Under My Hat

Avoiding the dreaded DEAD END

2012-01-29T12:21:00.000-08:00

As mentioned in a couple previous posts, I'm wrapping up my Novel-In-Progress. This has been a long, somewhat traumatic process, but it's getting done. About two weeks ago, I realized that I had to scrap the ending entirely. Why? Because my ending wasn't The Ending.

Confused? Let me clarify.

To be a good ending to a novel: 1) there has to some resolution to the major problems faced by the central character/s (this doesn't mean there is a happy ending, just that you see things are settled); 2) the conclusion should share the themes addressed at the beginning of the book (even if it's to turn the initial beliefs of the characters on their heads); 3) the end should be consistent with the details and personality brought up earlier in the novel; and 4) the reader should feel satisfied that they didn't waste their time.

While some books have many possible "Endings" that flow logically from what precedes, there are also many "endings"--dead ends that leave the reader disappointed. You can't expect a reader to be satisfied by the last minute introduction of a character (never before seen in your novel) to save everyone from destruction. Unless you're trying to be funny, it probably won't work for a character to act like their personality has been switched with the hero of a different story entirely. Consistency helps your world become believable to the reader.

The ending I wrote in my outline was replaced long ago with another. However well this ending resolved the characters' dilemmas, it didn't really address the same themes as the initial chapters of the book, nor did it satisfy the readers. Everyone who read my first complete draft seemed to sense that I was holding back certain details of how the book should finish. The truth was, I was afraid to write the Ending the way it should be written, because I was afraid it would become unpublishable.

What do I mean by "unpublishable?" All publishing houses use a style guide. Normally, this governs mechanics like punctuation, capitalization, use of American English vs. British English, and the like. However, Orthodox Jewish publishing houses have an additional level of what words, topics, and the like that they think are appropriate to include in their books. Truly, other kinds of publishers have similar guidelines, just must less stringent ones. Then magnificent Ending I have just written has just crossed a few too many of those guidelines most likely to be found at an Orthodox press. However, the book is VERY, VERY Jewish. Like probably wouldn't make sense if you didn't have a sound foundation in Yiddishkeit.

I think I have now written the Ending the way it should be, but it's just as unpublishable as I feared. Seeking sympathy and advice, I spoke to the ladies from my writing group. They think I should keep the new conclusion, since it is after all the Ending.

And so now, I will have to revise yet again, to see if I can make this book into something someone (other than myself) would publish.

Picture courtesy of http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/68000/68050/68050_123_W14-1_b.htm

I Feel Liberated!

2012-01-23T17:52:00.000-08:00

Last week, I finished the charming and very wacky Larklight by Philip Reeve. This sci-fi adventure for kids 10 and older follows the Mumby family as they try to stop a mysterious race of giant white spiders for taking over the solar system. The novel takes place in a wonderfully-articulated alternate Victorian history, where Newton started the space race and all scientific discoveries after his time have not occurred or occurred differently than they did in our true-life universe.

Interestingly, G-d (and praying to Him) is referred to on several occasions as the ultimate Creator of the universe in this book. This is in keeping with the time period of the setting, and also very appropriate in the context of one particular character. The book does not refer to a Christian-specific deity, just "G-d" in the generically monotheistic sense. The mentions are mostly in passing, and are certainly not the focus of the novel, but I can't think of any other mainstream sci-fi or fantasy books that actually include one character telling another, "Oh, yeah, G-d created the universe." I was blown away.

This is such a change from the atheism, animism or paganism that has permeated the sci-fi fantasy genre for years. Some of these books go into elaborate detail about how to practice a fictional variety of avodah zara. These books appeal to tweens and teens, who gravitate towards them. One of the reasons that I started writing sci-fi and fantasy material is because of the dearth of such stories that nourish the neshama.

I've written a new (and, I fear, completely unpublishable) ending for my current Novel-In-Progress, and I've started to think ahead about the next project. About six months ago, I thought of a Jewish steampunk/alternate reality book, but I've wondered if the Orthodox book publishers would find it acceptable. Would it be yet another arduous project with an unpublishable result? I started to outline it with the Snowflake method over the weekend. I have transformed the original idea into a fantasy that is not Jewish--but does firmly establish the world I'm creating as created by G-d. I had contemplated this before (as a possible solution to my publishing issues), but felt discouraged due to the lack of such books in the mainstream YA market. Reading Larklight has empowered me to take the leap. Thanks Mr. Reeve!

Another existential crisis in the life of my Novel-in-Progress

2012-01-19T22:31:00.000-08:00

So, if there was any one thing that every single person I've had read the Work In Progress has said, it's this:

You call this an ending?

Otherwise known as: time to find another way to end this book.

I've been avoiding this issue a bit as I've been rewriting, because I'm still not sure what would be a better ending. However, I'm almost done resolving the other issues in the book. My new ending must be found. Preferably soon rather than later.

It's not that I don't know where my story's going. Or at least the general neighborhood. It's just the details.

I've been looking for some inspiration online, and have found a few great links to help me out. I'll share them with my readers, in case any of you are in the same corner as me.

Post from The Other Side of the Story with Janice Hardy http://blog.janicehardy.com/2010/03/end.html

Post from the Creative Penn http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2010/08/09/how-to-write-the-ending/

From How to Write a Book Now http://www.how-to-write-a-book-now.com/plot-development.html

Article by Holly Lisle http://hollylisle.com/how-to-finish-a-novel/

The two easiest ways to write books yet

2012-01-15T21:45:00.000-08:00

Picture credit:
http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/24300/24305/snowflakes_24305.htm

For a while now, I've been a believer in the Snowflake Method. It was invented by Randy Ingermanson as a way to build your novel in a structured, yet streamlined way, and it does just that. I came late to it, as my novel had started off as a short story, then had expanded to much more than that. I wish I'd got to the Snowflake Method sooner--it would have prevented me from floundering about quite as much. There are other ways to create a novel with discipline and skill--but this has always seemed to me just about the easiest. There's even a computer program that can help you with the method.

However, there's new tool that makes creating a book possibly even easier. Building on a successful blogging format, the folks at PressBooks have designed a online tool that adapts the WordPress platform for the purpose of making a book. The writing process becomes as easy as managing a blog, using the same familiar, simple tools.

The webware is free, and can be used collaboratively (multiple authors can have access to your book-in-progress at once, just as with a blog). Each post is roughly one chapter. You can take your document and covert it to a PDF, epub, etc. It can also be used for a POD (Print On Demand) service, if that's what you want to do. The design of the book is reportedly much more refined than in most do-it-yourself POD products.

I'm skeptical about its utility for novel-writing (although if you want your final product to seem like a fly-by-the seat-of-your-pant serial, where what happens next might surprise the author as much as the reader, it might be okay). It's too linear, where a good novel is usually built in layers. However, if you are working on a non-fiction book project with colleagues, I imagine it would be outstanding. Check more about it out at: http://pressbooks.com/about

Everything I need to know about Styling, I learned from LuLu

2012-01-09T19:50:00.000-08:00

Picture credit: http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/18900/18980/book_18980.htm

Okay, okay, so my title is a bit of an exaggeration. Here's the story:

I get lots of questions from new writers about how to format manuscripts for submission. My first piece of advice is always to follow the specs articulated by the periodical or book publisher you are submitting to. However, if you don't know where you're sending it to, I've always preferred to use a sans-serif font like Arial or Helvetica for titles and author info, followed by a double-spaced body written in a simple serif font like Times New Roman or Courier. (Serif fonts have those little crowns and tails, sans-serif do not.) You can always reformat later, thanks to the magic of Microsoft Word. And don't forget to insert a footer with a page number and your email address on every page.

In the past, that magic formula has always worked. But now that I'm working on something longer--in fact, an entire book-- things have gotten complicated. It's simply harder to be consistent across more than a hundred pages. I can't remember how I numbered the chapters (with numerals or the numbers as words), if I put in an extra line after each chapter heading, or what size and font I used for each. Sometimes I paste in pieces from other documents and the font and size may differ. My document was turning into a mess. And don't even ask me what happened when I went back and started to rewrite!

That's where LuLu stepped in. You see, I was doing a lot of research last week and the week before regarding e-publishing (hence a couple blog posts wherein I mentioned it). If you publish an ebook through LuLu, you have to use a very specific format. Or, rather, you Style instead of Format.

Most of us look at the Style menu in Word and have no idea what to do with it. We write using the Format menus, sometimes just out of habit. Even if you don't plan to use LuLu, your editor will still be much happier if you use Styles. Doing so can save you time, but it also will increase consistency throughout a document and prep it for conversion into other document formats like Adobe InDesign or ePub. In fact, if you use LuLu, you have to use Styles, because that's what triggers page breaks for chapters and creates your table of contents.

Some people hate the way the Styles look, or object to the fonts and spacing used. That's okay! With a little practice, you can create your own Style and apply it throughout your Word document. Want to learn how to do this? Here are some links that can help you:
http://floridawriters.wordpress.com/2011/12/30/tool-time-using-styles-in-word-to-help-with-your-formatting/
http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2010/04/authors-keep-formatting-when-they-should-be-styling/
http://daiya.mvps.org/bookwordframes.htm

I doubt I'll go the LuLu route, but I owe the company a debt of gratitude. My reStyled document looks beautiful and is perfectly consistent and organized. Now if only I can finish my rewrite...

Fun story about Picture Books on Aish.com

2012-01-02T22:55:00.000-08:00

TKAWK7326886

My teacher and neighbor Emuna Braverman wrote a piece for Aish.com this week about picture books and how they teach us about the parent-child relationship. http://www.aish.com/f/mom/Instructive_Childrens_Books.html

Picture books are amazing not only for kids, but for their parents. We experience them on a daily basis at bedtimes and sometimes they leave a lasting impression. I'll never forget when Rebbitzen Shira Smiles used Goodnight Moon to illustrate a point in a shiur I once attended many years ago.

If you haven't seen them already, here are a few more articles on the same theme, this time by yours truly on MetroImma.com:

Where The Mild Things Are
Most of us remember the childhood classic, Where the Wild Things Are. In it, the mischievous Max trashes his house and terrorizes the family pet until his mother sends him to his room. Once there, the boy fantasizes about a voyage to the land of the Wild Things. In this marvelous isle, he can be as rowdy and ferocious as he wants.
More . . .

Our Very Hungry Caterpillars
About 2 hours before a recent Shabbos, my 3 year old daughter and I
watered the container garden in the back of our apartment building.
Alternating waves of heat and rain here in
More . . .

Your Mother is Coming!
At this time of year, we all need some strategies with which to
fight our ultimate enemy. But where is a busy wife with little kids
supposed to turn for weapons to fight this war? More
. . .

Sometimes even Mommies
have bad days
If you have ever read the book Alexander and the Terrible,
Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day, you may remember the page.
Alexander finally adjourns to bed at the end of his terrible,
horrible, no-good, very bad day. He sounds resigned, yet also
comforted. Why? Because his mother has just informed him that “some
days are just like that.”
More . . .

With Chanukah just over...

2012-01-01T21:25:00.000-08:00

If Chanukah is over, it means just one thing in the Klempner household: time to prepare our annual Purim Spiel. Traditionally, a Purim spiel is a play, but in our household, we've transformed it into a pseudo-newspaper. Our friends and neighbors always enjoy receiving our Purim Spiel, and we put a lot of work into it to make it as wacky as possible.

Picture credit:
http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/63100/63192/63192_men&paper.htm

My husband, eldest child, and I actually collect material for our fake news stories and ads all year round, but it's only after Chanukah that we start fleshing the ideas out and laying them out to look like a newspaper. I start collecting all the little bits my husband has emailed himself and scour my journal for bizarre thoughts I've scribbled (off-the-wall shaggy dog stories to make people groan, truly terrible puns that would make great names for sham products, off-beat reflections about life in L.A., and so on). As Purim gets closer, we usually mix in more time-sensitive material that's based on current events.

As much pleasure as our readers get, we also get the pleasure of knowing that we're using our talents for goofiness to brighten people's Purim. (Plus, I love the voicemails people leave for a week after Purim telling us which parts were their favorite.)

What's really strange is that the more I write for professional purposes, the harder the Purim Spiel gets for me. I noticed it last year, and this year the feeling's even stronger. It's still fun to make (especially as it's a family endeavor), and I still enjoy our readers' reactions, but my energy is differently directed these days. Luckily, I have family members to keep me in line. We'll get it done even if I'm distracted, IY"H.

Two interesting blog posts about children and ereaders

2011-12-28T12:29:00.000-08:00

(picture from Clipart ETC)

About a year ago, my sister sent me a link to a blog post by Eric Kimmel about whether we'll be seeing e-picture books.

Mr. Kimmel was responding to an article in the NY Times which describes the development of color monitors on ereaders. The article's author strongly believes that the spread of these devices will attract child readers.

Mr. Kimmel brings up many salient points, both pro and con ereaders for children. On the pro side: producing an ebook is much cheaper than producing a full-color picture book with glossy paper; children might be attracted to the format. On the negative side: whose device are they reading on? Is a small child able to handle an ereader independently? Is the gimmick of the format going to wear off? Is it going to become another excuse for publishers not to acquire and produce picture books (which is already a big problem)?

I recalled that post today when I read another article, this time on the Motherlode blog of the NY Times. http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/28/why-books-are-better-than-e-books-for-children/
The author, KJ Dell'antonia, recently read a Time Magazine article about children's literacy and ereaders. The Time article suggests that children interact differently with ebooks than with print literature--and so do the adults facilitating the reading experience. These habits negatively impact their ability to learn to read.

In the Jewish community, there's an additional issue: a lot of relaxed family time takes place on Shabbat and Yom Tov. That's when Ima and Abba have time to curl up with Junior and Juniorette and read. For many of us, that means no electronic devices. Sure, we'll read an ebook, but not on Shabbos.

Maybe e-picture books do have a future--actually, I'm betting they do. But they'll need to address at least some of these failings in order make them take over the picture book market entirely.

Great link to a book review site for those of us who want a good clean book to read

2011-12-26T22:33:00.000-08:00

I've just discovered this fabulous resource, the Library of Clean Reads, a blog by Laura Fabiani.

http://libraryofcleanreads.blogspot.com/p/about-us.html

There are a few other similar sites out there, most of them by LDS women. However, this one has no references to Mormon or Christian beliefs and doesn't review religious books. Definitely worth checking out.

Exciting 2012 AJL Conference Announcement

2011-12-22T22:09:00.000-08:00

Wahoo!

In 2012, the national AJL conference will be held in the Los Angeles area! It will be Sunday, June 17th in Pasadena, at the beautiful Langham Hotel. All the info will soon be on the www.jewishlibraries.org website. Writers, librarians, teachers, illustrators or parents can attend the entire conference or opt only to visit select daytime events. One highlight is hearing the winners of annual Sydney Taylor awards speak. The wonderful librarian Lisa Silverman of Sinai Temple Library says that attendees will have opportunities to meet a lot of people in the field. (She also assured me that the food will be kosher.)

Because of this exciting local event, Lisa informs me that they will not be holding a West Coast Children’s Jewish Literature Conference this April. That's too bad, but I'm very excited about the opportunity to attend the conference without having to book plane tickets or a hotel! Pass on the info to any L.A. area book-lovers who might be interested. Additionally, if you want to present a session at the conference, you can still submit a topic until December 31st. Follow the link below:

http://www.jewishlibraries.org/main/Events/AnnualConvention.aspx

Don't get taken advantage of!

2011-12-19T20:18:00.000-08:00

Recently, I've had a few friends who have approached me about sketchy sounding publishing deals they were being offered.

This is not a new problem. For example, for years, there have been people who advertise that they are compiling a book of poetry. They request submissions, but in order to be included, you have to pay. Then, you must pay additional money to receive each copy you might want to own or distribute to friends.

However, with the advent of self-publishing, the problem has escalated. It can be very hard to tell the difference between a self-publisher that's genuine (like CreateSpace or Lulu or many if not all the major Jewish ones) and someone like Publish America who doesn't charge you up front, but then demands extraordinarily high prices for any "needed" services (like editing) and then overcharges on shipping every copy you want and sets prices so high that buyers are turned off. Not only that, but the wrong publisher (even some traditional ones that are big names) can sneak things into the contract that limit your rights regarding overseas sales, translations, ebook or film rights, and so on.

Additionally, even many legit self-publishers will forget to tell you that the average self-published book will never sell more than 100 copies--so it is highly likely you'll never recoup your investment unless you study book marketing and prepare to premote yourself like crazy.

If you want to be taken seriously as an author, there's another concern: there's less prestige associated with self-publishing than going the traditional route. (By the way, this is less true in the Jewish world, where it has always been common to self-publish, co-publish or to pay for publication through donations.) However, self-publishing isn't the no-no it used to be so long as you are sufficiently informed about the process.

The lesson from all is this is do your research BEFORE submitting to a publisher or agent, and certainly before signing any paperwork. These two sites are must-sees for anyone contemplating a book or article submission:

Writer Beware
http://accrispin.blogspot.com/

Preditors and Editors
http://pred-ed.com/

Electronic Publishing

2011-12-17T23:13:00.000-08:00

On a couple of my LinkedIn groups, there have been some fascinating conversations lately about self-publishing. At this point in my life, I can't imagine starting such a project--unless we're discussing ebooks.

As I have mentioned before, the novel I'm currently working on is so quirky, I'm a little afraid of its publishing possibilities. I'm also considering an anthology of my stories (including ones that have previously appeared in magazines). I can't imagine spending the money on self-publishing up front--but ebooks can be printed with services like Lulu for virtually nothing. Moreover, if you price your book in the magic window of $.99 to $2.99, you can get a lot of downloads. The author's share of the profit is higher, and they can accumulate into a little pile of spending money.

I tested out a Kindle last week.

Definitely a weird experience for me. The sound, smell and tactile experiences of reading an ebook are so different than with a print one, and your eyes and hands operate so differently, that it was a little off-putting.

I visited the Lulu site, too. There are a LOT of details, details traditionally published authors don't handle.

Additionally, I have concerns about how well ebooks are penetrating the Jewish market. My most recent Artscroll and Feldheim catalogs do boast ebook offerings, and here are some links to Jewish e-book sites online:

http://www.jewish-e-books.com/

http://www.publishersrow.com/ebookshuk/

Definitely more research is in order.

Wonderful reads this weekend

2011-12-11T19:22:00.001-08:00

I had one of those weekends where I spent a lot of time enjoying magazines. On Motzei Shabbos (Saturday night), I got my Winter 2011 edition of The Mulberry Tree (the official magazine of St. Mary's College of Maryland), and it included a tribute to the late professor Alan Paskow. Dr. Paskow's wife, Jacqueline, was my French professor for several semesters and the couple was notable not just for their intellectual brilliance, but for their kindness and dedication to their students.

The Mulberry Tree article excerpted a talk Dr. Paskow had given shortly before his retirement from SMC, entitled "On Writing an Academic Book." I'm finding that I identify with a lot of what Dr. Paskow says in it about the process of writing his 2004 book book, The Paradoxes of Art: A Phenomenological Investigation. Take this:

"One of the first things I experienced in beginning my work was a periodic reminder that no one had asked me to write it...One of the most difficult tasks in writing the book was to suppress thoughts about how it would be received, even whether it would be received at all. I would think: No one will publish this thing."

This is precisely the thought that has run through my head about the novel I'm supposed revise (and which I keep finding excuses not to). It's really a great comfort to share your most recent existential crisis with someone you really admire, and even more a comfort to know that he was able to persist, completing his book and successfully publishing it. Here's a link to Alan Paskow's book. http://www.amazon.com/Paradoxes-Art-Phenomenological-Investigation/dp/0521828333 I think it's out of print, so if you want to get your hands on it without spending a lot, your best bet is probably borrowing it from a university library.

(The book addresses the idea of why fictional characters and even images of people that appear in paintings affect our emotions, even when we are fully aware they are not real. Personally, I think this quality of art is a defense of both the arts and arts education. Dr. Paskow concludes, interestingly, that the fictional subjects of works of art achieve a sort of quasi-reality that allows us to interact with them. While at first glance, such an assertion seems peculiar, think about the legions of Harry Potter and Twilight fans who talk about the characters as if they are personal friends of theirs and dress in costumes appropriate to the books. Or think about the Cornelia Funke book Inkheart and the story "I Remember the Future" by Michael Burstein.)

The other interesting read this weekend was an outstanding profile of Gadi Pollack in the Inyan Magazine (HaModia) for Parshas Vayeishev. Most people are more familiar with Mr. Pollack's artwork than his name. Here's a link to some of the books he has illustrated.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&sort=relevancerank&search-alias=books&ie=UTF8&field-author=Gadi%20Pollack

The article in Inyan detailed how Mr. Pollack integrates his artwork and his spiritual life in an inspirational way. I recommend picking up the article while last week's magazine is still on the shelf.

How sharing literature, movies, and music can lead to important conversations with your kids

2011-12-06T19:41:00.001-08:00

I just read this interesting article in the Chicago Sun-Times about how reading/watching the final episode of the Twilight trilogy is a great jumping off point for mothers to address serious issues with their teenaged daughters. http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/9007549-452/vampire-fantasy-can-spark-real-life-dialog.html

My Nitzsche Moment

2011-11-30T21:31:00.001-08:00

Isn't it Nitzsche who said, "Whatever doesn't kill me makes me stronger?"

As I posted a couple weeks ago, I circulated the rough draft of my novel-in-progress among several friends and colleagues. The feedback that has been trickling back has been very enlightening, often useful, and will probably result in a much, much better book.

However--although most of the readers have overall liked my book and said they'd recommend such a book to friends--the feedback has also been extremely demoralizing and makes me want to crawl under a rock.

Everyone insists that I ditch the prologue, make a couple characters more obnoxious, and alter a particular detail. Add more action! More fun details about the planet. Make the robot even more menacing!

Okay, okay, I get it. If four people are telling me the same thing (so far), I guess I'd better take it seriously.

It's going to take me a long time to fix all that, plus address various other issues brought up by my invited editors, reviewers, beta readers, whatever you want to call them. Plus, I still haven't resolved the issue about whether to make the book accessible to a wider audience by limiting my use of Hebrew terms and explaining those used, etc.

I started working at the next draft, but had to stop when my computer died. This was probably a gift from Heaven. I think I need a little break. I was sitting in front of my computer, staring for a couple minutes at the screen, then begining to hyperventilate and twitch.

And I asked for it!

The craziest part is that I would ask for the experience again, because it'll make me a better writer, and my book will certainly be improved. (Maybe I'll even sell this one!)

A lot of writers disregard criticism of their "babies" because it's so painful. But so is childbirth. Literary babies have to develop and grow just like our real children, and after their initial births, you have to spend even more time and effort "educating" them before they can go out and live on their own. Yes, occasionally someone will share an opinion that no one else shares, and you can ignore it. And, yes, criticism should be shared in a respectful way. But if several people who have opinions you trust tell you the same thing, you'd better take notice.

Even if it's painful.

Heads Up on a Nifty Article & a Cloudy Recommendation

2011-11-27T18:22:00.001-08:00

Yael Mermelstein, the wonderful Jewish author, is profiled in this past week's (Parshas Toldos) Inyan Magazine found inside the HaModia newspaper. Immediately following the article is the first of a new two-part story by Mrs. Mermelstein. In the profile, Mrs. Mermelstein gives excellent advice about how to start writing as a career or as a hobby. If you are at all interested in this topic, I recommend reading the article.

And here are links to a couple of posts I've written on the topic--some of the advice is the same as Mrs. Mermelstein's, but there are other hints, as well.

http://klempnerkids.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-do-you-do-it.html

http://klempnerkids.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-do-you-do-it-part-2.html

On a totally different topic, I have to tell you that the cloud has now officially saved my -ahem!- tush. My computer died on Thanksgiving day, resulting in a second replacement of its hard drive. Aside from the back up drive that supposedly saves all our updated files every two weeks, I've been relying on the cloud to preserve all my new documents daily. The result--my computer flaked, but I still have my novel, with up-to-date copies of my revision-in-progress. I HIGHLY recommend that all serious writers maintain multiple backups of all files (hard copies, stored in cloud, exterior drive, etc.).

Wiggleroom?

2011-11-23T12:35:00.000-08:00

About six months ago, my sister sent me the link to an interview with Eric Kimmel, the acclaimed children's author. The popular blogger at Homeshuling chatted with Mr. Kimmel about his retelling of the Purim story, which came out early this past spring.

(Before I go any further, I want to make clear that I'm actually a big fan of Mr. Kimmel despite what follows. I assure you that many of his books are perfectly appropriate for Jewish families, and urge you to purchase them or borrow them from the library.)

One of the central themes of the interview is whether it's okay to alter the details of a story from the Tanach (Hebrew Bible) or a folktale. Mr. Kimmel feels that "You cannot be absolutely tied to the text or you are going to tie yourself into knots."

Read more: http://blog.beliefnet.com/homeshuling/2011/03/an-interview-with-eric-kimmel.html#ixzz1eagiZr1n
He continues later,

I’m writing modern midrash. Because midrash continues to the present day. We are constantly reinterpreting and reinventing these stories. They are not locked in stone. I want children to learn that the stories of the Torah are great stories – they stand with the best of them – Anderson and Grimm – and it all comes down to the story.

Recently, my family purchased the animated movie, Young Abraham. This film incorporates many elements of midrash, dropping certain details and streamlining or fictionalizing others. I was a little uncomfortable with the tampering with tradition, but the overall message is the same as in the original midrashim and completely coincides with frumkeit so I don't mind my children viewing it.

This is not the case with Mr. Kimmel's The Story of Esther: A Purim Tale. The author plays fast and loose with the details of the original text, which is--after all--a sacred work from the Tanach. For example, he "glosses over" the deaths of Haman and his family. However, one of the central points of Book of Esther is that Esther and Mordechai are making a tikkun (correction) for the lack of follow-through King Saul demonstrated when he didn't kill King Agag of the Amalekites despite HaShem's instructions to do so. Additionally, it's very important to a true understanding of the Book of Esther that Achashveirosh is a drunken slob and that Esther doesn't really want to be married to him. Mr. Kimmel changes that detail, too.

These are changes to essential details, and I wouldn't want to read this book to my children.

Similarly, in Even Higher, a retelling of the famous I.L. Peretz story about the Rabbi of Nemerov, Mr. Kimmel wanted to give a little context to the story. However, the information he interjects to explain the battles between the misnagdim and the chassidim is incorrect. His mishandling of the chassidus vs. misnaged battles of the 18th and 19th centuries actually makes the subject more murky, not less (and is probably not age-appropriate anyway).

In the same story, Mr. Kimmel shows the Rebbe livening up an old lady by dancing with her. It is highly unlikely a Chassidishe rebbe would dance with a woman, and it sends a message that you can just ditch halachah (in this case, the rules against negiah) if your intentions are okay.

I think that perhaps there is a little "wiggleroom" when you teach children (and writing a picture book is essentially teaching)--but you have to respect the original message and not misrepresent authentic Judaism in the retelling. For this reason, my husband and I generally screen even Jewish books before they enter our home.

What's your opinion?

A trip into the Uncanny Valley

2011-11-21T23:29:00.000-08:00

My kids love Tintin comics by Herge, so I was unable to suppress my desire to watch the trailer of the new Tintin film (despite the fact I haven't gone to the movies in nearly eight years). If you're interested it's here:

http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/05/17/tintin-adventures-trailer-spielberg/

What surprised me is that the animation in Tintin seemed to me to fall into what is called the Uncanny Valley.

The Uncanny Valley refers to the widespread belief that when computer graphics, robots, or other representations of people look and act almost, but not quite, like the real thing, people are creeped out. Apparently some genuine research has been done in this area, and many experts in CGI and robotics try hard to avoid stumbling into the Uncanny Valley in order to avoid turning off potential viewers.

As technology advances, this becomes more and more difficult. Just when does the image flip from being disgusting and become convincing? And how are we supposed to respond to such simulacra?

[Indeed, this is a favorite theme in science fiction. For example, both the classic book I, Robot by Asimov and the Ridley Scott movie Blade Runner (based on Phillip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep) directly address this conundrum. In one fictional world, androids are prohibited from having a convincing human appearance altogether; in the other, such robots exist, but are forbidden from living on Earth.]

Now let's get back to the new Tintin adaptation. I watched the trailer (and I should repeat that I actually don't watch movies in theaters and rarely at home unless Jewish), and I immediately responded---Ugh!

I'm not sure why the producers opted for an image capture CGI as opposed to live action (there actually are already animated adaptations of the Tintin comics, so I'm not so shocked that they opted out of another animated version), but I had a visceral reaction against what I saw. I'm wondering if other viewers will have similar reactions. With more and more exposure to video game graphics and the like, maybe the Uncanny Valley will lose it's effect on people who see a lot of CGI.

Ever wanted to write a novel?

2011-11-20T21:09:00.001-08:00

As some readers might know, November is National Novel Writing Month. Known as NaNoWriMo to insiders, participants sign up on the website, http://www.nanowrimo.org/, then commit to write a novel of at least 50,000 words by the end of the month. While some people find this task daunting, other people find it motivating and even exhilarating. The deadline gets people who've always wanted to write a novel but failed to follow the number one rule of writing (get your tush into a chair and start writing daily).

Intriguing? Well, even though it's almost the end of the month, it's not too late to participate! Barbara Krasner, who blogs at The Whole Megillah, is starting a Jewish version of NaNoWriMo to coincide with Jewish Book Month, which starts tomorrow (Nov. 21st).

Follow this link to get more details.

http://thewholemegillah.wordpress.com/2011/11/20/write-your-own-megillah-guest-post-why-write-a-thon-by-rochelle-melander/

Jeremy Rosen's Blog: Jewish Writers

2011-11-19T21:10:00.000-08:00

I just read an excellent blog post about what makes a Jewish writer. Jeremy Rosen's Blog: Jewish Writers

I've been wondering a bit about this myself. Right now, I'm looking at the comments I'm getting on the rewritten manuscript of my novel-in-progress from my "reviewers." The book is a sci-fi novel with a very religious (read "traditional Jewish) premise...but I'm not sure that I want it to be published by a Jewish press exclusively for a Jewish audience. (Is it obnoxious to say that I want to write the literary equivalent of a Matisyahu song?) How much can I change the story to be palatable to a wider audience without sacrificing its Jewishness?

When I read a book by Saul Bellow or Phillip Roth (mentioned in the blog post listed above), I'm very uncomfortable. Yes, they are ethnically Jewish, but a lot of the content of their books is anti-Jewish in their religious/philosophical underpinnings. Is a book Jewish just because its author is?

Then again, does a Jewish writer have to write books that are Jewish in substance? If yes, are we talking culture or religion? There are books I've read that are not by religious Jews, but are completely consistent with Jewish ideals. On the other hand, I've read books by Orthodox authors that aren't specifically religious in any way.

Any opinions out there?

The Right tools for the Write job

2011-11-17T22:53:00.001-08:00

(image from Clker.com)

Each writer has a unique toolbox of implements they use while writing.

I could be speaking metaphorically, but in this case, I'm talking about actual tools. Most writers have a very special relationship with computers, word processing programs, desks, paper, journals, pens, highlighters, folders, and the like. There are favorite brands and coveted models of all these writing implements.

Most writers have very strong opinions on at least some of these items. There are Moleskin fans, Mac devotees, people who swear by fat .9 mechanical pencil points, and others who want only a black Bic Stick with a fine tip.

Sometimes, I "test drive" pens. I'm not the only one--have you ever gone to store and found the display covered in squiggles and John Hancocks? Pentel, Biro, Bic, PaperMate, and Pilot all have their advocates. Check out this great blog with comparisons of different types of pens, markers, and paper for use by wordsmiths. http://apenchantforpaper.blogspot.com/

And here's an example of how some writers creatively re-purpose items not normally associated with writing for their exploits. http://theemptypen.wordpress.com/2011/11/13/your-best-non-writing-writing-tool/

Recently, I caved into my cheapskate habits and purchased a $0.99 composition book to use as a journal. I think I'll have to discard it soon...I'm not using my journal like I usually do.

This seems silly, but having the right instruments makes writing more pleasurable--and therefore, you're less likely to avoid sitting down and getting to work. (It also helps to have a comfortable chair at your computer desk.)

Currently, I prefer a blue gel pen (Pilot is my fav), medium point only. My preferred notebook is hardcover with a spiral binding so that the pages lie flat. And a pretty picture on the cover helps. That's for journaling, outlining, diagramming--all that pre-writing work. I sometimes do my very first draft in the notebook, too, but then I switch to the computer. I'm pretty flexible on the Mac vs. PC issue, but I HATE, HATE, HATE laptops.

Did I mention that authors have strong opinions on these subjects?

Care to share yours?

Inspiration?

2011-11-13T20:02:00.000-08:00

So, I finally finished revising my novel on paper (complete with red ink) at some point early last week. However, I was having trouble actually typing the changes into the document. I'm not sure if I was nervous, bored with the project, or what. I kept finding excuses and wasting time, even with friends and relatives asking if I was finished.

And then the incredible happened...

On Friday morning (while my challah dough was rising), I figured that I should price the cost of making copies through both chain print shops and locally-owned ones. I was about to go to a locally-owned one that I'd heard was reliable and competitively priced when I found an online coupon for Staples Print & Copy services. The coupon was good for 30% off of a job that cost at least $30 AND IT WAS GOING TO EXPIRE ON SATURDAY!

Very motivating.

I had the project done by 1:30 and sent it off to the printer electronically before 2 o'clock.

Wow.

I'm very excited, but more than a little freaked out. I already have my new baby in the capable hands of one reader, with a cover sheet for feedback attached (and a stack of post-its). My writing group will, G-d willing, meet later this week. I'll fork out a couple more copies at that point.

It's funny how my mind works.

Almost ready to print and distribute to a selected few

2011-11-11T09:56:00.000-08:00

I'm almost done (at last) my rewrite of the novel-in-progress. It's still too short (over 30,000 words, but not by very much), it still has a few scenes that I think are a little lame, but the characterizations are more convincing, there's better world creation, and I think the whole thing is more coherent. I've lined up a few writing friends (and a couple teens, too) to read the book and tear it to shreds.

That puts me at the point of printing the copies I need to distribute. As big as an investment of time that I've already put into this project, the copies that I need produce to hand out will require actual moolah. Moolah is not something we have a lot of around in the Klempner residence.

Here's a link to an interesting post on the "MY WRITING LIFE" blog on this topic: http://learnedaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2009/04/printing-manuscript-terror-and-anguish.html

The author writes that even before making copies at a print shop, astonishing length of time and price of ink invested in that first manuscript at home is frustrating. Plus, a long document inevitably requires troubleshooting due to jams, misprints, and the like. Ugh. In this case, do-it-yourself may not be either the cheapest or best option.

I'm thinking of electronically sending my document to the local Office Depot or the like and having them do the entire thing. Time to do a little comparison shopping.

And then I have to reveal to my darling husband just how much I'm spending on a book that I may never even sell.

Just when you think the world is going to heck in a handbasket...

2011-11-05T23:19:00.000-07:00

Here are links to two articles with wonderful examples of how people can support one another despite sectarian differences.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/faith/52827990-81/modest-loch-fashion-says.html.csp?page=1

A modest-clothing blogger who is a member of the LDS church bonds with the evangelist Christian, Orthodox Jewish, and Muslim women who visit her website.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45165318/ns/us_news-life/?google_editors_picks=true#.TrYm8UOIlyk

Two Muslim cabbies from Pakistan buy out a struggling Jewish owned business and vow to keep it kosher.

And yes, I found the articles when wasting time I was supposed to be working on my novel.

Missing a deadline

2011-11-02T20:46:00.000-07:00

Confession time: I didn't finish my revision of the novel-in-progress by Nov. 1st. In fact, I'm only 2/3 done and it seems just to go slower and slower. It's so stressful, I find myself wasting time in lots of creative ways.

I'm usually great about making deadlines, so I'm trying not to view my -ahem- delay as either a failure or evidence that I'm really just a slacker.

I'm heading back to work, now.

Really.

And even more great bedtime reads!

2011-10-31T22:18:00.000-07:00

While reviewing my site stats, I've noticed that lots of people want bedtime selections for their little sweethearts (or maybe for their little hellions...maybe THAT'S why they're so anxious to get them to sleep). Here are some new discoveries in the Klempner household.

This Little Chick by John Lawrence tells the adventures of a wacky little chick who would rather speak the languages of the other barnyard animals than that of his family. The woodblock print illustrations are just fantastic, and my children laughed at the chick's antics. Ages 18 mo - 5 years.

A Book of Sleep by Il Sung Na has to be one of the most dreamily illustrated boardbooks I've ever seen. A wakeful owl watches over sleepy animals of all types until day arrives. The language is simple and lulling, and the pictures are filled with fanciful whorls and flowers and vines faintly sketched against the blocks of color. My favorite illustrations are those of the giraffe using the cloud as a pillow and the penguins huddled together. Perfect for ages 18 mo through 4 years.

The next Jewish holiday, a month and a half away, will be Chanukah. Here's a fun story to celebrate the holiday:

Asher and the Capmakers by Eric Kimmel isn't precisely a folktale. This is a whimsical, darkly humorous story--about the mysterious adventure a boy has when he runs to the neighbor to borrow an egg for the family's latkes--created by interweaving folktales from many traditions. I'd recommend this one for children 5 to 10 years old. It's a little scary for the youngest readers. Also, some families might be uncomfortable with the mention of fairies and their magical caps.

Revision update

2011-10-30T21:36:00.001-07:00

I know I set a deadline of Nov. 1st for revising my novel, but I kinda forgot I'd be out of commission during Sukkot. Now, I'm paying the price.

My tush is asleep. My tailbone is rebelling.

I really want to finish by Tuesday night, but I'm finding the chair at my computer so painful (despite yoga and 600 mg ibuprofen every 6 hours), I'm not sure I'm going to make it. Plus, every time I look at what I've already written and supposedly revised, I keep finding more things I don't like. Ugh.

Self-doubt sets in. Maybe it's no good after all.

I'm going to try to finish, anyway. What if I spend the next 20 years kicking myself about "that novel I wrote, but never finished..."?

Bram Stoker's journals to be published

2011-10-18T10:57:00.000-07:00

(photo by Paul Capewell on Flickr)

Here's a reminder to jot down all your brilliant and not-so-brilliant ideas into a notebook and then to keep your notebooks around long after you've filled them:

Relatives of the Irish author Bram Stoker recently discovered his first journal, kept while he was a university student. While the quality of the writing it contains shows nowhere near the professional skill of Dracula or Stoker's many short stories, it does reveal that in later life, he went back to the snippets he jotted down in early adulthood to include in his writing. Even if he couldn't use the material immediately, this journal laid a foundation for future success.

A lot of people walk up to me and say, "I have this really great idea, but I don't have the time to follow up on it right now." Or they say, "I had this thing happen to me, but I don't think I can write about it."

My answer: JUST JOT DOWN A FEW WORDS. Or draw a picture. Or paste in a magazine clipping or family photo that will jolt your memory at a later date. A journal, notebook, or planner works because these formats are less likely to get lost than the back of an envelope and keep everything together.

Maybe right now you don't have the skills or time to write your masterpiece. That's okay if you save the ideas for later in a concrete format. (For foodie types: it's like keeping a crock of sourdough starter around so you can eventually bake bread.)

For the complete article about Bram Stoker's journal, follow this link.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/oct/18/bram-stoker-notebook-dracula?CMP=twt_fd

This is officially a rant.

2011-10-17T23:14:00.001-07:00

Please forgive me for the following. I cannot help myself.

In the middle of this lovely Jewish holiday of Sukkot, I find myself very cranky instead of all smiley-faces. I just received a rejection letter (the second for this particular writing project), but that's not the thing that upsets me the most. What upsets me the most is that there are so few options left for me on this project.

I am an author. I am a first-rate doodler, but I am not an illustrator. And because of that, many publishers and agents don't even want to hear from me. Many, if not most, have closed their doors to unsolicited picture book manuscripts that are submitted without illustrations attached.

There are some wonderful author-illustrators out there. But even many famous ones write books not illustrated by themselves (Mo Willems, Rosemary Wells, and Kevin Henkes, for example), and there are also examples of books that would have been better if the publisher had given the writing and illustrating jobs to separate people (I refuse to name names, as this would be hurtful). Outstanding words rarely come from outstanding graphic artists. Many wonderful authors would never be heard from if they had to prove their drawing chops just to get a book deal.

Maybe an editor or agent can explain this trend to me, but right now I'm busy having a pity party. Try me some other time.

Chugging away

2011-10-11T20:48:00.000-07:00

(photo by RJ Stew on Flickr)

I've decided to set a goal for myself: rewrite the rough draft of my novel in entirety and hand over to my trusted reviewers by November 1st. Hopefully, a deadline will keep me chugging away.

After the research I did last week, I've decided to do a "two pass" method. First I went through the whole thing and made sweeping changes to the structure, made characters, plot points, and themes consistent all the way through, etc. Now I'm doing a line-by-line edit.

I'm very excited but very nervous. What if everyone hates it? What it everyone loves it but no one will print it?

[Reminding myself to reframe:

It doesn't have to be perfect, just the best I can do right now (thanks Holly Lisle).]

Ladies: Have you seen "The Heart that Sings" yet?

2011-10-06T21:02:00.001-07:00

Last spring, I enjoyed the fabulous, soul-stirring, ladies-only film by Robin Garbose "The Heart that Sings." The film is 100% kosher. Not only are performances by ladies only for ladies only, but contain authentically Jewish content. If you didn't catch the movie the first time around, you can catch it during chol hamoed Sukkot in the following locations: Boro Park, Monsey, Crown Heights, Toronto, L.A., and Lakewood. Follow this link for times and ticket prices:

http://www.kolneshama.org/sukkos-screenings-of-the-heart-that-sings/

There's also a preview available to watch on the website.

And now comes the hard part

2011-10-04T21:50:00.000-07:00

I'm preparing to revise the novel-in-progress.

Many bloggers have recommended the "One Pass Method" of Holly Lisle. For details, see: http://hollylisle.com/how-to-revise-a-novel/ which tries to do everything in one fell swoop from beginning to end.

Others suggest a longer process, saying their revisions take longer than writing their first draft. Yikes! Just the idea makes me want to hyperventilate.

I'll update you on my trevails. I'm taking a breather for a few days and working on other projects.

I DID IT!

2011-10-04T00:26:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's true! I finally finished my first novel. Hooray! Of course, I was supposed to finish by Labor Day, and it's probably pretty terrible, and it's shorter than I intended, but it's done. It's just a first draft...but a complete first draft! And the longest thing I've ever written. (I never realized before how it takes a long time to print an entire novel.)

I'm in shock right now. All my nearest and dearest are in bed right now, so I'll just blog and get to bed.

Bear With Me

2011-10-04T00:12:00.000-07:00

When you actually make it to regular pediatrician visits for all your kids--and you've got a few kids--you spend a lot of time with the aforementioned pediatrician. So you shmooze. Over the last couple years, part of our shmooze has been on the topic of his son-in-law's picture book.

It came out not too long ago, and I have to recommend it, not only is it by a friend of a friend (so to speak), it's by a local author and actually very worthy of a recommendation. Max Kornell's Bear with Me is quite a charming book and got lots of giggles out of my kids.

A little boy's parents bring home someone new to live with them. Someone who takes up a lot of his parents' attention. Someone who tampers with his belongings and makes him lose sleep at night. Sound familiar? However, this little boy didn't get a new baby...he got a new bear.

While some of the reviews I've read recommend this book for children with new siblings, I think it would be even better for kids with an ADOPTED sibling on the way. Here's why: the little boy and the new bear are able to enjoy each other's company rather quickly. It can take a while before newborns are entertaining and engaging. This would probably be good to discuss before a new baby comes home, otherwise your elder children might be disgusted by the family's new addition.

Other than that little picky point, I highly recommend this funny little book for kids, ages 3-7.

Identifying Your Life’s Mission

2011-09-25T15:01:00.000-07:00

Identifying Your Life’s Mission

The above article (by Sara Yocheved Rigler and appearing this week on Aish.com) explains how to find your "tafkid," that little sliver of the world that constitutes your mission in life. I encourage you to read it before Rosh HaShanah. I found it very inspirational and the perfect complement to a shiur I attended over the weekend.

Rabbi Simcha Weinberg was visiting our shul over this Shabbos. At seudat shlisheet, he explained that the Yomim Noraim (the Days of Awe) are the when we should not only think about what we've done wrong in the past year, but what would it look like if we did it right in the year ahead. He suggested that we should not imagine what we want, but what HaShem's dream is for us. What does He want from us? Then we can establish some steps to take to get us there.

Of course, He wants us to make peace with other Jews (including family members!). Of course, He wants us to improve in how we follow his mitzvot.

But He also wants us to be the best people we can be, using our talents and skills. The article by Sara Yocheved Rigler will inspire you to do just that. What gets you excited about life? How can you use that talent and passion to improve your family, your community, your world?

Sifriyat Pijama B' America begins!

2011-09-21T20:39:00.000-07:00

My daughter received her first book through Sifriyat Pijama B' America (which distributes free Hebrew language materials to American children, particularly those with Israeli parents or grandparents) this week. The first selection was Lea Goldberg's classic Hayeled Hara (The Bad Boy). My children enjoyed the story--about a boy who blames his naughty behavior on the "bad boy" inside him--and found the illustrations quite charming. The directions for parents explain the book connects to the mishnah in Pirke Avos about "Who is the strong man? The one who controls his inclination (for bad)." The message fits perfectly into this season of Elul, where we are supposed to carefully consider our actions and resolve to do better in the coming year. I'm going to see if I can get my bigger kids to read it to the little ones for their own Hebrew language practice.

I should point out that not only are the Sifriyat Pijama B' America books in Hebrew (with nekudot), but the parent directions are in Hebrew, too. There was hardly any English at all in the entire package. The result: a little fumbling around with a English-Ivrit dictionary in the Klempner household before we could introduce the book to our children.

The program is now at capacity, but will add new members in December. You can get on the waiting list here:

https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dG5DTEhoa29GQWFsNzhOaUxQZTFJaWc6MQ#gid=0

Soundtrack to the novel I'm working on

2011-09-18T20:58:00.000-07:00

(picture by Thunder Circus on Flickr)

I've been wasting a lot of my precious post-bedtime lately. I'm supposed to be finishing my book, but I find myself listening to groovy music instead. In theory, it's helping identify with various characters and create atmosphere, but honestly, I'm still pretty much avoiding real work. Here are some highlights.

"Infinity" by Shtar

"Running Away" by Matisyahu (cover of a Bob Marley song)

"I Can't Be with You" by the Cranberries (female vocalist)

the Diwon remix of "Acharon Acharon, Chaviv" by Lipa Shmeltzer

"You are Never Alone" by Socalled

"Chalomot shel Acherim" by the Idan Raichel Project

"Rachmana" by Ta-Shma

"The Only One" by Moshav

"Down in the Now" by the Crystal Method (with Matisyahu)

Who's the bad guy?

2011-09-15T20:03:00.000-07:00

My eldest son asked me the following question earlier this evening: "Ima, why does everyone call Mr. MacGregor a bad guy?" He was, of course, referring to Mr. MacGregor, the nemesis of Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny.

We had a very interesting little conversation after that--about how Peter Rabbit's father had been killed and eaten by Mr. MacGregor, but also about how the farmer's actions were justified, given the bunnies' acts of thievery and trespass. And Peter Rabbit--despite the short coat, shiny brass buttons, and shoes--is nevertheless a rabbit. So long as you're not Jewish, it is perfectly appropriate to eat our little floppy-eared friends.

Now I find myself contemplating other much-maligned characters in childhood classics. The fish in The Cat in the Hat is much more morally upright than the Cat, but the Cat's the one who everyone dresses up as for Purim (or Halloween). And what about the wolf who ate the three little pigs? He's just doing what wolves do...eat other animals.

Recently a whole genre of fairy tale retellings--where the "villain" is frequently exonerated--has developed. Maybe Mr. MacGregor will get to set the record straight, after all.

Shall we play a funeral dirge?

2011-09-11T20:51:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's time to break out a little Chopin funeral march.

Two of our favorite Hebrew picture books have been officially loved to death: the classic Tiras Cham and HaShalom shel Michael. Their tattered pages are currently being mourned by the members of the Klempner household.

This event has sent me on a new adventure: finding new copies. I've been successful at finding Tiras Cham. That book is so popular in Israel that Steimatsky there sells Tiras Cham-themed pajamas (possible Chanukah gifts for my little ones?) and you can easily purchase books through their website. However, HaShalom shel Michael is nowhere to be found on the internet. It's like it never existed. I've tried transliterating in a variety of ways and even translating despite my relatively poor Hebrew skills (Should that be Michael's Hello or Michael's Greeting?). Zilch!

I'm a little traumatized. Perhaps I'll patch up the sad, dilapidated pages that have fallen out of the binding and onto the floor. It's such a beautiful story, all about greeting everyone with a "panim yafot," as Shammai suggests in Pirkei Avot. I highly recommend the book to everyone...if you can just find a copy!

My time isn't a total loss. The plus side is that I discovered a neat-o blog about Hebrew language education with some nifty things in it (like an art project/lesson plan to go with another Israel classic, HaBayit Shel Yael):
http://inoursmallgarden.wordpress.com/childrens-books/
Then that blog led me to another:
http://www.dafdaf.co.il/
And another!
http://www.internationalchildbook.com/hebrewlanguage/1318031?page_483032555=2
And yet another!
http://justhebrew.com/

Almost (but only almost!)

2011-09-07T21:49:00.000-07:00

(photo by Ian Britton)

Well, my goal for the summer was to finish my first solo effort at a novel and...I didn't quite finish.

Ugh.

I'm probably just 3,000 words shy of a complete first draft. After ditching my original draft of "Part 3," I had a good think and outlined a new path for the rest of the book. However, I'm having problems bringing myself to sit down and finish.

What's my excuse? Instead of spending quality time with my keyboard, I've been spending quality time with humans (my husband and kids, now back in school), and I've been actively looking for more freelance work. I finished a writing project last week and submitted something else. It's not like I've been wasting time doing nothing. On the other hand, I have wasted a lot of time blogging, reading weird science news (justifying it as research), and listening to music that's too noisy for effectively focusing on a computer screen.

It's time for a completely non-professional attempt at psychoanalyzing myself. I definitely need to figure out why I don't just sit down for a couple nights and crank out the rest so I can get over it.

1) I used to write for fun. It was relaxing, and even escapist. I still love writing. I'm still very enthusiastic about this project. However, writing has been reclassified in my brain over the last 9 months as a professional exercise and not a hobby. It's actually work.

2) I think I'm a little freaked out about finishing the first draft because I know it will be...a first draft. Like, not perfect. Like, potentially terrible. I guess I have to just accept that it will start out that way, but trust that it'll eventually improve.

Interesting perspective on modesty

2011-09-01T21:40:00.000-07:00

Tzniut, or modesty, is an important topic for those who adopt a Torah-true lifestyle. I was attracted to Randa Abdel-Fattah's book, Does My Head Look Big In This?, because it addresses this very issue from the Muslim perspective. I thought it would be interesting to see how a Muslim writer handled it as opposed to the Jewish writers I'm already familiar with.

Amal, a teenager in Australia, decides to begin to wear the hijab (traditional Muslim headcovering) full-time even though she attends a very White prep school. The saga of how her choice impacts more and more of her life flows logically. Amal is a very likable narrator and explains the ideology behind the hijab and other Muslim practices beautifully, and they are very much in harmony with the views of traditional Judaism. I appreciated that we see both the ups and downs along Amal's journey, and that she stays firm on her decision at the conclusion of the book.

Amal, like most teenagers, is OBSESSED with movies, television, Cosmo, celebrity gossip, etc. We see Amal's parents telling her that these pop-culture icons are nonsense, but we don't see her very moved by this. Amal never seems to really get that celebrity culture and fashion magazines are completely the opposite of what the hajib stands for. Some of the trouble she must deal with is actually created by her involvement in mainstream culture. She keeps watching "Friends" even though the characters make life decisions incompatible with Islam, and she compulsively does Cosmo quizzes and uses the magazine's advice to flirt with boys even though she will not date them. I wish the book would have been more insightful about how our society feeds into immodesty, and how it's healthy to step out of that largely-immoral media mix.

Most Orthodox Jews would tell you that the solution is to retreat from secular media, to varying degrees. It's common to monitor our children's television viewing (or ban it from the house altogether), restrict what movies they see, limit internet access, and the like. Many frum children aren't permitted to use cell phones, or the phones do not have text access. And many Orthodox Jews send their children to schools with separate girls' and boys' departments, if not entirely separate schools. I know that many Muslims adopt such strategies (none of which is perfect, but which help)...what puzzles me is that Ms. Abdel-Fattah doesn't bring them up (except that Amal's parents disapprove of Cosmo, so she has to sneak it into the house).

There are fleeting mentions of political beliefs that most Jewish readers will disagree with (there are a couple references to the Palestinian-Israeli dilemma); however, none of these are obnoxious, argumentative, or deeply offensive. There is mutual respect between all sorts of characters (it's very nice that Jewish characters are portrayed favorably, with a marked distinction between politics and religion, although as an Orthodox Jew, I flinched when the Jewish kid falls for a non-Jew).

Two things cause me to hesitate from recommending Does This Make My Head Look Big? to every Bais Yaakov girl, though:

I was surprised that there is some swearing in the book (no F-bombs, though, I think), and there is some frank talk about how Amal's beliefs address sexuality and women's body image, although nothing graphic. However, I think that this book would be a very good read for many young women or even teachers/parents of young women. I think that the book has a lot of insights that are unlikely to be found in a YA novel published by a frum publishing house, and I think the fictional format is particularly useful in approaching this audience. I hope this book's pro-modesty message will reach teens that wouldn't normally pick up an Orthodox Jewish book.

Jewish magazines still jockeying for market share

2011-08-28T20:38:00.000-07:00

In the last few years, English-language Orthodox (charedi) periodicals have proliferated. (A little disclosure is appropriate here--I've written for both Aim! and Mishpacha Junior, am a long-time subscriber to HaModia.) Interestingly, as new publications show up, the older ones change formats (sometimes repeatedly) in order to improve their market share.

For example: HaModia came out with an online edition and now so has the Yated (honestly, I don't know which happened first, but I heard about HaModia's first). HaModia came out with a unique format for the kids' mag that competes more with Weekly Reader than with any other charedi publication and sets it apart. Supplements targeted towards kosher "foodies" are in vogue almost across the board. Most recently, I noticed that Binah Bunch is now divided in two--one half "Clubhouse" (which seems designed to compete with Mishpacha Junior) and one half a tween magazine (more similar to Aim!).

Watching these "renovations" is sometimes entertaining (trying to guess the reasons behind different editorial decisions, for example), but it's also a little depressing because these magazines HAVE to compete in order to make money. I enjoy all of them, but I can't afford to purchase all of them on a regular basis. Neither can the average Jewish consumer, so these magazines and newspapers have to compete for our subscriptions.

It also has implications for us writers. If there's more variety out there, there are more niches writers can develop for their writing...which is fabulous. But if everyone just tries to do the same thing, just better, (how many food magazines do we really need?) writers get locked in. I've seen a little of both in these format changes.

On a happier note, I think the competition has forced all the magazines to strive for a level of excellence that I don't think has been reached before. Not only are there more magazines, but they are better than ever, I think.

Another picture book about children's safety issues

2011-08-21T18:38:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I reported about Yoni Ploni Never Talks to Strangers, a book written about personal safety specifically for children in the Jewish community. (See the original post here.) This book is now available through the Israel Book Shop website.

Another book on this topic has just been released: Artscroll's Let's Stay Safe. This book had a wider subject area than Yoni Ploni..., as it covers such topics as crossing the street, bicycle safety, etc. as well as stranger safety. You can find Let's Stay Safe at Jewish bookstores and online on the Artscroll website.

Jewish Sci-Fi Update

2011-08-14T18:49:00.000-07:00

Yaakov the Pirate Hunter is the new-ish novel for tweens by L.A. local Nathaniel Wyckoff. Yaakov Peretz has just started summer vacation, and an accident with one of his family's robots results in his discovery of a treasure map. Wacky adventures result from the Peretz's choice to seek out the treasure so it can be returned. It's all reminiscent of a Geronimo Stilton book, but with no mice and only black and white print.

I remember reading a while ago that the way George Lucas and Steven Spielberg invented Indiana Jones was by fantasizing about all the coolest scenes they wished had been in matinee serials and adventure novels pre-1960, and then binding these scenes together with a plot. You know: Trapped in a pit with snakes--check! Fight with strongman who gets too close to a propeller--check! Pretty but tough girl gets trapped in a basket, but which one?--check!

That's what Yaakov the Pirate Hunter is like. What would tween boys most like to read about? Robots--check! Pirates--check! Bumbling cops--check! Kids save the day--check! It makes perfect sense for this to be the novel's general impression, too. Wyckoff originally invented the story to entertain the kids in carpool (How's that for a successful carpool strategy?). With all those elements, how could it go wrong?

The recipe works like magic. Yaakov the Pirate Hunter is pure fun. My 9 year old son LOVED it. Like begged to find out if there's a sequel in the works kind of loved it. (Answer: not in the immediate future. Alas.) He also loved that the book is set in Los Angeles, not the NY metro area or Israel, like most Jewish books.

I'd recommend this book for 7-11 year old kids, especially boys. It could work as independent reading or a bedtime read-aloud. Here's a link to Amazon if you want to purchase it: http://www.amazon.com/Yaakov-Pirate-Hunter-Nathaniel-Wyckoff/dp/1456452495/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1313374964&sr=1-1

There was also an outstanding sci-fi story FOR ADULTS (shocker!) in Binah Magazine's Aug. 8th issue (thanks to Miriam Hendeles for the heads-up). It was authored by the wonderful Yael Mermelstein, and it's so good, it should be anthologized or something. It would be a pity if its only appearance was in a single magazine issue.

Interesting new alternative to Facebook

2011-08-14T12:50:00.000-07:00

Many religious Jews (and others) find the use of Facebook problematic. For ladies, there is already MetroImma and Imamother which can be used for social networking, but now there's a new alternative, available to both men and women: FaceGlat.

Apparently, it works much like Facebook, and can even be accessed through your Facebook account. There are a few differences, but the biggest is that there are separate site for men and women. No more requests to be Friended by ex-boyfriends or the guy who thought you were cute at your last job! As Facebook has been cited in a great many of divorces (according to therapists and rabbis), this is an enormous asset to FaceGlat.

Link to women's site: http://faceglat.com/woman/

Link to men's site: http://faceglat.com/man/en/faceglat.html

I'm interested to hear if anyone has tried out this new service. Feel free to share feedback in a comment below.

Busy, busy, busy

2011-08-10T21:20:00.000-07:00

This week's Aim! magazine (found inside Ami) contains an article by yours truly on the topic of the CIA. It's actually the cover story! I had wonderful fun researching and writing it, and hope you will enjoy reading it.

I outlined a new "Part Three" for my novel, but I'm taking a breather now. Instead, I just wrote a short story yesterday. A weird short story. Revising today.

I'd also like to announce my new blog. I had to learn the Word Press platform, so I took information I've learned this summer about free and cheap local activities and started "Fabulous, Fun and Free L.A." You'll find great info for date nights, family fun, and vacations here in Los Angeles, all affordable.

Visit it here: http://funfreeorcheapla.wordpress.com/

How do we mourn?

2011-08-08T18:41:00.001-07:00

My husband says one of the reasons we can't truly mourn the loss of the Beis HaMikdash (the Holy Temple in Jerusalem) on Tisha B'Av is because we don't understand what we are missing. We never saw the Temple with our own eyes, and the coming of Moshiach will be so miraculous, we can't even imagine it. Books can help us to better appreciate the loss of the Beis HaMikdash and picture the future end to our exile.

Leah Braunstein Levy's The Waiting Wall, Genendel Krohn's When We Left Yerushalayim, and Rabbi Fishel Schachter's Yibaneh HaMikdash, can help children identify with the gravity of Tisha B'Av and hope for the redemption. Moreover, there are a number of excellent books and DVDs (such as Chaim Shmuel Friedman's) which elaborately describe the Beis HaMikdash's appearance and function, and these can help us too.

I'd also recommend David Shapiro's The Promise of G-d, which depicts a possible scenario for the coming of Moshiach.

You could even use this as a writing exercise:

Simply sit on the floor and contemplate what will be different when Moshiach arrives, when there is no more war. Xenophobia and illness--gone! Wealth distributed fairly! The RAMBAM writes that there will no envy or competition, either. Imagine a world united to the service of G-d and happy in it. Write it down, believe in it. Then think about the gap between that future time and what we have now. Better yet, think about one thing you can do to bring that beautiful future closer.

Moving photoessay online based on book "Where Children Sleep"

2011-08-07T16:56:00.001-07:00

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/04/where-children-sleep/

This piece in the New York Times contains selections from an upcoming book about the lives of children worldwide. When I saw these pictures of children and their bedrooms, I was greatly moved. James Mollison's exquisite photos let you draw your own conclusions without any commentary, and--boy!--I drew quite a few.

For one thing, you can clearly see the variety of ways in which human beings live. Everyone knows that intellectually, but these pictures really send the message home.

The other thing that becomes immediately apparent is the material simplicity in which many of these children live. In some cases, there is obvious poverty and even oppression (the child in Appalachia, the pregnant 14 y o in Rio and the domestic worker in Katmandu). In other cases, material simplicity reflects a completely different way of seeing the world (Tvika in Beitar Ilit, the two Rendille children in Kenya and 8 y o Kraho boy from Brazil).

Here in the U.S., we see images of perfectly appointed bedrooms with matching furniture, bedding, and decor (there are some of those in Mollison's photos, too) in Pottery Barn and Ikea catalogs and long for them. We see material excess and long for it. But for the vast majority of children on earth, those perfect bedrooms are impossible to obtain. These photos even make you consider--are they worth obtaining, after all? Is the child on Park Avenue happier than the one sleeping on the bare earth in the Sahara?

Something to think about.

Also interesting is that many of these bedrooms contain no visible reading material.

Making Up New Words to Go with your New Worlds

2011-08-04T17:37:00.000-07:00

I just finished a sci-fi novel entitled The Empress of Mars. There were many things I liked about it, and one of the things that the author, Kage Baker, managed particularly well was naming all those imaginary new technologies that appear in the story.

Almost all sci-fi stories describe hi-tech gadgets, and if those gadgets are new to your imaginary realm, you have to name them. One of the challenges is naming them in a way that evokes the item's function, but doesn't sound too similar to either real-world objects and those that inhabit other author's books. And you'd better not trample on anyone's trademark, either. Sometimes you read a book, and you're lost by the new vocabulary, or it's clunky and sounds artificial. Ms. Baker did an excellent job of naming things in ways made sense, yet seemed exotic enough to flesh out a new planet, many years in the future.

I have always been the type that makes up words. Long before Frindle, I would spout strange new words that never appeared in a dictionary or thesaurus, but which better described items or behaviors than any word that does. My specialty is turning nouns into verbs, and vice versa. However, my newest invention is "shadebathing." It is intended to describe the behavior of one of my children, who on a hot day will run into a bit of shade, plotz, and stretch out to cool off, no matter how inconvenient the time or place.

I'm blessed that one of my children has followed in my footsteps. For example, he thinks that the phrase "crime-ridden" should be replaced by the descriptor "crimey." I voiced the objection that this is too close to the word "criminy," but he remains unconcerned. "No one knows that word anymore, Ima. Or if they do, they sure don't use it."

Naming characters and locations has always been relatively easy for me. I can just make up anything, no rules. However, when you name your fictional gadget, as I mentioned above, you need to balance familiarity with novelty. I find this much tougher. In the novel I'm writing now, I keep picking names for things, then feeling the need to relabel them.

Thank G-d for "Find and Replace!" I seem to be employing it a lot lately.

Drat!

2011-08-02T23:15:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned before, one of my objectives for the summer has been to complete a first draft of a novel. Make that my weird Jewish, sci-fi, teenage parable. So I was cruising along, having outlined and then fleshing out first part one, then part two, and then got 3000-ish words into part three...when I realized that part three didn't belong in this book! Yikes. Now I'm trying to decide just what is the real part three that belongs to this book.

I'm not entirely stuck--I've added additional materials to part one and two this week (including some borrowed from the now-defunct part three)--and have worked on another couple writing projects, to boot. However, I'm starting to fear I will not finish by Labor Day. I'm starting to fear I will never finish. (Insert image here of me imitating the little boy in the photo at the top of this post.)

I need to decide where I want to go with this book, but the idea of being stuck is giving me such anxiety that I think it's actually making me more stuck. Usually, I'm not the writer's block type...but this might be it.

I'm going to go practice some deep breathing now...

10 Ways to Use Your Words to Spread Love and Peace

2011-07-31T19:15:00.000-07:00

This time of year is known on the Jewish calendar as the Nine Days, which culminate in the saddest day of the year, Tisha B'Av. This fast day is the anniversary of many tragic events in Jewish history, the most important three being the evil report given by 10 out of 12 scouts sent into the land of Israel by Moshe; the destruction of the first Temple in Jerusalem by the Babylonians; and the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans.

Two out of three of these events are blamed by the rabbis on the use of words to harm others. By improving our speech, avoiding gossip and hurtful language, we can help bring the Moshiach and his reign of peace. If we build people with our words instead of destroying them with our words, we are adding bricks to the Third Temple.

In this digital age, we use words all the time. As a writer, I'm practically obsessed with them. But the more you use words, the more you must be careful with them. It is truly shocking how often we find people online misusing their words. People insult, use profanity, spread xenophobia and hatred with aplomb. People spread hurtful and offensive comments based on hearsay, rumor, or untruths and act like they're doing a public service.

The amazing thing is that a level-headed comment that respectfully disagrees is more influential, and a kind word or compliment makes people want to hear more of what you have to say. The more you use your words for good, the more blessing G-d gives them. If more people used their words to spread love and peace in the world, the world would be that much of a happier place to be.

Here are some positive ways you can use your words:

1) Apologize in a more meaningful and detailed way than a simple "I'm sorry," to someone you harmed.

2) Write an affectionate letter to a spouse, parent, child, teacher or friend.

3) Thank someone you haven't seen in years for something they did to help you a long time ago.

4) Write a positive review of a book or product.

5) Write a recommendation for a person to get work.

6) Write a letter complementing a company on the fine qualities of their product, or...

7) on the excellent service you received from an employee.

8) If you feel you must disagree with someone, make the comment respectful. For example:

"With all due respect, I must disagree with the idea that..."

"I'm not sure that the evidence supports your comment..."

"You make an interesting point. Can you defend it with some evidence?"

"I'm impressed by your..., but think your statement that...requires more thought."

"While I think that...is a wonderful..., I have to respectfully disagree with their notion that..."

NEVER insult a person, even if you must attack their ideas. (And, frankly, you usually don't really need to do that, you're just itching to.)

9) Leave a note in your spouse's or kid's lunchbox with a funny joke or mentioning something you look forward doing with them when they return home.

10) Write a (true or not) story or poem that reflects gratitude to G-d or to a person for the blessings they have brought into your life.

The Stuff You Find When Cleaning Your Kid's Room

2011-07-26T17:00:00.001-07:00

Looking to make storytime more interactive with your kids? I was reshelving books in my kids' room today, and came across this book:

This "We Both Read" book is one of a series put out by Treasure Bay. What sets these charming books apart is that the books are meant for young readers to share with an adult. Each pair of facing pages contains a page on the left with adult-level words, and a page on the right with leveled vocabulary perfect for the child to read. The parent/teacher and child work together to tell the story, building it jointly. It really enhances the bonding element of bedtime reading, and that coupled with the ease of reading the "kids" page often motivates the reluctant reader.

(You can take turns reading a more traditional text--I find the strategy highly effective with my newest reader at home--but these books make it EASY.)

There are fiction and non-fiction titles in the "We Both Read" series, many multicultural selections, and levels K-3. For more information, follow the link below.

http://www.webothread.com/server/TreasureBay/website/main/scripts/default.asp

Around the World...in books!

2011-07-24T13:27:00.000-07:00

This week, the Family Camp that I organize is following the theme "Around the World." Here are a few books I recently borrowed from the library that definitely fit right in.

Baba Wague Diakite's The Hatseller and the Monkeys retells the folktale most Americans recognize from Caps for Sale. In this Malian version, we are given a wonderful glimpse into African village life, as well as a moral for the wacky tale. Ages 2-7.

The Far East is where the graphic novel first became most popular, and in Southeast Asia, one of the most popular authors of this format is Lat. Lat portrays his boyhood in a small village in Malaysia, circa 1950 in Kampung Boy. I adored both the humor and the loving nostagia Lat imbues the book with. Ages 7 through adult.

Many people grew up reading The Little Prince. Joann Sfar recently recreated Saint-Exupery's French classic in the graphic novel format. The experiences reading the two are very different--why not read both and compare?

Age 9 and up.

Jewish Picture Book Aims to Protect our Children from Harm

2011-07-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

http://matzav.com/how-do-we-protect-our-children

Safety is--for obvious reasons--a high priority in our community right now. A friend recommended the book described in the link above. The article suggests that it introduces strategies to children so they can avoid being harmed by adults around them, yet approaches the subject in a way that is appropriate in our community.

In the comments section of the article, it makes clear that this book focuses on interactions with malicious strangers. Statistically, most children who are harmed (lo aleinu) are harmed by people they know. The next printing of the book will have this topic added.

Yoni Ploni… Never Talks to Strangers can be acquired directly from the author by dialing 347 393 3670.

The book has endorsements that have led me to place the link here, but I have not read the book myself yet. If you have and have any feedback to share, please feel free to add a comment below.

Censorship or careful parenting?

2011-07-20T22:04:00.000-07:00

Should children read depictions of negative experiences that are real, or realistic?

What if the violence, sexuality, or other controversial material is inserted into the work only for artistic effect or for shock value?

Should teens read only wholesome material?

Should access to books with controversial material be permitted to teens? Should parents be warned about the contents of such books on the book jacket and reviews? Should access be blocked entirely? Should teens have free reign over their reading material?

Lately, there have been some interesting articles appearing that consider these questions. Many authors, as well as political pundits and community activists, have jumped in with their own takes and have even clashed in the pages of newspapers and online. Here are just a couple articles highlighting the conflicting viewpoints:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303657404576357622592697038.html?KEYWORDS=Meghan+Cox+Gurdon

http://safelibraries.blogspot.com/2011/06/false-censorship-claims-exposed-by-wsj.html blog by David Frum

http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2011/06/09/why-the-best-kids-books-are-written-in-blood/?mod=google_news_blog article by Sherman Alexie

http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2011/06/05/should-book-covers-shield-young-adult-readers-from-the-world/

I cannot justify offering books with gratuitous sex, violence, drug usage, or immoral behavior to children at all. By gratuitous, I mean it's just there to titillate or provide escapist fantasy. The Sally Lockheart book series by Phillip Pullman contains both drug use (glorified as a way to heighten intelligence) and teenage pregancy, with no socially redeeming counterpoint added to them. I would never want my children to read this book series, but the covers don't caution about the content, and they are generally shelved in the children's department, not even in the teen or YA departments!

Even books with legitimate reasons for their PG-13 or R-rated content can prove troublesome. For some children, as Sherman Alexie points out, it is cathartic to hear about a main character's troubling life experience. The child has shared a similar experience in real life and can adopt methods of coping, receive encouragement, etc., through reading the book.

On the other hand, a naive child can be harmed by such books, or provided with information they are not developmentally ready to handle. Reading books with certain moral stances could undermine the religious beliefs a parent is trying to communicate to their child without even giving them a chance to explain the alternate viewpoint.

Case in point:

Many schools use Julie of the Wolves as a literature selection in classes as low as grade four. This is a wonderful book...for much older children. It contains a scene of attempted rape. As far as such things go, it is presented in a totally non-titillating way and is a realistic depiction of the (unfortunate) experience of some orphans. However, most parents don't know this about the book, and most children are unprepared for such frank topics at the age of nine. It's not that people shouldn't read this book, but not at a young age and not without adult supervision.

Some libraries try to alleviate the situation. In Beverly Hills, a child's library card can be linked to the parents', so the parents always can know what their kids are checking out. Other library districts shelve books carefully, guiding the young child away from "older" material.

Underlying this whole issue is the need to develop a trusting relationship with your kids, so that they know they can approach you with the questions they have about literature selections. But sometimes this isn't enough.Personally, I'd like there to be strict shelving standards, warnings posted on the covers and reviews of books, and the like. However, banning books altogether goes a little far. Where do you draw the line?

HaModia is now offering a FREE digital edition!

2011-07-14T19:57:00.000-07:00

Many of us want to keep up with news, but only if we can do so without inviting inappropriate reading material into our homes. To those who want daily "kosher" news, directly to their computer or mobile device, there's a new option:

HaModia has just announced a free digital, daily edition of their newspaper. To sign up, send an email to digital@hamodia.com.

Free Hebrew books for Jewish kids!

2011-07-10T23:14:00.000-07:00

There's a new project patterned on the PJ Library, that focuses on bringing Hebrew language materials into homes. Targeting the children and grandchildren of ex-patriot Israelis, in particular, philanthropists here in L.A. want to send kids books in Hebrew to cultivate skills in our special language. See this week's Aish.com article here for a full explanation.

If you have children 3-5 years of age and would like to receive books in Hebrew throughout the school year, register at the link that follows. https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dG5DTEhoa29GQWFsNzhOaUxQZTFJaWc6MQ#gid=0

Good clean reads

2011-07-05T21:56:00.001-07:00

A friend asked me about good clean books (obviously, other than those from reliable Jewish publishers) to share with her preteen and teenage kids during the summer. Here are just a few great books for the (Jewish) kid, all pre-approved by moi. However, you should ALWAYS skim books before letting your kid read them. Even if they are "kosher," they might not be at the right reading level, for example.

(And you do have to take the following into account:

I allow my kids to read books by non-Jews and about non-Jewish subjects--which some frum moms might disapprove of--and I do allow my kids to read about somewhat controversial topics, as long as they are developmentally appropriate. I'm also a big fan of all those treife animals some people shun--I just don't eat them.

However, I ditch books with strong language, completely "un-tznua" romantic situations, excessive violence, flagrant racism or xenophobia, or that promote avodah zara, movies or television.

...And, yes, that includes Disney!)

These books are for kids 8 and up:

The Hobbit (Tolkein)

The Courage of Sarah Noble (Dalgliesh)

The Stories Julian Tells (Cameron)

Binky series of graphic books (Ashley Spires)

Hereville: How Mirka Gets her Sword (Deutsch)

The Rabbi's Girls (Hurwitz)

Baseball Fever (Hurwitz)

The Travels of Benjamin of Tudela (Shulevitz)

Fat Men from Space (Pinkwater)

Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally) (Lisa Yee)

all Henry Huggins books (Cleary)

Ramona, Ramona the Pest, Beezus and Ramona, Ramona the Brave, Ramona and her Mother, Ramona and her Father (Cleary)

Sarah, Plain and Tall (MacLachlan)

Little House in the Big Woods and Farmer Boy (Wilder)

There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom (Sachar)

Sadako and the Paper Cranes (Coerr)

The Princess Tales, Volume I (Levine)
A Single Shard (Park)
The Thief Lord (Funke)

And these are for age 12 and up:

Dealing with Dragons (Wrede)

Searching for Dragons (Wrede)

Tripods trilogy (John Christopher)

Homecoming (Voight)

The Eye, the Ear and the Arm (Farmer)

The Giver (Lowry)

The Cay (Taylor)

Treasure Island (Stevenson)

all the Little House books not listed above

Island of the Blue Dolphins (O'Dell)

Tuck Everlasting (Babbitt)

Un-Lun-Dun (Mieville)
Bud, Not Buddy (Curtis)

For age 15 and up:

Sorcery and Cecilia (Wrede and Stevemer)

Rabbi Harvey vs. the Wisdom Kid (Scheinkin)

The Blue Sword (McKinley)

The Graveyard Book (Gaiman)
Dealing with Dragons (Wrede)

Catherine, Called Birdy (Cushman)

The Folk Keeper (Billingsley)

The Martian Chronicles (Bradbury)
I Robot (Asimov)

1001 Arabian Nights

When I Was a Slave: Memoirs from the Slave Narrative Collection (Norman R. Yetman, ed.)

A Wizard of Earthsea (Le Guin)
Things Not Seen (Clements)

P.S. There are many other wonderful books out there...please share your "kosher" reading recommendations for the 8+ crowd in a comment below! Also, don't assume other books by the same authors as the above are okay. In many cases, they are most definitely NOT.

Wanna be a punctuation vigilante? I'll bring the Sharpies!

2011-07-04T23:14:00.000-07:00

You know how there's always a book that you mean to read, but you never seem to get around to it? Or you always forget the title when you're actually at the library and in a position to borrow it? Well, several years ago, I heard Lynne Truss on NPR's Fresh Air discussing her then-new book, Eats, Shoots and Leaves. Ever since then, I've intended to read the book, but somehow never did until last week.

If there ever was a perfect candidate to read this book, it's me. I am what Ms. Truss calls, "a stickler." When I find a typo in a book, I take a pencil to it. (Oh, how delightful it is when I discover in a library book that a fellow stickler has already repaired the error ahead of me!) If I pass a shop with an error in its sign, it takes all my self-discipline not to run home for a Sharpie and start to copyedit in permanent ink. And don't even ask about menus. (Though I usually cut the restaurant slack if it's run by non-native speakers of English. I'm sure they punctuate English better than I can punctuate Farsi or Chinese.)

I've gotten slightly better in recent years, probably because I no longer have the energy after chasing toddlers all day and cooking three dinners for six people (don't ask). As soon as I get all my kids off to school and out of diapers (hopefully, not in that order), I'll probably get that itchy stickler finger again.

When I explained the topic of the book to my darling husband, he smiled knowingly. "Yes, that's the perfect book for you."

What's amazing about Eats, Shoots and Leaves is that it's fun to read. Even non-sticklers will appreciate Truss's explanation of the vagaries of English punctuation and the pleasures in getting it just so. Some of the best moments are when Truss laughs at her own stickler tendencies, which is good, because otherwise, the stickler is in damage of going off the deep end entirely.

I also felt a surge of pleasure in being American, as Americans punctuate a little more consistently than the English.

I highly recommend this book for all writers, teachers, and sticklers. Well, unless you got around to reading the book before me.

Another great contest...this time for readers, not just writers!

2011-06-30T21:49:00.001-07:00

The website Savvima is giving away a copy of the new Artscroll book, Let's Go to the Sun and the Moon. To enter, you need to visit this link and put in a topic you'd like to see a Jewish book address before July 4th, 2011. One entry will be selected to receive the book.

http://savvima.com/2011/06/27/savvima-review-giveaway-of-lets-go-to-the-sun-and-the-moon/#comment-1599

Jewish Book Carnival coming in July

2011-06-27T09:01:00.000-07:00

Ann Koffsky, author and illustrator, will be hosting AJL's Jewish Book Carnival on her website. Check in to the site after July 15th for links to blogs and websites with Jewish book themes. There's also a Goodreads group with discussions, etc. See here for more details. http://www.jewishlibraries.org/main/Resources/Blog/JewishBookCarnivalHQ.aspx

Two Great Links

2011-06-26T13:27:00.000-07:00

Aish.com has a great spread this week on contemporary Jewish music, mentioning a lot of musicians (especially from Shemspeed Records) I've previously mentioned on this blog, like DeScribe and Y-Love. Here's the link to the article. http://www.aish.com/j/as/Jewish_Hip_Hop.html

One artist mentioned in the piece whom I was previously unfamiliar with is Ephryme. I gave his album a listen and was blown away. Ephryme blends Torah learning, low-brow and high-brow cultural references with a political agenda that transcends labels. Particularly fascinating is his take on the old Debbie Friedman classic, "Not by Might, Not by Power," entitled "Shomer Salaam." Listen (and downloads, if you want) here: http://shemspeed.com/eprhyme/.

IN TOTALLY UNRELATED WEB NEWS:

Chabad.org put up an AWESOME video of the poet Yehoshua November reading and explaining his own work. Here's the link: http://www.chabad.org/multimedia/media_cdo/aid/1547646/jewish/G-ds-Optimism.htm

Have you always wanted to write a novel?

2011-06-25T21:37:00.000-07:00

So you want to write a novel, but never have motivated yourself to crank it out? Here comes the "Write Your Own Megillah" contest from The Whole Megillah blog to get you moving.

Goal: write a middle-grade Jewish-themed novel of 18,000 words or a YA Jewish-themed novel of 36,000 words in one month this fall (Nov. 21-Dec. 21). There are prizes and all sorts of guidance offered. For more details, check this link: http://thewholemegillah.wordpress.com/2011/06/22/write-your-own-megillah-a-new-whole-megillah-event/ .

Hatzlacha raba!

Self-doubt, or the Intimidating Activity Called "Writing a Novel"

2011-06-24T14:52:00.000-07:00

I'm both distractedly excited and painfully terrified. As I mentioned in a previous blog, I'm trying to change a short story I have written previously into a novel in response to the advice of friends and colleagues. I'm completely overwhelmed by the task at hand, but I want to try to get a rough draft written in the next couple months just so I can get these characters' voices out of my head, at the very least.

If you don't want to write a novella--you're committed to a novel--you have to crank out AT LEAST 30,000 words for middle-grade or YA readers, 50,000 for adults.

At the same time, you don't want to be "bore-geous," what Ayelet Waldeman calls writing that is long, lush and vivid but does nothing to further the story line. Neither do you want to add subplot upon subplot upon unnecessary scene upon unnecessary character just to make deadlines, fill up a word count, pad the pocketbook, or all of the above. (The latter often happens with books that start as serials, like those of Charles Dickens, to point out an example that will hurt no one's feelings and probably not constitute lashon hara.)

The problem is that I HAVE A LIFE, and not a very convenient one at the moment. I have more immediately remunerative work to complete, a husband and children to feed (bli ayin hara!). Tushies to wipe! Candyland to play! I am haunted by the desire to fill in the story of these characters, but have been cruelly separated from my PC.

Even when I resort to writing in a notebook while supervising my children's play, self-doubt leaves me thinking, "Can I think of enough details and plot twists to fill a novel? And what if I'm just plumping this goose up so it's ready for the rejection-letter-shaped ax!"

Sometimes, I finally sit down at that PC and can't even figure out where to start. To prompt me a bit, I'm now improvising a bit on the Snowflake Method, invented by Randy Ingermanson. I'm going over every hinted-at back story, every interesting character, every "off-page" alluded-to event that appears in the initial short story and trying to extend, extend, extend. I am now at just under 7,000 words...and I can't imagine how this baby is ever going to get done!

I know I'm not alone on this. A quick Google search about novel-writing included an article subtitled "The quiet h*** of 10 years of novel writing," by Susanna Daniel, and a blog entitled "The Long Path to a Novel" by Rachel Connor.

Check back with me in two months to see if I'm any closer to the "Great American Jewish Sci-Fi Novel's" completion.

Books about friendship

2011-06-20T18:46:00.001-07:00

In one of those bizarre synchronicity moments you sometimes have at the library, my family borrowed a slew of books all about friendship at our visit yesterday (the first three are by Mo Willems, who is wonderfully engaging). I'll briefly review each and add several other suggestions on the topic at the end.

My Friend is Sad

A wonderful book for new readers to read on their own about how to comfort a friend feeling down.

City Dog, Country Frog

Teaches how to build a friendship and how to cope with loss of a friend. A charming, even moving read and a stylistic departure for the author Mo Willems.

Leonardo the Terrible Monster

Friendship turns out to be the great purpose in life for Leonardo, a monster unable to scare anyone.

Cowboy Ned & Andy, by David Ezra Stein

Andy the horse loves his owner, Ned, so much that he wants to give him a birthday cake in honor of Ned's big day. But what does Ned really need?

OTHER GREAT "FRIENDSHIP" SELECTIONS:

the Mimmy and Simmy books by Yaffa Ganz,

the Toon Book Stinky,

the classic series commencing with Frog and Toad are Friends,

That's What a Friend Is by P.K. Hallinan,

Little Bear's Friend by Else Holmelund Minarik,

A Friend for King Amadou by Robert McKissack,

Dog Blue by Polly Dunbar,

Winnie the Pooh books,

Sheila Rae, the Brave and almost any book by Kevin Henkes,

the magical Charlotte's Web,

anything about Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan,

As Good As Anybody by Richard Michelson

...and for older readers Louis Sachar's amazing The Boy in the Girls' Bathroom,

Beth Firestone's Candles in My Window,

The Sea of Trolls trilogy,

Sorcery and Cecelia,

The Chosen,

and Patricia Wrede's Dealing with Dragons.

Please Share more "Friendship" books for children--fictional or not--below!

Have something you want to blog about?

2011-06-14T20:16:00.000-07:00

The website Savvima is looking for bloggers right now. The have specific subjects they want to cover, and the target audiences is...well, savvy imas. Here's the link for more info:

http://savvima.com/2011/06/12/calling-all-bloggers/

Jewish Women's Writing Conference in Jerusalem

2011-06-13T21:17:00.000-07:00

There is a wonderful Orthodox women's writing conference in Jerusalem, which I fantasize about attending yearly. Many fabulous writers and editors appear, and I wish I could hear them speak about

This year was particularly appealing to me, as there was a workshop about making writing a (somewhat) profitable career. B"H someone recorded the presentations and Naomi Elbinger posted them on her blog.

Here's the link:

http://myparnasa.com/writing-careers-israel/

Withdrawl from deadlines!

2011-06-13T20:59:00.000-07:00

Beth Firestone and I just wrapped up our serial, "To the Edge of the Galaxy" in Aim! Magazine. It was a great experience...I learned a lot about writing by working with Beth, as she is a novelist (previously, I'd only published standalone pieces of 1400 words or less) and has spent much more time formally studying writing. She filled me in about creating a story arc, building character development and generally kept my writing coherent and funny. It was also great helping kick off a new magazine and developing a readership with them. We got fan mail! It was amazing knowing that kids out there were reading our work and LIKED it.

What is also great about writing a serial is that you have deadlines. If you don't meet them, there are real life consequences: angry editors, paychecks that don't come, readers who no longer trust you. I busily wrote several nights a week for about 6 months to keep "To the Edge of the Galaxy" on schedule with the printer. Now I have no one breathing down my neck about writing...and I'm not getting much done.

I have no shortage of ideas and writing projects to work on. In fact I have today's ideas and also the ideas I put off writing for the last 6 months because I was occupied with the serial. I think there are a few reasons for my lack of productivity:

1) No deadlines;

2) There are SO MANY ideas, and no editor telling me which one which one is a priority;

and

3) The lure of blogging.

Yes, blogging is taking over my writing life! I write this blog as well as another semi-private one, and I find that it is addictive. I've had to cut down to two nights a week (mostly). I LOVE checking the "Stats" and finding people are actually reading what I write! I love that I can't get a rejection letter. I can write what I want the way I want to without being judged by a senior editor or the marketing department!

But until you get THOUSANDS of page views weekly, blogging isn't a remunerative profession. And in the end, there's still no story (with illustrations!) in a glossy (inter)nationally-circulated magazine or an actual book on an actual shelf in an actual bookstore that people can actually buy (which is actually a delightful experience).

I think I'll be shutting down Google Chrome now and switching to Microsoft Word...

Jewish Picture Book Contest

2011-06-06T23:33:00.001-07:00

Just heard about a new contest for writers of Jewish picture books. Follow this link to find the details:

http://thewholemegillah.wordpress.com/2011/05/03/announcing-the-whole-megillah-picture-book-contest/

Nifty bit in this week's HaModia

2011-06-02T21:36:00.000-07:00

There's an article this week about Rabbi Alexander Seinfeld in HaModia, and it mentions almost as an aside that he and his 12 year old daughter have started a website with books for Jewish kids.

http://bestjewishkidsbooks.com/index.php

I visited the site, and the coolest thing is that it is SEARCHABLE! You can look up selections by subject and by age of reader, as well as title and author. However, it does not contain all the books out there. I'm assuming it is a work in progress and I'm very impressed with what they've done so far. It would be a great resource, for example, for those looking to buy a gift for a particular child or looking to stock up for a school or classroom library.

The link is in the list to the right of this blog, as well, and will remain there indefinitely.

In other "HaModia" news...my all-time favorite serial (aside from the one co-written by yours truly...) wrapped up in that magazine last week. Hopefully, This is America! will soon appear in novel format in Jewish bookstores. I really hope so, as it will deservingly find more readers this way.

Counting down (or is it up?) 'til Shavuos

2011-05-29T18:51:00.000-07:00

This time of year is always a little interesting for me, since my one-and-so-far-only (yes, I'm still whining about that) book is seasonal, as it is set on erev Shavuos. I read my book at synagogue, have friends and acquaintances purchase it, do a school visit...that type of thing.

There aren't many Shavuos books out there, which is one of the reasons I wrote the book. When A Dozen Daisies for Raizy finally came out (I think it holds the publisher's record for longest stretch from manuscript sale to publication), it came out the same year as the Shavuot book in the Sammy Spider series. My first thought was "Oy!" but others told me that people about to purchase Sammy Spider (a very well-known commodity) might see my Shavuos book and then either buy mine instead or as well. I felt a little better.

Then, reviews started trickling in. Most of mine were good or at least okay--the kids, parents, teachers and librarians who've spoken to me have been much more enthusiastic--but there was ONE review that was SO BAD I wanted to cry. And when A Dozen Daisies for Raizy became available through Amazon, that was the review posted on the page for the book, because it was from the most prestigious source.

One of the things that was most hurtful was that the person who wrote the review compared my book unfavorably to another book, A Mountain of Blintzes.

This was like turning to your kid and saying, "You're terrible, but your big sister...she's terrific." Right to her face.

The thing is...I really like A Mountain of Blintzes! But I almost couldn't, because of the hurtfulness of the reviewer's words. It's the tragedy of saying Onaas HaDevarim (hurtful speech prohibited by the Torah). My anger at the reviewer almost carried over to anger against Barbara Diamond Goldin (author of ...Blintzes) who I'm sure had NOTHING to do with the aforementioned hurtful statement.

Thankfully, I'm pretty much over this whole episode now. I'm actually sad for Barbara Diamond Goldin, because her funny, lovely book is tragically out of print. You can still find it in libraries and through online booksellers who deal in out-of-print merchandise. I urge you to borrow or purchase it during the upcoming holiday season.

And if you can borrow or buy A Dozen Daisies for Raizy, too...that's even better.

Great Bedtime Stories beyond _Goodnight Moon_

2011-05-25T09:26:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling inspired by the wonderful new book by David Ezra Stein, called The Interrupting Chicken. My children and I are going to list a few other of our favorite bedtime stories.

Bedtime for Mommy, by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Turnabout is fair play in this uproariously funny, topsy-turvy tale.

Tell Me Something Happy Before I Go to Sleep is a wonderful way to address children's fears at bedtime, plus teaches a healthy way to cope with these troubles. Also, there is a touching relationship between the big brother and his little sister.

We found the adorable Sleepyhead inside our Cheerios box at breakfast one day. Very charming, very snuggly.

As anyone whose read my blog already knows, I'm slightly obsessed with books by Sandra Boynton. Here's her silly, but soothing, bedtime classic, The Going to Bed Book.

With very few words, Peggy Rathman leads children on a fabulous bedtime adventure in Goodnight Gorilla.

Artscroll publishes a whole series of wonderful, wholesome anthologies full of very short stories, just right for bedtime reading. They are widely available in Jewish bookstores and online.

This story is perfect for a Friday night: Hanna's Sabbath Dress. The original Hebrew version of this book has long been a favorite of my children. Hanna is a little girl who has just received a new, white Shabbos dress from her mother. When she does an act of kindness, there are unforeseen consequences. How will she ever bring herself to face her mother?

Last, but not least: the brand new, absolutely fabulous Hashem is Truly Everywhere by Chani Altein, with pictures by the fabulous, local-to-L.A. artist, Marc Lumer!

Put in your bedtime story suggestions in the comments below.

A Light to the Nations

2011-05-24T22:07:00.001-07:00

There have been several outstanding books in the last few years that, while by Orthodox Jews, were written for the public at large. I've mentioned some of them in previous posts: My Before and After Life and Seven Blessings, for example.

Matisyahu (Miller), while he's received a lot of flak by some members of the Jewish community, has likewise brought the beauty of the Jewish worldview to a broader audience through his music.

First of all, every time someone picks up a book by Risa Miller, Yehoshua November, Rochelle Krich, or Ruchama King Feuerman, they AREN'T reading...I'll let you fill in the blank. And every time someone listens to Matisyahu, Y-Love, DeScribe, Ta-Shma, or Moshav, they AREN'T listening to...I'm sure you can fill that blank in, too.

There's merit just from that. So much poison fills our minds when we internalize messages from music, art, and literature filled wrong-headed thinking. Even a morally-neutral alternative is preferable

But the artists I mention above go further than this. There's just so much beauty in these artists' words. They fill the readers'/listeners' hearts and touch them much better than a good mussar schmuess rarely will for the average American...and the audience will remember the message. People will remember the words to a song or poem for years and years, if not a lifetime.

This is the kind of art I'd like to be able to share with the world at some point. An ambitious goal, for sure, but I'm hoping I've got years ahead of me to pursue it.

Since Lag B'omer just is past, I'm listing some links for contemporary Jewish music that penetrates the soul.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71GMrGB1KKo&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHTKWa9s1N8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHx9dZOVz4Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vl31is_RgP8

And here's a lovely rendition of Matisyahu's "One Day" by public schoolchildren in NYC:

http://www.youtube.com/user/matisyahuTV?blend=1&ob=5#p/f/15/YDgUdSFBJ3Q

A Writer's Blues

2011-05-23T21:36:00.000-07:00

Currently, my least favorite words to hear (of a professional nature) are, "Do you have a second book out yet?" My honest answer (despite many close calls and lots of magazine work) is still, "No."

I just turned in two more pieces to a magazine editor today, and received timely payment for another piece just before Shabbos. Magazine work is good for me. To keep things in perspective: I've published more in the last year than in my entire previous writing life put together, and I'm getting paid for my work. I'm learning new stuff by writing new stuff with new people, and audiences are reading it!

However, when I tell people, "Sorry, no second book yet. But I've been writing for magazines," most people glaze over. If it ain't a book, it doesn't count

Lately, I've written several pieces which were really good but when friends and colleagues have read them, they've said, "It's awesome, but no one will ever publish it." I don't want to write what everyone else is writing, but book publishers (especially in the current market) are afraid to take risks.

I've saved up a lot of rejected book manuscripts. I rewrote a few for the magazine format, which is a little more forgiving and a lot easier to break in to, and a couple of them sold. Another, I'm holding on to, because I think it's only right for a picture book, and I think it might sell after book #2 proves my work can sell well, if that ever happens.

I know it's great publishing in magazines, and I hate being nudged by people about when my next book will be coming out. Part of the problem is this: I still want to sell another book. Books endure. They get read over and over. They generally do not end up in recycling bins.

I'm giving up on picture books for now. I have a LONG short story (more a novella) that I'm considering rewriting as a short novel for Jewish teenage girls.

Genre: sci-fi/fantasy. Probably will get rejected anyway. -sigh-

The Giving Tree

2011-05-22T20:00:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share an interesting post on MetroImma.com about the book The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein.

http://www.metroimma.com/forum/topics/i-hate-the-giving-tree

The author of the article is very concerned about Silverstein's understanding about giving. Personally, I agree.

Right now we are in the period of Sefira, between Passover and Shavuot. In the first week , we learned about the sefira of "chessed," giving and lovingkindness. Through the idea of interinclusion, that each sefira contains aspects of the others, we learn that giving must include "gevurah," which is strength and restraint. We need to know--both as mothers and as human beings--that strength and restraint are required even when we are giving.

Do you agree with Silverstein or the MetroImma post? Please share your comments below.

Rejection letters

2011-05-17T22:21:00.001-07:00

I once read of a children's author (it pains me to admit I can't remember which) who set the stage for her public speaking engagements with a banner she'd created of all the rejection letters she'd received strung together. At the time she spoke, it could cross the stage in most schools twice. She described it as a concrete expression of perseverance.

Ray Bradbury once said that he'd written over 2000 stories, but only about 350 had been published. At the rate I'm going, I guess I'll be in great company.

In this digital age, I rarely get paper rejection letters. Most are sent by email. Once I received an email rejection from a company that firmly required a snail-mail submission. Not one of my favorite moments in life. If my self-worth had been based on acceptance by some publisher, I would have been in serious trouble.

This morning, I received yet another rejection letter. At one point, such an event meant crankiness for the rest of the day, or at least until lunchtime. Copious amounts of chocolate would have been injested. Tears would have been shed and girlfriends phoned. Today, I sighed with disappointment. After some minor second-guessing ("Does this mean it needs another rewrite? Should I send it to another publisher, or I should give up on it?") the rest of the day continued, tantrum-free (Well, I was tantrum-free, don't ask about my toddler.)

I'm not sure this is a sign of spiritual growth. I might just be jaded.

Been checking out more graphic literature

2011-05-17T18:48:00.000-07:00

If you haven't seen it yet, check out my list of Jewish graphic literature on Amazon.http://www.amazon.com/lm/R2IIZNVM2VGGX9/ref=cm_pdp_lm_title_1

As mentioned before, I checked out a bunch of secular graphic literature for the kiddie set from the library recently. Several friends mentioned they are struggling to get their kids excited about reading, and I committed to checking some out to check if they are "kosher" for the consumption of frum kids.

So far, I have found some options. Two titles from Toon Books (Candlewick Press's new Easy to Read comic line), Zig and Wikki in Something Ate My Homework, and Mo and Jo Fighting Together Forever are clean, nicely illustrated, and silly enough for first through fourth graders. My kids really, really liked them. I should add that my new reader, who usually refuses to do the reading himself, was really motivated to do so with this book. Amazing. He's virtually begging for me to find more Toon Books at the library.

I enjoyed Patrick Atangan's The Yellow Jar more myself. However, it's more sophisticated and definitely tailored for older kids, at least 5th grade.

Still trying to finish the stack from the library. Next up, Lunch Lady and the Summer Camp Shakedown.

Childhood favorites

2011-05-16T14:09:00.000-07:00

Do you have any childhood favorites that no one has ever seemed to have heard of? One of my favorite books from my own preschool years is Nancy Patz's Pumpernickle Tickle and Mean Green Cheese.

Similar to the classic Don't Forget the Bacon, a child is sent to the grocery store. He has to remember the list, but can't seem to do so. Hilarity ensues. It appears this book was republished about ten years ago, and it's available through Amazon.

Other books from my childhood that no one seems to remember are wonderful youth biographies of the RAMBAN, RAMBAM, and Rav Yosef Caro. They were very inspirational for me (although I was not yet religious), but I can't find them anywhere. Someone told me they are out of print and I'm very disappointed. The graphic histories published by Rabbi Berel Wein's Destiny Foundation are lovely, but the books from my childhood were for a younger audience, and shorter.

Does anybody out there have favorite books from their childhood that somehow escaped classic status?

A few recommended Jewish books by Southern California authors and illustrators

2011-05-13T12:53:00.000-07:00

While L.A. is best known for the movie business, SoCal is teeming with writers and artists. Here's a sample of some wonderful books for the Jewish audience by locals.

Ann Stampler is the author of several folktales and parables, including the fabulous, award-winning Rooster Prince of Breslov.

See all her titles if you follow this link:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&sort=relevancerank&search-alias=books&field-author=ANN%20STAMPLER

Around here, Marc Lumer is most famous for designing the dancing rabbis that appear on lamp post banners before the Chabad telethon. He's also an illustrator of children's books, with new ones forthcoming. Here's are links to his work.

http://www.artscroll.com/cgi-bin/searchtitle?Author=Marc_Lumer

http://www.targum.com/section.php/245/1/davis--esther

http://store.kehotonline.com/index.php?stocknumber=EC-BALL&deptid=5652&parentid=196&page=1&itemsperpage=10

Beth Firestone was my writing partner in the serial we just wrapped up with Aim! (Ami) Magazine. However, she's more famous for writing Candles in my Window.

http://www.targum.com/product.php/1196/candles-in-my-window

Just down the street from me lives the screenwriter Robert Avrech. He's also the author of the wonderful RAMBAM graphic history and the novel The Hebrew Kid and the Apache Maiden.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0975438212/qid=1101576747/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/103-2133710-4311859?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

There are many other wonderful local Jewish authors...don't feel bad if you've been left off the list.

Boo-hiss

2011-05-13T12:22:00.000-07:00

Blogger was down yesterday and I lost a post highlighting local SoCal authors of Jewish books for kids. I'll try to piece it back together and put it back up tomorrow.

Do you want your book in a Cheerios box?

2011-05-11T11:54:00.001-07:00

I know I'm obsessed with the books that appear free in Cheerios boxes. As far as obsessions goes, I guess it's not a dangerous one. Anyway, here are the details for the contest to get your manuscript published and distributed in the boxes. Follow this link: http://write-jobs.blogspot.com/2011/04/free-contest-cheerios-new-childrens.html

Sandra Boynton

2011-05-09T22:37:00.001-07:00

I happen to LOVE Sandra Boynton's books, as do my kids and husband, and ours tend to get worn out due to too much love. My sister sent my kids some of Boynton's wacky songs for Channukah last year, and they are big fans. So I was delighted that she's made charming short films to go with two songs, "Be Like a Duck" and "The One Shoe Blues." They are available on YouTube. Here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp8hhBGNFZM "Be Like a Duck" with Boynton's own (grown-up) children

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8rLuk2PoMA&feature=related "One Shoe Blues"

with B.B. King...Plus, the hilarious "Sock Puppet Screen Test" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7TAF30Kfp0&feature=related .

Enjoy!

Back from Pesach break

2011-05-04T23:14:00.000-07:00

I took a few weeks off due to Pesach (never got around to new songs, drat!) and now I'm back, with a HUGE stack of Manga/graphic lit to read. I'll publish reviews soon, but I have hardly started reading because I had another writing assignment, B"H. (I'm hoping the editor likes it...)

Also, just wanted to say that there are free books again in the Cheerios boxes we bought post-Pesach. We received _How to Hug a Porcupine_, and it's absolutely darling.

Pesach is on its final approach!

2011-04-10T20:34:00.000-07:00

Last year, I posted some goofy songs to add to your seder. The songs belong in the all-important "Maggid" section of the Haggadah, which is often unclear to children.

Here's the link: http://klempnerkids.blogspot.com/2010_05_09_archive.html

I'm in the process writing a new song, for when the Jews reach the Yam Suf (Sea of Reeds). Will post by the end of the week, IY"H.

Fantastic AJL conference!

2011-04-03T22:04:00.001-07:00

The topic of the 2011 Association of Jewish Libraries conference (think I got the name wrong on a previous post) this past weekend was Graphic Literature. I'm still buzzing with excitement about the conference, so I'll share some highlights.

The wonderful presenters included Sid Jacobson (author of the recent and much-lauded official graphic biography of Anne Frank), William Rubin (co-creator of Homeland: the Illustrated History of the State of Israel), and Barry Deutsch, who just won the Sydney Taylor Award for Hereville.

Each one described their recent work, its development, public reaction, and future projects. Mssrs. Jacobson, Rubin, and Deutsch were all charming and engaging and totally worth seeing (and buying their books!). BUT the most amazing speaker of the conference was Anastasia Betts.

Mrs. Betts is currently a consultant and curriculum developer. She presented research on literacy and graphic literature (including comics, graphic novels, manga, etc.).

Some mindblowing facts:

The highest literacy rates in the world are in Finland and Japan (99%). They are also the biggest consumers of graphic literature.

Graphic literature is more than just comics, but can come in every genre, for any audience. The text, particularly unfamiliar vocabulary and main ideas, are supported by pictures for weaker readers. Visual learners have more cues than in traditional text. Eyes move differently over the pages.

If you introduce graphic literature into a school library, use of the library by students will increase by more than 80 percent, with 32 percent of the increase in borrowing being the non-graphic literature!

We've already seen graphic formats being adopted by Jewish publishers (see authors above). You can even argue that he fabulous Katz Hagaddah with illustrations by Gadi Pollock that many of us use on Pesach is an example of this phenomenon. Think of how readers react to it, or to the graphic 39 Melachos of Shabbos book, or to Trekking Through Time, or The Search for Stones (illustrated by the wonderful L.A.-local Marc Lumer). I've seen kids and even adults ooh and ahh over them. I'm hoping that this will be a trend that continues.

How do you do it? part 2

2011-03-29T20:01:00.000-07:00

I realized after I wrote about my writing process that I left a lot of steps out that other people might find helpful.

1) Write regularly. This can mean once a day or once a week. Give yourself a deadline even if no one else is giving you one. It'll force you to get SOMETHING down on paper.

2) When you have no ideas, don't say, "I have writer's block," and give up.

a) Write down everything you've done today. If you have a strong emotional reaction to something or want to go on a wacky tangent, do it.

b) Pick up one of the lists you've written (I mentioned this in the last blog). Write about one of the topics you listed.

c) write a list of three reasons you simply cannot write today.

3) Also, read your "completed" work out loud even if it's just to yourself. You will probably catch a lot of grammatical errors or typos that way. This is even more effective if you've printed out. If you've been looking at the same document so much that it dances in front of your face, wait a couple days, change the font, THEN print out and re-read aloud.

4) Don't worry about whether a rough draft is good or not. Just get it out. You can always fix it (or hide it) later.

Out of Town

2011-03-24T13:08:00.000-07:00

I've long found myself annoyed with the expression that if an American Jew resides in New York, they live "in town," but if they reside outside of New York (or maybe New Jersey), they live "out of town." This is true even if they live in Chicago, Cleveland, or Baltimore--all of which have influential yeshivos--or if like me they live in L.A., home of the second-biggest Jewish population in the country.

It's enough to make you want to scream. Even secular Jews are not immune to it...think of the stereotypical American Jew straight out of an episode of Seinfeld or a Woody Allen movie.

As a result of this lop-sidedness, I have tried to compensate. Any piece of fiction I've written that has a clear setting has taken place in either L.A. or Baltimore (my hometown)...unless it's on another planet, which has happened twice, so far.

My eldest son, Aryeh always gets very excited reading about HIS hometown, and when I write a story set in L.A., he lets me know he approves loud and clear. Unfortunately, his disapproval can be just as vociferous. You see, my attitude has rubbed off on my son. Yesterday, he told me that he hated the library book I'd so carefully selected just for him. Why? "Because the author lives in Los Angeles, but he sets the story in New York."

Lucky for us, he plans on being a writer (and rocket scientist, and automotive engineer, and world traveler....) himself. Expect lots of stories from him in about 15 years. They'll all be set in L.A.

How do you do it?

2011-03-21T09:44:00.001-07:00

People often ask me this question: How do you find time to write? Other moms work outside the home, sometimes full-time, yet my extremely-part-time and mostly at home writing puzzles them. Life as a FT mom is so wild and wacky, my head buzzes with ideas that could make great kids' books. Doesn't yours? This is how to get the ideas out and coherently on paper:

First of all, I have a giant notebook. Inside, I write lots of lists. Some titles you'll find in my notebook: funny things kids do; annoying things kids do; what kids fight about; excuses they give; sweet things kids do. Don't just email your girlfriend or tell Mom or Hubby about the craziness you endured during the day--write it down, even just in shorthand.

Also, after a workshop by Sarah Shapiro, I've learned to listen and practice writing dialogue. She says to do it daily, but I'm not that good about it. Just copy down a short conversation every week or so, and you'll get practice.

Read LOTS...then respond in a book club, blog, or by writing a review online. If the book gave you an idea, extend it as far as you can.

No T.V. means more time and more productive time is available in this house.

After you write, revise. Test out on friends by sending your story to them or by joining a writing group. Then revise more according to what they suggest, then re-read to them. Is it improved?

Figure out who publishes similar pieces to yours, get the submission guidelines, then send the manuscript in! You'll never know if you might have succeeded if you never try.

And remember, rejection letters are good for your middos.

Teshuva and Layne Staley

2011-03-21T09:41:00.000-07:00

I think my husband thinks I've lost my mind. This Orthodox Jewish housewife (okay, writer...but only extremely part-time writer) has lately been listening to--of all things--huge quantities of Alice in Chains. To those who don't know what I'm talking about, Alice in Chains is a band the originated in the '90s as part of the grunge movement that came out of Seattle. Think heavy metal with superior harmonized vocals and thought-provoking, spiritual lyrics that only rarely involve profanity.

Here's an example of a slower song (I promise, no bad words) with relatively tame video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8hT3oDDf6c

Jerry Cantrell and Layne Staley were the heart of the band at its inception. Staley's lyrics largely reflect his regret that he largely wasted his life on drug addiction. At the end of his 34 years on this earth, he admitted in interviews that he didn't get any pleasure from doing drugs. First he did drugs to escape reality, then he did them to avoid withdrawl. He pretty much died of every horrible complication you can have of drug addiction possible. Then his corpse sat in his apartment undiscovered for two weeks. (Talk about a cautionary tale.) Layne Staley's ninth "yahrzeit" so to speak, will be in a few days.

So why am I listening to so much Alice in Chains?

Our Sages teach that one of the ways the yetzer hara (inclination to do evil) speaks to us is through telling us it's too late...we're too lowly to do teshuva (the process of regret, confession, then a return to correct behavior), too steeped in sin. It tries to convince us we've got no hope at digging ourselves out, that our true identity is our yetzer hara, instead of our soul. This is exactly the fear conveyed by many of Alice in Chains' poetic songs.

Down in a hole

feeling so small

down in a hole

losing my soul

I'd like to fly

But my wings are bent

so can I?

The songs written by Layne Staley are a modern-day (l'havdil) selichos.

The tragedy of Layne Staley isn't simply that he did drugs. It's that he never seized the opportunity to do teshuva in time. As much as he was a victim of drug abuse, he was a victim of his own yetzer hara. This is a stark reminder that the yetzer hara is considered identical to the Angel of Death.

At this time of year, with Passover approaching, we can recall that the Jewish people were at a deep level of impurity during the period of their slavery. Finally, the children of Israel cried out to HaShem (G-d) and He brought us out of bondage. There are numerous accounts in the Tanakh (Jewish Bible) and Jewish history of those who turned away from lives steeped in sin, including Rachav (left behind life in a brothel to rescue Jews and marry a prophet) and Shimon ben Lakish (aka Reish Lakish - left behind life as a bandit and gladiator to study and teach Torah). Let their stories remind us that it is never too late to get back on the correct path.

We are told by in Mishlei (the Book of Proverbs), "...sheva yipol tzaddik v'kam." ("Seven times shall
the righteous fall and then rise.") The difference between those of us who are righteous and those of us who aren't isn't whether we've sinned or not, but whether we've picked up ourselves to try better next time.

I wish Layne Staley had picked himself up and flown.

Brain Plasticity

2011-03-18T13:28:00.000-07:00

I just finished The Brain that Changes Itself, by Dr. Norman Doidge. It had been a Chanukah present for my husband from my mother. He kept forgetting about it until finally I picked it up one day when I was suffering a head cold and had nothing else to read. It's certainly not dry science and very readable.

Doidge describes the research of many colleagues who have discovered the following: the brain is able to grow and change throughout one's life. This can be passive change or intentional. The whole book is fascinating and inspirational, full of hope and optimism.

The last chapter talks about how culture changes the brain's actual structure, and I couldn't help but ponder the ways an Orthodox Jewish lifestyle could affect the brain:

Developing impulse control and self-control (turning away from non-Kosher food or loshon hara, for example),

How to endure delayed gratification (as with waiting to do mitzvos at the right time, eating only after a bracha, waiting to eat dairy after eating meat),

Meditation through daily prayer.

It's not just that middos development refines the personality in a psychological or spiritual sense...according to Doidge's framework, it may actually change the physical structure of the brain. That's pretty powerful stuff, if you ask me.

more jewish sci-fi contemplation

2011-02-20T17:27:00.000-08:00

I've finally read Hereville!

I found it at the Beverly Hills Library at last, plus the author will be at the Association of Jewish Libraries West Coast Conference that's coming up soon, so I figured the time had come. The beginning starts off like it's going to buy into nasty stereotypes about women's roles in Orthodox Judaism and terrible stepmothers. My heart sank, and I almost didn't continue. B"H, I read on, because the author totally turns both these notions on their heads by the end. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and recommend it highly. I can't wait to post a glowing review on Amazon!

The upcoming conference, by the way, is on the topic of graphic novels for Jewish kids. A comic book about the founding of the state of Israel won the Sydney Taylor prize last year or the year before, I think, and Hereville won this year. Of course the first in the genre that is well-know was Maus about 15 or 20 years ago, but only now is this genre gaining momentum.

I've been reading more and more "Jewish" sci fi and fantasy (some of what is classified as such is anything but Jewish, if you ask me) and writing more pieces, too. I'm realizing from some of the comments I've gotten back from friends that a big hurdle in the genre is the idea of deus ex mechina. As an Orthodox Jew, I strongly believe that Hashem runs the world...and that everything will be "right" in the end. The sci-fi genre, in particular, has a big undercurrent of rugged individualism, and fantasy often depends on the threat that things could work out very badly indeed, with evil at odds with good and totally independent of it. These tendencies tend to conflict. I'm trying to resolve it in my writing.

Books for the needy

2011-02-17T22:45:00.000-08:00

About thirty years ago, a linguistic anthropologist researched children's literary experiences at home in three communities. In her famous article, "What No Bedtime Story Means," Dr. S.B. Heath wrote about her findings. She reported that children who have books in their home and use them regularly have better literacy in school. Even if a child had books in the house, they had to be used...it was insufficient to have a beautiful book if it was treasured so much to the extent that it was left on the shelf as a display piece.

When I taught in So. L.A. nearly a decade ago, my students (mostly working class and Latino) often had no books of their own. Many didn't visit the library unless on a school visit, although there was one in the neighborhood. Many parents, cash-strapped and not functionally literate themselves, chose to spend what little money they had on DVDs and video games. Others had a few books. These had often been received as gifts, and remained on the shelf so as not to be ruined (just as in Dr. Heath's study). Alternatively, my students had books, but these were often t.v. tie-ins of questionable literary merit. And some of my students had parents who wanted to read, but were each working two jobs to make ends meet. These folks were simply too busy and too exhausted to read a bedtime story. Thus, my students often had very few literary experiences before they reached school.

Contrast this with the average Ashkenazy Jew in America: books cover the walls (content and language varies by religiosity); many books are so well used they have actually been "loved to death" and are in tatters; libraries are regularly visited; newborns are given copies of Baby Faces, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, and Blue Hat, Green Hat as gifts long before they can actually hold the books in their own tiny hands.

And people wonder why we are the people of the book?

In steps the wonderful organization, First Book. First Book has partnered with General Mills to distribute free books in Cheerios boxes at selected times of year. Plain Cheerios is a WIC friendly food, so putting them in that particular brand helps them reach their target audience, kids whose families may not be able to afford books, and who may not access public libraries. While these books are printed cheaply, they are high-quality literature. The authors have either won First Book's annual writing competition for new writers or are established writers themselves...and the illustrations are fabulous.

Here's a link to this wonderful organization. http://www.firstbook.org/

Using your talents

2011-02-17T22:30:00.000-08:00

A few years ago, a group called Mishmeres HaShalom (now called Tiferes) sent out a DVD of Rabbi Noah Orlowek on the topic of Happiness. Happiness is a particularly apropos topic at this time of year. We're now in Adar, and "When Adar enters, joy increases," as the Sages said.

According to Rabbi Orlowek, people are happiest (animals, too) when they are fufilling that which they were created for. A person should 1) consider their talents and abilities, then 2) use them for the purposes of a mitzvah.

There's a famous story (I think it appears in the the Gemara) of a gentleman who had a beautiful singing voice. When he would travel on pilgrimage to Jerusalem every year, he'd lead the prayer services. One year, he just didn't feel like doing so. He was punished by G-d, since G-d had given him this magnificent voice for it to be used in Heavenly service.

When I heard the lecture by Rav Orlowek, I thought about my own talents. At the time, I'd sold a book (it hadn't yet come out), but had no additional publishing success. I was frustrated about how much work I was doing--writing, researching, submitting--with little to show for it.

I decided to use my writing as a chessed. I sent goofy poetry to relatives. I prepared the newsletter for one of my son's nursery school. I wrote an article for a local magazine about a community issue that needed attention. I began to think about my writing not just as a way to express myself or a way (I hoped) to make a little money, but as a responsibility.

Maybe we can all think about our talents and choose one thing we do well to bring assistance or joy to others.

Books and the autistic child

2011-02-17T22:13:00.000-08:00

Many kids with high-functioning autism or Asperger's syndrome have special interests, and their obsessions carry over into their library habits. The best way to describe this situation is someone with a one-track mind trying to build more track in just one direction.

You see, those of us with family members on the autism spectrum get dragged into their atypical relationship with books. We "must" go regularly to the library, where they borrow every book on their preferred topic that they can find. Sometimes, they borrow the same books over and over again (or "convince" their siblings to get the book out for them, since they each only get three books). We buy our Aspy relatives books about their favorite topic as gifts because they're guaranteed to please.

Sometimes, access to these favorite books has to be monitored, controlled, or even doled out as a prize because our kid wants to spend all day reading about space, cowboys, trains, or the like. They'll forget to eat, put off bedtime indefinitely, get distracted away from their homework if you don't pry their prized books out of their hands.

At one point, I had to complete a survey. It read, "Does your family choose books, outings, and vacations based on the autistic family member's special interests?" Well, yeah. The neurotypical family members read the books favored by our family members with autism just so we can make conversation. Eventually, it may even become a genuine interest of the other family members. Or at least we know a lot of stuff about a lot of stuff. Like space, cowboys, trains, or the like. (And don't even ask about how many car-related outings we've gone on.)

My sister recently shared a website explaining that so many autistic kids have had Thomas the Tank Engine books, videos, and toys as their "special interest" that it's actually been documented in scientific literature. See this link: http://www.myfavoritetoys.com/autism_thomas.php

The neat thing about the article is that it describes how this fascination can be used in a therapeutic way.

And don't get me started on all the Aspy kids fixated on Harry Potter...

Contemporary Jewish Books for Kids

2011-01-06T09:20:00.001-08:00

BS"D

I just read this article by about a Jewish writer (Laurel Snyder) who doesn't write for Jewish kids.

http://www.tabletmag.com/life-and-religion/1041/where-the-wild-things-arent/

She subsequently published the book Baxter the Kosher Pig. (The publishing of this book was received with drama in our house a few months ago not because of the subject, but because my husband and I had written a similar book and failed to sell it to a publisher. I think it was a Test in taking pleasure in other people's accomplishments, "fargenign" in Yiddish...and I'm ashamed to say I flunked.)

Snyder feels that Jewish books today are too tame and tend towards the "instructional", as she calls it. She's not alone. On the other hand, my kids seem to like the Jewish books they read even if they have instructional motives. Personally, I like a lot of them. However, I'd definitely like to see more variety and innovation in Jewish children's fiction choices.

Historically, the Jewish people have always enjoyed midrashim (instructional stories from the Oral Torah traditions) and mashalim (fables). In fact, these books seem to sell most. Jewish publishers have told me that when the marketing department runs their numbers, it's the "teaching" books, books with conservative watercolor illustrations, books that are familiar in tone and style that sell. Publishers have to deal with the realities of the pocketbook, too, you know.

Additionally, each Jewish publisher serves a niche market. Your "atypical" manuscript can easily be bounced around with compliments followed by comments like: "Too Jewish", "not enough Jewish content", "could offend some readers", "not edgy enough" without ever finding the "just right" fit. (See this link for more on the subject.

http://jpsblog.org/blog/2010/09/08/writing-jewish-fiction/ )

A few publishers put out books that are edgy--but only in that they address issues very modern or even outside frumkeit. They are often AT LEAST as pedantic as the traditional books and stylistically quite similar. They just try to nudge readers towards a "Reform" mindset vs. an "Orthodox" one, for lack of better terminology.

It doesn't help that picture books are extremely expensive to print, yet sell less than adult books. Publishers are afraid to gamble in such a situation.

Additionally, there are few incentives for a writer to focus on the Jewish children's market. You have a smaller audience, smaller paycheck, etc. Many talented writers throw their hands in the air and walk away, or they submit instead to periodicals, which buy in greater volume (they have to fill their pages weekly) and are a little more flexible in what they are willing to publish.

Any opinions out there?

What is the responsibility of the Orthodox Jewish writer?

2011-01-05T20:48:00.001-08:00

Published under pseudonym by a secular company, a frum woman recently authored a book about molestation in a Chassidic home. Judging by reviews, the author wrote a realistic description of the community she portrays outside the abuse issue. Many reviewers even found her portrayal of Jewish customs compelling and beautiful. However, the main thrust of the novel is that this insular community covers up child abuse, thus aiding and abetting the abuser. Another troubling aspect of the book is that it is marketed towards teens.

Clearly, the author wants to publicize what is a grave issue for any community. However, no frum publisher would touch such a book. The anonymous author decided to submit to a secular publisher. And there the trouble starts. Now, most of the readers of this book are not even Jewish. A minute problem in terms of numbers (not severity) turns into a horrifying generalization about the Chassidic community in the eyes of many readers. She has essentially thrown her own community under the bus in the hope someone will read the book and report abuse. Yet the very community whose eyes the author wants to open doesn't generally even read books published by secular publishing houses!

The author makes it look like the entire Orthodox community pretends molestation doesn't exist and would avoid reporting it at all costs. Perhaps that was the case in the past, but you can't make such a statement today. There are some people who turn a blind eye on abuse in the Orthodox world, just as there are such people in the world at large. However, there are currently Orthodox organizations equipped to deal with child abuse, and many (if not most) Orthodox people would report the crime and support the victim.

Even if the small slice of the Orthodox community portrayed in the book continues to do cover it up, secular readers don't understand enough to differentiate between Modern Orthodox, Litvishe, Chassidishe, Eidot HaMizrach, etc. They don't know the difference between Lubavitch, Ger, Belz, and Satmar. Many will assume all religious Jews are aiding and abetting child molesters.

This debacle provokes the broader question: what is the responsibility of the Orthodox writer to her community when she represents it to the world at-large? Clearly, a PR campaign between the covers of a book is inappropriate. Over-idealizing the religious Jewish community is preferable to demonizing it, but it's still disingenous. It also compromises the complexity of characters in a novel. I think there's a balance that is difficult to achieve, and I'm always impressed when it is done skillfully. An example of this is the mystery Now You See Me by Rochelle Krich; another is the novel Seven Blessings by Ruchama King Feuerman.

It would be interesting if the anonymous author's cover ever is "blown". Will she tell us then how she feels when she sees that her book caused one woman to write the following:

"The author note following this story was even more disturbing, as an Ultra Orthodox she was raised in society such as this. She explains how components of this story were actually experiences that she had experienced in her own life. I try to believe that I maintain a fairly open mind to all ways of life, but I can not say that I felt anything positive about this lifestyle."

Another writes:

"Imagine growing up in a world where most of your life is planned out for you and where women are little more than things to marry off and produce children. Imagine not having a voice and imagine that no one would believe a word you said, simply because you were a woman?"

Is this (extremely simplistic and inaccuarate) impression what the author intended to leave her readers with?

[Added at a later date: The book's author has since revealed her identity. Her name was not entirely a surprise, because the writing skill evident in the book and alleged background limited the field greatly. The author won a major book prize and continues to advocate on the topic of abuse. While there has been increased attention since the publication of the book to crimes against children, unfortunately this may have less to do with the book in question, but rather to the death of Leiby Kletzky and several molestation incidents in the news, both in the Jewish community and not.

Upon further reflection, I still agree with my initial statement that the book should not have been published in a non-Jewish setting. However, I think that Jewish publication houses need to step up to the plate and produce books on controversial or distasteful topics. There are Jewish answers on how to react to these situations--answers for Jewish audiences--and they need to be shared within the community. The author of this book desperately wanted people to hear her message so they would act on this tragic shortcoming, but a Jewish publisher wouldn't handle her book. While several articles in publications like Mishpacha and HaModia (couched in very subtle wording so as to be sensitive but clear) had appeared aboutmolestation long before this book came out, books on this topic and other similarly "immodest" ones have been considered a big no-no, along with many other sensitive topics. Another recent book--on teaching the birds and bees to the Jewish child--was refused by a number of Orthodox presses, so the author self-published. G-d forbid a Jewish parent adopt an inappropriate approach to the "Conversation" simply because they don't have access to the right book and turned to a secular one.]

"Literary" Jewish writing for adults

2010-12-31T11:03:00.001-08:00

In literary circles, there's much talk of the "new Yiddishists" movement. This includes writers such as Michael Chabon, Ayelet Waldeman, Nicole Krauss, Jonathan Safran Foer, Lev Grossman, and Dara Horn. All of these writers bring somethings of their Jewish identity to the page: Jewish characters, the Yiddish and Hebrew languages, allusions to holidays, midrashim, shared history, and the like. These writers are quite gifted...I'd highly recommend Krauss's The History of Love and Horn's In the Image for those who want to see spiritual introspection balanced with imaginative storytelling. However, their books aren't "Orthodox".

Many if not most of the novels published by Orthodox publishers were written originally as serials in magazines or by those used to writing for magazines. This is not bad--in fact I enjoy many of these books--it's just a very different style of storytelling. Writing a serial for the first time myself right now, I can see that as fun as they are to read and to write, they are different. You have deadlines and word counts hanging over your head. You have publishers and readers who will be furious if you don't complete the project. Readers want to see a lot going on in each episode, yet be able to keep the plot in their head from week to week. There are mashgichim at both the religious magazines and religious publishing houses who must be satisfied. For them, the message is considered at least as important as the form, if not more.

In the secular world, a novelist has different requirements. You need space for character development. Time to ponder and reconsider and revise. You might want to capture a wider range of emotions and topics than necessarily acceptable to a mashgiach. You might want to venture into experimental structure. You might want an audience beyond the religious community. The artful novelist does not necessarily thrive under the conditions usually found in the frum publishing world.

There are exceptions. Here's one: currently, HaModia has an amazing serial called This is America. I've been following it for a year and am praying that it will end up in a novel form at its conclusion because I want to recommend it to all my friends. It's THAT good. Also, Sarah Shapiro's writing--though not fiction--shows a flair and precision of language that is rare in even the secular world. It often reads like a novel even when it is non-fiction.

In the past few years, the climate for Orthodox literature has changed. Interestingly, it seems to be occurring when secular publishers put out Orthodox books, partly I think because of the success of the likes of Chabon, Horn, et al.

For a couple of decades, Rochelle Krich has been a trailblazer in this department. Her mysteries are particularly well-written and substantive. I'd describe the pacing and plotting of her early books as the stuff of bestsellers, not the "literary novel." However, her more recent Molly Blume novels have become increasingly literary.

Krich's successors are finding their works in the bookstores and libraries across America now. Risa Miller has put out two prize-winning books: Welcome to Heavenly Heights and My Before and After Life. (I particularly enjoyed the later.) Ruchama King Feuerman's Seven Blessings has invited comparisons to Jane Austen. She autopsies the shidduch culture of BTs in Jerusalem, yet does so with humanity, not scorn. Though not a novelist, the award-winning poet Yehoshua November also demonstrates that it is possible to be sophisticated in form and substance and frum.

I was extremely hopeful when I saw the website for The Writer's Cafe, an Orthodox literary magazine. Perhaps this would be a format for Jewish writers to print more material "outside the box." However, it appears that the project is at least temporarily suspended. I was disappointed at the news and hope it comes back. The new Ami magazine (disclaimer, my new serial appears in their "tween" supplement) also aspires to a different style of writing.

I'm hoping that readers will buy into this new model, because I think the scarcity of reading material that is "kosher" in the market right now drives more avid readers to read secular material that contains inappropriate language and ideas. I also see that improving the style of Jewish literature and its accessibility brings with it the opportunity for Jews to be a light unto the nations. Books like Seven Blessings and My Before and After Life bring healthy hashkafa into the lives of non-Jews as well as Jews who might not pick up a more stereotypical "frum book".

fantasy, sci-fi and the Jewish reader

2010-12-31T10:50:00.001-08:00

Thanks to my brother-in-law Joshua, I just heard about a wonderful new graphic novel called Hereville. The subject: an 11 y o Orthodox girl fights trolls. With a little research, I discovered that this is currently the #1 Jewish book for kids being sold on Amazon. This doesn't surprise me in this least. There is a dearth of fantasy and sci-fi books for Jewish kids out there, but there is certainly demand.

Look at the popularity of Harry Potter novels, Percy Jackson adventures, The Dragonriders of Pern, the Circle of Magic series (by Tamora Pierce), The Blue Sword and other books by Robin McKinley, and all those early Heinleins (in his pre-Stranger in a Strange Land days when he still wrote "appropriate" material). Frankly, kids crave these types of books. Why? 1) Kids and teens want to be experience more than their everyday lives. This is escapism from the discomforts of childhood--bullying, homework, parental rule, etc. 2) Kids and teens are still learning to be comfortable with themselves. They have yet to learn many of their personal strengths and often feel inadequate. Many of them hope their hidden talents will "magically" come out and prove them to be special (maybe they'll even save the world!), a common theme in many of these books.

Jewish kids are no different in these psychological needs. Some frum parents let their kids read secular sci-fi books, but there are a lot of problems with unrestricted access to them. Many fantasy books incorporate pantheism, animism, and avodah zara. Some (His Dark Materials series by Phillip Pullman, for example) are outright anti-religion. Others describe magic as an appealing alternative religion (many Tamora Pierce books).

Sci-fi books also frequently espouse atheism or portray Science as religion. Moreover, many frum people are uncomfortable with idea of life on other planets, though it is not clear that this opinion has a sound basis in our tradition. Another big barrier in portraying the future is that Moshiach must come, and most rabbeim hold He'll arrive by the year 6000 on our calendar. Finally, the rigors of space travel introduce unwieldy elements into narratives about Jewish characters: halachic times, Shabbos, kashrus, etc. all must be dealt with.

I think we're slowing coming to grips with these issues. I've seen some fantasy and sci-fi in the fiction department on Chabad.org. A few years ago, there was a fun adult novel of speculative fiction by David Shapiro called The Promise of G-d, and an anthology called Wandering Stars which is Jewish, though certainly not Orthodox. On the juvenile literature front, time travel has become an acceptable subgenre somehow--there's The Devil's Apprentice and Trekking Through Time. In 2009, a blogger described the 2009 Jewish Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Conference at the 92nd Street Y. There, participants were told that among the "in demand" topics was time travel, and that one lecture was about writing Jewish books for the "Twilight Generation".

There was a piece in HaModia for You set in space last year, and currently the Aim tween supplement to Ami Magazine has a serial with a sci-fi mystery called "To the Edge of the Galaxy." (disclaimer: I co-author it with Beth Firestone). Ami specifically wanted a sci-fi spin on the serial.

And now there's Hereville. The reviews I've seen are great, and the readers aren't just religious or even just Jews. Maybe the time for authentically Jewish sci-fi and fantasy books has come. It would be my fantasy come true!

great news!

2010-12-28T08:39:00.001-08:00

I haven't been active on my page for a while, but I wanted to share good news with anyone who drops by.

I've been publishing articles on the website www.metroimma.com about parenting small children and connection between real-life and classic children's books.

The new Jewish magazine, Ami, is now available by subscription at http://www.amimagazine.org/ and on the newsstands in NYC and Chicago...hopefully, it'll be available in all major Jewish markets soon. I'm co-authoring one of the weekly serials contained in the Aim tween supplement (my co-author is Beth Firestone, known for her novel Candles in my Window). It's entitled "To the Edge of the Galaxy". The story follows the adventures of an Orthodox family chosen to colonize a distant planet. I'm hoping all you readers up there will pick up a copy of Ami and try it out!

Additionally, Mishpacha Junior magazine published a story of mine a couple of months ago and expects to publish another soon. I'm really enjoying writing for periodicals and will continue to list my ongoing projects.

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I Feel Liberated!

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Almost ready to print and distribute to a selected few

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Revision update

Bram Stoker's journals to be published

This is officially a rant.

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Ladies: Have you seen "The Heart that Sings" yet?

And now comes the hard part

I DID IT!

Bear With Me

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Almost (but only almost!)

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Another picture book about children's safety issues

Jewish Sci-Fi Update

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Busy, busy, busy

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Moving photoessay online based on book "Where Children Sleep"

Making Up New Words to Go with your New Worlds

Drat!

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The Stuff You Find When Cleaning Your Kid's Room

Around the World...in books!

Jewish Picture Book Aims to Protect our Children from Harm

Censorship or careful parenting?

HaModia is now offering a FREE digital edition!

Free Hebrew books for Jewish kids!

Good clean reads

Wanna be a punctuation vigilante? I'll bring the Sharpies!

Another great contest...this time for readers, not just writers!

Jewish Book Carnival coming in July

Two Great Links

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Books about friendship

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Jewish Women's Writing Conference in Jerusalem

Withdrawl from deadlines!

Jewish Picture Book Contest

Nifty bit in this week's HaModia

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Great Bedtime Stories beyond _Goodnight Moon_

A Light to the Nations

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The Giving Tree

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