Revital Shiri-Horowitz's Blog, page 5
October 6, 2011
September 21, 2011
September 2, 2011
Life in Israel, summer of 2011
It has being a month in the holy Land; it has being a very long and exhausting month. When we got here our house was supposed to be ready, our kids were supposed to know which school they are going to go to on September first, but instead we found out that the house was far from being ready, and schools were still a mystery.
Life is Israel is not easy. We had bombing in the south, and also shooting in the border between Egypt and Israel. 8 people were killed, while driving to vacation in Eilat. The bombing came from Gaza, which is located about 30 miles south of Tel Aviv. You must understand how tiny Israel is. We drove on road number 6, which is about 10 miles east from our house (Tel Aviv, where we live is on the Mediterranean, the west border). This road is the east future boarder between Palestinians and Israelis. My kids were shocked to learn that and also pretty scared, asking what would have happened if we took the wrong road and drove to a Palestinian village. Well, I did not want to tell them the truth that they probably would not go out alive out of there, so I said that as American citizens, probably it would be fine.
You are probably wondering why take our family from such a peaceful place as Seattle, and move to Israel, if life is so fragile. Well, I am not sure I have a good enough answer, but I will try my best explaining. We are far from being naïve. We know the risks; we understand pretty well the complicated political situation. We even have our oldest son stay in the US. He is here now, but would be traveling back to go to school in Oregon. We took this trip a few times already, but always moved back eventually to the US.
My husband and I were born and raised here. Our moms and most of our extended family live here. Our mother tongue is Hebrew. We love the streets here, we love the fact that our 8 year old boy can walk to school by himself. We love the fact that he could just walk to his friend`s house, knock on the door and have a play date. We love the fact that the sun is shining here every day, and it is warm every single day. We love the fact that our kids are welcomed to their schools in our mother tongue. As Jews, we love the fact that the Holidays that are being well felt here are Jewish. We feel complete here. I no longer miss my family and childhood friends I have here. They are next to me. My best friend Sophie and I are friends since we were 14, where else would I find that? I can always be totally me, no matter how grumpy I am next to her, and she would always love me for who I am. I love her the same way. We went to visit her last night, and I hardly spoke, I just was so tired of all the hard work and the emotional stress I have being under. She served me coffee, and just was there for me, no need to have words said. I am just so fortunate to have her around me.
When I am in the US I always miss Israel. Believe me, I tried many times separating emotionally and physically, but it never worked. I always want to go back. I hope that this time my real home would be here.
P.S schools worked out pretty well at the very last moment. Kids started schools and are pretty content for now. Surprisingly, our 15 year old who was the hard core of not moving here, said it was not as bad as he thought it would be…Our 12 year old is going to a fantastic Bi-lingual school, and is happy. Our 8 year old managed to enter our local school. The major shocking thing for him is the fact that he is one of 40 kids in class…I am not so happy about this too, but he has friends close to home and this is a lot.
More to come next time. Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend, and be blessed.
Life is Israel is not easy. We had bombing in the south, and also shooting in the border between Egypt and Israel. 8 people were killed, while driving to vacation in Eilat. The bombing came from Gaza, which is located about 30 miles south of Tel Aviv. You must understand how tiny Israel is. We drove on road number 6, which is about 10 miles east from our house (Tel Aviv, where we live is on the Mediterranean, the west border). This road is the east future boarder between Palestinians and Israelis. My kids were shocked to learn that and also pretty scared, asking what would have happened if we took the wrong road and drove to a Palestinian village. Well, I did not want to tell them the truth that they probably would not go out alive out of there, so I said that as American citizens, probably it would be fine.
You are probably wondering why take our family from such a peaceful place as Seattle, and move to Israel, if life is so fragile. Well, I am not sure I have a good enough answer, but I will try my best explaining. We are far from being naïve. We know the risks; we understand pretty well the complicated political situation. We even have our oldest son stay in the US. He is here now, but would be traveling back to go to school in Oregon. We took this trip a few times already, but always moved back eventually to the US.
My husband and I were born and raised here. Our moms and most of our extended family live here. Our mother tongue is Hebrew. We love the streets here, we love the fact that our 8 year old boy can walk to school by himself. We love the fact that he could just walk to his friend`s house, knock on the door and have a play date. We love the fact that the sun is shining here every day, and it is warm every single day. We love the fact that our kids are welcomed to their schools in our mother tongue. As Jews, we love the fact that the Holidays that are being well felt here are Jewish. We feel complete here. I no longer miss my family and childhood friends I have here. They are next to me. My best friend Sophie and I are friends since we were 14, where else would I find that? I can always be totally me, no matter how grumpy I am next to her, and she would always love me for who I am. I love her the same way. We went to visit her last night, and I hardly spoke, I just was so tired of all the hard work and the emotional stress I have being under. She served me coffee, and just was there for me, no need to have words said. I am just so fortunate to have her around me.
When I am in the US I always miss Israel. Believe me, I tried many times separating emotionally and physically, but it never worked. I always want to go back. I hope that this time my real home would be here.
P.S schools worked out pretty well at the very last moment. Kids started schools and are pretty content for now. Surprisingly, our 15 year old who was the hard core of not moving here, said it was not as bad as he thought it would be…Our 12 year old is going to a fantastic Bi-lingual school, and is happy. Our 8 year old managed to enter our local school. The major shocking thing for him is the fact that he is one of 40 kids in class…I am not so happy about this too, but he has friends close to home and this is a lot.
More to come next time. Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend, and be blessed.
August 29, 2011
Interview with Author Matt Posner
Matt Posner is “Growing Up Magical”.
Today my guest is a fellow writer. Hi Matt, I am happy to have you here, and have a few questions for you!
When did you start writing fiction? What was the moment you realized that you were an Author?
In my youth, I made up the stories like crazy.
And now that I’m older,
I do it for cash,
And it sure doesn’t pay to be lazy.
I started doing creative writing for fun when I was in elementary school. When I was twelve, I was in a “gifted program” and had to devise my own project, and I chose to write a novel. Eighty pages later, I was officially a novelist. I went from there to a heroic fantasy novel of much greater extent, which I submitted to Del Rey Books when I was fifteen or sixteen. I didn’t tell them how old I was, and I got a full letter back explaining that it was good in a lot of ways but just missing a little something-something. Yes, I was nearly Christopher Paolini twenty years before Christopher Paolini. Missed it by that much. I thought I would be a successful novelist before I was thirty. But life has its twists, turns, ups, downs, triumphs, disappointments et al, and here I am now as an indie trying to learn how to self-market.
I’m a teacher, working with special education students, as my primary income, and I have wondered why that occupies my time rather than being a famous author, and I have decided that, speaking not from the viewpoint of any specific religion, God wants me to care for others before myself. And if that is what it is, that is what it is. I have time still, and my novels will keep getting better.
What are the subjects you are writing about, what are the subjects you will write about in the future, and what are the subjects you would never write about and why?
I write about young people and magic, which is why I am now promoting with the catch-phrase “Growing up magical.”
This means adventure, with lots of conflict, with characters who are driven, passionate, desperately happy and destructively sad, with lots of romance, plenty of fights, and mythology and beliefs from all over the globe. My first novel, School of the Ages: The Ghost in the Crystal, deals with romance, personal and religious conflict, time travel, elementals, and overall, growing up to find that the world is not as simple or as painless as it once seemed. The protagonist Simon’s personal loss runs parallel to a more significant historical act of destruction, meaning that I’m a big fan of reinforcing motifs.
The second book in the series, School of the Ages: Level Three’s Dream, which will be out pretty close to the time this interview appears, is about dealing with loss, again in multiple ways, and also takes on the topic of disability with a powerful magician who has Asperger’s Syndrome. This novel also features my attempt to write my magic student characters in Alice in Wonderland world for an extended time – with all the popular Carroll characters, and lots of original poetry and songs. I have loved the Alice books so much, since my childhood, that I can’t resist working them into my own material and showing them in new ways.
On the thematic level, in my books, magic is a metaphor for human potential, literally and spiritually. Both young people – the theoretical audience – and adult YA readers need some messages of empowerment and some stories about dealing with loss. This is what modern times confront us with – the world seems to be falling apart now in the early 2010’s in a way that it periodically seems to be falling apart, and with all this uncertainty, we benefit from knowing about magic. Magic is a universal human capability. Magic means making things happen that you want to happen. Doing hocus-pocus and saying alakazam is cool and fun, but it isn’t the point: the point is human interconnection with the universe. This is a value that has been pointed out by the mysticism of many cultures, beginning with the Hindu, and also the Jewish, and plenty of others besides, and that is now being confirmed gradually by physicists.
As for what is not for me... I would never write erotica. This isn’t because of prudishness – I know as much about sex as anyone needs to – but I don’t feel I’m a good fit for this genre. I don’t get it, somehow. Sex is part of a relationship, so my focus is on the relationship. I do write about romance – but teen romance, as part of my book’s about magic. What could be more important to young people than that?
What do you wish for yourself as a writer?
I want to be read and discussed, to have my name mentioned with the greats. I want to have people say that reading my writing has made a difference in their lives. And of course, I would like to make enough money that my life will be easier and I can reduce my workload as a teacher, although I will never quit teaching entirely.
What do you like best about publishing your books, and the things you like least?
What I like best about publishing the books is having them published. What I like least is marketing. Marketing agitates me tremendously. This is not to say that I don’t have ideas; I have new marketing ideas daily. However, I am an artist by temperament, and business is not fundamental to my nature, so I wish certainly that I had someone else doing the marketing, a person who is not so easily annoyed and frustrated with the process.
What else are you doing? Do you have any other special interests?
I’m also interviewing indie writers on my website, http://schooloftheages.webs.com. I hope to have you on there soon, of course, Revital. And I continue to read and review other indies. By nature I like to network and help people out – I’m a Leo, if you care for an astrological explanation for that. And of course, I have a musical group. The Exploration Project, founded by Scott Rifkin in the 1990s, gigs and records in New York City. We’re an avant-garde multimedia combo featuring improvised music by Scott, me, and our new member Peter Dragotta, original poetry (performed by me) and painting by the up-and-coming master of oils, Eric Henty, who finds our performances inspirational and motivational. We have albums for sale at all major online venues, including iTunes.
I would love to be interviewed by you, thanks for being my guest today.
Today my guest is a fellow writer. Hi Matt, I am happy to have you here, and have a few questions for you!
When did you start writing fiction? What was the moment you realized that you were an Author?
In my youth, I made up the stories like crazy.
And now that I’m older,
I do it for cash,
And it sure doesn’t pay to be lazy.
I started doing creative writing for fun when I was in elementary school. When I was twelve, I was in a “gifted program” and had to devise my own project, and I chose to write a novel. Eighty pages later, I was officially a novelist. I went from there to a heroic fantasy novel of much greater extent, which I submitted to Del Rey Books when I was fifteen or sixteen. I didn’t tell them how old I was, and I got a full letter back explaining that it was good in a lot of ways but just missing a little something-something. Yes, I was nearly Christopher Paolini twenty years before Christopher Paolini. Missed it by that much. I thought I would be a successful novelist before I was thirty. But life has its twists, turns, ups, downs, triumphs, disappointments et al, and here I am now as an indie trying to learn how to self-market.
I’m a teacher, working with special education students, as my primary income, and I have wondered why that occupies my time rather than being a famous author, and I have decided that, speaking not from the viewpoint of any specific religion, God wants me to care for others before myself. And if that is what it is, that is what it is. I have time still, and my novels will keep getting better.
What are the subjects you are writing about, what are the subjects you will write about in the future, and what are the subjects you would never write about and why?
I write about young people and magic, which is why I am now promoting with the catch-phrase “Growing up magical.”
This means adventure, with lots of conflict, with characters who are driven, passionate, desperately happy and destructively sad, with lots of romance, plenty of fights, and mythology and beliefs from all over the globe. My first novel, School of the Ages: The Ghost in the Crystal, deals with romance, personal and religious conflict, time travel, elementals, and overall, growing up to find that the world is not as simple or as painless as it once seemed. The protagonist Simon’s personal loss runs parallel to a more significant historical act of destruction, meaning that I’m a big fan of reinforcing motifs.
The second book in the series, School of the Ages: Level Three’s Dream, which will be out pretty close to the time this interview appears, is about dealing with loss, again in multiple ways, and also takes on the topic of disability with a powerful magician who has Asperger’s Syndrome. This novel also features my attempt to write my magic student characters in Alice in Wonderland world for an extended time – with all the popular Carroll characters, and lots of original poetry and songs. I have loved the Alice books so much, since my childhood, that I can’t resist working them into my own material and showing them in new ways.
On the thematic level, in my books, magic is a metaphor for human potential, literally and spiritually. Both young people – the theoretical audience – and adult YA readers need some messages of empowerment and some stories about dealing with loss. This is what modern times confront us with – the world seems to be falling apart now in the early 2010’s in a way that it periodically seems to be falling apart, and with all this uncertainty, we benefit from knowing about magic. Magic is a universal human capability. Magic means making things happen that you want to happen. Doing hocus-pocus and saying alakazam is cool and fun, but it isn’t the point: the point is human interconnection with the universe. This is a value that has been pointed out by the mysticism of many cultures, beginning with the Hindu, and also the Jewish, and plenty of others besides, and that is now being confirmed gradually by physicists.
As for what is not for me... I would never write erotica. This isn’t because of prudishness – I know as much about sex as anyone needs to – but I don’t feel I’m a good fit for this genre. I don’t get it, somehow. Sex is part of a relationship, so my focus is on the relationship. I do write about romance – but teen romance, as part of my book’s about magic. What could be more important to young people than that?
What do you wish for yourself as a writer?
I want to be read and discussed, to have my name mentioned with the greats. I want to have people say that reading my writing has made a difference in their lives. And of course, I would like to make enough money that my life will be easier and I can reduce my workload as a teacher, although I will never quit teaching entirely.
What do you like best about publishing your books, and the things you like least?
What I like best about publishing the books is having them published. What I like least is marketing. Marketing agitates me tremendously. This is not to say that I don’t have ideas; I have new marketing ideas daily. However, I am an artist by temperament, and business is not fundamental to my nature, so I wish certainly that I had someone else doing the marketing, a person who is not so easily annoyed and frustrated with the process.
What else are you doing? Do you have any other special interests?
I’m also interviewing indie writers on my website, http://schooloftheages.webs.com. I hope to have you on there soon, of course, Revital. And I continue to read and review other indies. By nature I like to network and help people out – I’m a Leo, if you care for an astrological explanation for that. And of course, I have a musical group. The Exploration Project, founded by Scott Rifkin in the 1990s, gigs and records in New York City. We’re an avant-garde multimedia combo featuring improvised music by Scott, me, and our new member Peter Dragotta, original poetry (performed by me) and painting by the up-and-coming master of oils, Eric Henty, who finds our performances inspirational and motivational. We have albums for sale at all major online venues, including iTunes.
I would love to be interviewed by you, thanks for being my guest today.
August 9, 2011
Snow in Israel in August?
It has been over a week for us in Israel. It is so hot you could cook a steak on the sidewalks…This actually does not bother me at all, since everything is air-conditioned, and still you could bathe in the Mediterranean sea , where the water is warm and the sandy beaches are so soft and awesome. The sun is shining every single day in Israel, no rain at least until late September; I can put my face against the sun, like I frequently imagined back in Seattle and enjoy it. My kids are tanned and family and friends welcomed us with open arms and love. The flight went well and even Sheleg (snow in Hebrew, see the topic…), our dog did pretty well. Sitting in her little bag she slept most of the time. My husband took her for a walk outside the terminal in our connection layover, and then on the second flight I covered her little bag with my blanket (we shared it), and both of us slept.
The first few days were a nightmare, since nobody could sleep, and one of the kids was always waking everyone else up, since we had to stay in a hotel room. There is a 10 hours difference between here and the West Coast, this is a side I dislike traveling back and forth and the long flight too, but this part is behind me, I put it far behind and look at other things now.
The first day we arrived I went to my high school reunion. The reunion was planned on a beach, just a very short walk from our hotel. What can I say…I did not have time to diet or prepare, I was glad I could just put on a beach dress and walk there. I admit, I was more than just a little nervous. And what a surprise I had…It was so nice meeting those old friends of mine. I met the kid who sat next to me in class for three years. We used to chat all the time, it was more interesting then listening to our Physics or English teacher, who actually was a real nice lady, and used to beg me to please do my homework every now and then…He reminded me I once told him he would probably become Orthodox, because he was so radical. Well I was wrong (and not for the first time in my life, how shocking...) He is a sales man, pretty successful, and is still a musician. He has been married to the same wife for ages and has three kids, (and yes, he is bald, most of the men are my age…)
I met a few girlfriends I lost contact with, this was a real fun part, and then I noticed something that blew me away…All the best looking girls looked way older than the rest of us. They still behaved like they were the queens of the palace but definitely do not deserve that tittle anymore. They looked old and ugly, had so many wrinkles you could sew a curtain, and yet were still snobbish. The hilarious part came when a camera was taken out and they posed like they were still 17, asking the camera man to keep taking shots of them.
I was also surprised to see people I just could not recognize after so many years, and of course I found myself wondering how I was appearing to them…at least I can say I was recognizable, much better than the other way, and now I could also see the benefits of not being the most beautiful girl in high school. There were no expectations from me, and I look ok, this is good enough, and it is indeed a great relief. And yes, I do have wrinkles myself, but no one would think it is so unusual. I guess that I am now in this age where you often hear the sentence “you look quite good for your age…” I am wondering when did this start…It makes me smile, and appreciate one more thing I have in life.
If you wonder how was the first week? Did we move to our house? How are the kids doing? I guess you would have to wait to my next post; I can only say it is quite busy and very loud here.
The first few days were a nightmare, since nobody could sleep, and one of the kids was always waking everyone else up, since we had to stay in a hotel room. There is a 10 hours difference between here and the West Coast, this is a side I dislike traveling back and forth and the long flight too, but this part is behind me, I put it far behind and look at other things now.
The first day we arrived I went to my high school reunion. The reunion was planned on a beach, just a very short walk from our hotel. What can I say…I did not have time to diet or prepare, I was glad I could just put on a beach dress and walk there. I admit, I was more than just a little nervous. And what a surprise I had…It was so nice meeting those old friends of mine. I met the kid who sat next to me in class for three years. We used to chat all the time, it was more interesting then listening to our Physics or English teacher, who actually was a real nice lady, and used to beg me to please do my homework every now and then…He reminded me I once told him he would probably become Orthodox, because he was so radical. Well I was wrong (and not for the first time in my life, how shocking...) He is a sales man, pretty successful, and is still a musician. He has been married to the same wife for ages and has three kids, (and yes, he is bald, most of the men are my age…)
I met a few girlfriends I lost contact with, this was a real fun part, and then I noticed something that blew me away…All the best looking girls looked way older than the rest of us. They still behaved like they were the queens of the palace but definitely do not deserve that tittle anymore. They looked old and ugly, had so many wrinkles you could sew a curtain, and yet were still snobbish. The hilarious part came when a camera was taken out and they posed like they were still 17, asking the camera man to keep taking shots of them.
I was also surprised to see people I just could not recognize after so many years, and of course I found myself wondering how I was appearing to them…at least I can say I was recognizable, much better than the other way, and now I could also see the benefits of not being the most beautiful girl in high school. There were no expectations from me, and I look ok, this is good enough, and it is indeed a great relief. And yes, I do have wrinkles myself, but no one would think it is so unusual. I guess that I am now in this age where you often hear the sentence “you look quite good for your age…” I am wondering when did this start…It makes me smile, and appreciate one more thing I have in life.
If you wonder how was the first week? Did we move to our house? How are the kids doing? I guess you would have to wait to my next post; I can only say it is quite busy and very loud here.
August 6, 2011
An interview with Author Georgina Elllis
Hi everyone
Today I am interviewing Author Georgina Ellis. Georgina has written an awesome time traveler novel, and is currently working on a second one.
Hi Georgina, and welcome! I am happy to have you here, and am looking forward to our interview. When and how did you find out you like to write?
I started writing poetry at the age of twelve. It was probably pretty bad, but for me, it was an expression that I needed. I never thought about being a writer though. I was always interested in acting; I studied it in school and pursued it for many years – I’m a member of the Screen Actors Guild, and I still act in films sometimes.
What was the first thing you wrote that you showed other people?
A sonnet. We were studying Shakespeare in high school sophomore English, and so I decided to write one in Shakespeare’s style using the same rhyme scheme and iambic pentameter. My English teacher almost fell over. Then in college I translated a Shakespearean sonnet into Spanish for my professor and he said, “Magnifico!” But still, no urge to write anything much lengthier at that time.
What brought you to writing a time traveler book?
I had read so much Jane Austen, George Eliot, the Brontes, and I was in love with 19th century England. I began to ask myself, (usually while trying to fall asleep at night) what would it be like if I could time-travel to that time – especially Austen’s time of Regency England. What would I do, who would I meet, could I fit in if I had just the right training? Eventually, that thought developed into a story that I thought I should write down.
What was the process of “finding your characters”?
Well my main character, Cassandra, is a much more beautiful and talented version of me. Kind of like, if I could be the most accomplished me possible, and if I could change my looks however I wanted, what would I be like? That person became Cassandra. Then her son is based on my son, her love interest(s) on sort of a combination of intriguing men that I know, including my husband. Beyond that, characters crop up as needed and I find they sometimes resemble friends of mine or I find I’ve borrowed a few traits from characters in a favorite novel – but just a few.
How does it feel to be married to another author? Do you share your ideas? Thoughts? Feelings regarding writing?
My husband Jon (author of If I Can Lose It…a middle-aged tech-fanatics extraordinary journey and guidebook for losing weight) is my best collaborator and critic, though what he gives me is always constructive. He was the one, when I told him about this time-travel story in my head, who said, “Write it down!” and always encouraged me to keep going with it. We have and still do collaborate on screenplays, have directed plays together, and he has directed me in plays and films. We love creating together and think of ourselves as a team. He’s also my tech and design guy for formatting, designing and everything else.
How has writing changed your life (or not)?
It’s totally changed my life. Not only is it my passion now, above all else, besides my family, but it’s given me a daily expression that acting can’t give me. And, it’s even becoming a viable source of income!
Please tell us something you would like us readers to know about the book you are working on now.
I’m working on the sequel to The Time Baroness; it’s called The Time Goddess. In it, Cassandra travels to pre-Civil War New York City, and before she knows it, gets involved in Abolition, The Underground Railroad, and an unexpected passion.
When do you think you will be ready to publish your next book?
I should be ready with it by the end of the summer. I’d say latest in early fall, so please look for it!
Thank you, Revital, for inviting me to share with your readers.
Thank you Georgina for this fascinating interview.
Today I am interviewing Author Georgina Ellis. Georgina has written an awesome time traveler novel, and is currently working on a second one.
Hi Georgina, and welcome! I am happy to have you here, and am looking forward to our interview. When and how did you find out you like to write?
I started writing poetry at the age of twelve. It was probably pretty bad, but for me, it was an expression that I needed. I never thought about being a writer though. I was always interested in acting; I studied it in school and pursued it for many years – I’m a member of the Screen Actors Guild, and I still act in films sometimes.
What was the first thing you wrote that you showed other people?
A sonnet. We were studying Shakespeare in high school sophomore English, and so I decided to write one in Shakespeare’s style using the same rhyme scheme and iambic pentameter. My English teacher almost fell over. Then in college I translated a Shakespearean sonnet into Spanish for my professor and he said, “Magnifico!” But still, no urge to write anything much lengthier at that time.
What brought you to writing a time traveler book?
I had read so much Jane Austen, George Eliot, the Brontes, and I was in love with 19th century England. I began to ask myself, (usually while trying to fall asleep at night) what would it be like if I could time-travel to that time – especially Austen’s time of Regency England. What would I do, who would I meet, could I fit in if I had just the right training? Eventually, that thought developed into a story that I thought I should write down.
What was the process of “finding your characters”?
Well my main character, Cassandra, is a much more beautiful and talented version of me. Kind of like, if I could be the most accomplished me possible, and if I could change my looks however I wanted, what would I be like? That person became Cassandra. Then her son is based on my son, her love interest(s) on sort of a combination of intriguing men that I know, including my husband. Beyond that, characters crop up as needed and I find they sometimes resemble friends of mine or I find I’ve borrowed a few traits from characters in a favorite novel – but just a few.
How does it feel to be married to another author? Do you share your ideas? Thoughts? Feelings regarding writing?
My husband Jon (author of If I Can Lose It…a middle-aged tech-fanatics extraordinary journey and guidebook for losing weight) is my best collaborator and critic, though what he gives me is always constructive. He was the one, when I told him about this time-travel story in my head, who said, “Write it down!” and always encouraged me to keep going with it. We have and still do collaborate on screenplays, have directed plays together, and he has directed me in plays and films. We love creating together and think of ourselves as a team. He’s also my tech and design guy for formatting, designing and everything else.
How has writing changed your life (or not)?
It’s totally changed my life. Not only is it my passion now, above all else, besides my family, but it’s given me a daily expression that acting can’t give me. And, it’s even becoming a viable source of income!
Please tell us something you would like us readers to know about the book you are working on now.
I’m working on the sequel to The Time Baroness; it’s called The Time Goddess. In it, Cassandra travels to pre-Civil War New York City, and before she knows it, gets involved in Abolition, The Underground Railroad, and an unexpected passion.
When do you think you will be ready to publish your next book?
I should be ready with it by the end of the summer. I’d say latest in early fall, so please look for it!
Thank you, Revital, for inviting me to share with your readers.
Thank you Georgina for this fascinating interview.
July 28, 2011
A totally unusual day
It was a usual Seattle morning for most people, but not for our family. The sky were grey, and it was a little cool, as we took three of our kids, one little dog and tons of luggage and drove to the airport. We boarded on the airplane that will take us to Atlanta; there we would switch planes and board to Israel. We have decided to give it a chance, and try living back there. Planning was complicated whereas preparing for this move, and even now we are not sure yet things will work out for our divided family. Our oldest son decided to stay in Washington, and is about to start school at the University of Oregon, where he hoped so much to be accepted, and when he did (it took a while, since he was on a waiting list) we just thought that since he worked so hard, and while having learning disabilities was accepted, we should do everything we can to help him fulfill his dreams.
As a daughter of a mom who had hard time letting me go, I really understand how my son feels, and will never stand in his way, even if it would mean paying this hard price of not having him close to us, living on the other side of the world. The sorrow is mutual, our son is having hard time thinking he will no longer have us close to him, but we promised him he is ready for this. We taught him he can depend on himself, we on the other hand, will be helping him in any way we could. It is time for us to move back to Israel.
Our 15 year old is having a very hard time with this move. It is a tough age to be leaving your friends, the place that you are so used to, language you know perfectly and be moved to a totally different place. We came to the conclusion that if we wait for another year it would even be harder, and if we wait longer, he will not follow us, and we are hoping to keep our family together, hoping that our oldest son will eventually immigrate to Israel and live close to us.
Our two younger boys had hard time saying goodbye to their friends. Moving is not easy for them too, but we are hoping that they will adjust quickly, and our dog Sheleg (a little Havana dog) doesn`t like the ride, at the moment, but we think that she will enjoy the warm weather, we missed so much.
Life is not easy in Israel. There is always something happening there. I am praying for Peace, and am hoping that everything will be fine. I miss my extended family and friends. I miss the sea and the sand. I miss so much the Hebrew language, the literature, the poetry, the terrific theatre, the awesome food and the very well-known streets I grew up in. My husband and I are excited and nervous at the same time; we are hoping that this is indeed the right thing for our family. Keep your fingers crossed for us, and please say a little pray…
As a daughter of a mom who had hard time letting me go, I really understand how my son feels, and will never stand in his way, even if it would mean paying this hard price of not having him close to us, living on the other side of the world. The sorrow is mutual, our son is having hard time thinking he will no longer have us close to him, but we promised him he is ready for this. We taught him he can depend on himself, we on the other hand, will be helping him in any way we could. It is time for us to move back to Israel.
Our 15 year old is having a very hard time with this move. It is a tough age to be leaving your friends, the place that you are so used to, language you know perfectly and be moved to a totally different place. We came to the conclusion that if we wait for another year it would even be harder, and if we wait longer, he will not follow us, and we are hoping to keep our family together, hoping that our oldest son will eventually immigrate to Israel and live close to us.
Our two younger boys had hard time saying goodbye to their friends. Moving is not easy for them too, but we are hoping that they will adjust quickly, and our dog Sheleg (a little Havana dog) doesn`t like the ride, at the moment, but we think that she will enjoy the warm weather, we missed so much.
Life is not easy in Israel. There is always something happening there. I am praying for Peace, and am hoping that everything will be fine. I miss my extended family and friends. I miss the sea and the sand. I miss so much the Hebrew language, the literature, the poetry, the terrific theatre, the awesome food and the very well-known streets I grew up in. My husband and I are excited and nervous at the same time; we are hoping that this is indeed the right thing for our family. Keep your fingers crossed for us, and please say a little pray…
July 22, 2011
July 13, 2011
This comfi old fence
It is a beautiful Wednesday night in Seattle area. I love summers here, it is the best season. The sun is shining still at 8:00 pm, everything around is green and beautiful, I even have nice herbs at my backyard for tea, and strawberries that keeps coming back and even expending each year.
I love the NW in the summers. The biggest and a very well-known joke about Seattle is that A new neighbor asks a seven year old kid in their street, after a few rainy days: “Hey, when does it stop raining?”, and the kid says: “I don`t know, I am only seven”. This is the joke, but it is not true for summers, it rains at times, but you do enjoy the lakes and, parks and the comfi temperatures.
I remember the first day, sixteen years ago, when I first got here. My husband and I had a two year old, and I was at the very beginning of a second pregnancy. I remember that while we were driving to our first location, I noticed beautiful Mount Rainier popping out and disappearing, gorgeous Lake Washington on the left of the road, and me thinking that you don`t really need to die just to get to Heaven. But the grey, never ending rainy days came later.
I love the NW, but it took me a long time to get used to it. I was born and raised in Israel, where everything happens all the time. There is no down time there, it is active and crazy, lively and beautiful, emotional and sad, and my emotions are always so mixed up thinking of my one and only Israel, whom I always miss so much, and care for like a little baby, and yet, life is so complicated there.
When I moved to Washington I thought that I am dream walking most of the time. Nothing ever happens here. The biggest news speaks about the weather, and Baseball, and the new Soccer team we have, and about the fact that we no longer have a Basketball team. And the rain…The rain drove my nuts, it could rain here for weeks without a break, and people would check the records to see if it broke it or not.
It took me a long time to get used to the fact that not everyone needs to be involved with my personal life. In the beginning it felt so lonely, but I started likening it, and now when I think about life back in Israel I am a little worried it would be just too much for me. I am not used to it anymore, so I stay on the fence, I do not really belong here, but not even sure I belong there.
I am a migrator. One of my best friends (an Israeli-American himself) once told me that he and his family are people of the world, and they belong everywhere. I find it hard to feel the same, so I am still asking those questions, and not necessary having answers. I am wondering how it is for other people…
P.S. The lecture in Berkeley was a fun and a successful one. I am looking forward to my next lectures, meeting with people, telling them about my book.
I love the NW in the summers. The biggest and a very well-known joke about Seattle is that A new neighbor asks a seven year old kid in their street, after a few rainy days: “Hey, when does it stop raining?”, and the kid says: “I don`t know, I am only seven”. This is the joke, but it is not true for summers, it rains at times, but you do enjoy the lakes and, parks and the comfi temperatures.
I remember the first day, sixteen years ago, when I first got here. My husband and I had a two year old, and I was at the very beginning of a second pregnancy. I remember that while we were driving to our first location, I noticed beautiful Mount Rainier popping out and disappearing, gorgeous Lake Washington on the left of the road, and me thinking that you don`t really need to die just to get to Heaven. But the grey, never ending rainy days came later.
I love the NW, but it took me a long time to get used to it. I was born and raised in Israel, where everything happens all the time. There is no down time there, it is active and crazy, lively and beautiful, emotional and sad, and my emotions are always so mixed up thinking of my one and only Israel, whom I always miss so much, and care for like a little baby, and yet, life is so complicated there.
When I moved to Washington I thought that I am dream walking most of the time. Nothing ever happens here. The biggest news speaks about the weather, and Baseball, and the new Soccer team we have, and about the fact that we no longer have a Basketball team. And the rain…The rain drove my nuts, it could rain here for weeks without a break, and people would check the records to see if it broke it or not.
It took me a long time to get used to the fact that not everyone needs to be involved with my personal life. In the beginning it felt so lonely, but I started likening it, and now when I think about life back in Israel I am a little worried it would be just too much for me. I am not used to it anymore, so I stay on the fence, I do not really belong here, but not even sure I belong there.
I am a migrator. One of my best friends (an Israeli-American himself) once told me that he and his family are people of the world, and they belong everywhere. I find it hard to feel the same, so I am still asking those questions, and not necessary having answers. I am wondering how it is for other people…
P.S. The lecture in Berkeley was a fun and a successful one. I am looking forward to my next lectures, meeting with people, telling them about my book.
July 1, 2011
Will I see you there?
Next week I am invited to give a lecture about my book in Berkley. Giving a lecture always makes me very nervous, and I always think about people who are preforming in front of millions of people. How do they do that? Do they get nervous like I do? Standing in front of people in any quantity, exposes you. I remember when I used to teach I had a similar feeling every single day. I loved teaching, and I taught many levels and actually even many subjects, from Geography to University students, through Hebrew to University students, through Geography to High school students, Hebrew to elementary kids and I even spent one year as a fourth grade teacher in Israel. I love teaching. I love connecting minds, seeing the curious faces in front of me, and yet this really makes me nervous at the same time.
I always make sure that I am well dressed, no holes anywhere, makeup in place (and I usually do not ware make up…), high hills (but comfortable shoes…), and I prepare. I make my homework, but when the moment comes, and I stand in front of people, it takes me a couple of minutes to think and make sure I do not “blackout”. I panic. I don`t think people really notice it, but I really do panic. It takes me a minute to have myself focus and start speaking, and when I do start talking, it all goes away. I no longer am afraid. I just see the faces, and I know those faces are really anxious to hear what I have to say, and I know that I have a very important mission here; I want to bring some silent voices to life. I want to tell everyone ready to hear, about the Jewish women of Iraq. I want to tell my grandfather`s story, because he really does deserve to be remembered. You see, my grandfather had only one dream in his life: he wanted to be the one, after so many generations, to immigrate to the Holy land. For many generations Jews prayed to go back to the Holy land, to revive the Jewish life there, as they used to be in the Bible. My grandfather just could not believe how lucky he was, of all generations he was the one able to go back to the dream land, take his family with him and start a new life.
It breaks my heart, and I always have tears in my eyes thinking of my grandfather, who kissed the land after he got off the plane. My grandfather who was an accountant, able to support a family of nine people, came to a place where he no longer had his identity as the head of the family. He worked in every job he could, including making roads. His wife no longer respected him, and so did his kids. He was even deported by his wife to the little house corridor, away from their bedroom, and even living in a little house took long time, after they lived in a tent for almost three years.
My grandfather never regretted immigrating to Israel. For him, any price paid was worth it. I only can lecture next week, tell his story and pay him a great honor like he deserves.
Here is the link to the lecture; you are all invited to join. I sure am hoping to see you all there.
www.revital-sh.com
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid...
I always make sure that I am well dressed, no holes anywhere, makeup in place (and I usually do not ware make up…), high hills (but comfortable shoes…), and I prepare. I make my homework, but when the moment comes, and I stand in front of people, it takes me a couple of minutes to think and make sure I do not “blackout”. I panic. I don`t think people really notice it, but I really do panic. It takes me a minute to have myself focus and start speaking, and when I do start talking, it all goes away. I no longer am afraid. I just see the faces, and I know those faces are really anxious to hear what I have to say, and I know that I have a very important mission here; I want to bring some silent voices to life. I want to tell everyone ready to hear, about the Jewish women of Iraq. I want to tell my grandfather`s story, because he really does deserve to be remembered. You see, my grandfather had only one dream in his life: he wanted to be the one, after so many generations, to immigrate to the Holy land. For many generations Jews prayed to go back to the Holy land, to revive the Jewish life there, as they used to be in the Bible. My grandfather just could not believe how lucky he was, of all generations he was the one able to go back to the dream land, take his family with him and start a new life.
It breaks my heart, and I always have tears in my eyes thinking of my grandfather, who kissed the land after he got off the plane. My grandfather who was an accountant, able to support a family of nine people, came to a place where he no longer had his identity as the head of the family. He worked in every job he could, including making roads. His wife no longer respected him, and so did his kids. He was even deported by his wife to the little house corridor, away from their bedroom, and even living in a little house took long time, after they lived in a tent for almost three years.
My grandfather never regretted immigrating to Israel. For him, any price paid was worth it. I only can lecture next week, tell his story and pay him a great honor like he deserves.
Here is the link to the lecture; you are all invited to join. I sure am hoping to see you all there.
www.revital-sh.com
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid...
