Meet Marilyn Horowitz, Author of The Book of Zev
Marilyn Ida Horowitz is a producer, writing coach, and award-winning professor of screenwriting at New York University. From her books on her trademarked writing system—now standard reading at NYU—to her appearances at Screenwriters World and The Great American Screenwriting Conference & PitchFest, Marilyn has guided the careers of literally hundreds of writers. She is currently featured in the Now Write! Screenwriting Anthology (Tarcher/Penguin) and in the upcoming The Expert Success Solution (Morgan James). Her production credits include And Then Came Love (2007), starring Vanessa Williams.
BBB: What inspired you to become an author?
MH: Everyone in my family wrote. My grandparents wrote a book called, Faith Through Reason, which was an attempt to reconcile Judaism and Christianity. My father was a lawyer and wrote briefs, my mother was a Ph.D. in Philosophy who wrote her dissertation when I was young and my brother is a historian who has written three or four books about food. I “wrote” my first play, The Raven And The Wicked Princess in pictures before I actually knew how to read or write, so I guess becoming an author was inevitable. I have also written non-fiction books on screenwriting that are used as texts at New York University where I teach.
BBB: What inspired you to become an author?
MH: Everyone in my family wrote. My grandparents wrote a book called, Faith Through Reason, which was an attempt to reconcile Judaism and Christianity. My father was a lawyer and wrote briefs, my mother was a Ph.D. in Philosophy who wrote her dissertation when I was young and my brother is a historian who has written three or four books about food. I “wrote” my first play, The Raven And The Wicked Princess in pictures before I actually knew how to read or write, so I guess becoming an author was inevitable. I have also written non-fiction books on screenwriting that are used as texts at New York University where I teach.
BBB: How did you come up with the idea for your book?
MH: I met a man on a train who was a religious Jew struggling with his faith. We had a long conversation and afterwards, I just started writing. Both of my parents were seriously ill, and the awareness of how brief life can be inspired me to get the pages done.
BBB: Tell us about your main character(s).
MH: The two main characters in The Book Of Zev are Zev and Sarah.
Zev is loosely based on the man I met on the train. He is tall, handsome and a virgin when we meet him. Visually, imagine the actor Adrian Brody as the actor who could play him in a film version of the story. Zev is an engineer and works for the U.S patent Office. He lives with his parents in a gated Orthodox community where his father is a Rabbi. He is secretly an atheist, and in the course of the story must come to terms with who he is and what, if any, is his purpose.
Sarah is a successful private chef, who specializes in kosher food. She is a believer, but she hates God with a passion. She is funny, sarcastic and has a unique perspective on life.
She is recovering from a bitter divorce and must work out what her future will be. She is seeking a purpose, a reason for being, and as the story progresses, she gets what she wished for and more. Visually, I imagine the actor, Rachel Weisz, playing the role but with red hair.
MH: I met a man on a train who was a religious Jew struggling with his faith. We had a long conversation and afterwards, I just started writing. Both of my parents were seriously ill, and the awareness of how brief life can be inspired me to get the pages done.
BBB: Tell us about your main character(s).
MH: The two main characters in The Book Of Zev are Zev and Sarah.
Zev is loosely based on the man I met on the train. He is tall, handsome and a virgin when we meet him. Visually, imagine the actor Adrian Brody as the actor who could play him in a film version of the story. Zev is an engineer and works for the U.S patent Office. He lives with his parents in a gated Orthodox community where his father is a Rabbi. He is secretly an atheist, and in the course of the story must come to terms with who he is and what, if any, is his purpose.
Sarah is a successful private chef, who specializes in kosher food. She is a believer, but she hates God with a passion. She is funny, sarcastic and has a unique perspective on life.
She is recovering from a bitter divorce and must work out what her future will be. She is seeking a purpose, a reason for being, and as the story progresses, she gets what she wished for and more. Visually, I imagine the actor, Rachel Weisz, playing the role but with red hair.
BBB: What are you currently working on?
MH: I am working on a revision of a recent book, How To Sell Your Screenplay In 30 Days, and a new book that will either be a thriller or a romantic comedy, I can’t tell yet. I also write weekly blogs on screenwriting and about writing The Book of Zev and fiction in general.
BBB: How can readers discover more about you and your work?
MH: Visit my website, www.marilynhorowitz.com, and find me on Facebook, twitter and linked in.
MH: I am working on a revision of a recent book, How To Sell Your Screenplay In 30 Days, and a new book that will either be a thriller or a romantic comedy, I can’t tell yet. I also write weekly blogs on screenwriting and about writing The Book of Zev and fiction in general.
BBB: How can readers discover more about you and your work?
MH: Visit my website, www.marilynhorowitz.com, and find me on Facebook, twitter and linked in.
The Book of Zev Synopsis
The Book of Zev is a political thriller that tells the story of two gentle people who change the course of history. Zev Bronfman, a strapping 32-year old-virgin, angry atheist, refugee from a religious Jewish life, and former engineer for the U.S. Patent Office in Alexandria, Virginia, drives a cab and sleeps around in New York City. After a bitter divorce, Sarah Hirshbaum, a beautiful, redheaded, depressed, God-hating kosher chef, seesaws between yoga and too much red wine. Independently, the two consult the same psychic who inadvertently sends Sarah Zev’s session tape. When Sarah contacts Zev to pick up the recording, a series of events forces them to connect with a powerful terrorist in order to thwart his plans to destroy the UN and Israel.
Click here to read an Excerpt of The Book of Zev
The Book of Zev is a political thriller that tells the story of two gentle people who change the course of history. Zev Bronfman, a strapping 32-year old-virgin, angry atheist, refugee from a religious Jewish life, and former engineer for the U.S. Patent Office in Alexandria, Virginia, drives a cab and sleeps around in New York City. After a bitter divorce, Sarah Hirshbaum, a beautiful, redheaded, depressed, God-hating kosher chef, seesaws between yoga and too much red wine. Independently, the two consult the same psychic who inadvertently sends Sarah Zev’s session tape. When Sarah contacts Zev to pick up the recording, a series of events forces them to connect with a powerful terrorist in order to thwart his plans to destroy the UN and Israel.
Click here to read an Excerpt of The Book of Zev
