​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 was excited to read this email from author Miryam Sivan. I've never met her but hopefully one day I will have the opportunity to meet her and thank her in person for this lovely message.  "I read Passport Control and thoroughly enjoyed it!  Miriam's story was very moving. Her pain and needs were palpable and often heart breaking. I love...

GUEST POST

I'm excited to share a guest post by fellow author living in Israel/writing in English, Miryam Sivan. Today she shares her instructive experience on what is a struggle for many writers: how to choose the ideal point of view for your novel. Stay tuned for an interview with Miryam this summer.  The Many Shades of Point of View  My recently ...

I'm thrilled to tell you that a Flash story I workshopped with you last winter is a Finalist for a WOW contest! (The story was "Shared Calendars", about a trapeze student).I'm so appreciative of your guidance, and look forward to another class - I'm a Flash addict now. I hope all is well with you. Thank you again, and I look forward to working with...

I'm so excited to share that White Zion is coming out in May with Cervena Barva Press, USA. This novel-in-stories takes readers into the worlds of 19th century Yemen, pre-State Israel, modern Israel and modern Canada. You will hear the voices of a young boy marveling at Israel's first air force on his own roof, the cry of a newly married woman help...

I'm thrilled to tell you that my first young adult, environmental fiction novel No Entry is available for pre order.   You can also request a review copy. Broken-hearted after losing her brother in a terrorist attack, 17-year-old Yael Amar seeks solace on an elephant conservation program in South Africa's Kruger National Park. Catapu...

I was thrilled to spend half an hour with author Janet Groom. You can listen to it on ITunes or watch it on YouTube.  We discuss writing fiction and why I think we have to get away from characterizing fiction as either plot driven or character driven. Thank you so much for having me on your show, Janet. Stay tuned for a review of Janet's novel...

Marry Me

 I'm delighted to announce my daughter's engagement. Welcome to the family! May you be blessed until 120!

 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 April&nb...

Jerusalem April Night

I love it when I'm surfing and find something unexpected. Just found this review of Passport Control on Amazon Canada posted on behalf of Tommy Dewar (unfortunately, reviews put on Amazon USA and Amazon Canada are separate). I've never met Tommy but thank you so much and I hope you enjoy White Zion coming out April 25. 5.0 out of 5 stars Great...

Jerusalem shuk Mahaneh Yehudah

Just had a fantastic WiSh (Wisdom Share) with Bev Joy Ehrlich and shared a tip to help you create your next dream. Can't wait for this to air! I'll post the details to the WiSh as soon as it goes live. Meantime don't you love this photo from the Jerusalem Mahane Yehudah Market? Took it last night. 

How to Write a Press Release: Guest Post

This is a repost by fellow Stormbird Press author Rick Hodges. I enjoyed it so much I'm sharing it with you. You can read more about Rick on his site and check out his new book To Follow Elephants. I'm delighted that we are both writing about elephants and older teens traveling to Africa.  I am thrilled to be publishing my first young adu...

Contests With Deadlines in April April 7 (contest runs on Australian time, so deadline may be considerably earlier than midnight depending on your timezone) Up to 500 words based on prompt (released April 5). Prize: 500AUD https://www.writerscentre.com.au/furious-fiction/ April 10: Up to 2,500 words on topic "Identity." Prizes: £10,000, £3,000, £2,...

April Jewish Carnival coming soon

Check back on April 15th! Looking forward to sharing more Jewish creativity with you soon. 

Thank you Brian Henry

Thank you to Brian Henry for re-posting my article originally published on Mark Mirsky's Fiction Magazine website which I titled "My Ironic Story" and Brian re-titled "Sensitivity Readings." I've followed Brian's site Quick Brown Fox for years and I am always grateful for Brian's support of my work. I recommend his site, pa...

My Real Name is Hanna

 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 am honored to host the next April Jewish Book Carnival right here, so check back April 15 for all new links. Also, this week my podcast on Janet Groom just in time for the Purim holiday this Wednesday. I'll post that, too.

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 ...

Not a new one but a very good one.  

 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...

This month's Jewish Book Carnival

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 ...

Canadian Writers Abroad

 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...

Author of Come Back for me

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...