How Beijing 1995 threw me off orbit--into another....

 The voices could not be silenced.

I traveled to Beijing as a business woman with an education in economics, who believed that economic freedom was the first of all freedoms. In New York, I had been a volunteer for the Small Business Administration’s women entrepreneurial programs and watched as, in the USA, financial independence gave a woman the courage to leave an abusive marriage and, through Credit Union that lent micro loans, I learned that in an African village, a woman could realize her vision of educating her daughters while her sons grew up no longer view a woman’s role as subservient to a man.

               In Beijing, I led entrepreneurial workshops and participated in economic panels. On my second day, though, I was shocked to my core by accounts of clitoridectomy of tens of millions of Muslim and African women, and Indian “burning of the brides” over family dowry disputes. In the coming days I learned of Chinese gendercide—singling out baby girls for death—and about the way our US justice system betrayed molested children by giving custody to their molesters. I learned of mass rape as a tool of war to break a nation’s spirit, and of how the Japanese Imperial Army captured thousands of girls during WWII as “comfort” sex slaves to its soldiers, yet steadfastly refused to acknowledge this war crime.

               My world was shaken of its illusion that financial independence was the first independence, because I had taken for granted the real first freedom—the freedom from violence against women.

               Back home in New York, I closed my five-city marketing firm, canceled the multi-phone lines, and donated my business suits to charity. In the new silence I let the voices of courageous girls and women fill my head, channel into the tips of my fingers, and come out in the form of novels as I set out on the lonely and treacherous journey alongside one protagonist at a time. The stories were all around me. I now knew that skeletons were hiding in all corners of our society—all over the globe—often in plain sight. In the years it took me to write each novel, I heard the voices of the women in Beijing. Each time I finished a novel, the next one presented itself, taking hold of my head and heart, and compelling me to tell the truth about women’s lives.  

               Each of my five novels to date has a social issue behind it, each has launched my activism in that area, and four out of these five novels has had its seeds planted in Beijing in 1995.

               The voices of Beijing can no longer silence—nor should they.

Talia Carner

New York, July 2020

Published by HarperCollins, Talia Carner is the New York-based award-winning author of five novels and numerous articles and essays. Her historical and psychological suspense novels bring to the forefront indignities and atrocities long ignored. She was the publisher of Savvy Woman magazine and a lecturer at international women’s economic forums. A committed supporter of global human rights, she has keynoted or co-paneled over 350 civic, educational and cultural events, educating her audiences about the social issues behind her books.  www.TaliaCarner.com    

Two fascinating author talks you shouldn't miss!

Let's Zoom 1) Chat about "THE THIRD DAUGHTER" 4/17/20 at 9AM EST, and

2) My call to action against sex trafficking! 4/20/20 at 3PM EST


1) The author's Q&A last week attracted so many of you with questions about the creative writing process, research for THE THIRD DAUGHTER, and my travels. We ran out of time for more questions!

And then there were the regret messages by those who've missed it. So I am doing another session. Here's to a second chance!

Please download the app www.Zoom.us on your computer and/or mobile device. It's free.

Here is the link to Breakfast with Talia, an author Q&A:

Please grab a cup of coffee and join me on

Friday, Apr 17, 2020 09:00 AM EST (US and Canada)

Please click the link below to join
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/935359111

(No password required for this session.)

Or iPhone one-tap :
US: +16465588656,,935359111# or +13126266799,,935359111#
Or Telephone:
Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 646 558 8656 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 720 707 2699 or +1 253 215 8782

Webinar ID: 935 359 111
International numbers available: https://us04web.zoom.us/u/fdYhXI0sBu 


2) A second event is dedicated to understanding SEX TRAFFICKING!

Understanding the dynamics of sex trafficking--and the economic model that has been at play since the 1800s--is crucial for dealing with this scourge of our society. In this speech dedicated to anti-sex trafficking measures, author Talia Carner (THE THIRD DAUGHTER, HarperCollins, 2019) will discuss the roles of airlines, hotels, credit card companies and businesses in aiding or combating it. She will present her fresh paradigm of viewing the problem--and the solution.

(The lecture is free, but authentication upon signing is required for security reasons.)

When: Monday, Apr 20, 2020 03:00 PM EST (US and Canada)

Topic: Combating Sex Trafficking

Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/201227447

Or iPhone one-tap :
  US: +16465588656,,201227447# or +13126266799,,201227447#
Or Telephone:
  Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
    US: +1 646 558 8656 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 720 707 2699 or +1 253 215 8782

  Webinar ID: 201 227 447
   International numbers available: https://us04web.zoom.us/u/fdYhXI0sBu


THE THIRD DAUGHTER is "a mind-boggling historical fiction."

Set in the late 1800s, THE THIRD DAUGHTER  is the story of a young woman lured from Russia to Argentina with a false promise of marriage, but instead is forced into prostitution.

The novel was recently named Finalist in the National Jewish Book Council Award in the Book Club category (losing 1st place to Alice Hoffman.)

Word-of-mouth for this novel is spreading: "Can't-put-it-down," "beautifully written," "heart-breaking, "thought-provoking," "redemptive."



Book groups are Skyping and Zooming galore!

The Golfers Book Club, March 11, 2020

Please contact me at AuthorTalia@aol.com to check whether I could join you at the second part of the meeting, after you've had a chance to discuss this thought-provoking novel.

A Reader's Guide for THE THIRD DAUGHTER appears at the back of your copy, but you may find it also here.



The buzz is on with great media coverage!

Please view the just-aired (pre-recorded) PBS interview on "Between The Covers" with Ann Bocock:

https://www.pbs.org/video/talia-carner-bmlr2g/ 








Looking forward to connecting!

Stay inside--and safe!

Talia

www.TaliaCarner.com


P.S. You may read the first chapter of THE THIRD DAUGHTER on my website--and of course, order at your local indie store, on B&N, Amazon, and iTunes.

P.P.S. The novel is available also in audio and in LARGE PRINT!

THE THIRD DAUGHTER has reached the top!

The Jewish Book Council announced its winners....

2020 National Jewish Book Award
Finalist

THE THIRD DAUGHTER  reached a finalist spot in the Book Club category. (It's an honor to lose to Alice Hoffman....)

This seal will be appear on the cover of the novel as of the next printing.

In her letter to my publisher, HarperCollins, JBC Executive Director wrote: "We recognize and appreciate your editorial decision to publish a book of such high quality.... one that contributes to informed living, understanding, and entertainment for the entire English-reading world."

Yes, once again with my fiction writing, I've stepped into an arena few have ever dared entered. It took compassion and maturity on my part, but it was my fabulous editor, Kate Nintzel, who has had the courage and wisdom to support the project and then to publish THE THIRD DAUGHTER.


WOW again!

Two days after the JBC announcement, BookMovement, which serves tens of thousands of book clubs, posted its choice of the "Historical fiction of the month!" It has selected THE THIRD DAUGHTER, and is offering a giveaway of copies of the book!

Click here to enter BookMovement giveaway for book clubs.
(And please don't forget to mail me a photo of your meeting for a monthly drawing of a beautiful shawl, replica of the one worn by the protagonist on the cover--at AuthorTalia@aol.com .)

 

After months and years of toiling alone, it's such a pleasure to share my work with you....

 
 After spending long days, weeks and months ladling words out of an ocean of emotions and empathy, it’s a great feeling to take my work to the public and to discuss the social issues that fire my imagination--and to find such receptive readers.

* I Skype with book clubs, joining the second part of the meeting, after members have had a chance to discuss the book, to exchange opinions and even to disagree. That's what makes a meeting more thought-provoking. (Please contact me to check my availability to Skype at AuthorTalia@aol.com, not this newsletter gmail account.)
* My book tour is in full swing, with over 30 keynotes and presentations in the first part of 2020 alone!  (Please join me if you can.)
* I have given numerous written interviews.
* I have spoken at radio and podcasts. (Please listen to one broadcast here.)
* Most importantly, I get to educate readers about sex trafficking, and through the humanity of the protagonist, to gain understanding and compassion. In a call for action, I direct audiences to my activism page and show them what they can do to fight this scourge in their own backyard.

 The shameful secret readers are most surprised to learn.... 

 Set in the late 1800s in Buenos Aires,  THE THIRD DAUGHTER is a story of a young Jewish woman lured under false promise of marriage from Russia to South America, where she's forced into prostitution. With faith and fortitude, she struggles to free herself, while trying to bring down the powerful traffickers' ring.

Historically true, THE THIRD DAUGHTER was inspired by Sholem Aleichem's short story, The Man from Buenos Aires,  that appeared in the same collection as Tevye the Dairyman. I invented the story of one of Tevye's daughters after the family flees a pogrom (--a sequel to Fiddler on the Roof.) They meet this mysterious, shady man, who lures the daughter from Russia to Argentina with a false promise of marriage--only to force her into a brothel. 

Zwi Migdal was a legal union of traffickers headquartered in Buenos Aires, that operated with impunity for 70 years. THE THIRD DAUGHTER is a tribute to the estimated over 150,000 Jewish girls and women whose haunting voices impelled me to tell their truth....

But as the iconic  Phyllis Chesler writes in her endorsement, the novel has "a satisfying, redemptive ending!"

And readers echo it:  "This book will be on my mind for the rest of my life, "The best book I've ever read," and "I can't begin to describe how good it is...."
(Please click for more reviews.)

On the personal side....

More often now interviewers ask me “Who are you?” “What else do you do besides writing?”  They read my [extensive] bio on my website, yet still wonder about me.

Yes, there is life outside writing, publishing, activism, and book touring. In fact, I have a very large family—a husband, Ron Carner, and four grown children, all married with kids of their own…. We all love to spend time together, and make a point to do that often, but are okay when we don’t, when each goes their own way, involved in their own busy lives. Ron and I are very proud that our children are all well-adjusted, productive adults that carry our Jewish values forward.

The 19 of us, with me on the top step next to Ron

Ron and I travel internationally a couple of times a year. This spring it will be France (where I am researching novel #6,) and in the Fall it will be Japan. We have a busy cultural and social life of theater, concerts and friends.

I study French online daily, and exercise most days (jazz dance alternate with weights or Pilates.) When my schedule permits, I join a Mah-Jongg game. I particularly like nature walks, and whether in New York or Boca Raton, I always find a park or a nature preserve to listen to the birds….

How do I find time to write? I don't require a lot of sleep....

Please join me for an engaging literary event:  

In my presentations, I do not do "readings," but rather deliver thought-provoking talks about the social issues behind each of my novels. Audiences and event organizers find them "enriching," "extraordinary," "engaging," "superbly performed," "eye-opening," and "unforgettable." 

In the coming months you'll find me in New York area, New Jersey and Florida. Please check my Book Tour page and meet me there!  
 

Hadassah Cascades (FL) January 2020

 
I would like to single out one upcoming event, my presentation about sex trafficking on Friday, March 20th, at the UN, at the Commission of the Status of Women. For the second time I get to broadcast my novel's message on the international arena. (The previous presentation, on March 2007, was about infanticide in China and its platform was my novel, CHINA DOLL.)

To schedule an event with me, please contact my event coordinator, Lisa Bernard at MecoxHudson@gmail.com or (203)919-8406 

Thanks--and more....   

Thank you all for your interest and support.

I would like to ask you to help spread the word. One way is to post a review on Amazon and/or GoodReads. Even a couple of lines will do, but it helps to get the word out.

Thank you for your friendship in the real and cyber worlds--and I am looking forward to hearing from you!

Talia

www.TaliaCarner.com



P.S.  You may read the first chapter of THE THIRD DAUGHTER on my website--and of course, order at your local indie store, on B&N,  Amazon, and iTunes.

P.P.S. The novel is available also in LARGE PRINT!

We have a winner! Both the novel and the book group of the month!

(Note: This blog was sent to the mailing list in early December 2019) WISHING YOU ALL THE BEST IN THIS HOLIDAY SEASON! "THE THIRD DAUGHTER" book clubs' monthly promotion:

We have the first drawing of a winner!  South Beach Book Club (Florida) has had a wonderful event into which I also Skyped. This group photo was drawn from several others submitted, and the group won the beautiful shawl, a replica of the one worn by the protagonist on the cover of THE THIRD DAUGHTER. Please continue to mail me your book club photos--and please contact me ahead of time to schedule a Skype visit, at AuthorTalia@aol.com . I often join at the second part of the meeting, after the members have had a chance to discuss the book on their own, exchange opinions and bring up some questions. There is no greater pleasure for an author than to share her work with appreciative audience, and I encourage you to contact not only me, but try other authors (via their websites.) I am certain that, time permits, many of my fellow novelists would be delighted to hear from you. No less important, of course, are your reviews. Amazon and GoodReads--as well as your favorite social media venues--are great places to post even a couple of lines of your impressions and let other readers know.

The mind-boggling historical secret revealed--and the surprising inspiration for the novel!

Set in the late 1800s in Buenos Aires, THE THIRD DAUGHTER is a story of a young Jewish woman lured under false promise of marriage from Russia to South America, where she's forced into prostitution. With faith and fortitude, she struggles to free herself, while trying to bring down the powerful traffickers' ring. Historically true, THE THIRD DAUGHTER was inspired by Sholem Aleichem's short story, The Man from Buenos Aires, that appeared in the same collection as Tevye the Dairyman. I invented the story of one of Tevye's daughters after the family flees a pogrom (--a sequel to Fiddler on the Roof.) They meet this mysterious, shady man, who lures the daughter from Russia to Argentina with a false promise of marriage--only to force her into a brothel.   Zwi Migdal was a legal union of traffickers headquartered in Buenos Aires, that operated with impunity for 70 years. THE THIRD DAUGHTER is a tribute to the estimated over 150,000 Jewish girls and women whose haunting voices impelled me to tell their truth.... But as the iconic Phyllis Chesler writes in her endorsement, the novel has "a satisfying, redemptive ending!"

A 1925 film dramatizing a cargo of "brides" heading from Russia to South America. (Source: "Jewish Luck," by director Alexis Granowsky.)

HOTEL MOSCOW (my previous novel) is Amazon Kindle's choice--at only $1.99 !

What a great compliment to the sustainability of this novel of Russia emerging from communism--and the effects of corruption on its people, particularly women--that Amazon has singled out this award-winning novel for Kindle's discounted monthly promotion! Here is what NYT bestselling authors said about HOTEL MOSCOW when it was released in 2015: "...Hotel Moscow is a finely-drawn tale of a country emerging from its dark Soviet past into a present overshadowed by a new kind of terror and lawless corruption that will keep the reader mesmerized.... A wonderful evocation of time and place and an insightful post-Cold War thriller which reminds us that in Russia the more that changes, the more that stays the same.” -- Nelson DeMille author of Radiant Angel “With the urgency of a thriller and the sharp, atmospheric lens of a great documentary, HOTEL MOSCOW hurls you into the vortex of  the corrupt, outlaw world of the Soviet Union morphing into modern Russia. A fascinating and ultimately, gripping read!" -- Andrew Gross, author of One Mile Under "Talia Carner sweeps us away along with her brave and determined heroine to an exotic and complex time and place, and keeps us riveted with the tension and dangers of international intrigue. A real page-turner!" -- Tami Hoag, author of Cold Cold Heart  TO DOWNLOAD $1.99  HOTEL MOSCOW, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

Please join me for an engaging literary event:

I do not do "readings," but rather deliver thought-provoking talks about the social issues behind each of my novels. Audiences and event organizers find them "enriching," "extraordinary," "engaging," "superbly performed," "eye-opening," and "unforgettable."  (You may check testimonials here.)

BNC Hartford (CT) Chapter, October 2019 My book tour for THE THIRD DAUGHTER continues. In the coming months you'll find me in New York Metro and Florida. For registration information (some events are limited to members,) please check my Book Tour page.  Tuesday, January 7, 2029, 7:00 PM Women’s League Book Club B’nai Torah Congregation, 6261 SW 18th Street Boca Raton, FL Tuesday, January 21st, 2020, 10 AM Trustees luncheon Jewish Women Foundation of the Greater Palm Beaches Temple Beth El West Palm Beach Monday, February 10, 2020, 11:30 AM Brandeis National Committee (BNC) Treasure Coast Chapter 21st Annual Literary Luncheon Island Dunes Country Club Jensen Beach, FL Tuesday, February 11, 2020, 1:30 PM Hadassah-Brandeis Institute (HBI) Conversations Sarasota, FL Wednesday, February 19, 2020, 12:00 noon Ponte Vecchio 7050 Catania Dr. Boynton Beach, FL Wednesday, February 26, 2020, 9:30 AM & 1:30 PM “Conversations with Jewish Women Writers” Jewish Federation of the Palm Beaches Friedman Center for Jewish Education Palm Beach Country Club Palm Beach, FL Thursday, February 27, 2020, 1:30 PM “Conversations with Jewish Women Writers” Jewish Federation of the Palm Beaches Friedman Center for Jewish Education Frenchman’s Creek Beach & Country Club Palm Beach, FL Friday, March 6, 2020, 10:00 AM Annual Book & Author Luncheon Brandeis National Committee Wellworth, Wellington, Wycliffe, Delray and Trails Chapters Wycliffe Golf Club & Country Club Wycliffe, FL Sunday, March 8, 2020, 5:30 PM Galbut Family Miami Beach JCC 4221 Pine Tree Drive Miami Beach, FL Thursday, March 19, 2020, 9:30 AM Hadassah Valencia Reserve Boynton Beach, FL Friday, March 20, 2020, 12:30 PM (TBC) United Nations Commission on the Status of Women UN Building, New York, NY Sunday, March 22, 2020, 10:00 AM Book & Author Event Neve Shalom 250 Grove Ave, Metuchen, NJ Monday, March 23, 2020, 3:00 PM Peninsula Public Library 280 Central Ave Lawrence, NY Tuesday, March 31, 2020, 5:30 PM Jewish Women’s Foundation of Boca Raton Boca Raton, FL Sunday, April 19, 2020, 11:30 AM Temple Israel of New Rochelle 100 Pinebrook Blvd New Rochelle 10804 Wednesday, April, 22, 2020, 8:15 PM Sisterhood East Meadow Jewish Center East Meadow, (Long Island) NY Thursday, April 23, 2020, 10:30 AM Sid Jacobson JCC East Hills, (Roslyn, Long Island,) NY For registration, please click. Sunday, May 3, 2020, 9:00 AM Temple Beth Sholom Sisterhood 1901 Kresson Road, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003 Thursday, May 7, 2020, 11:00 AM Hadassah Nassau Region Rockville Centre, LI Saturday, May 9, 2020, 1:00 PM Port Washington Library 1 Library Drive, Port Washington, NY Wednesday, May 13, 2020,  11:30 AM (TBD) Commack Hills Hadassah Dix Hills Jewish Center 555 Vanderbilt Parkway Dix Hills, NY Tuesday, June 9, 2020, 3:00 PM (novel: JERUSALEM MAIDEN) Après Midi Café Le Marais Paris Tuesday, June 16, 2020, 2:00 PM Glen Cove Library 4 Glen Cove Ave, Glen Cove, NY Thursday, June 18, 2020, 11:30 AM BOOK & AUTHOR Migdal Hadassah North Shore Towers Little Neck, NY Sunday, July 12, 2020, 3:00 PM John Jermain Memorial Library 201 Main Street Sag Harbor, NY  (To schedule an event with me, please contact my event coordinator, Lisa Bernard at MecoxHudson@gmail.com or (203)919-8406 )

Thank you for your interest and support--and wishing you a great holiday season! Talia www.TaliaCarner.com P.S. You may read the first chapter of THE THIRD DAUGHTER on my website--and of course, order at your local indie store, on B&N, Amazon, and iTunes. P.P.S. The novel is available also in LARGE PRINT!