Margaret Panofsky

Author of Sci-Fi Fantasy Novels

Two genre-bending books

These genre-bending novels are by an author who loves pushing boundaries. One Amazon reviewer wrote this about The Last Shade Tree, “The only time travel family saga romance I ever read! And of course my favorite genre, a page turner.” Here’s a review about the unconventional Day of the Jumping Sun. “Honestly, this is a genre-bending blend of thought-provoking themes (some of which are extraordinarily dark), whimsical and compelling characters, and beautiful descriptive prose.... Just read it!

Day of the Jumping Sun, a recent book published in 2022, is a sequel to The Last Shade Tree of 2017 but may be enjoyed without the first book. The Last Shade Tree has mature themes as three unusual 20th-century families struggle to make their way in the world. Day of the Jumping Sun begins with the fires of WWIII and the post-apocalyptic dark ages, but is soon followed by the time-traveling families seeking brighter paths in a far distant future. What anchors the book to the here-and-now is its setting in a bizarre alternate world plagued by dire threats to its ecosystem and society but with rays of hope peeking through—not unlike the realities of our own fragile planet.

Meet the author, Margaret Panofsky

A maple tree’s green canopy is shot through with the sun’s nourishing rays. But wait: the maple is carved in stone. And what you thought was the sun just jumped out of the sky.

When Margaret Panofsky was little, maybe four years old, she liked to lie on her bed and gaze upward. She’d imagine she could tiptoe across the ceiling as if it were the floor. Then she would climb over the wall above—now below—the door and leave the room to explore her suddenly upside down world.

Fast-forward through more than half a lifetime. Margaret’s imagination for creating the fantastic is still intact although it has anchored itself right side up, at least in space. Many life experiences later, some good and others truly awful, she looks back to recall episodes, especially from her young days, that stand out as inspiration for her two novels, The Last Shade Tree and Day of the Jumping Sun.

In childhood, Margaret soaked up ancient Greek myths and epic adventures, entering a realm of glorious and inglorious extremes of mayhem, murder, and sexual exploits. In mythology, terra firma warps into something surreal, and the behavior of gods and heroes is marred by the same petty desires that ordinary humans have.

As a young teen, Margaret got severely bitten by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The play may well have determined her life’s work playing the viola da gamba, which she performed and taught professionally.  Eventually Shakespeare’s lines invaded her everyday thinking, and the magical lilt of iambic pentameter and the extraordinary lure of the words begged, Write, Margaret, write! 

Check out Margaret’s Musings Page

Phoenix, Margaret’s cat, gives his stamp of approval

Richard Panofsky: website design
Margaret Panofsky: website art
Source of original images, Pixabay