Jacob’s life story: feeling weak, cheating, lying, stealing, loving, acquiring, losing, mistrusting, letting go, blessing. A tale of men, women and angels, of wrestling between the sexes, between men, between God and man. A tale of the promises of God, the limits of God, the strange and subtle workings of God. A tale of family, favouritism, fear, fury. A tale of what it means to be human and what it means to be Jewish.
‘Jacob – The Full Story’ is the exact Bible story, filled out.
Draft words for the back cover of my next book, I hope
Many people know that Jacob dreamed of a ladder to heaven. Most do not know the message of that dream and whether Jacob heeded it. Many people know that Jacob cheated his twin brother, Esau, out of his blessing. Most do not know whether or how they were ever reconciled. Many people know that Jacob wrestled with God. Most do not know why God was determined to put Jacob on the ground. Many people know that Jacob had his name changed to Israel, Most do not know how Jacob connived in the first genocide. Many people know that Jacob gave his son Joseph an amazing coat. Most do not know how Jacob angered Joseph in blessing his sons. Many people know that Jacob was promised blessing in the land we know as Israel / Palestine. Most do not know how he came to die an alien in Egypt.
As well as recounting and explaining the lesser-known times in Jacob’s life, Jacob – The Full Story, portrays his thoughts and feelings, his conversations with others, and background to the Bible account. Jews have long filled out their Bible stories in a tradition called Midrash. Myjewishlearning.com explains: ‘Midrash is commonly defined as the process of interpretation by which the rabbis filled in “gaps” found in the Torah. It is a literature that seeks to ask the questions that lie on the tips of our tongues, and to answer them even before we have posed them.’
Draft beginning of the Introduction.
To find a Publisher, first find an Agent. Publishers won’t read manuscripts from writers, only from Agents. Finding a Book Agent is now a challenge.
Agenthunter.co.uk offers help. (https://www.agenthunter.co.uk/) The website contains details of many UK Book Agents, searchable according to the kind of book you are writing. Jacob: The Full Story can fall into categories of adult fiction, historical fiction, romance, religion. Searching accordingly gave me many names. A good start.
A closer look showed that some of the Agents Hunted do not accept unsolicited manuscripts. Some were not even interested in fiction. The searching and the Agent info was not as fine-tuned as I had expected. I was given a long list of names to work through, with little to choose between them.
First on the list, though, was an Agent more likely than most. Some serendipitous coincidences. Her company says ‘no unsolicited…’ but she is quoted as encouraging writers to make bold approaches. Using AgentHunter was helpful. And it was a free trial on the understanding that I would write about it on my blog.
Suddenly, though, my plans were unexpectedly, happily, diverted. A cousin gave me money for Freedom From Torture, the UK charity caring for victims of torture. I used some of the money to go to their ‘Big Street Feast’ at BAFTA, Piccadilly, in June, intending to use the rest on other events of theirs. The Feast turned out to include an Auction. The Auction turned out to include a couple of Writing Workshops with Tracy Chevalier, author of Girl With A Pearl Earring and others. The winning bid turned out to be the amount I had left of my cousin’s money. Tracy will help with Jacob: The Full Story.
Smiley face. Very smiley face.
Roger Harper
Rogerharper's Blog 