Famous Friends: Colonel Sanders and J. Edgar Hoover

The Kentucky Fried Chicken tycoon pursued a “bromance” with the head of the FBI. A file that Hoover kept on Sanders includes this letter: “Dear Mr. Hoover, It’s not very often that people of our age can get together and celebrate, but I’ve found a good excuse. On September 16th, I’m going to be 80 years old. To help me enjoy the day, I’d like to have you and a group of old folk come down to Louisville as my guests so we can show can show those young people what celebratin’s all about.” Read The Sister Knot about two resilient women, orphaned in WW2, who defy fate to sustain a lifelong friendship. A compelling novel about the power of sisterhood. Learn more about the book in NOVELS.

Sanders and Hoover: One fried chicken, the other fought crime

Two resilient women, two separate journeys, one lasting friendship

Famous Friends: Harold and Chester

In Bunnicula , the children’s novel by James and Deborah Howe, innocent Harold and scheming Chester are the perfect dog-and-cat detective team to battle the vampire rabbit, Bunnicula, who sucks the juice out of vegetables! Read The Sister Knot about two resilient women, orphaned in WW2, who defy fate to sustain a lifelong friendship. A compelling novel about the power of sisterhood. Learn more about the book in NOVELS.

Harold the dog and Chester the cat battle the vampire bunny Bunnicula

Two resilient women, two separate journeys, one lasting friendship

Famous Friends: Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla

The 28-year-old Tesla work for the 37-year-old Edison’s Illuminating Company. After a year, they became rivals when Tesla left to start his own lighting company. Tesla promoted alternating current (AC) whereas Edison championed direct current (DC). Tesla won that battle. AC was more efficient and cheaper over longer distances than DC. Read The Sister Knot about two resilient women, orphaned in WW2, who defy fate to sustain a lifelong friendship. A compelling novel about the power of sisterhood. Learn more about the book in NOVELS.

Edison and Tesla: Powerful friends turned electric rivals

Two resilient women, two separate journeys, one lasting friendship

More praise for the award-winning novel The Sister Knot

Readers continue to praise The Sister Knot, an award-winning novel about the lifelong power of sisterhood in the aftermath of wartime trauma.

  • “This book would just not let me put it down.”
  • “An engrossing, moving and well-crafted novel about resilience.”
  • “Ann Epstein depicts these complex women with empathy, warmth, and insight.”
  • A deep, complex emotional understanding of the binding power of wartime trauma.”
  • “Reading the final chapters had me in tears.”
  • “A brilliantly gifted writer.”
  • “Lines that ache in their beauty.”
  • “The persistence and struggles the women have in maintaining their sisterly connection fuel the narrative from beginning to end.”
  • “I’ve read books by this author before, and one of the things she does best is handle often deeply unsettling history, circumstances and consequences with gentleness and nuance, all in the service of displaying her characters’ growth and resilience.”

See the full reviews of The Sister Knot on Goodreads and Amazon. Add your own review. Thanks!

The Sister Knot Reading at Ann Arbor Jewish Book Festival, November 17 at 11:00 AM ET

Everyone is invited to a reading of The Sister Knot at the Ann Arbor Jewish Book Festival: Local Author Event at the Ann Arbor Jewish Community Center (2935 Birch Hollow Dr, Ann Arbor, MI 48108) on Sunday, November 17, 2024 from 11:00-1:00 Eastern Time. The event, including brunch, is FREE and OPEN TO ALL. Register for the in-person event so they know how much food to order. This annual event features a variety of authors and genres and attracts a lively audience. Hope to see you all there! Thanks for the support!

The Sister Knot: First Place Award in Literary Historical Fiction

Author Ann S. Epstein writes novel, stories, memoir, poems, and essays

Famous Friends: Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton

The women met in 1851 when Anthony traveled to an anti-slavery meeting in Seneca Falls, New York, where Stanton had organized the first national woman’s rights convention three years earlier. Amelia Bloomer introduced them on a street corner, sparking a friendship as co-leaders of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. Read The Sister Knot about two resilient women, orphaned in WW2, who defy fate to sustain a lifelong friendship. A compelling novel about the power of sisterhood. Learn more about the book in NOVELS.

Anthony and Stanton: Two determined women, one powerful suffrage movement

Two resilient women, two separate journeys, one lasting friendship

Famous Friends: Scout Finch and Boo Radley

In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockinbgbird, the friendship between a spunky young girl and her reclusive neighbor is marked by indirect contact but constant mutual awareness. Boo watches out for Scout like a guardian angel and his courage alters their lives. Read The Sister Knot about two resilient women, orphaned in WW2, who defy fate to sustain a lifelong friendship. A compelling novel about the power of sisterhood. Learn more about the book in NOVELS.

Scout and Boo: A memorable friendship between a spunky young girl and her reclusive neighbor

Two resilient women, two separate journeys, one lasting friendship

The Sister Knot reading at Booksweet in Ann Arbor, November 3 at 2 PM ET

Everyone is invited to a reading of The Sister Knot at Booksweet Bookstore (1729 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor, 48105) on Sunday, November 3 at 2:00 PM ET. I’ll be reading with Caroline Huntoon, a nonbinary storyteller, educator, and author. The event is free and open to all. Hope to see you all there. Support Booksweet, your community bookstore!

The Sister Knot: First Place Award in Literary Historical Fiction

Author Ann S. Epstein writes novels, stories, memoir, and essays

The Sister Knot Wins Bookfest First Place Award

I’m delighted to announce that The Sister Knot won a Bookfest Fall 2024 Award for First Place in Literary Historical Fiction. Two resilient women, orphaned in WW2, follow different paths, yet defy fate to sustain a lifelong friendship. A poignant, compelling, and unforgettable novel about the power of sisterhood. Read more about the book in NOVELS.

First place award in literary historical fiction

Orphaned in WW2, two girls survive and sustain a lifelong friendship

The Words We Leave Behind

Many thanks to Glacier Hills Senior Living Community in Ann Arbor for hosting my talk on 10/22/24 about writing legacy documents — life reviews and ethical wills — for the family, friends, and colleagues who are important to us. Responding to “prompts,” people shared stories about the people, places, and events in their lives, and the lessons they learned from their experiences. The session featured both serious reflection and appreciative laughter. Two of my novels, The Great Stork Derby and The Sister Knot, now in the Glacier Hills library, offer further opportunities to read about the lives and lessons learned by the novels’ characters: a widowed father trying to make amends with his estranged children, and WWII orphans whose friendship survives a lifetime of challenges. To learn more about my work helping people write legacy documents, visit END-OF-LIFE DOULA.

Writing a legacy for our loved ones