Meet the Author of the Gilboa Iris – Zahava Englard

BY ADMIN · AUGUST 1, 2012 · NO COMMENTS
FICTION ·

Author of the Gilboa Iris, Zahava Englard, was interviewed by Jill Paterson on the perfectblog website.

PP: The Gilboa Iris is your first sojourn into fiction. Please tell us about it.

ZAHAVA: It’s all about the passion. Like every Israeli living in Israel, I’m passionate about the land. The Gilboa Iris tells a story not just about the passion between the two main characters, but passion between the characters and the Land of Israel. Perhaps it is because we live under a constant existential threat that Israel is a country steeped in passion, where we live for each moment − because one never knows what the next moment will bring.

Over the years, I’ve visited too many families in Israel who had lost loved ones – either in an Arab terrorist attack, or while on active duty in the IDF. One hopes to give a measure of comfort and strength to the bereaved. But what I always found, without exception, is that each of these families provided the strength and encouragement to all who visited THEM. They had such a high level of faith, courage and strength, that out of the depths of their despair when they would recite the blessing, Baruch Dayan Ha-emet, (bless the true judge), they meant it.

After one such visit a couple of years ago, my mind wandered (having my own two sons in the army) to a place a mother never wants it to wander. I thought about how I would react if God forbid……….Would I be as brave as these families? Would I be able to summon up that level of faith? Strength? Courage?

I explored what I thought my reaction would be through a character that I conjured up in my mind, later to become the female protagonist of The Gilboa Iris, Dara Harow. Her reaction was not a pretty one. It was raw and unrestrained. It was unpleasant – at times disturbing. It was human and it was passionate.

Before I knew it, I had a whole scenario playing out in my mind with “Dara,” a young idealistic American student, who travels to Israel to live her dream and must deal with the deadly consequences of Arab terror and global jihad. And with “Roni Ben-Ari,” the symbol of the type of courage and unrelenting hope that can be found in the modern day Israeli.

I don’t like to dwell on despair, so I allowed the tale in my head to weave its way through yarns of action, romance, suspense, even humor, culminating on a note of hope and optimism.

I wanted to transport the reader, invite him or her into the very passionate core of the Israeli. The mainstream media does not paint an accurate or fair picture of Israel and of Israelis. So…In writing The Gilboa Iris, I wanted people to see what I see, what Israelis see and what needs to be seen. I wanted the reader to be submerged in the lives of Dara, Roni and Uri – to feel what my characters felt as if it were palpable – to have the passion permanently imprinted in one’s heart.

PP: And you certainly have done that, Zahava. It’s such a moving story. Not only romance, but intrigue and suspense. A great book! It must have been difficult to keep all the strings going and wrap them up. Did you use a story board or have an outline to keep it organized?

ZAHAVA: Surprisingly, no. The story of The Gilboa Iris had been milling about my head for several months before I finally decided to put it to paper. The outline was embedded in my mind. What I hadn’t worked out, practically wrote itself as I typed. As for the rest, my characters seemed to finish for me, as the story took on a life of its own. The only notes I jotted down for myself was when researching various facts for accuracy or when delving into unfamiliar territory, such as missile technology or how to disable a car without destroying the engine.

PP: Do you have a favourite scene, Zahava?

ZAHAVA: Believe it or not, it was not the spicy romance scenes, the flirty fun chapters or the suspenseful intrigue. My favorite scene was the saddest one in the novel, and what was the most difficult to write. It was the chapter that had Dara face the most devastating consequences of Arab terror, depicting her very real, very pained and at the same time very indignant and passionate reaction. I wrote it out of some deep and sorrow-filled place, impressed upon me from my own experiences after meeting the other victims of terror − those who were left behind to pick up the pieces.

PP: I remember that scene well. It’s imprinted on my mind. It would have been very difficult to write and is a tribute to you. Is there a message in The Gilboa Iris that you want your readers to grasp?

ZAHAVA: Triumph over despair and holding on to hope at all costs. I like happy endings. Not fairy-tale happy endings, but happy endings with the right blend of realism, perhaps…bitter sweet realism and that sense of longing coupled with hope, for that hard to reach tranquil bliss in our Land of Israel. And, as I mentioned previously, I wanted to acquaint the reader with the true heart of the Israeli and to invite him or her into a world that is not portrayed through the international media − to get the real picture.

PP: Well, I think you have gone a long way in doing that, Zahava. What activity (cause, charity, organization) consumes your time when you’re not writing?

ZAHAVA: I have been involved in raising awareness as well as raising funds for humanitarian and security needs throughout Israel, in particular in Judea and Samaria. I have also had the privilege of joining a theater group in Israel known as Raise Your Spirits, whose productions help raise funds for victims of terror.

PP: Is there anything else you would like to share with us, Zahava?

ZAHAVA: As much as it is my dream for my novel to go viral, and sure, to be made into a movie (I say that with a huge grin), it has been a thrill just to have been recognized as a quality writer by my publisher at Gefen Publishing House and to be given an opportunity to put my heart out there to share with others. Because that is what The Gilboa Iris is − a very huge piece of my heart.

PP: Well, I think you’ve written a marvelous book, Zahava, that’s not only filled with romance and suspense, but is also a window into life in Israel. Congratulations and thank you so much for being with us today.

To read the full interview click here.

Click here to purchase Zahava’s page turner “The Gilboa Iris”.