I enjoyed this so much, I'm reposting this article by Jody J. Sperling on BookFox. I'd like to ask Sperling if this advice equally applies to young adult. If I get a response, I'll share it. Stories are only truly great when they confront the great fears. Bernard Malamud knew this. His character of Roy Hobbs, a naturally gifted baseball playe...
I am not very well versed in Jewish and Middle Eastern culture and politics. And while some of the historically impactful events the author refers to throughout this book were familiar to me, I'm relieved to say that my general lack of cultural awareness did not hinder my enjoyment of Passport Control in the least. In fact, it was quite easy ...
Wanted to share this quotation I read today from prose editor at Tahoma Literary Review, Yi Shun Lai. "Years ago, I decided to stop telling young creatives that they should find what they're passionate about. Now I tell them to hunt down what they're willing to work towards. (I stole this from someone on LinkedIn and can't remember who ...
Ellen MarcantanoSat, Mar 2, 4:00 AM (1 day ago)Hi Gila,I just wanted to share my fantastic news. The Dime Show Review wants to publish a flash piece I sent to them. There are no words to express my thanks to you because without you this would not be happening. I bow to you my writing Goddess!!You are an amazing teacher and mentor who gave me the co...
White Zion, my novel in stories, will be released mid-April by Cervena Barva Press. I started this collection a dozen years ago and it was almost published a handful of times. Finally, it has found its proper home. So excited! I plan to do a giveaway on Goodreads, so stay tuned for that. Grateful for early reviews: In a journey of generations from ...
In 2013, I published my first novel, King of the Class (KOTC). Three months later, I wrote a post titled, "What I Learned from Publishing my First Novel." It was a necessary integration of what I'd gleaned after three months of full-time, dedicated hard work—the kind of twenty-four-hour work after which you can't even think about the topic. I...
Today I'm excited to bring you an author interview with Jeff Gerstenfeld, a fellow writer in Israel writing in English. While I have not had the pleasure of meeting Jeff in person, I'm so pleased that he contacted me about his new book Downsized and Oversized. Often genre writers get sidelined and it's a great opportunity for me today to introduce...
If you haven't had a chance to read my interviews with these authors about their new works, this is a friendly reminder. I'm honored to be able to help spread the word about so much talent and creativity. If you have comments on my interviews or a question you'd like me to ask authors for future interviews, please comment below. Check out my...
I am excited to present this month's Jewish Book Carnival, a monthly event where those who cover Jewish books online "can meet, read, and comment on each others' posts." Organized by the Association of Jewish Libraries, the Carnival travels around and is hosted on a different participant's site on the 15th of each month. For me February ...
Thank you Debra Martens for hosting me and my dear friend and colleague, Anna Levine, on your site today. It was a pleasure. Working in silence, alone with your thoughts, writing can be a lonely business. But have you looked at the list of acknowledgements at the back of some books lately? They seem to be getting longer, as if a bo...
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...
My poem Late Night on the Phone is out on The Dime Show Review. Thank you again. Late Night on the Phone by Gila Green I so rarely have time to write poetry, so I'm thrilled this was accepted. https://www.dimeshowreview.com/late-night-on-the-phone-by-gila-green/
A new short story has been accepted to The Bookends Review. I have a podcast interview lined up there as well (in August), so stay tuned. I originally titled the story The Kike Caller then probably in the politically correct climate changed it to Summer Job. Now, I'm unsure. I might change it back to its original title which reson...
I was planning to break until the fall but, due to demand, I am offering two new classes in June: WRITING FICTION: SETTING AND DESCRIPTION START DATE: Wednesday, June 12, 2019 DURATION: 4 weeks COURSE DESCRIPTION: Great story has a memorable sense of place. In this four-week course you will discover why setting and description are the...
I'm thrilled to be hosted on Joanna Penn's The Creative Penn today. Thank you so much for having me on your site. Writing Tips: Writing Beyond The 5 Senses The most useful way to show what you want to say is to tap into the five senses: touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing and get into the 'why' behind each sense. In other words, you must ...
California's Dime Show Review! I'm thrilled to share that my poem, "Late Night on the Phone" was just accepted to Dime Show Review for online publication and they are considering it for their three times a year print run. Thank you to editor Kae Sable for accepting my poem.
In South Africa's Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, I discuss improving setting in your story.
Enjoy the view. Today's vlog was filmed at Chapman's Peak, a mountain on the western side of the Cape Peninsula, between Hout Bay and Noordhoek in Cape Town, South Africa.
How beautiful are these backgrounds? The cover photo is Cape Town's Table Mountain and this vlog was filmed at Chapman's Peak, overlooking Hout Bay, Cape Town, South Africa.
Symbolism is one of the most underused techniques when it comes to story setting. There's no better place to talk about setting than in Cape Town's beautiful Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden.
I've been publishing in literary magazines since 2005 and, I admit, I'm addicted. I've had four novels accepted for publication to small presses, an offer of a young adult series and yet I always have at least a handful of submissions out there, far beyond what's considered the usual expiry date for writers. I can't seem to stop, though that's craz...
Today's question is about adding some levity to your flash fiction. You don't want to write an extended joke. What's the difference?
Today's question: How do I know when to extend my flash into a short story?
He sighs and holds his glass up remembering things that happened years ago. I try to diminish myself in my chair, so he'll see his memories and share them instead of seeing me."I begged your father to run away to the kibbutz with me. So many young people were doing it then. There was no food in Jerusalem. But he was the oldest, and he wouldn't leav...
It was a pleasure to talk with Laura Parish, who hosts the fiction readers and writers blog, Novel Kicks. Thank you so much for having me. My first interview of 2019 and my first in the UK! Hi Gila, thank you for joining me today. Your novel is called Passport Control. Can you tell me about it and what inspired the story? Passport Control is a comi...
I'm so pleased to share Rebecca Klempner's review of Passport Control with you. Reviewed by Rebecca Klempner Gila Green's recent novel, Passport Control, is not light entertainment. But it's perfect for those readers interested in a suspenseful, well-written, and thought-provoking piece of literary fiction that may make them deeply uncom...
Register Now: Come as you are, with a fifth version of a piece you've been working on since your high school graduation or as a writer who has never heard of flash until you saw this advertisement and rushed to sign up. In the first part of this masterclass, we'll define flash fiction and take you all the way from idea to premise to micro fla...
White Zion is a novel in stories forthcoming from Cervena Barva Press (April 2019). The novel takes readers into the worlds of 19th century Yemen, pre-State Israel, modern Israel and modern Canada...
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Miriam Gil knows little about Israel. Her father won’t talk about his life there or the brother he left behind when he came to Canada. Hurt and angry when he tells her to move out to make room for his new girlfriend, she enrolls in an Israeli university. She falls in love with Guy...
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Eve and Manny are engaged in post-civil war Israel, but Manny has a secret: he’s falling in love with his religious roots and turning his back on moral relativism. As their wedding date approaches...
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