About the Author

Miriam Ruth Black's life journey has been characterized by an adventurous spirit and love of change. She explores the theme of change -- inevitable and often surprising, in her well-received debut novel, Turtle Season. A teaching degree in English from the University of Minnesota became a ticket to work in a variety of settings including the American International School in Israel and Los Angeles's inner city. She earned a Master's in Educational Psychology and then acquired a Marriage and Family Therapy License. Those degrees morphed into a career in the Northwest as a lecturer in education, substance abuse and mental health. Currently, she spends winters in Tucson, Arizona and summers in Minneapolis, Minnesota and is working on her next novel. To learn more visit her website, www.miriamruthblack.com.

What's Being Said

''Turtle Season is a lovely and wise book.''
-- Katherine Forrest, author of Curious Wine and the Kate Delafield mystery series

''I loved the trajectory of the story of Anna's transformation toward her authentic self--from the dreary, deadened woman we meet at the beginning of the book to the enlivened, self-accepting, and passionate person we come to know at the end. . . . A totally absorbing novel full of humor, rich detail and authenticity. I was sorry it had to end.''
-- Linda Garnets, PhD., co-editor of Psychological Perspectives on Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Experiences

''With economical and precise prose, Miriam Ruth Black paints a believable portrait of a woman on the verge of total disintegration who catches herself in time to find new life and love where she least expected it.''

-- Magazine editor and author Michele Kort, co-editor of Here Come the Brides! Reflections on Lesbian Love and Marriage

''This funny, moving novel about a woman's struggle to find the right life for herself in late middle age grabs the reader's attention and doesn't let it go. A good story that hasn't really been told before, Turtle Season is full of delightful surprises and honest emotions. I loved reading it.''
-- Alice Bloch, author of Lifetime Guarantee and The Law of Return

''Sweet joy and bitter anguish of a woman's journey towards self, true independence, and exploration of sexuality. Beautifully written, tender, and heartfelt. Ms. Black manages to convey Anna's inner life, doubts, regrets, and desires magically.''

-- Roz Sohnen, professor, digital filmmaking, the Art Institute of NYC

''Turtle Season is a beautifully written story that pulls you in right from the first line. Anna is so real, she's someone you'd want to have as a friend, and you don't want the friendship to end when you put the book down. Black's inside view of Anna's metamorphosis is compelling and engaging.
-- Barrie Levy, author, psychotherapist and adjunct professor, UCLA

''Miriam Ruth Black has created a memorable and recognizable character in Anna as she struggles -- as we all must -- to see herself anew and decide which elements of her past to keep and which to let go.''
-- Terry Wolverton, author of Stealing Angel

''In this emotionally rich novel, we follow Anna, widowed and living alone, as she moves out of depression and, bit by bit, engages with the world again--meanwhile reexamining her relationship with her late husband. A coming-of-age story when the age is well beyond adolescence.'' 

--Mary Whisner, reference librarian, University of Washington