Bio: Dr. Audrey Barbakoff is an author, librarian, and entrepreneur. She writes stories that celebrate Jewish humor and languages. The Schlemiel Kids Save the Moon, her debut picture book, has been called "an enjoyable, rollicking read" (Kirkus) and "a multicultural winner" (Foreword). When not writing for children, she runs a consulting and ...
To my surprise, chiseling my stories also made my prose pop. Last May 2023, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jennifer Lang for my website. Now, she's back with the next phase of her memoir writing to share with us. It seems like a lifetime ago, given all that has transpired since then, and I still haven't resumed my regular author interview...
Welcome to my ongoing author interview series! Today, I'm excited to feature Ann Koffsky, a talented children's author and illustrator whose work has captured the imaginations of young readers. Ann creates books that not only entertain but also inspire and educate. In this interview, we'll explore Ann's creative process, le...
When we clear out the physical and mental clutter in our lives, we create the room needed to bring in new and more desired things, people, and experiences. Gayle is the Chief Executive Organizer of Let's Get Organized, LLC, in Northern New Jersey. She is a Certified Professional Organizer in Chronic Disorganization, Certified Virtual Organizing Pro...
For me, having to show up with work is the most important part... participating in weekly workshops means that even when life intervenes, I produce something. I'm delighted today to welcome author Nancy Ludmerer to my site. Nancy shares insightful information about her new novel Sarra Copia: A Locked-In Life. On a personal note, tha...
Today on gilagreenwrites, I'm deilghted to host author Deborah Kalb. I'm excited to share Deborah's new novel with you as she plunges forward into the world of adult books. I hope you enjoy this thoughtful conversation that explores Deborah's writing process and some behind-the-scenes thoughts regarding her new novel Off to Joi...
Whenever I write, I choose subjects that I hope will make an impact. If any of my books mean something to even one young reader I feel like I'll have done my job! Bio Erin Silver's children's books include: Just Watch Me (Krystal Kite Award nominee), What Kids Did: Stories of Kindness and Invention in the Time of COVID-19 (Hackmatack Awa...
I don't think we're in danger of the world ending. On the other hand, the world as we know it is most definitely in critical condition. Yoni Hammer-Kossoy is a poet, translator, and educator. Winner of the 2020 Andrea Moriah Prize in Poetry, his writing appears in numerous international journals and anthologies. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, ...
It is very hard to find the right thing to say when someone is going through a difficult time. The best thing I've ever said was nothing at all. Diana Rachel Bletter is the author of the National Jewish Book Award Finalist, The Invisible Thread: A Portrait of Jewish American Women (Jewish Publication Society), A Remarkable Kindness (Harpe...
I wholly disagree that memoir is trashy, primitive or low-rent. It's tough. It's human. It's revelatory. When done well, it's the full-body shivers or deep-buried sigh or unbidden tears. I love interviewing authors and I particularly like hearing from my colleagues here in Israel writing in English as we share so many commonalities. I'm happy ...
Jennifer Rosner is the author of the novels Once We Were Home and The Yellow Bird Sings, a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award; the memoir If A Tree Falls: A Family's Quest to Hear and Be Heard, about raising her deaf daughters in a hearing, speaking world; and a children's book, The Mitten String, which is a Sydney Taylor Book Award ...
Bio Tara Ison is the author of the novels The List (Scribner), A Child out of Alcatraz (Faber & Faber; a Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and Rockaway (Counterpoint/Soft Skull Press; featured as one of the "Best Books of Summer" in O, The Oprah Magazine). Her essay collection, Reeling Through Life: How I Learned to Live, Love, and...
There's something universal about the desire for change in general, and the urge to become the person you would like to be, not simply the person you were born as. I was delighted when Angela Himself contacted me and would like to extend a warm welcome to her today on gilagreenwrites. She speaks so to the point about the struggles many writers have...
"The series was created because I wanted to do something to counter all the negative publicity Israel tends to get. I wanted to have a main character who simply had a love of the country." by Stephen J. Gordon I am thrilled to welcome author Stephen J. Gordon to gilagreenwrites. Today he will be talking about his mystery-thrill...
"I would encourage a Jewish young person to express their Jewish identity in any way that feels comfortable to them." Bio Jacqueline Jules is the author of over fifty books for young readers including the Zapato Power series, the Sofia Martinez series, The Porridge-Pot Goblin, My Name is Hamburger, Never Say a Mean Word Again, and Tag Your Dreams: ...
Not long ago, I received a beautifully illustrated book in the mail titled A Visit to Moscow, written by Anna Olswanger. The graphic novel takes place in the 1960s and is inspired by a rabbi who traveled to the Soviet Union as part of a rabbinical delegation to visit Jewish victims of government-sponsored anti-Semitism. I approached Anna for a...
Today on gilagreenwrites, I'm excited to welcome Sally Constain, author of The Keys to Fanny. In addition to writing, we both teach English as a Foreign langauge, so it's always nice to meet others from around the world with the same occupations and learn from their experiences. Plus, she says she was very close to her grandmother and mine is still...
Today on gilagreenwrites, I wish to welcome debut author Eileen Brill. Brill's just released novel has a fascinating origin, an actual letter in the wall that she found in her own home. So many times I have been inspired to write a story about real life events that never came to fruition, so cheers to Eileen who followed up on an amazing inspiratio...
Fiction can be full of ideas and can tackle important issues, but I now understand that it's usually not interesting when the writer has predetermined the points he or she wants to impart. by Avner Landes I'm excited to have author Avner Landes visit gilagreenwrites today. Way back (in another life), I met Avner at Bar Ilan University while I was s...
I love featuring authors monthly and learning from every one of them. I particularly enjoy featuring fellow authors in Israel who write in English. I'm so pleased to say I've met Leah Scheier in person. Yes, I've had the honor and hope to do so again. Leah's novel THE LAST WORDS WE SAID was just awarded the Sydney Taylor Honor...
BIO: Meryl Ain is a writer, author, and career educator. The Takeaway Men, her award-winning Post-Holocaust debut novel, was published in 2020. In 2021, she founded the Facebook group, Jews Love To Read! Her new podcast, People Of the Book, airs on Authors on the Air Global Radio Network beginning in February. A member of The International Advisory...
I'm very happy to introduce you to author Jonathan Hale Rosen. Jonathan's new work "The Museum of an Extinct Race" is a dystopian glimpse into a world in which Judaism has been eliminated. Please welcome, Jonathan Hale Rosen to gilagreenwrites. For more about the author Bio Jonathan Rosen is a Family Physician who has w...
"I wondered, does that mean G-d has stopped talking to people? Are we on our own?" by Evonne Marzouk I'm very excited to have Evonne Marzouk visit gilagreenwrites today. She shares some deep insights into the two decades it took her to write her YA novel The Prophetess and the world she invented with "everyday" prophets. Please welcome Evonne Marzo...
I'm so excited to have Nancy Churnin visit gilagreenwrites. Her new children's book is an absolute delight to read! After all of these years with Charles Dickens, this book explores a refreshing, new (well, new to me), Jewish angle that is so well done. Nancy doesn't hit the reader over the head with a hammer, yet gets her message across about "spe...
At the times when you're feeling dispirited or disillusioned with the process – when you're bogged down in editing, or querying and getting nowhere – holding onto the reason you created the story you chose to can really help you to keep going and hold onto what matters to you. by Author Kit Mallory One of the nicest things about receiving invitatio...
People who suffer from mental illness are individuals, they are not the illness. by Author Florence Kraut Today Florence Kraut visits gilagreenwrites. I just finished writing my seventh novel titled "A Good Eye," which explores narcisstic personality disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (specifically as suffered by veterans). As such, I was ...
"I briefly considered writing my story as a memoir, but I just couldn't do it, it was too painful, so I chose to go the fictional route." by Author Christina Hoag I recently participated in a panel titled "How True Events Inspire Crime Fiction." Thank you UK-based author Madeline Dyer for inviting me to participate for the second ye...
Today on gilagreenwrites, I'm so pleased to share my interview with author Lori Banov Kaufmann. Lori is a fellow writer living in Israel, writing in English, so I was immediately drawn to her work and that was before I knew it took place in my favorite city: Jerusalem. As someone with deep roots in the Holy City, I am fascinated by this book, which...
Ann Bausum is an award-winning author of 16 works of nonfiction for children, teens, and adults. Her books often explore under-told stories and examine social justice history, but she's also written twice about a famous dog! Earlier this year National Geographic published her latest book for middle graders and up: Ensnared in the Wolf's Lair—Inside...
"My main issue was to stay true to historical events and personalities." by Barbara Krasner Barbara Krasner is one of those authors I've met online who I would love to meet in person. We share so many of the same interests, particularly history and a fascination with the 1930s and 1940s. While Barbara approaches this time period from a differ...
Please welcome author Barbara Stark-Nemon to gilagreenwrites. Barbara Stark-Nemon bio from her site An undergraduate degree in English literature and Art History and a Masters in Speech-language Pathology from the University of Michigan led Barbara to a teaching and clinical career. She's come to appreciate the way different languag...
BIO Sharon Kirsch is most recently the author of The Smallest Objective, released by New Star Books, Vancouver. Her earlier book, What Species of Creatures, was an imaginative telling of first encounters between early settlers to North America and unfamiliar "beasts." Reviewers described the title as "remarkable" and "unsettling." The Smallest Obje...
I like complex, flawed and vulnerable characters who struggle with moral questions and try to navigate the world with a sense of purpose, and most importantly, a sense of humor. by Author Ann Lambert I'm so pleased to welcome author Ann Lambert to gilagreenwrites. Wonderful to have a fellow Canadian here with me and I'm sure many of you will be int...
When meeting a Jewish Iranian, an important question needs to be: What city did you come from? Each city has a story of its own—leaving a unique imprint on generations to follow. by Esther Amini Recently I was interviewed by Drora Arussy as part of her New Works Wednesday Series on behalf of the American Sephardi Association and Institute of J...
Today, I'm so pleased to welcome fellow Canadian Karen Schauber to gilagreenwrites. If I would have known Karen one year ago, I would definitely have met up with her last year in Vancouver to talk flash fiction, something I taught online for a decade. As it turns out, I met her virtually only after my trip to participate in&nbs...
Back in March 2020, I had the privilege of participating in an SCBWI webinar with amazing authors Rajani LaRocca and Erica S. Perl. Naturally, I could not let such an opportunity go to waste and immediately invited both Erica and Rajani to gilagreenwrites. Both readily agreed and generously shared their time, but Rajani h...
The February 2020 Vancouver Jewish Book Festival seems like it took place in another world. In a way, it did. Still, I flew from Israel to Germany to Vancouver and then back to Tel Aviv via Toronto as hard as that is to imagine today. On the way I met so many creatives, authors, and many readers at a variety of book talks. I d...
Thank you so much to Melissa Schack for interviewing me in the recent edition of Quail Bell Magazine. MS: How have the Australian wildfires affected your work? GG: First, thanks so much for having me on your forum. I am delighted to have the opportunity and appreciate your time. The Australian fires burned my publisher to the groun...
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...
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 ...
"There wasn't ever a time that I didn't want a career in showbusiness. I spent years wearing blinders, forbidding myself from thinking outside of the box." I'm excited to share with you my interview with Dani Alpert, an author and Pilates enthusiast, who is new to me and who I've only met virtually. I'm so pleased she reached out to share her ...
I'm happy to share my newest author interview with you today. If you can believe it, Mel Rosenberg is originally from my hometown of Ottawa and I met him only this year but that's not the amazing part. It turns out that Mel's mother was my kindergarten teacher way back in the Old Days. How is that for small world? Indeed, one of my earliest me...
Thanks so much to Christina Hamlett for hosting me on her site. I virtually met Christina back in 2014 when I was looking for a new novel to write and decided to take her online course as a source of inspiration. The result was my novel A Prayer Apart (as yet unpublished, but working on it). I'm so happy to reconnect with her this week and to spend...
So excited to be featured on The Drum. bit.ly/safeso2 https://www.drumlitmag.com/https://www.drumlitmag.com/sounds/f/Issue_77-dot-_Spring_2020/#entry1101
​I recently joined SCBWI and one of the many benefits is meeting children's writers from near and far. I was delighted to do a webinar with two amazing children's writers Erica S. Perl and Rajani LaRocca (coming soon) in February 2020 and, of course, I took this wonderful opportunity to invite both of them to be guests on gilagreenwrites. Welcome E...
Nadia Jacobson is a writer, editor, and writing instructor who has been with me from the very beginning of my writing journey, so I'm more than delighted to share this interview with her today. I've been honored to occasionally take part in Writespace Jerusalem both as an instructor and as a participant and I encourage others who have the oppo...
One of the perks of participating in February 2020's Vancouver Jewish Book Festival was meeting other authors from all over the world. One of the creatives I was privileged to meet (but not for long enough!) was South African award-winning writer and artist Terry Kurgan. I'm honored to welcome her to gilagreenwrites. Welcome Terry! BIO: T...
Magnifying emotions Gila Green will talk about her two latest books at the Jewish Book Festival on Feb. 9. (photo from JCC Jewish Book Festival) From the first page, White Zion reads like a memoir. Through 16 short stories, we get to know Miriam and her family, from her great-grandparents to her own children, as well as the places they are from, in...
I'm delighted to have Janice Weizman on my site. Not only is she a colleague here in Israel, but a fellow Canadian and someone whose work I admire. Recently, I was honored when Janice included a review of my new novel in stories White Zion in her book review site (more on that below). A warm welcome, Janice! Bio Janice Weizman is the author of...
Jera's Jamboree is a fun online place to visit with a plethora of information put out by Shaz, the owner of Jera's Jamboree. Shaz describes her site as "a mix of posts with the focus on helping you to unwind – time out from the pressures of everyday life." There's an original combination of posts about everything from crochet to gen...
Thanks to the wonders of the Internet, I very recently 'met' the Canadian author, Gila Green, who is based in Israel. Since then, I've got to know her a little better, as she kindly agreed to be interviewed. To date, Gila has written four novels, and her work has been shortlisted for many awards, which is no surprise. Her books focus on everyday pe...
It's always fun to be interviewed by a fellow author. Please enjoy my interview with author Rick Hodges, a Stormbird Press, colleague. Check out my interview with Rick for details about his new release To Follow Elephants. RH: Please tell us how you came to write No Entry.GG: I wrote four Israel-based novels. They have a lot of variatio...
Today, I have a special guest, Rick Hodges. Rick is a fellow Stormbird Press author, who is not only a colleague but someone with a deep respect for elephants. He's so enamored with elephants that he's written a new novel about them. (Remind you of another writer?) Anyone who has enjoyed my young adult novel No Entry, must...
I'm so excited to have award-winning writer Dan Sofer on gilagreenwrites. Dan is a fellow English-speaking writer in Israel. He's published a trilogy, so I was particularly keen to interview him as I just finished my first sequel and I find the idea of part three daunting. Not only that, but he has a remarkable sense of humor that shines in his wri...
I'm delighted to be a guest on Tony Riches' writing blog: The Writing Desk. The Writing Desk "aims to create insightful, relevant content to encourage new writers and support authors with book launches, reviews, guest posts and useful links." Author Tony Riches was born in West Wales and spent part of his childhood in Kenya. Before writing historic...
I'm so excited to have Julie Gray on gilagreenwrites today. For a change, I've actually met Julie the old-fashioned way-- in person. It was delightful to meet up in Tel Aviv and Julie gave me a boost of energy that day which I hope to repeat. She's a tremendous resources for writers here in Israel (and abroad) and now she's working on a few ne...
Thank you so much, Natasha Murray for hosting me on your blog. It was a thoroughly enjoyable interview. Welcome Gila to my blog, please let everyone know about your writing journey. 1. What made you want to write a book? It's a wonderful idea to think there's even the possibility that I might write something another person will connect to. We all n...
Jennifer Lang is one of those writers who combines writing with another passion of mine: exercise. True, I lean more to Pilates than Yoga (yogalates anyone?) but at any rate, we both have the mind/body connection up front and center and I'm so pleased to finally have her on the site. I am also, as always, keen to introduce more people to write...
I'm happy to share my interview with Rachel Barenbaum with all of you. I had the privilege of attending one of her author readings while she is spending the year in Israel and it was well worth it. It was a pleasure to speak to her in person and even more fun to have her on the site. I hope to catch her again before she returns to the U.S. Rachel, ...
I'm thrilled to share my interview with Annette Gendler today. I had the privilege of meeting Annette and sharing an author evening with her in Jerusalem. I had a great time and hope to see Annette back in Israel for more events. Moreover, I had the opportunity to purchase Annette's intimate memoir: Jumping over Shadows in which the auth...
I've known Kathryn virtually for years and was thrilled when she asked to interview me for her author site. I hope you enjoy the interview. Busy author Gila Green has written several fiction books, traveled the world, and teaches courses for WOW-Women On Writing. She grew up in Ottawa, Canada, then moved to Israel for a year where she met her...
Have you ever met someone virtually and thought, I would love to meet this person in real life?That's my experience with Miryam Sivan. It might be because she also grew up in North America with Israeli parents and growing up for me that was an extremely small club (me and my brother). In my day Israelis who left the country were looked upon differe...
​I am absolutely thrilled to have Norene Gilletz on my blog today. Norene's motto is "Food that's good for you should taste good!" Her first cookbook Second Helpings, Please! is a true classic. I received it for my wedding and it still has a prominent place on my kitchen shelf all these years later. It's a pleasure to interview her on the occasion ...
I get excited about author interviews and I never imagined when I began chatting with other authors how much I would enjoy it (shout-out to you authors, yes, I love hearing from you). This month I interview Tara Lynn Masih and it turns out we are both being published by Cervena Barva Press, something I did not know when we first connected and...
I'm always excited to share author Q&A articles with you and I'm particularly interested in letting you know more about fellow Canadian, Jewish writers. I heard about Sharon from a mutual friend from Toronto and, as often happens, she suddenly appeared on my Linked-In and we connected right away. Sharon Hart-Green is a Canadian writer and acade...
I'm so excited to have Yael Shahar with me on my blog. I love introducing people to new fellow authors who live in Israel. We've met in cyberspace a few times but I find an interview is really a great way to connect with a writer and her work and this work I find particularly intriguing. Please welcome Yael Shahar. Bio Yael Shahar was born in ...
I'm thrilled to have one of the most influential editors on my work here today on my blog. I met Mark as a student at Bar Ilan University fourteen years ago and I've been lucky enough to continue to learn from him. He is a constant support. Mark Jay Mirsky is professor of English at the City College of New York, a former director of its ...
I'm always excited to share author Q&A articles with you. I'm thrilled to have another Israel-based writer joining me on my blog. I virtually met Diana after I published my first novel King of the Class and I've been following her blossoming publishing career ever since. I still hope to make it up North to meet Diana in person or to catch...
I'm always excited to share author Q&A articles with you. This time stands out because I rarely meet a Jewish writer from my hometown, Ottawa, but I found Brandon on Linked-In in 2013 when my first novel King of the Class was published and we connected quickly over shared writing interests. I'm excited about Brandon's Jewish history reference b...
I am always excited to share author Q&As with you. This time is even more of a pleasure because I took a play-writing class with Atar Hadari 11 years ago and before that I attended some of his classes at Bar Ilan University. So, we go way back. Moreover, Atar has generously honored me with two of his poems for two of my own novels. I'm always thrilled when Jewish writers can collaborate and together extend their own works. We connected over our love of writing but also over some of our shared background. Atar is a tenth generation Israeli and my family, too, came to Palestine in the 1880s. I've lived in Israel for 20+ years but have not met many people who share this dual background with me. I'd love to meet more if you're out there! I'm excited about Atar's new book "Lives of the Dead: Collected poems...
I am so pleased to introduce my third summer guest, Renee Howard Cassese. Renee has been a participant in two of my virtual classes over the last couple of years. It is a privilege that many of my class participants continue to fill me in on their writing lives. Thanks for the update, Renee and congratulations on your move to self-publishing, which I've asked Renee to discuss in today's post. You can take a look at her self-published paperback I am my Mother's Only Poem: http://www.amazon.com/Am-My-Mothers-Only-Poem/dp/1494962535/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402002896&sr=8-1&keywords=i+am+my+mother%27s+only+poemTo self-publish or not to self-publish, that was the question. Though I rejected the idea of self-publishing because I thought it would brand me as an incompetent writer and unattractive to agents and traditional publishers, over the years I gently but surely changed my mind. When it comes to novels I still believe traditional is the way to go, but I am considering looking for small presses...
Continuing my summer series of author guest posts, this week I'm featuring Diana Bletter.We've met virtually and I'm looking forward to one day meeting in person. Thanks for visiting, Diana.What? Huh? You’re 57 and you’re only publishing your first novel now?It’s not as if I didn’t try. I’ve wanted to be a published writer ever since the poem I wrote about Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination was printed in a newspaper. I was eleven. I loved seeing my name in print. I loved the way my parents showed my poem to total strangers. But most importantly—and I realize this more and more—I loved the actual writing of it. The way I could make words dance the Salsa right over the page. I loved the timing, the rhyming. I was so proud of the poem's last lines: “Can we help with the things he lived for: peace and non-violence? If we don’t, there...
