binah magazine

Have you picked up the Sukkos edition of Binah Magazine yet?

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Even if you aren’t usually a Binah reader, you might want to take a look-see at the special, expanded Sukkos 5776 issue. The “Vistas” story supplement features a story by yours truly. It’s my first adult fiction appearance with Binah, so I’m very excited.

“From the Furthest Reaches of Heaven” originated as part of a sci-fi novel I’ve been working on for many years. (It gets mentioned every now and again on this blog.) Eventually, I decided that this particular part of that story had more power in an abbreviated format. Shortening it to a 3500 word count was a challenge, but I’m already getting positive feedback on the story, so I’m pleased with the results.

Have you read “From the Furthest Reaches of Heaven” yet? If so, I’d love to hear what you think. Please share it in a comment.

Signs you might want to buy one of my new books

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BOTH MY NEW BOOKS ARE UP AND RUNNING ON AMAZON! WAHOO!

(Do I sound excited?)

Mazal’s Luck Runs Out is for ages 8-11.

My life is being taken over by marketing (What? Did you say there’s a Jewish holiday coming? More than one? You mean I have to cook, too? ARGH!). Also, I’m working on no budget here, but at least people can actually buy both Mazal’s Luck Runs Out and Sliding Doors and other stories online now.

With no further ado… Continue reading →

Tables turned: a writer gets interviewed by Fradl Adams for The Lakewood Shopper

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Fradl Adams interviews inspirational women, particularly baalos teshuvah, for The Lakewood Shopper. Her column appears weekly. Anyway, she asked to speak to me — focusing primarily on my writing for Jewish teens and tweens — about a month ago, and the interview runs this week. For those of us outside NJ, she provided this link.

I’m much more used to interviewing people than being interviewed. It was definitely WEEEIRD, and I kept thinking, “Do I sound like that?”

A discovery! And what happens when you follow other writers’ advice.

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So, things today went better today than last week. In short, I wrote more today than I wrote in the entirety of last week. (Yes, that’s how bad things were going.)

One of the things I found helpful was focus@will’s new setting “Cafe focus Beta.” A few months back, I reported that researchers released data indicating that writers are more productive in cafes than sitting in a quiet office at home. Well, I guess the folks at focus@will read the same study, because not only can you use the site to enhance your creativity with baroque or ambient music — or to white noise — you can now listen to a re-creation of a busy cafe full of people.

And yes, I did indeed find it helpful.

I also relied on the advice of other writers today in order to increase my productivity. Continue reading →

Can we just get this over with?

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I am sick of writing my serial.

There, I’ve said it.

This week, I’ve resolved to crank this puppy out as fast as humanly possible, because I fear it has taken over my writing life. I haven’t written a piece of fiction in months other than episodes of Glixman in a Fix.

serial title image

Can I just kill off Mendel’s Aunt Rina?

If I didn’t have readers come over to me every couple weeks and tell me how much they look forward to each episode, I think I would have thrown in the towel already.

I have a bad, baaaaaad feeling that some editor will Continue reading →

Three in one shot!

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Readers of Binah this week will see a lot of me.

This week’s Binah Magazine contains three pieces by yours truly:

  • My regular episode of Glixman in a Fix inside Binah BeTween
  • A stand alone for tweens and teens in the same supplement, entitled “A Sweet Find”
  • A personal essay in the main magazine, called “Hitting the Road.”

“A Sweet Find” was inspired by the antics of my grandmother, may she live to 120. She’s one of those people who saves things, and has been digging through her treasures a lot recently. As a person who doesn’t generally get sentimental over objects, it’s sometimes hard for me to identify with Grandma’s feelings. But once in a while, something Grandma finds in her stash touches me, and I wrote a fictional story about a character who shares this experience.

In “Hitting the Road,” I confess my driving phobia and explain how I finally conquered it. Next week, I’ll be completing my first year of driving carpool!

Has anyone out there had a phobia and written about it? Please share in the comments.