Shalom Chaverim!

I have some exciting news about The Three Suns of Asha. I received an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) version of my book. For those unfamiliar, it’s an unedited version of the book that definitely has typos, grammar issues, and possibly even whole characters that are poorly written.

ARC Readers are a great way for authors to get general feedback on their book from dedicated fans interested in genuinely supporting the author’s ambitions. For those interested, I have a few requirements.

1. You’re a fan of fantasy/sci-fi.

2. Commit to finishing the book (335 pages) no later than May 31st.

3. Provide constructive feedback to me privately and won’t make it public.

4. Write a positive review that can be published wherever the book will be sold.

5. BONUS: You have a social media following of any kind and you’re willing to post about the book.

Please let me know if you’d like to be an ARC Reader so I can send you the appropriate materials!

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Shalom Chaverim -

When the age of cancel culture still reigned supreme, a common line was iterated by those who simply could not fathom throwing their heroes into the dustbin of pop culture history: “We have to separate the art from the artist.” For those that did not care for the art of one that had been found guilty by the court of public opinion, this line felt childish at best and downright evil at worst. Today, it seems as though that cancel culture has, itself, been thrown into the dustbin of pop culture history, but in a much different way. Pre-COVID, it felt like far too many were throwing darts at a board of celebrity cut outs, hoping they would be the star witness of a trial in which the judge, jury, and executioner were the swarm of Twitter profiles of various anonymity. Today, cancel culture is far more intertwined with politics, thereby, making the attempt futile.

In the “before times,” being a Trump supporter was, in and of itself, a cancellable offense. Actors, musicians, comedians, athletes, and the like, carefully watched their words to avoid any of them being misconstrued for support of “literal Hitler.” It became so bad that people simply assumed that if you did not outright condemn the Orange Bad Man, then you must be in support of him. The other side of that coin came absurd attempts by the Right to cancel companies who were woke such as Bud Light when they partnered with Dylan Mulvaney.

Today, cancelling anyone is almost impossible due to the hyper polarization on both sides of the political horseshoe. Given the wide array of media outlets, there is no shortage of opportunities for anyone who wishes to pander to the side opposite of the one who cancelled them. The exception that proves the rule is one that I am now grappling with: To be a Zionist. Even worse, to be a Zionist Author. Even worse? To be a Zionist Author in Fantasy and Science Fiction.

On October 8, 2023, I woke up to a BookTok that immediately called Israel’s war in Gaza a genocide while Israel was still trying to rid itself of the Hamas terrorists who butchered hundreds of innocent people from its territory. That didn’t stop numerous BookTok influencers from advocating for Palestinian authors and, subsequently, advocating against anyone deemed a “Zionist.” Similar to the pre-COVID era when celebrities who did not outwardly condemn Trump sneezing were deemed Nazis, authors who did not publicly and proudly support the Palestinians were deemed ZIO-Nazis. Rebecca Yaros and Sarah J. Maas, authors of some of the most successful fantasy novels in the last ten years, were condemned by the internet as Zionists. Thankfully, the internet isn’t real and it had no sizable impact on their status as prominent authors. Smaller authors have not been so lucky. Throughout the literary world, Zionist (Jewish) authors have found themselves on the receiving end of discrimination. Their readings have been cancelled “due to security concerns” and have even ended up on blacklists. Most Jewish authors, regardless of how vocal they are about Israel, or even their own Judaism, have been placed on notice within the publishing world.

So what do you think my chances are as someone who has now posted hundreds of videos since October 7th proudly proclaiming his Jewish heritage and his support for Israel? Not only have I committed such crimes as advocating for Israel’s right to defend itself, I’ve denied their accusations of genocide, insulted the mere idea they were suffering from famine, and even outright called the Palestinian narrative a lie. In a corner of the internet that literally enjoys living in made-up worlds in which there are clearly good guys and clearly bad guys, and Israel is always the latter now, what possible chance would I have to become a successful author?

The answer is up to the audience on that one, but I want to be very clear about one thing: I don’t apologize for anything. Every word I have written and spoken are words that I stand behind. Some words were published with more ire and sarcasm than I usually prefer when having nuanced conversations, but I stand by the emotion through which they were published. The last two and a half years for Jews has been tumultuous, in part because of the literary world and their refusal to be open-minded despite their self-righteous belief in the concept. I stand by every word because that is who I am—just as is The Three Suns of Asha.

If you want to know who I am, you can easily read the dozens of articles I’ve posted on this Substack, watch the hundreds of videos on my TikTok and Instagram, and yes, read The Three Suns of Asha. This book, which I began to write over a year prior to October 7th, is just as much a reflection of my values and beliefs as is the short videos dunking on stupid people who promote antisemitic tropes. In fact, the very process of writing this book became representative of the message that I genuinely and sincerely hope comes across. The person who wrote over 100,000 words that make up this book is the same person who published those videos and articles that seemingly contradict the former. That is the whole point!

The Three Suns of Asha will undoubtedly upset everyone, even those who are to my right. As a fair warning, there are even non-binary characters! *GASP* But like everything else in this book, there is a reason for it, and it is not to deliberately upset anyone. Like everything I have posted on the internet since October 7th, I am just as proud of every word that appears in this novel. I am proud of every character I have created, every rule I have constructed, and every outcome I have written.

So please… I beg you… do not separate me from my art.

Shalom Chaverim -

I am not a bookworm by any means—especially given the fact that I don’t even read books, I listen to them (although I still argue they’re one and the same). I got back into reading fiction, and specifically science fiction and fantasy, during COVID. My reintroduction was Jade City by Fonda Lee. When I say this was the perfect book, I mean it was the perfect book. It was all of my favorite things: mob politics, East Asian honor culture, and martial arts. Beyond that though, Fonda wrote a truly exceptional book with every character being compelling, great pacing, well thought out magic system, and a beautifully created world interwoven with history and culture based on the magic. I immediately powered through the next two. The only thing missing was religion. She dabbled in the area slightly when a character would go to a temple to pray, or spoke of the monks who created “safe spaces” when she needed to put enemies in the same room. Otherwise, not much to mention, which I didn’t find a problem because religion wasn’t that critical to the story itself.

My next book was The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang, which was another exceptional book. The trilogy, however, was much to be desired. The nation known as “Hesperia” became a larger player in the trilogy and was a stand in for “European colonizer,” which wouldn’t have been an issue if Kuang hadn’t written them as a one-dimensional boogeyman. The Hesperians were clearly not just Westerners, but specifically Christians. I have no problem with writing the West as the antagonist, but I do have a problem with antagonists who are presented in such a black and white manner in a book that heavily relies on an extremely problematic main character.

As I kept reading both fantasy and science fiction, I noticed a distinct pattern: No one writes religion from a place of love or appreciation and always from a place of ignorance or antagonism. If religion isn’t ignored entirely, it’s usually integrated poorly. The easiest way most writers involve religion is by making them the primary or secondary antagonist. Religious institutions are oppressive, religious figures are corrupt, and religions themselves are presented as shallow concepts that only the “unenlightened” follow—setting up the protagonists to free said docile sheep from their slumber.

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When writers decide they don’t want to ignore religion, but they don’t want to utilize it as a literary device, they rarely integrate it into the world they’ve built in any meaningful way—ignoring how religion is the foundation of every society. Ultimately, religion merely describes how humans understand the greater world around them and how they answer the big questions we can’t truly contemplate. Every human has asked, “Why does the sun rise?” and “Where does the rain come from?” Prior to modern science, the only way humans could interpret such enormous concepts, especially those pertaining to life and death, is through the existence of something that seemed like them but just more powerful. A human understands the idea that he can scoop water from a river and pour it over an anthill so there must just be a larger being who scoops water from the ocean and pours it over humans, and that is rain. This is important because these interpretations are what shape entire societies. Placating these all powerful beings becomes the most important thing you can do because it’s the only way to have any amount of control over your life. Religion defines the form and function of entire societies, and yet writers rarely ever internalize this. Instead, they usually create some second-rate version of the Catholic Church and move forward.

I understand why religion is rarely ever written well, and it’s usually because both writers, and readers, have complicated relationships with religion. Writing is a form of expression, and for many authors, religion has rarely ever played a positive role in their lives. I don’t think I’m wrong to generalize the average fantasy and sci-fi fan is someone who grew up with religious parents or in religious societies, and their form of rebellion is to dive into worlds that fight against this “oppressive” force. I don’t hold it against them as all anyone can do is write what they know, and if all they know is the oppressive nature of religion, specifically Christianity, then that’s what they’re going to write.

It is exactly this reason why I decided to make religion the foundation of my world and the driving force for my book. All three groups—Yisarians, Jaddites, and Bar’shibians—follow a branch of the main religion, each with their own interpretations, and each allowing the religion to drive their decisions. I wanted to create a world that allowed readers to see the beauty of religion and not just its ugliness. Sure, religion drives my characters to violence, but it also drives them to forgive and seek peace. Religion has been a force for evil, but it has also been a force for good. It is a complicated force of nature driven and directed by the self-reinforcing nature of human beings. Human beings are never entirely good nor are they entirely evil so why would the religions they create be any less complex?

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As a part of my movement to showcase authentic Jewish creative voices, I’m going to send you people I discover or those who send to me.

If you want to be showcased or want someone to be featured, please click here: Sifriya Submission Form

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Andrei Kozlov

Instagram: iamandreikozlov

MEETOOSH

Website: meetoosh.myshopify.com

As a part of my movement to showcase authentic Jewish creative voices, I’m going to send you people I discover or those who send to me.

If you want to be showcased or want someone to be featured, please click here: Sifriya Submission Form

Share GAM V'GAM

Read more

As a part of my movement to showcase authentic Jewish creative voices, I’m going to send you people I discover or those who send to me.

If you want to be showcased or want someone to be featured, please click here: Sifriya Submission Form

Read more

As a part of my movement to showcase authentic Jewish creative voices, I’m going to send you people I discover or those who send to me.

If you want to be showcased or want someone to be featured, please click here: Sifriya Submission Form

Read more

As a part of my movement to showcase authentic Jewish creative voices, I’m going to send you people I discover or those who send to me.

If you want to be showcased or want someone to be featured, please click here: Sifriya Submission Form

Share GAM V'GAM

Read more

As a part of my movement to showcase authentic Jewish creative voices, I’m going to send you people I discover or those who send to me.

If you want to be showcased, please click here: Sifriya Submission Form

Shalom Chaverim!

Meaning “library” in Hebrew, Sifriya is Gam v’Gam Media’s newest section that provides a space for creatives who are Jewish to tell their most authentic stories.

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In too many cultural and intellectual spaces, Jewish voices have been stifled, pigeonholed, stereotyped, or clamped down on in order to serve the masses. Over the last century, the Jewish voice has essentially become that of the stereotypical New York Jew—neurotic, relatively secular, “white,” and Ashkenormative. Undoubtedly, American Jews share the blame in allowing our people, culture, and history to be defined in this way, but that also means we have the power to rectify the issue. 

Here at the Sifriya, our goal is to collect a variety of content that that rises above the day-to-day. Whether it be short stories, entire novels, personal essays, drawings, songs, or anything else creative, Sifriya is here to tell the complete story of our people. 

Gam v’Gam believes in allowing creatives to be creative. All art has an audience and it isn’t up to us to determine how large that audience is or how much they will love it. So if you have a story that reflects your love of Judaism, of Israel, of our people, or anything in between, we encourage you to submit it.

A Quick Note

It wouldn’t be right of me to not give credit where it’s due. The concept of Sifriya was partly inspired by who has done an incredible job of platforming authentic Jewish voices with her book On Being Jewish Now.

I have the honor of moderating a conversation with Zibby at Poisoned Pen Bookstore on March 17th at 3pm EST/12pm PST. If you are unable to join in person, please consider joining via livestream.

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Submit Your Work

If you’re interested in submitting something to us, please adhere to the following guidelines: 

1. All art should be submitted with the intent of supporting Gam v’Gam Media’s mission and values.

2. While we are not experts on what art will connect with audiences, we are committed to providing objectively quality art and will reject anything that doesn’t meet those standards. All submissions should be sent as “finished products” with no expectation of edits or notes.

More than anything, we want artists to be artists. Let us focus on helping you find the audience you connect with.

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For a Deeper Dive

This is the first video in a series about how I came up with The Three Suns of Asha. This first one is free, but only paid subscribers are guaranteed access to all of them.