I was planning to mail this newsletter last month with a big hello to summer! However, I had to wait for the green light from HarperCollins to give you, my subscribers, a sneak peek of the cover, so weeks passed by....
In
the meantime, judging from my friends’ personal reports and social media
postings, it seems that most of you alternate between international travel,
lazy beach days, and summer feasts of food and music. We all deserve this
break.
It’s
also time to get on with our “to-read” list. I’ve been enjoying some great
books, fiction and non-fiction. Please check my over-230 reviews on
GoodReads.com under my name.
A sneak peek before the
industry's big reveal:
There
is a special moment in my the long cycle of conceiving an idea, researching,
and letting it mature on the page into a full-length novel—and then revising
and editing it dozens of times. That moment is when it all comes together in
the vision of the artist who creates the cover. For years I submerge myself in
the story, visualizing every character, hearing the dialogue as it is spoken,
and watching complete scenes as if they take place on stage. Nevertheless,
whatever visual I create in my head of the cover art, it is never as vivid as
when a talented artist who comes into the process with fresh eyes crystalizes
it.
The
first thing you notice about any book’s cover is that its design reflects the
genre: In a glance you discern a romance novel from a murder suspense. There
are also trends in book publishing. My bestselling novel JERUSALEM MAIDEN
(Harper 2011) featured a split cover art with four separate elements.
I prefer the more recent trend with a picture
that tells a whole story, hinting about past, present and future. In this new
cover of THE BOY WITH THE STAR TATTOO, you identify a mother and you sense that
she is poor and from times bygone. What about her state of mind? Even without
seeing her face, you can read her emotions…. You also see the baby’s foot with
the telltale Star-of-David. You see the vast ocean with its association to
immigration. And of course, there’s the Saar boat in the horizon….
HarperCollins description of the
novel:
"In
the vein of Pam Jenoff and Kristen Harmel comes an epic historical novel of
ingenuity and daring, of love and loss weaving two yet-untold events set in
France. One takes place in 1946 in the aftermath of the Holocaust, when agents
from Eretz Israel roamed the European countryside to rescue hidden Jewish
orphans (Youth Aliyah). The second is set in 1969, about the daring escape of
the boats of Cherbourg, in Normandy, which were commissioned and paid for by
Israel but whose delivery was blocked by a French arms embargo.
"Sharon,
the assistant to an Israeli naval officer stationed in Cherbourg, is set to
unravel the mystery of his journey from a French village to Israel. As she
traces it to the tragedy of a mother who lost her baby in the mayhem of war,
she is unprepared for the moral dilemma she must face upon solving the
puzzle."
A
beta reader has added: "The human drama of THE BOY WITH THE STAR TATTOO
offers a back-to-basics narrative about the crucial role played by the rescuers
of traumatic Jewish WWII orphans who’d lost everything. The novel is also a
poignant reminder of the courageous spirit of those who committed themselves to
Israel’s survival and the bravery and resourcefulness with which they faced the
existential challenges twenty years after her establishment."
Before
I get back to my upcoming book, I'd like to share with you some personal stuff:
In April, I hosted a party in Tel-Aviv for my closest friends and family for
Tyler’s bar-mitzvah.
I am so lucky to have roots on both sides of the ocean!
The
buzz is getting louder--and I'm planning my book-tour appearances:
There
is no greater pleasure for this author than to share her work and passion with
appreciative readers—you!
Here
are the plans, so far, for the launch of THE BOY WITH THE STAR TATTOO in
February 2024:
- Join me at an open-to-all Zoom party (A few dates and links will be posted on my website under Book Tour).
- I will be based in Boca Raton, Florida, through April 2024. I will travel from there locally and also fly to some major literary events.
- I will be based in Long Island, NY, as of May 2024, from where I can cover the Tri-State area (NY, NJ, CT) and beyond.
- I always enjoy the ferry ride across the Sound with my husband Ron to visit groups in New England.
- We also plan a road trip to Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia, and Southern Pennsylvania.
- Member organizations of The JewishBook Council can count me in! Next year, I will be listed as one of their touring authors.
- As a seasoned Zoombie, I will be delighted to Zoom to communities’ and groups across the country.
I can’t wait to visit your
community in person or virtually. Please contact my event coordinator, Jim
Walters at MecoxHudson@gmail.com or (617)329-5651.
You may pre-order THE BOY WITH THE STAR TATTOO!
Pre-ordering
helps shoot a book up the bestselling list, so I would be enormously grateful
if you join my team by preordering it either on Amazon or B&N:
And
please do not forget your favorite independent bookstore! Not only you'll
support it, but you will introduce my new novel to the owner and staff.
Salute with me July milestones in
women's history:
July 19, 1848 – Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott spearheaded the first women’s rights convention in American History.
July 2, 1937 – Amelia Earhart’s
plane is lost in the Pacific Ocean near Howland Island.
July 20, 1942 – Women’s Auxiliary
Army Corps' first class (WAAC) begins at Fort Des Moines, IA.
July 6, 1957 – Althea Gibson is
the first African American woman to win a Wimbledon title in women’s tennis
singles.
July 2, 1964 – President Lyndon
Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act; Title VII prohibits sex discrimination in
employment.
July 2, 1979 – The Susan B.
Anthony dollar is released.
July 7, 1981 – President Reagan
nominates Sandra Day O’Connor as the first woman Supreme Court Justice.
July 12, 1984 – Geraldine Ferraro
(D-New York) the first female to run for VP of the US with Walter Mondale
(D-Minnesota).
Summer reading: My
emotional-suspense novels:
How
often do I hear "I read your book (which one?) and it was
wonderful!"
I
then remind the appreciative reader that I have had FIVE different
heart-wrenching suspense novels, and "if you liked one, you are in for a
treat." In fact, I know from thousands of readers' feedback that each
gives a great thought-provoking reading experience!
Please read the first couple of chapters of each on my website.
JERUSALEM MAIDEN --Spanning from
Jerusalem under the Ottoman rule to Paris during the avant-garde era, a feisty
young woman struggles between her passion for art and her faith.
CHINA DOLL--An American music
icon on a concert tour in China tries to save a baby from death--only to face
the wrath of the world's two superpowers.
HOTEL MOSCOW-- While empowering
women in lawless post-communist Moscow, an American businesswoman must face
both the mafia and her own past mistakes.
THE THIRD DAUGHTER--Lured from
Europe to Buenos Aires in the 1890s, a valiant Jewish girl struggles to free
herself from bondage and bring down the powerful traffickers' ring.
PUPPET CHILD--When the US system fails
her daughter, a brave mother takes matters into her own hands in a race against
time and political corruption.
Thank
you readers, book clubs, reviewers, and event organizers who continue to select
my books, tell others, praise them, post reviews--and invite me to present!
I
am looking forward to continuing to connect with you through the spoken and
written word.
Talia
P.S.
Galleys!!! Soon, HarperCollins will send out galleys of THE BOY WITH THE STAR
TATTOO to book reviewers, media hosts, and bloggers. If you are one and would
like to receive a copy, please write to me with details of your
venue—publication, podcast, TV program, literary event—and its audience size so
I can pass it along to their publicist.
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