Author interview: Lea Kirshenberg

 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 genre but another language. For those of you who may not be familiar with  her work, which is in both English and Hebrew, Dr. Lea Kirshenberg is a teacher, lecturer, and writer. She has written many books on foreign/second language acquisition and three children's books. She specializes in languages and education. Lea Kirshenberg lives in Tel Aviv, Israel. She has three children and eight grandchildren.

GG: How does your work as an English language teacher influence your writing?

LK: My work as an English teacher has made me particularly aware of the need to pay special attention to the language I use in my books and the importance of focusing on relevant subjects geared to the age of my readers. I also try to include an educational message in each of my stories. Once a teacher, always a teacher...

GG: Why do you specifically write for this age group ?

LK: Ever since my first granddaughter started kindergarten, I fell in love with the 3-8 age group and I have been writing stories and testing them by reading them out to my grandchildren.

GG: Have you had a better reception to your English or Hebrew books? Why do you think this is?

LK: I have published 16 textbooks/workbooks for Junior High and High School and three children's books - one in English and two in Hebrew. My textbooks and my English children's book: Me too!!! are sold in Israel and my two Hebrew children's books are mainly sold in the States (Amazon) and I really do not know why.

GG: From where do you get your ideas for your books?

LK: I get most ideas for my books from my personal experience as teacher, mother and grandmother. I have ideas for many future books...

GG: Anything you wish to add such as future plans?

LK: I would like to enrich the series and have about ten books in which Puggy, a lovely little dog, tells his adventures. 

I am also working on two children's book: גם אני יכול!!! GG's translation of the titles: I Can Too

                                                                 גם אני נלחם בקורונה!!! I Fight Corona Too

Thank you so much, Lea for spending time at gilagreenwrites. There is so much here to inspire others as educators, writers, and for those who wish to reach across languages and cultures. For more about Lea, please see her website: www.english-books.co.il