Please welcome Reyna Marder Gentin, author of Unreasonable Doubts, as she tackles our Desert Island Interview!
About Reyna:
REYNA MARDER GENTIN grew up in Great Neck, New York. She attended college and law school at Yale. For many years, she practiced as an appellate attorney representing criminal defendants who could not afford private counsel. Reyna studies at the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College, and her fiction and personal essays have been published in The Westchester Review and online.
UNREASONABLE DOUBTS is her first novel. She lives with her family in Scarsdale, New York.
Connect with Reyna:
Reyna Marder Gentin Stranded on a Desert Island
If you could only have one book with you, what would it be?
What one luxury item would you want to be stranded with?
A really decadent, firm pillow-top mattress. No way am I sleeping on the ground. I’m so grumpy when I don’t get a good night’s sleep.
What is the one practical item you would want to have with you to use?
Although I only lasted one semester as a pre-med in college, I guess I would want a first-aid kit. But it would not be pretty if I needed to use anything other than a band-aid.
Would you enjoy the solitude, even briefly, or would it drive you crazy?
I think if I knew I was going to be rescued in a definite period of time, like 24 hours, I would probably enjoy the time alone. But if it were open ended, I’d be too consumed with anxiety to enjoy it for more than about 10 minutes.
If you could be stranded with one other person, who would you want it to be?
Definitely my husband of 27 years. No one makes me laugh like he does, and keeping my sense of humor would be key.
What modern technology would you miss the most?
My computer. Between my writing and my addiction to email and Facebook, I would find it hard to exist for any length of time without my computer.
What food or beverage would you miss the most?
This is probably a kind of ordinary answer, but I honestly believe pizza is the perfect food. I don’t eat it as often as I’d like because it gives me cheese coma, but I love it.
How many days do you think you would cope without rescue?
I would be okay for maybe two or three days. But after that, without a hot shower (yes, I know there is water all around me – that is not the same as hot shower), I’d be desperate for civilization.
What is the first thing you would do when rescued?
See answer to question 8.
What would be your first Tweet or Facebook update upon your return?
Be the first to order Unreasonable Doubts, a fantastic debut novel by an author who was stranded on a desert island!
The Old Testament. It’s all in there. But if that wasn’t available, I’d go with a boxed set of Harry Potter – does that count as one book?
A really decadent, firm pillow-top mattress. No way am I sleeping on the ground. I’m so grumpy when I don’t get a good night’s sleep.
What is the one practical item you would want to have with you to use?
Although I only lasted one semester as a pre-med in college, I guess I would want a first-aid kit. But it would not be pretty if I needed to use anything other than a band-aid.
Would you enjoy the solitude, even briefly, or would it drive you crazy?
I think if I knew I was going to be rescued in a definite period of time, like 24 hours, I would probably enjoy the time alone. But if it were open ended, I’d be too consumed with anxiety to enjoy it for more than about 10 minutes.
Definitely my husband of 27 years. No one makes me laugh like he does, and keeping my sense of humor would be key.
What modern technology would you miss the most?
My computer. Between my writing and my addiction to email and Facebook, I would find it hard to exist for any length of time without my computer.
What food or beverage would you miss the most?
This is probably a kind of ordinary answer, but I honestly believe pizza is the perfect food. I don’t eat it as often as I’d like because it gives me cheese coma, but I love it.
How many days do you think you would cope without rescue?
I would be okay for maybe two or three days. But after that, without a hot shower (yes, I know there is water all around me – that is not the same as hot shower), I’d be desperate for civilization.
What is the first thing you would do when rescued?
See answer to question 8.
What would be your first Tweet or Facebook update upon your return?
Be the first to order Unreasonable Doubts, a fantastic debut novel by an author who was stranded on a desert island!
Unreasonable Doubts
Jaded New York City Public Defender Liana Cohen would give anything to have one client in whom she can believe. Dozens of hardened criminals and repeat offenders have chipped away at her faith in both herself and the system. Her boyfriend Jakob’s high-powered law firm colleagues see her do-gooder job as a joke, which only adds to the increasing strain in their relationship.
Enter imprisoned felon Danny Shea, whose unforgivable crime would raise a moral conflict in an attorney at the height of her idealism―and that hasn't been Liana in quite a while. But Danny's astonishing blend of good looks, intelligence, and vulnerability intrigues Liana. Could he be the client she’s been longing for―the wrongly accused in need of a second chance? Is he innocent? As their attorney-client relationship transforms into something less than arm’s length, Liana is forced to confront fundamental questions of truth, faith, and love―and to decide who she wants to be.
Enter imprisoned felon Danny Shea, whose unforgivable crime would raise a moral conflict in an attorney at the height of her idealism―and that hasn't been Liana in quite a while. But Danny's astonishing blend of good looks, intelligence, and vulnerability intrigues Liana. Could he be the client she’s been longing for―the wrongly accused in need of a second chance? Is he innocent? As their attorney-client relationship transforms into something less than arm’s length, Liana is forced to confront fundamental questions of truth, faith, and love―and to decide who she wants to be.
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