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Finding the Write Words

International Blog Event: The Next Big Thing

The Next Big Thing is an awareness blog campaign that began in Australia and became international. It features authors and illustrators of books for kids and young adults and their recently published books and/or those that are slated to be released this year.

1) What is the working title of your most recent book?

Jodie’s Passover Adventure

2) Where did the idea come from for the book

I have always been fascinated by archaeology. Living in Israel gives me the opportunity to live in the present while being able to touch the past. Exploring caves, trekking through tunnels and discovering bits of the past is always an adventure, and one I enjoy sharing.

3) What genre does your book fall under?

Picture Book, Jewish, Holiday. Although I know I’ve annoyed reviewers who feel that though the holidays are mentioned in the title of my books, they are not about the holiday. I want to share the feeling that in Israel holidays are an integral part of life here. We don’t stop our lives in order to celebrate but we incorporate the celebration into the every day. For the eight days of Hanukkah and throughout Passover kids are off from school and the country celebrates these holidays.

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

I don’t have a clue! Would love some suggestions.

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Jodie explores inside an ancient water tunnel under the City of David where she overcomes her fears and discovers a hidden treasure.

6) Who publishes your book?

KarBen Publishers published Jodie’s Hanukkah Dig and Jodie’s Passover Adventure. I’m meeting with one of my publishers this week during the Jerusalem International Book Fair with an idea for a third Jodie book. In this one Digger, her dog, inadvertently helps Jodie find an entrance into the past.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

I write and re-write and re-re-rewrite. It’s hard to know which one is the real first draft. But it can take me months until I feel like I have something to work with.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Other picture books in which there is a female protagonist who proves that she is able to overcome her fears and succeed.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Both of these picture books published with KarBen take place in and around Jerusalem (Jodie’s Hanukkah Dig and Jodie’s Passover Adventure). This year I joined a group that is hiking from one end of Israel to the other. These books are a way for me to share my love of discovering the country. I set my stories in Israel as a way to write about the experiences I have here.

10) What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?

I think we all are tickled by the thought of discovering a buried treasure. Archaeology involves a lot of hard and tedious work, but when you do find something the thrill is the same for everyone at any age.

It's almost Passover and books are the thing during this holiday.

Later today will have a few more people joining this event so please stay tuned!
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