About
Zelmer Wilson (1975- ) was born in Fort Collins, Colorado. At the age of three, he moved with his family to Fort Smith, Arkansas. He would live there until he was eleven years old. In the summer of 1986, he left Arkansas and moved to Phoenix, Arizona with his father and stepmother. During the summer of 1990, while visiting his mother and two sisters in Birmingham, Alabama, he discovered his calling in life, to be a writer. His debut novel, In the Middle, is inspired by his own difficult teenage years in Phoenix, Arizona.His influences are Henry Miller, Charles Bukowski, Larry Brown, Janet Fitch, and James Ellroy.
Love Triangles: Discovering Jesus the Jew in Today's Israel
Description
<p>A Jewish woman’s unconventional quest to find Jesus in modern Israel<br /><br />With candor and an intimate knowledge of the Land and its people, Bobbie Ann Cole takes you on some intriguing time travel, such as to the ceremonial slaughtering of Passover lambs in the nearby temple as Jesus died on the cross.<br />Her moving and compellingly-written personal story of making Aliyah to Israel with her husband, Butch effectively interweaves Israel’s ancient and modern history with biblical references. She reveals the challenges that have faced Jewish believers from Peter and Paul on down to the present day, including her own. The underlying antagonism of her beloved Israel towards Messianic Jews leaves her sneaking around, keeping her true identity secret.<br />A blend of memoir, travelogue, historical document and investigative journalism, Love Triangles<br />is not about theological principals; it's about love.<br />Discover:<br />• How Jesus used Jewish festivals to underscore His message.<br />• The story of Jesus’ Bar Mitzvah.<br />• Why Jewish atheists may move to Israel but not believer Jews.<br />• Why Judaism rejects Jesus as Messiah.</p>
Story Behind The Book
I wrote this novel for a number of reasons. One reason is that there aren't many novels set in Phoenix, Arizona and none (that I know of) that are about being a teenager there as well. I wrote this novel, inspired by my own difficult teenage years there. I originally wrote this novel for a writing contest, which helped because I had a deadline and I couldn't be lazy about writing it. I wrote the first draft mostly at night, after getting home from work, usually after midnight or later. I wrote for a few hours every night, usually while listening to music (Norah Jones) and drinking cheap wine. After I finished the first draft, I started editing it and then rewriting it. In all, there are about seven drafts, not including the final, published version that is now available.
Reviews
<p>Reviewed by Lit Amri for Readers' Favorite In the Middle is a poignant story of a boy's journey into adulthood....a solid read and I did enjoy it enough to finish it in one sitting. Author Zelmer Wilson is a hidden gem in the writing industry and I truly believe that he will get better in his craft. I look forward to his next work. Reviewed by Katelyn Hensel for Readers' Favorite In the Middle is an interesting and realistic story about a kid struggling to grow up in a new and confusing world for him.... Zelmer Wilson does a great job of exploring teen angst and the classic coming -of-age motif. Reviewed by Kayti Nika Raet for Readers' Favorite Set in the late '80s and early '90s, In the Middle by Zelmer Wilson chronicles the teenage years of Miller, a bright but troubled kid...and it wound up being a fairly easy read that did not disappoint. Since it's literary fiction, it has an almost memoir feel.</p>
