Jean Meltzer

Last updated
Jean Meltzer
OccupationAuthor, producer
NationalityAmerican
Education New York University Tisch School of the Arts (BFA)
GenreJewish young adult romance
Notable awardsDaytime Emmy
2004 Assignment Discovery – Producer
Website
jeanmeltzer.com

Jean Meltzer is a Jewish American author, former producer, writer, director for Tapestry International, and an Daytime Emmy Award winner. [1] [2] In 2006, she left the television industry to study in rabbinical schools and seminars in Jerusalem for five years until she left as a result of myalgic encephalomyelitis. [3] In 2022, the rights to her novel The Matzah Ball have been optioned. Along with Lance Bass Productions and Brett Gursky, it is to be produced by Sugar23. [4]

Contents

Early life and education

Meltzer was born to an American Jewish family. She grew up keeping kashrut and attending Hebrew schools. [3] She attended New York University Tisch School of the Arts, Department of Dramatic Writing, and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2002. [5] Meltzer lives in Virginia. [6]

Career

Television career

After graduating from college, Meltzer worked as creative director of Tapestry International. She worked as a producer for several shows including Assignment Discovery which won the 2004 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Series. She also directed episodes of the show TLC Elementary School, which she also served as a producer for, and was as a writer for the television film Christmas and the Civil War. [2] Meltzer is currently serving as a producer to the upcoming movie The Matzah Ball which is based on her novel by the same name. [4] Meltzer left the television industry in 2006. [5]

Writing career

Meltzer writes young adult romance with Jewish main characters. Her debut novel The Matzah Ball, centered around a Hanukkah romance, was published in 2021. [6] Since then, she has written three more books: Mr. Perfect on Paper, Kissing Kosher and Magical Meet Cute. [7] In an interview about Jewish representation in her books, she explained that one reason for writing Jewish stories is her niece, saying:

“I didn’t have happy Jewish stories growing up and I realized my niece needed these types of stories, so I sat down and wrote a book for her,”. [8]

Bibliography

Filmography

Producer

Writer

Director

Awards

Television

YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef
2004 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Children's SeriesAssignment DiscoveryWon [9]
2006 CINE Competition Telecast - Professional Non-Fiction Division:

Children's Programs

Assignment DiscoveryWon [9]
2007 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Children's SeriesAssignment DiscoveryNominated [9]
2008 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding New Approaches - Children'sAssignment DiscoveryNominated [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matzah</span> Unleavened flatbread in Jewish cuisine; an element of the Passover festival

Matzah, matzo, or maẓẓah is an unleavened flatbread that is part of Jewish cuisine and forms an integral element of the Passover festival, during which chametz is forbidden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julia Quinn</span> American historical romance author

Julie Pottinger, better known by her pen name, Julia Quinn, is an American author of historical romance fiction. Her novels have been translated into 41 languages and have appeared on The New York Times Bestseller List 19 times. She has been inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. Her Bridgerton series of novels has been adapted for Netflix by Shondaland under the title Bridgerton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jayne Ann Krentz</span> American romance novelist

Jayne Ann Krentz, née Jayne Castle, is an American writer of romance novels. Krentz is the author of a string of New York Times bestsellers under seven different pseudonyms. Now, she only uses three names. Under her married name she writes contemporary romantic-suspense. She uses Amanda Quick for her novels of historical romantic-suspense. She uses her maiden name for futuristic/paranormal romantic-suspense writing.

<i>Bridge to Terabithia</i> (novel) 1977 childrens novel by Katherine Paterson

Bridge to Terabithia is a children's novel written by Katherine Paterson; it is about two children named Leslie and Jesse who create a magical forest kingdom in their imaginations. The book was originally published in 1977 by Thomas Crowell, and in 1978, it won the Newbery Medal. Paterson drew inspiration for the novel from a real event that occurred in August 1974 when her son's friend was struck and killed by lightning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supercouple</span> Popular or wealthy pairing

A supercouple or super couple is a popular and/or wealthy pairing that intrigues and fascinates the public in an intense or obsessive fashion. The term originated in the United States, and it was coined in the early 1980s when intense public interest in fictional soap opera couple Luke Spencer and Laura Webber, from General Hospital, made the pair a popular culture phenomenon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alice Hoffman</span> American novelist

Alice Hoffman is an American novelist and young-adult and children's writer, best known for her 1995 novel Practical Magic, which was adapted for a 1998 film of the same name. Many of her works fall into the genre of magic realism and contain elements of magic, irony, and non-standard romances and relationships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schmaltz</span> Rendered chicken or goose fat

Schmaltz is rendered (clarified) chicken or goose fat. It is an integral part of traditional Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine, where it has been used for centuries in a wide array of dishes, such as chicken soup, latkes, matzah brei, chopped liver, matzah balls, fried chicken, and many others, as a cooking fat, spread, or flavor enhancer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Schulman</span> American writer (born 1958)

Sarah Miriam Schulman is an American novelist, playwright, nonfiction writer, screenwriter, gay activist, and AIDS historian. She holds an endowed chair in nonfiction at Northwestern University and is a fellow of the New York Institute for the Humanities. She is a recipient of the Bill Whitehead Award and the Lambda Literary Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melissa Rosenberg</span> American screenwriter

Melissa Anne Rosenberg is an American television writer, television producer, and screenwriter. She has worked in both film and television and has won a Peabody Award. She has also been nominated for two Emmy Awards, and two Writers Guild of America Awards. Since joining the Writers Guild of America, she has been involved in its board of directors and was a strike captain during the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. She supports female screenwriters through the WGA Diversity Committee and co-founded the League of Hollywood Women Writers.

Christie Ridgway is an American romance author. Ridgway has written for many publishing houses, including Silhouette and Avon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Debbie Macomber</span> American writer

Debbie Macomber is an American author of romance novels and contemporary women's fiction. Six of her novels have become made-for-TV movies and her Cedar Cove series of novels was adapted into a television series of the same name. Macomber was the inaugural winner of the fan-voted Quill Award for romance in 2005 and has been awarded both a RITA Award and a lifetime achievement award by the Romance Writers of America.

Katherine Sutcliffe is a best-selling American author of romance novels. Many of her books are considered to be "dark" romances, examining issues traditionally not mentioned in the romance genre.

Carrie Weaver is an American author of contemporary romance novels.

<i>The Secret Magdalene</i> 2005 book by Ki Longfellow

The Secret Magdalene, American writer Ki Longfellow's third book, was published in 2005. The historical novel presents a different view of events chronicled in the New Testament, specifically the ministry of Jesus Christ and his relationship to Mary Magdalene. It is told entirely in the first-person voice of Mariamne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenny Han</span> American writer (born 1980)

Jenny Han is an An author, screenwriter, executive producer, and showrunner. She is best known for writing The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy, which she adapted into a TV series for Prime Video. She also wrote the To All the Boys trilogy which was adapted into a Netflix film series.

Linda Goodnight is an American author of inspirational romance, contemporary romance and women's fiction. In 2008, she received the Romance Writers of America RITA Award for Best Inspirational Romance for her novel A Touch of Grace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashley C. Ford</span> American writer

Ashley C. Ford is an American writer, podcaster and educator who discusses topics including race, sexuality, and body image. She is the author of the New York Times best-selling memoir, Somebody's Daughter. She has been the host of five podcasts and has written or guest-edited for publications including The Guardian, Elle, BuzzFeed, and New York. In 2017, Forbes named her one of their "30 Under 30 in Media". In 2022, Ford won the Indiana Authors Award for a debut novel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abigail Hing Wen</span> American writer, film producer, lawyer and speaker

Abigail Hing Wen is an American writer, film producer, lawyer and speaker. Her debut young adult novel, Loveboat, Taipei, was purchased in a multi-house auction by HarperCollins in a two-book deal, along with Loveboat Reunion. It debuted on the New York Times Bestseller List where it remained for multiple weeks and has been adapted for film by ACE Entertainment and released through Paramount+ as of August 10, 2023.

<i>Five Little Indians</i> (novel) 2020 novel by Michelle Good

Five Little Indians is the debut novel by Cree Canadian writer Michelle Good, published in 2020 by Harper Perennial. The novel focuses on five survivors of the Canadian Indian residential school system, struggling to rebuild their lives in Vancouver, British Columbia after the end of their time in the residential schools. It also explores the love and strength that can emerge after trauma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liebman's Deli</span> Kosher Jewish deli in Riverdale, in Riverdale, Bronx, New York

Liebman's Deli is a Jewish deli in Riverdale, New York and is the last-standing kosher deli in the Bronx. It was one of hundreds of kosher delis in the Bronx when it opened, but now is the sole representative of that cuisine in the borough. Liebman's was founded in 1953 by Joe Liebman and sold to Joseph Dekel in 1980. Yuval Dekel, his son, took over in 2002 when his father passed away. Dekel was previously a heavy metal drummer in a band, but now makes the pastrami and supervises the operation, along with his wife whom he met at the restaurant and now works there. The restaurant has opened a second location in Ardsley, New York. Liebman's is rated by Zagat and Michelin Guide. It was covered by Anthony Bourdain for Parts Unknown Liebman's is noted for their matzo ball soup and house-made pastrami, and Jewish delicacies such as stuffed derma, knishes, pickles, as well as kosher wine. It is frequented by Jewish New York Mets player Harrison Bader who grew up in nearby Bronxville, New York.

References

  1. "Jean Meltzer | Bookreporter.com". www.bookreporter.com. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  2. 1 2 "Jean Meltzer | Producer, Writer, Director". IMDb. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  3. 1 2 "Jean Meltzer Books". www.hachette.com.au. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  4. 1 2 Kroll, Justin (2022-02-03). "Sugar23 To Develop Jean Meltzer's 'The Matzah Ball' As Feature Film, Lance Bass Productions Producing". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  5. 1 2 "About Jean – JEAN MELTZER" . Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  6. 1 2 Macomber, Debbie (2021-09-23). "Jean Meltzer". Welcome Home. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  7. "JEAN MELTZER – Books With Ahava" . Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  8. Karpen, Elizabeth (2023-11-02). "Jewish romance writers break down their latest novels and why we need more Jewish stories". Unpacked. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Jean Meltzer - Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 2024-02-09.

Official website

Jean Meltzer at IMDb