Welcome everybody! I hope all of you are alright especially those residing at the east coast and for everyone whose here today thank you so much for stopping by ^_^ Now, about our guest for today he wrote a very enlightening novel titled The Torah codes I am very happy and so psyched about all this not only because your purchase of this book helps S.F Bay Area Jewish Schools! but we'd get to know more about Mr. Ezra Barany (the author himself) ^_^
Let’s learn more about him roll the clip please..(play the youtube video)
Without further ado please let us all Welcome Mr. Ezra Barany!
Ezra entered the studio waves his hands in the air as the crowd cheered with a standing ovation and round of applause *As Ezra slideshow played on the background* Kim greeted him with a secret handshake..they both sat comfortably in the black leather sofa situated at the center part of the studio.
Kim: Welcome!Welcome! I’m really glad you came..well after reading your book I called and dispatched some search squads all throughout the studio just in case I don’t want any of the secret society lurking about hahaha :)) anyway please feel at home ^_^ That’s really a very cool video presentation wow! I can’t even sum up myself in a couple of minutes :)) moving on…How would you describe your book?Any catchy phrase/praise for your novel?
Ezra: I think the best one I've heard is that The Torah Codes is a Jewish version of The Da Vinci Code.
Kim: Ah yes indeed so how did you come up with this idea for your first book?
Ezra: I took the Discovery seminar in Jerusalem where their goal was to show scientific proof that God exists. What impressed me the most was their experiment that showed how codes were intentionally placed in the Book of Genesis. The results of the experiment were published in a peer-reviewed journal "Statistical Science."
Kim: Amazing! How long did it take you to finish The Torah Codes?
Ezra: This was a NaNoWriMo project. National Novel Writing Month challenges writers to write 50,000 words in the month of November. I wrote the first draft in November 2005, and then spent the next five years adding a subplot and editing it. For a funny summary of how to succeed with NaNoWriMo, check out HowToLiz's video:http://youtu.be/SEU6tMFvddg
Kim: Do come back after finishing that video :)) Hmm...NanoWrimo sounds very cool and interesting it’s my first time to hear that kind of word and project Thanks for sharing that with us also Sir Ezra ^_^ So what’s your greatest challenge in writing this novel? and how did you manage/hurdle such?
Ezra: Such a great question, Kim! It took me five years to edit the novel because I was completely distracted by work and didn't know how to add another 25,000 words without slowing down the pacing.
It turned out the reason it took so long to resolve my problems of distractions and adding 25,000 words was because those weren't my real problems. My only true problem was that I didn't have an accountability system in place, no one to kick me in the pants and say, "Damn you! Get your butt in that chair and finish your novel!" So I called my brother and asked him to send me an email every Monday asking, "How's your novel coming?" Can you imagine the guilt I felt if I hadn't worked on it? That did the trick!
Because of my experience, I'm creating a community of writers for the sole purpose of helping them get their book done by December 2012. For those of you that are curious to learn more, check out the details of my year-long program Write That Page-Turning Novel
Kim: That’s really amazing! I learned a lot your site I wish you guys more power and success! back to your novel I’ve noticed that in every part of your book below each number is another number which is five-ten-one-ten-ten respectively is that some sort of code? Does it hold special meaning to your life? Could you please tell us more about the story behind such sequence (if any).
Ezra: Kim, I've been WAITING for someone to ask me this! In Hebrew, every letter has a number associated with it. Kind of like A=1, B=2, etc. On page 99, there's a chart that shows the numerical value for each Hebrew letter. By seeing what the letters are for each number -- 5="H", 10="Y", and so on -- You'll see that 5-10-1-10-10 spells a Hebrew phrase. The translation is "She is God."
Kim: Oh I see..now that made perfect sense! I can’t decipher that one coz of it’s in Hebrew text and as you know I’m a catholic hahaha forgive my ignorance thank you so much for thoroughly explaining that one I really appreciated that ^_^ so what’s next for Ezra Barany?
Ezra: Lunch.
Kim: hahaha! Yes of course! I can hear our stomachs growling from here :)) let’s make this interview quick now shall we? will you continue writing this type of genre or do you have any plans venturing other categories?
Ezra: I used to write psychological horror. My most successful short story was also my most dangerous. It was successful in that everyone who read it couldn't put it down. It was dangerous in that my friend who read it couldn't sleep for three days and had to see a therapist. It triggered a suppressed memory of his. I've steered away from horror and now love writing surreal stories and suspense stories. I might venture into erotica but if I do, it would be under a pseudonym.
Kim: OMG! that’s must have been really terrifying and disturbing for your friend :O Now that’s a thought erotica and a pseudonym hahaha not a bad idea ^_~ I love your characters tandem will we see more of Nathan and Sophia?
Ezra: I'm currently writing book two of The Torah Codes, so yes, Nathan and Sophia will appear again.
Kim: Hooray! I can’t wait to read that! In your book there’s Luke McCourt the creepy Landlord from the secret society.Is there or do you have any creepy landlord experience you’d like to share?
Ezra: I saw a news report of police arresting a landlord who watched a family of four through two-way mirrors. He wasn't part of a secret society, though. He just enjoyed getting his rocks off. Very creepy!
Kim: Yikes! Very creepy indeed. What/Who are your major influences when it comes to writing any favorite authors and books comes to mind?
Ezra: My favorite authors are Lee Child ("The Killing Floor") and Michael Connelly ("The Poet"). Their story-telling abilities are so good that it almost doesn't matter what's going on in the story. Their word choices keep my attention. And Dan Brown's books ("Angels and Demons") are always page-turners for me. I also love Shel Silverstein ("The Giving Tree").
Kim: They’re absolutely brilliant! What’s your advice for aspiring authors / fellow writers?
Ezra: I have a year-long supply of advice for authors which is partly why I have my program "Write That Page-Turning Novel" last a year. As we work on completing your novel, we'll also work on the experience you want your readers to have, the experience you want yourself to have as an author, and the impact you can leave on the world with your writing.
I love the life-guiding question that Jonathan Fields asks whenever choosing to spend time on a long project: Will this opportunity allow me to absorb myself in activities or relationships that fill me up while surrounding myself with people I cannot get enough of, and while earning enough to live well?
To all of Kim's wonderful readers, what thoughts come up when you read that question? Leave a comment below and let me know!
If I could only leave one piece of advice for writers, though, I would say the three things you need to succeed are:
1. A community of writers, like a critique group
2. A knowledge of sales and marketing, via books or seminars
3. A mentor, someone who is a successful author to be your role model
I combine all three in my year-long program.
http://community.bethbarany.com/page.asp...
Kim: Right on! Message to your fans do promote and endorse your book..tell them where they can buy it and reach you ^_^
Ezra: September 20th is my birthday, so to celebrate, I'm launching the Kindle version at a reduced price. Instead of $3.99, it will be $0.99!
My award-winning bestseller The Torah Codes is available here:
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Torah-Codes-Ezra-B...
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Torah-Codes-Ezra...
Check out the first chapter FREE at
http://www.facebook.com/TheTorahCodes
Thanks, Kim! I LOVE your review and you asked such GREAT questions! Still working on faxing that puppy...
Kim: haha! That really reminded me of one section of your book though it’s about popcorn and bookplates extremely funny :)) you’re very much welcome! and Thank you so much for your time Mr. Ezra Barany and for being with us today we truly enjoyed hanging out with you even for a little while. Advance Happy Birthday! I wish you all the best and more success! Cheers!
To all my beloved readers Thank you so much for tuning in til the very end of this interview.You might also want to check out my book review for The Torah Codes.And Remember that your book purchase will also help S.F Bay Area Jewish Schools.Go Spread the word and may you all have a lovely day ^_~
