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Welcome to Host-a-Jewish-Book-Author.com, an independent site created by literary agent Anna Olswanger, where you can contact Jewish book authors by name, location, or genre. Host-a-Jewish-Book-Author.com lists only authors who have agreed to participate, with authors themselves providing their contact information, book titles, lecture topics, and areas of travel.

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Sharon Reiss Baker (A Nickel, A Trolley, A Treasure House) lives in West Hartford, Connecticut, where she is an educational consultant. She presents book-based, participatory programs about Jewish historical fiction to children in Grades 1-8. Her "Historical Fiction: A Backstage Tour" focuses on research materials and methods in writing historical fiction, "Begin and Begin Again" examines the writing process with an emphasis on revisions, and "Between Two Covers" explores the publishing process from first draft to first printing. Baker is willing to travel anywhere in the U.S. or Israel. To arrange a program, email her at info@sharonreissbaker.com or visit her website www.sharonreissbaker.com.

Judy Lash Balint (Jerusalem Diaries: In Tense Times and Jerusalem Diaries II: What's Really Happening in Israel) is a foreign correspondent in Jerusalem who provides commentary for the Dave Ross Show on KIRO in Seattle and the Lee Rodgers Show on KSFO in San Francisco. Winner of the Mosaic Award for Excellence in Feature Writing about Israeli Peoplehood, Culture and Society, Balint gives talks anywhere in the English-speaking world on "Israel Behind the Headlines," "The Challenges Facing Jerusalem," "Making a New Life in Israel: Reflections of an American Olah," and "Media Coverage in Israel." To arrange a program, email her at judy.balint@gmail.com or visit her website www.jerusalemdiaries.com.

Tilda Balsley (Let My People Go!) lives in Reidsville, North Carolina. A former teacher, she gives interactive Reader's Theater programs for children featuring the story of the ten plagues. She also offers research based workshops for teachers on the effectiveness of Reader's Theater in encouraging rereading; in the workshops, teachers practice converting familiar children's books to scripts. Balsley is willing to travel anywhere in the southeastern U.S. To arrange a program, email her at tilda@tildatalks.com or visit her website www.tildatalks.com.

Michael Bart (Until Our Last Breath: A Holocaust Story of Love and Partisan Resistance with co-author Laurel Corona) lives in San Diego, California, where he is the annual chair of the Community Holocaust Commemoration. Nominated for a Sophie Brody Medal, Bart gives talks on his ten years of research into his parent's experiences in the Vilna ghetto and as members of Abba Kovner's Avenger's group. Bart will consider traveling anywhere. To arrange a program, email him at mikebart@roadrunner.com or visit his website www.untilourlastbreath.com.

Hava Ben-Zvi (Eva's Journey: A Young Girl's True Story and The Bride Who Argued with God: Tales from the Treasury of Jewish Folklore) lives in San Marino, California. A former director of the Jewish Community Library of Los Angeles and recipient of the Ezra Award, she gives programs about her books to both adults and children. For Eva's Journey, she describes her life as a Jewish adolescent and teenager in German-occupied Poland during World War II, and for The Bride Who Argued with God, she retells Jewish folktales and discusses their unique attributes and meaning. Ben-Zvi is willing to travel anywhere in California and possibly to other states within the U.S. To arrange a program, email her at e.benzvi@worldnet.att.net or visit her website http://e.benzvi.home.att.net.

Andrée Aelion Brooks (Russian Dance: A True Story of Intrigue and Passion in Stalinist Moscow, The Woman Who Defied Kings: The Life and Times of Dona Gracia Nasi, and Out of Spain: An Educational Program for Children Covering the History and Culture of Sephardic Jewry is a journalist and lecturer in Westport, Connecticut. A National Jewish Book Award finalist, Brooks gives talks on unexplored aspects of Jewish history based on the research behind her books and on recent news articles. Her talks include "The Ancient Origin of Merchant Jews and Their Impact on Jewish History," "The Cradle of Jewish Life in Europe and the Birth of Ashkenaz," " The Incredible Story of Dona Gracia Nasi: a Woman Leader during the Renaissance," and "Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean: Serious History Builds on a Legend." Brooks is willing to travel anywhere, provided her travel costs are covered. To arrange a program, email her at andreebrooks@hotmail.com or visit her website www.andreeaelionbrooks.com.

Haggai Carmon (The Red Syndrome: A Dan Gordon Intelligence Thriller and Triple Identity: A Dan Gordon Intelligence Thriller) lives in Long Island, New York, where he is an international attorney representing the U.S. Department of Justice in its Israeli litigation. On assignment by several federal agencies, Carmon has gathered legal intelligence around the world in complex, multimillion dollar cases, most involving money laundering. In his talks, he describes his real-life adventures that have inspired his intelligence thrillers. Carmon is willing to travel anywhere within the Tri-state area of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut; he is willing to travel elsewhere as long as his travel expenses are paid. To arrange a program, contact him at haggai@carmonlaw.com, phone 212-751-0406, or visit his websites www.tripleidentity.com and www.carmonlaw.com.

Leslie Cohen (Trapped inside the Story: The Biography of Naomi Kalsky, Born Sonya Hebenstreit) lives on Kibbutz Ein Hashofet near Haifa in Israel, where she teaches college English at Ruppin Academic Center. Winner of a National Indie Excellence Book Award for Best Memoir, Cohen gives a storytelling session about her book that includes historical background about the Holocaust. She also gives these talks: "How Fairy Tales Became a Survival Strategy During the Holocaust," "How to Personalize Holocaust Education," and "Biography of a Teenager Who Survived the Holocaust." Cohen visits Los Angeles and New York twice a year, and in May-June, 2008, will be in Los Angeles, San Diego, Madison, and New York. She is willing at other times to travel anywhere in Israel. To arrange a program, contact her publisher William Roetzheim at William@level4press.com or Cohen directly at lesliec@level4press.com.

Laurel Corona (Until Our Last Breath: A Holocaust Story of Love and Partisan Resistance with co-author Michael Bart) lives in San Diego, California, where she teaches English and Humanities at San Diego City College. Corona gives talks in the San Diego area on "Writing About the Holocaust" and "The Partisans of Vilna," but is willing to travel elsewhere for an honorarium and travel expenses. To arrange a program, email her at lacauthor@cox.net or visit her website www.uolb-corona.com.

Deborah da Costa (Hanukkah Moon and Snow in Jerusalem) lives in Columbia, Maryland, where she works as a reading specialist, psychologist and educational consultant. Winner of a University of Wisconsin's Cooperative Children's Book Center Choice Award, da Costa gives talks to children and adults on "The Creation of a Picture Book from Idea to Finished Product," "Writing Jewish Children's Books," "Reading, Thinking and Writing about Other Cultures," and "Research and Revision." She prefers traveling the East Coast from Maine to Florida, but is open to traveling anywhere. To arrange a program, email da Costa at debidac@aol.com or visit her website www.deborahdacosta.com.

Debra B. Darvick (This Jewish Life: Stories of Discovery, Connection and Joy, contributor to A Gift of Prayer: Spirituality of Jewish Women, Women of Reform Judaism) and contributor to Jewish Family and Life: Traditions, Holidays, and Values for Today's Parents and Children) lives in Birmingham, Michigan, where she is a freelance writer and jewelry designer. Darvick gives talks around the country on "Life in the Jewish Lane: Using Jewish Teachings to Raise Adolescents," "Eight Teachings for Pursuing a Dream," and "Sketching out a Novel/Jumpstarting the Battery with Paper and Colored Pencils." She is willing to travel anywhere as long as her hosts provide transportation. She is fine with home hospitality. To arrange a program, email Darvick at author@debradarvick.com or visit her website www.debradarvick.com.

To participate in this website, contact Anna Olswanger.