Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a retired Realtor, anthropologist and recovered ex-radical, living in a peaceful metropolitan suburb. I’ve been tear-gassed, had a bayonet in my face, travelled on a carnival train and hitch-hiked across the continent.
I’ve studied folklore, warfare, Kabbalah, primitive art and communications among other things. My essays and stories have been published in a variety of venues. As a graduate student I studied with the late Dr. Michael Harner, a practicing shaman and recognized expert on cannibalism. My father Yehuda Elberg was a world-renowned Yiddish author and lecturer. My mother was a poet and translator.
A descendent of the biblical King David, I recently put aside his plan to rule the galaxy so I could devote more time to writing. I’m a member of the Canadian Fantasy and Science Fiction Association and am active with the Canadian Institute for Jewish Research, a think tank.
I’ve been married for many decades and have been blessed with children and grandchildren.
I’ve written one novel, and co-edited a book on the relation between Zionism and the Native American relation with their lands.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Zionism, An Indigenous Struggle is my latest book, but I want to talk here about Quantum Cannibals. The main character is based upon a historic Jewish woman in 16th century Kurdistan. She was head of the religious academy, and had a title higher than “rabbi.” None of these things would be possible today. There are many legends about her wisdom, her power and her beauty. One of those stories became the start-off point of the novel.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My father was a world-renowned Yiddish novelist. I remember him sitting at the kitchen table banging away on his typewriter. My mother would shush everyone, make sure no one disturbed him as he worked. My kids were grown up and pretty much out of the house when I started seriously writing fiction. I kept on getting interrupted by Facebook, email, or sometimes, my job. I developed the ability to turn my mind on and off from the fiction I was working on.
Now, the question is about “unusual writing habits.” I cannot attest to this being unusual. Maybe everyone else does the same thing.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Aldous Huxley influenced my thinking before he influenced my writing. “Eyeless in Gaza” was almost like a bible to me, explaining through fiction how to live properly in the world. When I started work on Quantum Cannibals I adopted his writing style as well. I quickly learned that what worked in the 1930’s didn’t work in the 21st century, especially for a work of speculative fiction. I started again.
Terry Goodkind’s “Sword of Truth” series had a tremendous influence on me. He’s a brilliant writer, turning out gripping prose, presenting a story with a purpose.
Douglas Adams makes me jealous. His writing is so original, so funny, so insightful. In his Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy 5-part trilogy, he presents some phenomenal insights.
What are you working on now?
I’ve published a few highly-rated romance short stories under a pseudonym, and have decided to expand them into full fledged contemporary romance novels. It’s hard putting myself into the mind of an amorous female.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I really don’t have a preferred approach. Facebook is okay, book deal sites are important
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Put down what you wrote, leave it alone for a little while, then read it as if it was something you’ve never read before.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Experience is not what happens to a man; it is what a man does with what happens to him.”
― Aldous Huxley
What are you reading now?
Just finished re-reading “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency” by Douglas Adams.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Get my romance novels published, then write the next book in the series that follows Quantum Cannibals.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
War and Peace, the complete box set of Game of Thrones, and the Bible (as defined by Judaism)
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