A couple of weeks ago, my collaborative teacher/partner texted me about a challenge being hosted by Vocal Media. Curious, cautious, skeptical, I checked out the site, read about it, looked at some reviews.

I have to admit, I had no intention of entering. I am the traditional loser. Not second place. Not honorable mention. The one who gets the “Thank you for trying” email/letter/certificate.

But I was tantalized by the topic. A character unexpectedly earns $20,000. A little black book has to be somewhere in the piece.

I came up with a topic. Satan’s notebook for souls purchased. Feeling a little clever, I went on the website and started skimming other entries. And found a bunch that were all about little black books of evil and death and soul purchasing. Good-bye idea number one.

There were lots of dead grandmas. Letters found with money inside. Trunks filled with treasure. At least one about Bonnie and Clyde. I was hitting dead ends.

Until my collaborative partner tapped into one of my interests: the Holocaust. And the idea of the Nazis stealing Jewish wealth and artwork.

I chased her down the rabbit hole. But I needed a twist, a way to make the story mine and different from everyone else’s. Or from those whose I had skimmed. I am proud to present “The Book of Levi.”

If the link above doesn’t work….I hope this one will: https://vocal.media/stories/the-book-of-levi

Thank you for reading.