: Intrepid SuperHero of Russia
"Faster than a speeding bullet." .Organized anti-government rallies in 109 cities across Russia from jail for January 23 and January 30, 2021. Watch each weekend. "More powerful than a locomotive."  Able to make a miraculous recovery from Novichok poisoning on Aug. 20, 2020 after remaining in a coma for nearly a month. His is the only known case of survival of that strain of Novichok. "...
Read More

Invite Us To Speak

invite

We were featured speakers at Hadassah Brandeis Institute and Levy Summer Series. Our speaking engagements include JCCs, synagogues, libraries, book groups, retirement communities, schools, and organizations (e.g. ORT, Hadassah, and Women's League). References are available. 

Invite Us To Speak
 

Talk Review

"I was very fortunate to be able to hear Meryll and Leslie speak at a Hadassah event in Israel. Each of the ~50 participants really enjoyed the event because Meryll and Leslie were so engaging. While they had a natural rapport with the audience, you could also tell they had prepared well so they could connect with our particular group's interests. I learned a lot from listening to them, and I found their sisterly interaction unique and fun. If you want an enlightening and uplifting experience, attend one of their book talks."
Lisa Shimoni, Modiin Israel

Book Review

"Truly, you have written a story that makes accessible the reality of existence in Russia, through the eyes of individuals who lived through the various regimes and dictates.  It is fascinating and very well told.  As I read Vera and Alla's story, I learned more Russian history than I had known from a textbook.  That's a big deal, women!  You tell the tale with vivid detail and hook us on the two women and their stories, then weave in the history to illuminate their journeys. It is such a necessary book.  I am thrilled that the two of you collaborated, as I can see the uniqueness of your personalities come through in the stories, and that, too, makes the book a gem."
Margaret Leibfried, Danielson Group consultant

Buy the Book

Online:

Click here to order your copy of Jewish Luck: A True Story of Friendship, Deception, and Risky Business on Amazon.com.

The Kindle version is available here

In Stores:
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Make a donation to Sholom Home and enjoy Jewish Luck at the same time. Jewish Luck is now available at the Sholom Home West gift store. Meryll and Leslie will donate 50% of the proceeds back to Sholom Home. Enjoy!

Tasting Torah

Nourish mind, body, and soul with Meryll's Tasting Torah, which will bring oneg (joy) and limmud (learning) to your Shabbat, broaden your culinary horizons, and draw your Shabbat guests closer together.

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Highlighted Books

Meryll
Meryll
02 July 2017
July Book of the Month:  Bloodlines by Neville Frankel
July Book of the Month: Bloodlines by Neville Frankel
Leslie and I began writing Jewish Luck with an underlying question in our minds—what would life have...
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