I GOING PLACES
WEEK OF
JAN. 29-FEB, 4
COMEDY
DUFFY'S ON THE LAKE
3133 Union Lake Rd., Union
Lake, Bob Posch and John
Cionca, now through February,
9:30 and 11:30 p.m. Fridays and
Saturdays, admission,
reservations, 363-9469.
Mark Hamilton, Steve Iott,
Craig Mc Cart, now through
Jan. 30, admission, 634-5208.
COMEDY CASTLE
2593 Woodward, Berkley, Bobby
Slatyon, now through
Saturday, Rick Overton, Tuesday
through Feb. 6, admission,
542-9900.
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One of Greenberg's novels has been translated into Japanese.
Awash in
Romance
Local author Jan Greenberg finds
writing historical love stories
requires research and diligence
VICTORIA BELYEU DIAZ
Special to the Jewish News
t was 1975 when Jan Greenberg
picked up a copy of Time mag-
azine, and began to read an ar-
ticle telling of the new and
sweeping popularity of historical
romance novels. As cases in point, the
article mentioned the works of prolific
authors Rosemary Rogers and Kath-
leen Woodiwiss, and revealed the
staggering financial success each
woman had attained by simply creat-
ing stories based on the age-old theme
of boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl, boy-
gets-girl (or girl-meets-boy, etc.).
Greenberg, a University of Illinois
graduate with an English degree,
who'd always "loved writing," but had
never even submitted anything for
Il
publication, read on. According to the
article, publishers were eagerly look-
ing for more writers.
"I'd seen these books. I'd read
these books," Greenberg would say
some years later. "it was the classic
story, where I turned to my husband
then and there and said, 'I could write
books like this'."
Husband, Larry, an insurance
agent, agreed. "I'm sure you can," he
said.
And that's exactly what Jan
Greenberg did. Since 1980, when her
first romance novel, To Distant
Shores, was published, Greenberg,
writing as Jill Gregory, has written
and sold five additional novels, and is
now hard at work on still another.
"We went out the very next
weekend after I'd read that article in
Jan Greenberg has six novels to her credit.
Time, and I bought a new electric
typewriter to replace my old, beat-up
manual from college," says Greenberg,
now 35. "I just started writing. I had
a period in history I wanted to write
about — the time of the American
Revolution — and I wanted to do
something with pirates and priva-
teers. I knew I needed a conflict —
every good story has a conflict. So, if
my hero were an American privateer,
I decided my heroine should be
English. That would provide some
built-in conflict. The story just took
off from there.
"I tried to work on it every day,"
says Greenberg, who, at the time, was
also working full-time as a secretary
at a Chicago paint company.
"I think one of the major factors
of my finishing the book and even-
THEATER
WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY
Bonstelle Theater, Wild Oats
Friday through Feb. 7,
admission, 557-2960.
FISHER THEATER
Fisher Theater, Detroit, Julie
Andrews, Thursday through Feb.
8, admission, 423-6666.
UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT
THEATRE CO.
University of Detroit campus,
Cradle Song Friday through Feb.
14, admission, 927-1130.
VILLAGE PLAYERS
Village Players Playhouse,
Birmingham, Picnic today
through Saturday, admission,
644-2075.
WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY
Hilberry Theater, Detroit, Mame
8 p.m. Saturday, admission,
557-2972.
WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY
Hilberry Theater, Detroit,
Tartuffe now through Feb. 25,
admission, 557-2972.
ATTIC THEATER
Attic Theater, Detroit, Tamer of
Horses now through Feb. 14
admission, 875-8284.
MEADOW BROOK THEATER
Oakland University, Cat on a
Hot Tin Roof now through Feb.
21, admission, 377-3300.
THE AVON PLAYERS
Avon Playhouse, 1185
Washington Rd., Rochester Hills,
Night Must Fall 8 p.m. (except
Sundays 7:30 p.m.) now through
Saturday, admission, 656-1130.
BIRMINGHAM THEATRE
211 S. Woodward, Promises,
Promises, now through Sunday,
admission. 644 3533.
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Continued on Page 59
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
57