That's the beauty of historical fiction. You can do that. You can take a real person you admire, and have them cross paths with your imaginary people. My family immigrated to America from the Soviet Union in 1977. I was seven years old. I spoke no English. (OK, that's not true. I knew the words "apple" and "the." How do you translate the word "the?...
Writing is an adventure. It takes numerous twists and turns and alternate routes. It has its frustrations, but ultimately can lead to triumph no matter how long it takes to finish. --Jordan Steven Sher Bio Jordan Steven Sher is the author of four books, three of which focus on Bosnia. His previous two books are a non-fiction and an historical ficti...
"Today if you ask me what kind of Jew I am, I say Iraqi Jewish, because I want the world to know that there are Middle Eastern Jews." BIO Sarah is an Australian born, Iraqi Jewish writer, poet, and educator. She is the author of the award winning picture book, Shoham's Bangle and This is Not a Cholent. Her poetry micro chapbook, This is Why We Don'...
We are not a monolithic group, and our experiences have varied depending on time and place. Welcome to My Third Post in the Mizrachi Heritage Month Series Today, we have the privilege of hearing from the talented author Esther Amini. This marks our third post in the series, but it's our second visit to Iran, a country rich in history, c...
There is a world of exciting Sephardic-themed literature out there that I invite you to explore and perhaps contribute to yourselves. This my first in a guest post blog series honoring Mizrachi Heritage Month. Welcome, Sarah Aroeste! A guest blog post by author Sarah Aroeste The Jewish experience cannot be boiled down to Seinfeld, matzoh...
By Elaine Franklin Whenever I pick up a book, I feel a sense of happy anticipation. It's the same sense of excitement I feel when the lights go down at a play, or the movie is just about to start. I know I'm in for an adventure of some kind, and no matter what genre it is, I know I'll be going on an emotional journey. I'll meet new people, find out...
Sally Wiener Grotta (she/her) is an award-winning writer, photographer and speaker whose numerous books include: Of Being Women, a collection of feminist science fiction stories (NobleFusion Press, 2023) and Daughters of Eve, a collection of essays that mines the tales of biblical Matriarchs to explore modern lives and concerns (Bayit Publishing, 2...
It seems to me to be the primary business of living: learning, growing, gaining in understanding, broadening the scope of our minds till we can recognize how intrinsically connected we all really are. Like a lot of people, I grew up in a religious home. By that I don't mean in a family that simply went to church on a regular basis. Being rais...
When an agent or editor says: "Does this really need to rhyme?" it doesn't mean "I hate rhyme and will never represent it or buy anything that rhymes." In most cases, what they're really saying is: "Your rhyming skills still need some work." Debunking the Myth That "Editors and Agents Don't Like Rhyme" By Rebecca Gardyn Levington There's a misconce...
Which values stand out to you in your own writing that will preserve your legacy? Every year at our Passover Seders, we tell the story of our people, over and over each year, with the intention to pass along our values to the next generations. I do wonder, though, how many authors and illustrators who create today's children's stories r...
I am excited and honored to have Meryl Ain back on gilagreenwrites. This time, she's here to talk about what it's like to launch her second novel, a topic I know many writers and readers want to learn more about. Missed my interview with Meryl Ain about her first novel? "One of the unexpected blessings of the pandemic has been finding a robus...
In the way nothing happens for a reason, you can learn, grow and exploit what does happen. TWO NOVELS OF ISRAEL AND SYRIA by Howard Kaplan When I was a fledgling writer, I watched a Ken Follett television interview about his novel of the Soviet war in Afghanistan. Though the locales were remarkably detailed, he explained that he h...
Finding Your Freedom: Getting Past the Resistance That's Holding You Back "I was afraid. I was letting the resistance get to me. And by doing so, I was holding back on sharing my gifts with the world." "Wow, another one?" It's often said in one third admiration, one third disbelief, and one third - "Maybe slow down a bit." No, they're not talking a...
"Encouraging the publication of more Jewish board books by spreading the word of new Jewish board books is one of the best gifts you can give our kids." Bio Nancy Churnin is the award-winning author of multiple children's books including the National Jewish Book Award, Sydney Taylor Honor winner and Junior Library Guild selection Dear Mr. Dickens. ...
"Within a couple of days he had produced an exquisite black and white storyboard that he had photographed himself and had arranged a meeting with his contacts at Hogarth Worldwide - London's premier post-production house." Author Bio Back in the distant mists of time, Alex spent three years at art college in Maidstone; a college that David Ho...
"Something I discovered early on in the novel writing process is that all I needed to do was tell the story, describe the settings and the characters, and let the symbolism emerge on its own." Although I earned an MFA in Creative Writing thirty years ago and wrote a novel as my thesis -- a novel I never tried to publish, as it felt like more of a l...
I love guest posts, and this one particularly resonated with me. I like to think I'm not alone in beating myself up when my writing routine falls apart or in worrying when I struggle to write. I'm thrilled to have Rabbi Amy Grossblatt Pessah visit gilagreenwrites and offer some deep and meaningful reflections on the practice and art of writing. Wel...
There is an urgent need for books with religiously diverse characters who don't stand out because of their religion or beliefs. by Author Marcia Berneger I want to welcome Marcia Berneger to gilagreenwrites. I'm so happy to have her here to share her thoughts on a topic on the minds of many readers and writers: diversity in children's books. ...
Author Eliezer Shore visits gilagreenwrites today. He offers advice to writers about "the creation of vibrant images" in the minds of their readers. Welcome to gilagreenwrites! BIO: Eliezer Shore is a Jerusalem-based writer, teacher and storyteller. His articles and stories have appeared in publications and anthologies worldwide. His most...
Ronni Robinson joins gilagreenwrites today with an important post about the pandemic and overeating. I'm sure many of you will find the information valuable and please forward to anyone you think might be benefit from reading it. Bio: Ronni is a Sandwich Generation member; she's the tired lunch meat layered between two kids in college and agi...
The Poetic Justice of Grief "You're already writing about your mother?" "It took me years to be able to write about my father." "Don't you need time to grieve?" "Wasn't it incredibly difficult to write about your parents so soon after they died?" These are the kinds of comments I received from people who couldn't believe I picked up my pen im...
Please welcome author Dr. Suzie Lowinger to gilagreenwrites. I'm delighted to have a former class participant as part of my site and I'm always happy to promote more English-speaking writers in Israel. Suzie shares her insights into character and character development and how our own creations can not only surprise us, but have something to teach u...
I'm so thrilled to have author Liza Wiemer visit at gilagreenwrites. With all of the difficulties of the current pandemic, it has given me the opportunity to meet so many wonderful writers from all over the world as more people reach out than ever before. Today Liza shares a valuable tip for writers at any stage of manuscript develop...
by Susie Berg It is both a blessing and a curse of being a writer that most of us are also readers. The blessing is pretty clear: books! Covid lockdown? Bring on the "to be read" pile. Put every book I ever wanted to read on hold as an e-book at the library. Buy books to support independent booksellers and authors whose voices shout with both anger...
Please welcome author Meryl Ain to gilagreenwrites. Today Meryl discusses the title of her new novel and the layers of meaning she continues to discover behind it. By Meryl Ain One of the most frequently recurring questions I'm asked about my debut novel is: "What is the meaning of the title, The Takeaway Men, and why did you choose it?" No, ...
I'm delighted today to share with you a guest blog post from Montreal paranormal author Philip Mann who discusses what we choose to write about and Jewish genre fiction. Welcome Philip Mann to gilagreenwrites! One of the main features writers have in common is fear. Fear of expressing ourselves in public, fear of not doing it right, and especi...
Today's guest post is from author Shana Ritter. I'm honored to have her visit me here on gilagreenwrites. Today Shana shares her thoughts on writing during Covid-19. I'm sure so many of us can relate to her words. Welcome, Shana Ritter! One window in my study faces south towards a wide stretch of yard disappearing into trees, the other looks ...
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'm a Backstory Rebel by Miriam Drori In one scene of my latest novel, Cultivating a Fuji, the main character, Martin, has to get himself an emergency passport. Martin, despite being intelligent, has no social skills and doesn't know how to stand up for himself. The scene shows the interaction between him and the woman who has to serve him at the p...
A decade ago, I won a partial scholarship to a writing program in Montreal at Concordia University. There I took writing courses with Mary Gaitskill and Jonah Winter and I met some wonderful writers. One of them was Rachel Biale and we've kept in touch on and off ever since. I'm delighted to host her on gilagreenwrites today and I want to...
