Your new novel, A Rooftop in Jerusalem, came out on May 20th. What’s it about, and why were you inspired to write it?

At the heart of A Rooftop in Jerusalem is the story of a forty-year love affair between an American Christian, Daniel, and an Israeli Jew, Shoshana, set primarily in Jerusalem’s Old City. The love story, which begins with Daniel’s junior year abroad, goes from intense but exploratory to tenuous to nearly nonexistent, only to be rekindled.

A second thematic strand is Daniel’s growth in self-understanding, including an experience on a rooftop in Jerusalem that moves him, professionally and personally, from politics to religion. Daniel’s early identity as a bridge builder is also challenged by the reality of injustice that he notices early on, but doesn’t really see.

As this suggests, the story is set against the backdrop of the Palestinian–Israeli conflict. To give one example, the book begins with Daniel staying in a cheap Palestinian hotel in the Old City—in August 1969—when the famous Al-Aqsa Mosque is burned by a Christian zealot. In the Muslim world, this was emotionally equivalent to the burning of Notre Dame in the West, and the responses to it highlight the complexity of the conflict.

These strands are interwoven, the ebb and flow of the love story subtly paralleling the ups and downs of the various peace efforts. I won’t describe how it ends, except to say that readers tell me they cry, even as the book closes on a note of hope. At least I think it does!

As important as Jerusalem is to the story, A Rooftop in Jerusalem transcends its particular setting by exploring themes of universal importance: the intersection of religion and politics, the way the past informs and burdens the present, the search for one’s true home, and the need to listen to those who see the world through other eyes.

I was inspired to write this novel, in part, by personal experience. Four of the five sections of the book begin with an incident that draws from my experience of living and traveling in the Middle East. I was, for instance, staying in the Old City when Al-Aqsa was set on fire. I must add that fiction, in my judgment, is stronger when it is imagined rather than remembered. Even the autobiographical elements of this book have been shaped by my imagination.

I was also inspired by current events. If the book puts a human face on headlines from the Middle East, I will be gratified.

Your previous field of work is, in some ways, closely related to the content of the novel. How did you find your professional and more creative endeavors intersecting during the writing process?

I was formerly a professor of theology—specifically, of ecumenical and interfaith relations. Daniel, the protagonist of A Rooftop in Jerusalem, is also a Christian theology professor, and his long-term love affair with Shoshana means that Jewish–Christian relations are embedded in the narrative. I stress, however, that, in my academic career, ideas took center stage. In my creative writing career, the story is—must be—front and center. Keeping that firmly in mind has been essential as I shift from expository writing to imaginative fiction (although some might suggest that theology is also a form of fiction!).

Another piece of my biography: My PhD at the University of Chicago was in the field of religion and literature. Students in my seminary and university courses can attest that I often used literature when teaching theology, and nearly every year I taught a course titled, “Literature from Around the World.” I had written two (mercifully unpublished) novels before entering that doctoral program, so I don’t say that I turned to writing fiction, but that I returned to it. I enjoyed writing theology; I’m passionate about writing novels.

What’s your writing routine like? Do you have any sacred rituals or practices that help you show up at the blank page?

Writing fiction is such fun that I don’t consider it “work.” It helps me, however, to keep a work-like schedule, writing from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., four or five days a week. This schedule frequently gets interrupted—I am “retired,” after all, and living with my wonderful wife in beautiful San Diego—but I still manage to spend lots of hours each week at my desk: outlining, researching, writing, rewriting, and rewriting some more. In this sense, creative writing, to use an analogy from my religion background, is like praying. Just as the capacity for prayer can grow through the discipline of regular prayer, even when the Spirit seems absent, so there is a necessary discipline involved in mastering the craft of fiction, even when the creative juices aren’t flowing freely.

I do have one sacred quirk: I try to trick my brain by writing early drafts longhand on scrap paper folded in half, so they are mentally easier to discard. There is a danger, at least for me, of becoming enamored with felicitous phrases, even if they don’t advance the story or contribute to the characters. Writing on folded scrap paper has helped me address that problem.

Publishing a book can be an intimidating process, and it’s certainly a learning curve. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned throughout the publishing process, and what advice would you give to aspiring authors?

I was fortunate to have a number of my nonfiction works published during my career as a theologian, books for which there was a ready, if limited, audience. Thus, when I began publishing novels, I was familiar with the give and take of the editing process, with receiving criticism and pushing back. I suppose this can be intimidating, but I don’t think of it that way, and therefore it isn’t. Perhaps that’s a lesson.

Finding publishers for my novels has, however, been frustrating, including a few rejections and non-responses. So my best advice, in this regard, is simply: Don’t give up! If you have a story worth telling, trust that someone will eventually be attracted to it.

I appreciate the personal attention that comes from working with small, independent presses. I have learned, however, that marketing is generally left in the hands of the author. If you have a large social media following, you may be set. If not, you may want to do as I did for A Rooftop in Jerusalem and hire a publicist. Doing so greatly increased the number of reviews, interviews, and podcasts associated with this publication.

Which character(s) from your novel (if any) do you relate to the most, and why?

A Rooftop in Jerusalem, though written in the third person, is filtered through Daniel’s consciousness, and he has some obvious resemblance to me. But, while I relate to him, he is by no means my favorite character. I love the other central character, Shoshana, but my favorite female in the book is Valerie, who doesn’t appear until the final section. I won’t give away how she figures in the plot!

There are also several minor characters who enliven the story and often express some degree of wisdom. Examples include Ghazala, the Pakistani-born physician who plays a significant role in an interfaith group Daniel leads; Musa (“M . . . USA!”), the exuberant jewelry maker, who becomes Daniel’s friend, in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City; Mrs. P, the memorable host at a Sukkot dinner Daniel attends; and Caleb, the denominational leader who accompanies Daniel and his students on a trip to Jerusalem. Beyond that, readers have observed that Jerusalem’s Old City is itself a character. It is one of Daniel’s great loves. One of mine, too.