ISTANBUL

Esma is on a crusade for the perfect lamb meatball recipe to take home to her uncle’s bistro in Manhattan and has purchased sacksful of aromatic spices at the market—cloves and paprika, powdered cumin and beads of coriander, crescent-shaped fennel seeds and purple-black pepper with a brass grinder thrown in . . .

I haven’t written a short story for ages, and just sent one off for critique by: (1) a Christian teacher intimately familiar with Islam; (2) my sister, a poet; (3) an author of 75 books and editor of hundreds; and (4) my daughter, a trendy young reader the age of my character.

Now, back to drafting my novel after a long hiatus!