by Jodé Millman I try to keep up on publishing contract news even though I've reviewed eight contracts at length (no, I didn't sign them all and you probably shouldn't either). But all of my reviewing happened before Covid-19. It's important that writers focus on the business end of writing, not just on craft. Originally in this month's column, I h...

I want to tell you about this new Jewish tabletop roleplaying  (TTRPG) anthology that I was recently honored to join. My essay is part of the forward and was written to expand the work to include more Sephardi (in my case, Yemenite) voices. I was able to draw on both my Ashkenazi and Yemenite experience and I'm delighted to integrate my w...

 Today on gilagreenwrites, I'm delighted to welcome children's author Dr. Lea Kirshenberg. It's always a pleasure to meet writers and I hope these interviews inspire you and expand your definition of genres, languages, and other possibilities. For this author expanding her possibilities doesn't only mean considering another age group or g...

Why do you think this book is set in the future? What was the author trying to achieve by doing so? Do you think there are good and bad characters in this book? If so, is Eve good or bad? What about her husband Manny? Do you think Eve has a good relationship with her sister? What was your opinion of their relationship once Eve's son is kidnapped? S...

Book Club Discussion Questions for Passport Control  1. Why do you think the title of this book is Passport Control? Would you have chosen a different title? One publisher suggested the title of No Way Home. Do you think that title is preferable? 2. Would you say Passport Control is historical fiction? A coming of age story? An adventure story...

Book Club Discussion Questions for White Zion 1. Why do you think the author chose the title White Zion? What does it signify to you? Would you have chosen a different title? 2. Who is the hero/heroine of this novel-in-stories? What makes a hero or heroine? 3. Do you think the author chose the right format for this work? In other words, do you thin...

Book Club Guide for No Entry 1.What is the significance of the title No Entry? Would you have given the book a different title? If yes, what is your title? 2.Yael Amar finds herself in extraordinary circumstances in No Entry once she realizes the identity of the poachers. Do you empathize with her? Are any of her circumstances familiar to you? 3.Ho...

 I'm honored to take part in a birthday! Happy 15th birthday to Cervena Barva Press. To celebrate I'll be reading from my novel-in-stories White Zion and I won't be alone. My friend and colleague, poet and playwright Atar Hadari will be joining me from the UK. He'll be reading from his translation of Hanoch Levin's work. A treat! When? July 5&...

Authors will have to be very creative in future about book sales.  By: Sue Carter June 22nd, 2020  Just days before Indigo Books & Music releases its fourth-quarter financial results, CEO Heather Reisman told Bloomberg News in an interview that "the depths of the losses we are looking at are literally as seismic as this COVID event is...

Thank you so much to Christi Craig who hosted me on her Sunday Series. From her site: In this Sunday Series, you'll meet writers new and seasoned as they share what inspires them to put #PenToPaper. I have never attended a Canadian creative writing program, so I cannot say with certainty that my distance from Ottawa, my hometown, allows me to ...

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 I'm so pleased to host this month's Jewish Book Carnival. I find this graphic of Jewish book covers an ideal visual to accompany this must-review list of Jewish author interviews and news. Thank you Jewish Book World for putting it together! The Jewish Book Carnival is a monthly event where bloggers who blog about Jew...

One of the nicest things about participating in the Vancouver Jewish Book Festival (February 2020) was meeting other authors. One of the  authors I enjoyed meeting was Tommy Schnurmacher, a fellow Canadian and multi-talented author. Please welcome Tommy to gilagreenwrites! Tommy, thanks so much for joining me.  BIOTommy Schnurmacher is a ...

By Gila Green We live in a publishing world that not only craves categories; it demands them. These pigeonholes are like gasoline for the modern manuscript, which cannot even move through cyberspace to an agent's inbox without the fuel labeling supplies. For those who guide writers on query letters, one of our first lessons is to help authors defin...

 Fascinating article by Alison Flood of the Guardian. I've been wondering about the future of literature in light of Covid-19. There's a number of answers and approaches here, everything from stick to 2018 to jump to the future, but should you write one with or without a vaccine? This article explores various answers we are all struggling with...

  By Gila Green When I tell people I teach a virtual flash fiction course, I often get strange responses bordering on laughter. Isn't flash fiction just really short fiction? What's the point of taking a specific Flash class? No, flash is its own genre deserving of its own class and in my opinion, it's still underrated as a way to break into p...

 Prepare to Publish: the business of publication, a hands-on workshop for writers with complete or near-complete manuscripts ready for publication. Monday & Wednesday options starts last week of June Many authors invest all of their energy into their works and are so pre-occupied with writing and editing that by the time it comes to p...

AUTOFICTION WORKSHOP: Exploring Hybrid Writing by Gila Green START DATE: Sunday, July 5, 2020 END DATE: Sunday, August 16, 2020 DURATION: 6 weeks LOCATION: Zoom and email for assignments FEEDBACK: Instructor feedback and critique COURSE DESCRIPTION: What is autofiction? It's not memoir, fiction or personal essay, but might weave elements of tw...

I'm thrilled my young adult environmental novel No Entry was included in the 68 books posted on JewishBookWorld.org in April 2020.  

I have some great authors on the way to visit gilagreenwrites. Check back for interviews with more talented creatives including: Rajani LaRocca, popular children's author of award-winning books, memoirist Alia Volz, poet Susie Berg, debut author Shana Riter, YA author Liza Wiemer, and many more. I try to bring you a variety of author...

Fellow Authors: I was interviewed last night on Chat and Spin Radio via Skype and it was fun. These are short audio interviews (the Skype is just for you to see them, the audience cannot see you, so sorry, no full pajamas, but you can do pajama bottoms.) Chat and Spin are a nonprofit and they tell me their station has ...

by Gila Green I have never attended a Canadian creative writing program, so I cannot say with certainty that my distance from Ottawa, my hometown, allows me to mentally glide over to the 1980s version of the city, pecking at bits and inserting them into my fiction, squirreling away savory pieces for later use, because I don't know any other writing...

No Entry received a great recommendation and review from Australia's Voiceless: The animal protection Institute. It's an honor to be mentioned by such a relevant and crucial organization working tirelessly to save the planet.  No Entry by Gila Green  We adored the novel's setting as we're transported into a remote wildlife rescue centre i...

 I'll be chatting about my novels in two hours (10 pm. Israel time) on www.chatandspinradio.com Like their Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/chatandspin where you can win a £20 shopping voucher

by Melissa Klapper As a university history professor, I am often asked by my students how I first became interested in the study of the past.My answer is simple:reading.I was a voracious reader from a very young age and grew up in a home overflowing with books.And my very favorites, first as a child and then as a teenager, were books that brought h...

I had a lovely chat with small press publisher Christi Craig of Hidden Timber Books yesterday.  We talked a lot about the devastation of elephant poaching for all of us and why it was so important to me to get that message out there, how ironic it is that perhaps in today's Covid-19 world we can really understand how connected w...

Thanks to Chrissey Harrison for mentioning my suggestion to film an author read-aloud in her excellent post. Here she offers ten ways to promote your book and I have to agree with her number one suggestion, which is to write another book. Another book is your best marketing tool and you're a content creator after all. Check out the rest o...

By Gila Green The secret of getting ahead is getting started—Mark Twain Three deadlines coming up, dinner's not made, and you haven't even hit the grocery store yet? The short answer might be fast food or begging a colleague to take one of your assignments, but the long-term answer is to improve your efficiency. Here are eight tips to help you save...

This indirect or left-branching sentence builds tension and creates excitement because it slows down the pace of the story. by Gila Green Have you ever seen any of these comments in the margins of your work? Slow downUnevenLacks climaxFlat If you answered "yes," you should immediately browse through your writer's toolbox of literary devices for pac...