November 13, 2008: Diesel, A Book Store In Brentwood, 7:00 p.m. 225 26th Street, Santa Monica, CA
Diana Spechler
Diana Spechler’s Facebook Page
Diana Spechler’s MySpace Page
Bits and Ash were children when the kidnapping of their younger sister, Alena—an incident for which Ash blames himself—caused an irreparable family rift. Thirteen years later, Ash is living as an Orthodox Jew in Israel, cutting himself off from his mother, Ellie, and his wild-child sister, Bits. But soon he may have to face them again; Alena’s remains have finally been uncovered. Now Bits is traveling across the world in a bold and desperate attempt to bring her brother home and salvage what’s left of their family.
Sharp and captivating, Who by Fire deftly explores what happens when people try to rescue one another.
Diana Spechler’s hobbies:
I decided a few years ago that I really wanted a hobby. It had occurred to me that I didn’t do much besides write and hang out with my friends and family, and I thought a hobby would make me more of a Renaissance woman, or would fulfill me in some other unspecified way. I considered singing. I asked two actor friends of mine to give me a singing lesson. They told me to pick a song I was passionate about and sing it and they would coach me on it. I sang "Castle on a Cloud" from Les Miserables, which I’ve never seen. I was in the back seat of a car with my friend Kate, and the two actors were in the front seat, and everyone was alarmed. They covered their ears with the palms of their hands. Next I became a jewelry-maker. I approached the hobby with an enthusiasm that bordered on creepy, and spent hundreds of dollars on beads. I made jewelry for my friends and put them all in the awkward position of having to tell me when I asked, "How’s the necklace/bracelet/earrings/wineglass charms?" that the necklace/bracelet/earrings/wine glass charms were broken. Recently, I’ve been attempting salsa dancing, but it’s going badly. I have been scuba diving since I was seventeen, and I do Bikram yoga every day. I suppose those are hobbies. Mostly, I just like to write and hang out with my friends and family.
