Rachel Zolotov
Rachel Zolotov was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri as a first generation American born into a Belarusian family. Rachel has a passion for antique jewelry, art, reading, cooking and history. She started her career as a Gemologist and Jewelry Designer, and studied Hand Engraving in Austria.
After the births of her children, Rachel felt the desire to research her own lineage and was inspired to uncover the puzzle pieces of the journey her ancestors had taken during WWII. She wrote The Girl with the Silver Star in hopes of teaching and sharing what she discovered with future generations.
In her free time, you can find her snuggling up with a good book and a large cup of tea. Rachel lives in St. Louis, Missouri with her husband and two beautiful daughters.
Twitter: @RachelZolotov
Instagram: @RachelZolotov
Favorite non-reading activity?
My favorite non-reading activity is spending time with my family. I love having quality time with my husband and our two girls. We enjoy hiking, playing board games and snuggling up to watch movies together. This past year, especially with the pandemic, has been really refreshing. We have learned to slow down and have more fun with each other. We aren’t out and about running errands - instead we enjoy long walks each afternoon and family game time in the evenings. I relish all the laughs and fun times we get to have exploring together.
Is your go to comfort food sweet or savory? Is it something you make yourself? Does food inspire your writing?
This is such a hard question - I love food, sweet and savory! If I had to choose, I would lean towards something sweet. I definitely have a sweet tooth and I love baking. My mother was a professional baker back when she lived in Belarus, and growing up I loved helping her bake. Now, I enjoy baking with my own girls. A couple of my favorites are apple cake and cream cheese blintzes. I also enjoy cooking passed-down savory recipes from my great-grandmother. I believe it’s important to keep the tradition alive for my children. To me, cooking reminds me of home and my childhood. Several of these recipes inspired scenes in The Girl with the Silver Star. In the novel, my great-grandmother makes lamb and rice plov, russian pelmeni, and potato latkes with her girls. These are foods that I also make at home with my girls, and I hope that I inspire others to make some of them. The recipes can be found on my website!
Vacation druthers… City or Rural destination? Why?
I love to travel! Before the pandemic, I loved traveling to Europe with my husband and two girls. I lean towards smaller cities. I am not a fan of crowds and loud places, but I still love being within walking distance to restaurants and parks. My favorite cities in Europe are quiet and quaint, and while some might be big cities, they don’t feel big. I think that is one of the reasons why I love Europe so much! Some of my favorites are Prague, Cinque Terre, Ghent, southern Spain, and London.
Do you have another artistic outlet in addition to your writing? Do you sew? Paint? Draw? Knit? Dance?
As a child, I loved to draw and color, and that hasn’t changed into adulthood. After high school, I studied to become a jewelry designer. I love creating and using my imagination. I feel like the luckiest mom since my girls love to color with me. It can keep us busy for hours! I love how it transports me into a different place; a calm and creative happy place where I can escape for minutes or even hours.
Do you speak a second language? Do you think differently in that language? Does it influence your writing?
I was born in the United States as a first generation American into a Belarusian family. My parents spoke a mixture of Russian and English at home, so I grew up understanding Russian perfectly, but I never learned how to read and write above a kindergarten level. Now, I can hold a conversation in Russian, but am shy to speak sometimes because of my strong accent. I wouldn’t say that the Russian language influenced my writing, but rather my Russian-Jewish culture and lifestyle. Hearing stories from my family of life in Russia and being immersed in Russian and Jewish food and music helped to shape the fine details of The Girl with the Silver Star.
