About the Book

The Rocky Hill: Stories & Poems, opens with the story WHISPERS (Rita).

It is narrated by her son, a young soldier, visiting his mother’s grave in order

to tell her his long-concealed awareness of tragic elements in their family lives

and the deep confusion that shaped his identity as he says: “that day haunts

me like a demon from Dante’s hell...” He struggles to find truth that will bring

him peace in a time of personal conflict...

In the story “The Kissing stone,” Alia, whose fathers was killed in the war, is

unable to let go of him and turns him into a ghost, finds herself one day

with her two friends in a place they should never have gone to... “Alia

stopped running and stood rooted to the earth. Her face was lifted; and

her eyes were staring, far into the darkening sky above her head. Still

running, Orna turned her head. She screamed, “Alya! Get down!” but

Alya didn’t move. “Oh-my god!” Orna almost reached her friend when a

bullet entered her chest painting her white sweater dark purple. On the

flat surface of the stone, she lay, facing the sky, her blue eyes wide-open.

And her face was that of the child she so yearned to be...

In one of her poems Ilana writes: ...

In the vortex of consciousness/you are a glowing

gallop/In the abyss of my youth/ you are an orchid/of the sun.