Ilana DeBare Author

Actually starting to write WORDS in the historical novel I've been researching for 2+ years. 🎉 Full story and some photos on my blog at https://ilanadebare.substack.com/p/finding-my-footing-in-the-17th-century

After 2+ years of research, I'm finally at the point of starting to write my historical novel set in the 1660s! I took all the usual clutter off my bulletin board and replaced it with images of (mostly) Jews in 17th century Germany and Poland.

P.S. This is not to imply that I am done with research. It continues! But I feel ready to start writing some sections, while filling in the many gaps as I go.

Great evening last night with Susie Wallenstein's book group, which just read Shaken Loose! Really smart women and perceptive readers. Two of them grew up in religious traditions that emphasized a fiery punitive Hell — while another grew up with atheist parents but was terrified as a child that she would end up in the fiery Hell described by her friend's Catholic church. It was a fascinating conversation. And it remains a complete thrill to meet strangers who have connected deeply with my characters. Especially Trua. :-)

Thank you, Susie, for setting this up. If others of you have book groups that would like to read Shaken Loose, I'm happy to visit in person or via Zoom.

Bowie's Books: Bowie was disappointed that I read this one without him, on my Kindle while traveling. And he was right to be disappointed -- The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo is fantastic! It's magical realism set in northern China and Japan around the start of the 1900s. In this world, foxes are relatable but supernatural creatures that live for centuries and can take on human form—and as humans, they are extremely charismatic and alluring to "normal" humans. The main character is a fox/human who has suffered a great loss, is determined to exact vengeance, and... things get complicated. She is a compelling character and her quest carried me forward, but I was also fascinated trying to figure out just what these mystical foxes were and how their "magic" worked. It's based on traditional Japanese and Chinese folklore, which both give foxes a spiritual significance. (Well deserved, if you ask me -- having had a litter of foxes raised under our deck at Stinson's Beach.)

The story is big-hearted and a good escape from all the bad stuff in the news. It's also a beautiful cover. If you look closely, you'll see the main character reflected in the white fox below her. Bowie gives a paws-up to any novel featuring a white furry mammal.

A new one for us! Anna’s Hummingbird nesting in the vines on the back of our house. Photo taken from inside Samuel Schuchat’s study. I don’t want to scare it. ❤️❤️❤️

Want to know what it's like van camping in Europe? Details (and more photos) of our two weeks in a camper van from Germany to Italy on my blog at https://ilanadebare.substack.com.

Bay Area friends: I encourage you to bid on the Oakland History Bike Tour in the Golden Gate Bird Alliance online auction. I bought this prize several years ago and did it with friends and family including Robin L Flagg, Judy Stern, and Danny DeBare and it was both fun and eye opening! Memirable and unique way to spend a few hours with friends, and guide Jerry Harrison is knowledgeable and entertaining. You do NOT need to be a “serious” cyclist since it’s going pretty slowly around flat areas.

Budding closes after this weekend. Worth every penny!

Oakland History Bike Tour Auction item 'Oakland History Bike Tour' hosted online at 32auctions.

OMG! We checked into our campsite near Nordlingen in southern Germany, went to buy beers, and here’s the local beer that the campsite gave us! 😆😈

Before we set out on our current European travels, I had a delightful time writing a short profile of Jeanette Nichols, a retired nurse who is a whimsical and talented nature artist. She’s donating a personalized watercolor of “your name in birds” in the Golden Gate Bird Alliance online auction, which runs through May 20. You can read the profile and see more of Jeanette’s work at https://goldengatebirdalliance.org/blog-posts/when-birds-letters-art/

This version of Chad Gadya by the Israeli singer Chava Alberstein is about a decade old but could have been recorded yesterday. Listen for the new lyrics at the end. (There is an English translation.) It is a much darker, urgent and more introspective take on the song than the one my Seder usually sings.

Had Gadya - Chava Alberstein (English Lyrics) Had Gadya ("one little goat, or "one kid") is a song from the Haggadah book read at the Jewish holiday of Passover. Had Gadya is written in Aramaic. Chava Al...

In Colorado for a Schuchat family seder. In Denver, Sam’s cousin Nora Schuchat is having an exhibit of her textile art at the Art Gym gallery in Denver. Really cool embroidery on PAPER.

Just a bit of East Bay springtime. ❤️

Whew! This blog post had been scratching at the door for several weeks while I was too busy to let it out. (Meow!) Ideas for how to address the Israel-Gaza war in your Passover seder, along with resource links to relevant haggadah supplements, poems etc. from a variety of viewpoints. See https://ilanadebare.substack.com/p/passover-in-this-year-of-gaza-war

Gift ideas needed! I'm going to meet with a number of historians etc. in Germany and would like to bring them small gifts. In past overseas meetings, I've taken notecards of US national parks but am wondering if there is something more useful to Germans. In particular, there's one meeting with a whole team where I'd like to bring a gift for the group to share. If this were local, I'd bring a box of cupcakes or cookies. But I need something pre-wrapped that won't go stale in transit. (And not chocolates because... Germany! Their chocolates are as good or better than ours.) Suggestions???

Especially interested if Alix Christie or David Watts Barton have ideas. :-)

The latest monthly wrap-up of new books by Bay Area writers by the wonderful Frances Dinkelspiel, for Local News Matters. I’m especially looking forward to Your Presence is Mandatory by Sasha Vasilyuk.

Bay City Books: New Books from Bay Area Authors - April 2024 - Local News Matters New fiction books, from Bay Area and Northern California authors, listed by release date. Sing, I  By Ethel Rohan (San Francisco)Triquarterly Books

Well, here I am at the Dallas airport hoping to see the sun go away. 🤪

Sonoma County folks—come out on Saturday April 13 for Sebastopol LitCrawl! A full afternoon of FREE readings by panels of dozens of writers of all sorts. I'll be reading from Shaken Loose from 2 to 3 pm at the Third Pig Bar with five fantastic (smart, funny, insightful) women novelists and memoir writers -- Susanne Pari, Audrey Elyse Ferber, Katya Cengel, Yang Linda Huang, and Joan Gelfand. So of course I hope you'll come to that! But there are also lots of other great panels to choose from too. Check out the full schedule via the QR code or on the Lit Crawl FB page.

Hey writers! readers! anyone who likes clever Brit humor! This is for you.

If Books Had a Party If Books Had a Party We have one last show of Hogwash on the 7th of April in Vicar Street in aid of the Red CrossAnd our new show...

Had a fantastic time Thursday night at Literary Speakeasy at Martuni’s. These happen on the fourth Thursday of each month and I will be back as audience! A gorgeous bar, huge cocktails, classy setting, and such enthusiastic hosting by James J. Siegel, who also read two of his own terrific poems. The four other readers were varied—poetry, memoir, climate fiction—and all engaging in very different ways. Thanks to everyone who attended including Audrey Elyse Ferber and Deborah DeBare—and all who read.

What's better than having Becca in town to do jigsaw puzzles with? Having my sister Deborah DeBare AND Becca visiting and doing puzzles! ❤️

Literary Speakeasy is this Thursday, the second group reading I've done in a bar. (The first was Babylon Salon in December.) These events are so fun—like literary tapas, little tastes of different kinds of writing, with drinks. 🍹📖

Free, local, live culture! On a weeknight! Better than doing your taxes. Come join us, 7 pm at Martuni's at the corner of Market 7 Valencia.

Seeking recommendations for a good career counselor! Not for me but for a young person close to my heart - grappling at age 30 with the conflicting demands of her art, her political commitments, and the need to make a living. Because we live in the era of Zoom, this counselor can be anywhere. Experience with millennials is a plus. Thank you in advance!

Fun time talking on Monday evening with Jody London's book group, who have been meeting since 1996. One highlight for me was when one of the members pulled out her notepad to read some lines from the book that she'd liked enough to write down!

If you're in a book group that would like to read Shaken Loose, I'd be happy to join you for your discussion in person (East Bay) or Zoom (elsewhere).

On the corner of 88th and Lexington. He has been pastor at the church there for 30 years. He does this every Thursday afternoon and averages about three significant conversations. He says regretfully that younger people don’t get the Peanuts reference.

Road trip through Vermont with Deborah DeBare to visit Becca, two weeks after peak foliage.
Deb: This would have been really gorgeous two weeks ago.
Ilana: I see a yellow leaf! I see a yellow leaf!

(Editor’s note: it’s really gorgeous anyway. And uncrowded!)

Thank you to all the old (and new) friends who turned out at Beers Books last night for my Shaken Loose event. It was so good to see you, although I regret not having time for more than one hug and two sentences. Special thanks to James Richardson for setting this up and asking Really Good Questions. (Check out Jim’s own book, The Abolitionist’s Journal, the true story of his great-great-grandfather, a white Methodist minister who was part of the Underground Railroad, served as chaplain to a Black regiment in the Civil War, and founded a college in Texas for the formerly enslaved.)

Also a big thank-you to Andy Naify of Beers Books, which recently opened a new and enlarged and beautiful store. In this world of woe, every new or expanded bookstore is like one more spark of light. Give your local bookstore owner a hug, or better yet, buy a book there. Or two. Or three. 📖❤️

Bowie's Books: Bowie has never understood why humans make such a big fuss over the color of their skin. He knows there are only two categories of humans—those with vacuum cleaners and those without. Having said that, Bowie loved the new nonfiction book Accountable by Dashka Slater. It's the story of the community reaction to a racist Instagram account at a high school in a small, liberal East Bay city.

Slater writes so engagingly that Accountable reads as easily as fiction. It's broken up into very short chapters featuring the perspectives of the MANY different people who got involved in what became a community meltdown—the teens who created the account, other teens who felt wounded and betrayed by it, parents, school administrators, etc. She does an amazing job at conveying all these viewpoints with empathy, respect, and context. Many of those involved said and did things they would later regret. The adults in charge do not come off looking good at all. The book raises challenging questions about how to respond to racism (and other isms) in a way that brings healing, safety, growth, and understanding rather than polarization and more pain. It also raises questions about how to raise kids in an era of omnipresent social media filled with toxic memes.

Bowie says this is a great book to buy for the adolescent kitten in your life since it's so readable and so "real." Use it to spark a discussion with them! It's also a great gift for educators... or for any adult. Feline, human, even canine. Although maybe not for those humans with vacuum cleaners. When you see one of those, just run.

I just did my first podcast interview about Shaken Loose, with the very sharp Seth Andrews of The Thinking Atheist. Along with enjoying the conversation, I was gobsmacked to hear him read a couple of brief passages from the book. He has a fantastically deep, resonant, born-for-radio voice and those passages sounded so much better than when I read them, or even when I imagine them in my head! I guess that's what it feels like if you have a voice professional narrate your audio book. (Sadly, no plans for an audio book version of SL as of now.) If you want to watch/listen to the podcast, it's only 18 minutes long.

Shaken Loose: A Journey into Hell (with author Ilana DeBare) Ilana DeBare's new novel "Shaken Loose" follows fictional characters into a biblical Hell. It's an interesting tale with plenty of subtext/criticism on the C...

Thirty-three years ago today, I married the man who answered my personal ad that said, "Help me finish my novel, I'll help you # # ." Well, I finally published a novel this summer, even though it's four books down the line from the one I was writing then. But we have done so much more together over those 33 years. Raised a daughter, lost parents, had (multiple) careers, plus the usual assortment of cats, bikes, trips, home repairs, pandemic dance parties, and fundraising events. I can't imagine waking up next to anyone else. What I wrote in the dedication to Shaken Loose is true: "For Sam. If I had to walk through hell with anyone, it would be you." Thank you. ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

Please help me boost awareness of Shaken Loose by writing a short review on Amazon! Currently I have 40 ratings there, with an average of 4.3 stars, which is really gratifying. But I've heard that 50 reviews is a magic number for Amazon, at which point its algorithm will make your book show up higher on people's searches.

I don't know if this is in fact true. Or perhaps it was true three weeks ago and Amazon has changed the algorithm. Amazon is an inscrutable black box. But even if the 50-review threshold is not true, it's a nice round number and I would love to reach it!

You can help by posting a review there -- ideally a few sentences, not just a star rating. It can be super-short. It does NOT have to be literary or brilliant. No one's getting graded on this! Just say if you liked Shaken Loose, and maybe a word or two why. And of course be honest! Don't say this is the GREATEST BOOK EVER like some public figures we know. :-)

You can post your review at: https://www.amazon.com/Shaken-Loose-Ilana-DeBare/dp/1839194839/

P.S. You can do this even if you do all your own shopping at indie bookstores. Millions of readers buy their books from Amazon, so it's important that Shaken Loose be easily findable there. Even though we all love indies.