awards? And what advice can you give to
those applying for the same award?
Q. Using only three words how would
you come to describe yourself as a writer?
JA: Applying for awards is easy. I have
done it countless times. In the case of the
Hudson Prize, I’d actually submitted five
other collections that same year. The key to
winning prize is to submit early and
often. Or to blackmail the judges.... If you
can obtain photographs of the judging in
compromising positions, it works wonders
on the selection process....
JA: Seeking a patron.
Q. Scouting for the Reaper is a fascinating
collection of short stories that you have
written. Each character facing their own
unanticipated challenge. A very
intriguing book to read for all. What were
your challenges in writing this series if
any?
JA: Thanks for the kind words. You have
probably single-handedly doubled my
readership, so I am grateful.
The greatest challenge for me, in writing, is
always stopping before I make a mess of
things. I had a tendency to write too
much. To stop myself, I focus upon all of
the squid who died heroically to make my
ink possible....
Q. How many short stories would you say
that you have published so far?
JA: I believe that I have published 215
stories. My secret fantasy is to become a
famous writer and to die suddenly, having
claimed to have published 215 stories, while
actually having published only 214. I can
picture all of these literary scholars scouring
the planet for the missing story….Alas, I am
not going to be famous, and I actually have
published 215 stories, so I planned this
poorly.
Q. Your writing career has definitely
launched off successfully. What
hardships, if any, have you faced when
writing your books and getting them
published?
JA: A shortage of vowels. I suppose
Vanna White has cornered the market.
Q. I have read one of your novels
called Wedding Wipeout. It was full of
humor, mystery, and suspense. I loved
it. How did you come about writing this
humorous Jewish mystery?
JA: Honestly, I’m very close to my
grandmother – she’s now 94 years old – and
I wanted to write a book that she could
enjoy. Alas, she only reads Jewish
mysteries and sagas about Tudor
England. At the time, I thought I’d made a
wise choice. Clearly, I did not. Just
think: I could have been the Jewish Hilary
Mantel!
Q. In Phoning Home, your collection of
essays, has a wide range of amazing
stories and insights into your family life.
Can you tell us readers a bit more about
this interesting new book of yours?
JA: Phoning Home is a very personal
book. It shares all the secrets I would not
want my mother to know. My mother,
incidentally, has been forbidden from
reading the book. (If you know her, and you
share its contents with her, you will be
attacked by pestilence and pirates.) I also
discuss some of the bioethical dilemmas that
I have encountered as a hospital
psychiatrist. But my favorite part of the