Even with the end in sight?----(Winter 2021 newsletter)

 

--resuming our lives will be different....

Having received my second shot (Pfizer, in Florida), I should be looking toward the end of the road. Yet, I can't envision a life in which I will sit in a theater, enjoying the talent while ignoring the person coughing behind me, attending a crowded gala, or not wearing a mask in the street. And when will I resume international travel?

What I do envision is how we will come out of this experience open-eyed, regrouped--and somewhat different. We've already shed marginal involvements and have sought new meanings. Time to plan for brighter days that focus on what's important....

Life in Florida....

It has taken me a long time to shed my guilt over enjoying beach weather in this "forever-Sundays" land, while my family and friends up north are freezing--until I realized that my guilt did not change the weather there....

While I spend long days on the computer, I do take a break in the late afternoons for nature walks. And there is so much to see here--tropical birds and trees against the blue sea reveal themselves in endlessly surprising and breathtaking sights.

Get ready: March is Women's History Month!

                                                       And what history do we, women, have!

Some of my novels tell unique stories of women's history: JERUSALEM MAIDEN (lives of Jewish women in traditional Jerusalem, entrusted with the impossible mission of saving world Jewry), HOTEL MOSCOW (the trials and challenges for Russian women during transition from communism), and THE THIRD DAUGHTER (exposing our most painful chapter of legal sex trafficking).

Autographing is back! 

Some communities are bringing back the old-fashioned autographing to complement their Zoom programming.

Here, I've had the pleasure of signing dozens of copies of THE THIRD DAUGHTER in my own dining room. (Ordered by the venue from HarperCollins, which shipped the books to me. Then, after signing them--and sticking my signature bookmark in each--I shipped the boxes to the destination.)

Zooming along! 

Since March 2020, I've presented at over 150 communities across the USA (and have met with over 120 book clubs)!

Civic, educational, cultural and religious organizations are engaging their members with thought-provoking lectures. My presentations about the background of THE THIRD DAUGHTER are accompanied with slides of rare photos that deepen the understanding of the time and place.

Word-of-mouth about my talks is buzzing. Testimonials call them "brilliant," "intelligent," "most engaging," "best speaker," "extraordinary," "vivid," and "off the charts!"

If you're considering an outreach program for your membership, please contact my event coordinator, Helaine Denenberg, at MecoxHudson@gmail.com (617)329-5651 for our flyer of speaking topics.

The Jewish Book Council choice: THE THIRD DAUGHTER is among its 16 recommendations for book clubs in 2021!

(Click to download JBC 2021 guide.)

Over 120 clubs have enjoyed my book club group meetings in which we discuss "spoilers"--plot, characters, moral dilemmas, dynamics of relationships, religious practices--and the novel's ending. (Click the Reader's Guide for great questions.)

If your club wishes to participate, please write to me at AuthorTalia@aol.com (and include the number of expected attendees, your location, etc.)

What are you working on? 

That's a frequent question from readers. Unfortunately, I discovered that answering it locked me psychologically--as if to a promise--before a novel has found its groove.

All I can reveal now (while editing pages on the beach), is that the story is set in France and it opens two interesting chapters in our history, yet unexplored in fiction. Research for this book has been extensive: Four pre-pandemic trips to France, over 20 fascinating interviews, and the studying of two dozen books in English and French.

Yet I can't even report when this book will be done since I do not set a deadline for myself (nor do I pre-sign a contract with my publisher). I let the words flow, for the plot to unspool, and for the prose to become both textured and nuanced...

Thank you for your enthusiasm and support! 

Each week I receive heart-warming emails from readers. There is no greater pleasure for an author than to share her work with an appreciative audience.

I am looking forward to a promising 2021--and to connecting with you through the spoken and written word, a gift that no pandemic and its aftermath can snatch away from us!

Stay safe!

Talia

www.TaliaCarner.com

AuthorTalia@aol.com 

P.S.  reminder to post reviews as your gift to any author who's given you hours of engagement--a romantic beach fun, a nail-biting murder mystery, or a heart-wrenching psychological suspense. (Here are the links to post reviews for THE THIRD DAUGHTER on Amazon and GoodReads.)

P.P.S. If you have not yet read THE THIRD DAUGHTER, please check the first chapter on my website. I encourage you to support your local indie store, but it is also available on B&N,  Amazon, and iTunes--as well as 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!

Early Fall Is Here!

Book tour takes me to magical places....

I accepted the invitation to present at Hadassah in Newport, RI for the chance to travel across the Long Island Sound by three ferries--always a delightful treat on a bright August day. My husband and I arrived the evening before to enjoy a seafood dinner in the heart of the tourist area in the marina. What a wonderful sunset! It felt just as magical when, the following day, over a sold-out luncheon of 200 attendees, I presented the background of HOTEL MOSCOW (to a great applause!)

My appearances continue into 2017!!!!

I love public speaking almost as much as I love writing--and apparently it shows, because invitations to keynote events are spilling into a second year of book touring for HOTEL MOSCOW. Long Island, Florida and New Jersey, here is my list of upcoming events confirmed. (If registration contact is not posted, please contact me directly.) Saturday, October 15, 2016, 12:00 PM American Association of University Women Smithtown Branch Voila, The Bistro, 244 Lake Avenue St. James, NY OPEN TO PUBLIC ($55.00/ Pre-registration required at caftiwalsh@yahoo.com) Thursday, October 20, 2016, 11:30 AM  Seaport Hadassah Chapter Annual Book & Author luncheon 1 Jefferson Ferry Drive, S. Setauket, NY 2017 Tuesday, January 17, 2017, 7:30 PM  36th Annual Miami Jewish Book Festival Alper JCC Berrin Family Futernick Art Gallergy 11155 S.W. 112th Ave., Miami, FL 33176 PUBLIC EXPRESSLY INVITED Wednesday, January 18, 2017, time TBD Fountains Country Club 4476 Fountains Drive Lake Worth, FL Tuesday, February 21, 2017, 10:30 AM  Yaffa Hadassah Valencia Shore 7751 Valencia Shore Drive Lake Worth, FL 33467 Thursday, March 9, 2017, 10:15 AM  Lunch & Learn Polo Club of Boca Raton 5400 Chamption Blvd Boca Raton, FL PUBLIC INVITED (pre-registration required.) Thursday, May 4th, 2017, 11:30 AM  Book and Author Luncheon Brandeis National Committee Middlesex NJ chapter Pine Manor, 2085 Rt. 27 Edison, NJ 08817 PUBLIC INVITED (pre-registration required.) (If your community or organization is having an event and needs an engaging speaker, please have them check the testimonials--and contact me Sharing the stage with other authors.... Readers are sometimes surprised that their favorite authors have not met in person, forgetting that most often we don't all live in the same neighborhood.... That's why I enjoy sharing the stage at some literary events with another author (or two,) whose works I admire.  This year I've had the pleasure of meeting in person bestselling authors B.A. Shapiro, David Greene, Lynn Cullen, Charlie Lovett, Jillian Cantor, Pam Jenoff, Ellen Meister, Naomi Eve, and Brenda Janowitz. (Photo, with Ellen Meister, author of the bestseller, "Dorothy Parker Drank Here.")

My previous novel, JERUSALEM MAIDEN has done it again!

In August, my previous novel, JERUSALEM MAIDEN was listed in Amazon Movers & Shakers. Once again--five years after its release(!)--it made it again to the top 100 digital list! I thank you all, devoted readers, who continue to share the buzz around. Many of you have asked for a sequel. I'm working on it in my head, since that story needs to brew.... (In the meantime I am hard at work on my 5th novel that, once again, tells a heart-wrenching--and mind-boggling--story that has barely been touched in fiction before.)

MOSCOW is hot!

Every day, news of global events continue to take center stage. Readers of HOTEL MOSCOW report how they better understand the Soviet psyche as it seeps into today's event. (Check the video book trailer.) This is most often the topic of my presentations titled, "Russia: When the rug was pulled out" or "The morning after: When a nation wakes up to 'Democracy'."

Happy [Jewish] New Year!

To all my Jewish friends and readers, let's hope that the coming year be one of sanity and peace, one of openness and common-sense.... Thank you everyone for your support and for sharing my publishing journey, Talia Talia Carner www.TaliaCarner.com

P.S. If you haven't yet read HOTEL MOSCOW, here are links  for both the trade paperback--about $13--or the digital format. You may read the first chapter on my website or download a digital sample.

Some fun book tour highlights of 2015:

Starting 2016 with a bang!

       For my first of many keynote speaking events scheduled for the coming months, at Hadassah Cascades in Florida, I’ve had the pleasant task of pre-autographing all the 190 copies of my novel, HOTEL MOSCOW! It was included in the price of the brunch, and as always, my talk was not about the book itself but rather about issues relating to its background. (Organizers can choose from 4 suggested topics.)

Please check the list of many events coming up in Florida, Arizona, New York and New Jersey, and hopefully you’ll join me.(If you read the testimonials you'll see why my presentations are not to be missed.)

Some fun highlights of 2015:

         In my December newsletter I promised to highlight some of the many memorable/ unusual activities surrounding my book launch of HOTEL MOSCOW. It's hard to pick just a few from the series of events starting with the celebrity-studded book launch party at the Manhattan's famous Friars Club to the exhilarating luncheons and dinners where I connected with appreciative readers. I love the TV and radio interviews, which I invite you to watch/listen. But here is a look at "behind-the-scene":

1)  A tasty morsel to go with the novel: The request for a recipe to for a book-group meeting in which the novel is discussed brought out my culinary creativity. So here is my recipe for a Blini Caviar. It's easy to make for your next book meeting--and please remember to contact me to Skype your book discussion! 

2)  HOTEL MOSCOW was honored with the USA Books News award in the multi-cultural category.

The novel tells a universal story about people going through a political upheaval. Does the fall of a totalitarian regime mean that people wake up to Democracy--or to chaos and lawlessness? I hope that if you have not yet read this suspenseful, historical novel you will do so soon and get the inside view of this thought-provoking experience.

3) Authors’ endorsements:

The blurbs that HOTEL MOSCOW received from NYT bestselling authors were the ultimate

affirmation, and each took my breath away. It is a huge sacrifice for a working novelist—often under a contract to produce a new book each year—to take the time to read a full-length novel and lend his/her reputation to endorsing it. I am grateful to the many authors that have found HOTEL MOSCOW so worthy of their names—Nelson DeMille, Andrew Gross, Tami Hoag, Ellen Meister and many others!

4) Reviews:

As an author I toil in solitude and silence for about 5 years on each novel. Then comes the Big Bang

when the story is thrust out to the world and is embraced by both taste-makers and readers. Both ends of the process—the lonesome creative and its ultimate public reception—are equally satisfying, especially when my latest “baby” has received accolades such as:

“Stunning,” “A compelling narrative,” “Gripping,” “Unflinching and unforgettable,” "Skilled and vivid writing," "Fascinating," "An ambitious, timeless story," "Intriguing," “An eye-opening exposé ,” "Awesome," “Thought-provoking,” “A can’t-put-it-downer,”  “Action-packed, steamy and suspenseful,” “A moving, poignant, and heartening novel.”

All describe what I had sought to achieve in writing HOTEL MOSCOW.

5) Mah-Jongg tournament:

At a Book & Author luncheon in St. Petersburg, Florida, where I planned to arrive the night before, the organizers got a whiff of my love of Mah-Jongg. They asked me to participate in a special fund-raiser dinner and proceeded to sell tickets for attendees to play Mah-Jongg with the author! The fun was all mine.

6) HOTEL MOSCOW in Costco!

In its month-long run, the novel did so well that Costco continued the promotion for two more weeks.

From my very personal diary:

Some of you know that my husband, Ron, is the president of Maccabi USA. Over Christmas/ New Year we had the extraordinary experience of attending the Maccabi Pan-Am Games in Santiago, Chile, where the USA brought 400 Jewish athletes to compete against over 20 teams. It is a highly effective cultural- and Jewish-identity program that brings dispersed Diaspora communities together. It was a chance for me to reconnect with South-American friends I've made these past 30 years.

Finally,

In thanking you all, I’d like to offer you bookmarks. Many readers appreciate them, and I can send up to 30 at a time. Please write me at AuthorTalia@aol.com , and I will be delighted to mail them to you.

Thanks again, and wishing you all a great 2016!

Talia Carner

www.TaliaCarner.com

P.S. If you’ve read HOTEL MOSCOW, please post a review on Amazon or GoodReads. (Even a line or two would suffice--unless, of course, you want to articulate more.) If you haven't read the novel yet, here are links for both the trade paperback--about $12--or the digital format. 

"Who are you?" The author of HOTEL MOSCOW reveals

Talia in the IDF

"Who are you?"

Since I am yet to appear in any of my novels, my life and “adventures” often intrigue readers and you?” My background also fascinated Lucette Lagnado (author of the bestselling “The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit,” and a seasoned Wall Street Journal writer) whose probing interview appears in the back of HOTEL MOSCOW. I’ve also published personal essays, which you may read on my website. Each cracks open a window into my own history. (Photo: Talia as a soldier in Israel Defense Force.)

audiences, who ask, “Who are

The highlights of my career?

Chinese abandoned baby found in street

What were the high moments of my career? One event that stands out is my 2007 presentation at the UN on the subject of gendercide in China—the singling out of baby girls for death—the first time in UN history. Since then, unfortunately, my projections about the continued disappearance of girls in China have been proven correct even as China has just announced that it would allow two children per family. Only 1/3 Chinese families are expected to actually have a second child, and girls will still be the unwanted choice. (My UN PowerPoint presentation is available.)

 

NEWS!  

USA Book News announced the 2015 winners--and HOTEL MOSCOW took the prize in the Multicultural category. 

Indeed, the novel combines the harsh realities of Russia during transition from communism and an American woman's view as she visit there but must face her own family legacy.

Democracy or "Cleptocracy?"

We tend to have a romantic notion about the removal of an authoritarian regime, with our hopeful, utopian belief that a nation wakes up the next morning to democracy. How wrong! When laws are erased off the books, a nation wakes up to lawlessness, and the factions that are quick to fill in the void are the most greedy and violent gangs. That’s the backdrop of my novel HOTEL MOSCOW. (This four-minute book trailer shows rare footage of what happened in 1993.) 

My Paris was Attacked  

In my teens, I attended a French high school in Tel-Aviv and was fluent in the language. My Francophile side was abandoned upon my arrival in the USA and the focus on English—until Esther, the protagonist of my previous novel, JERUSALEM MAIDEN, ran off to Paris (supposedly in 1924) and I had to chase after her through the alleys of the Left Bank…. Since then, checking off my bucket list, I’ve spent longer time in Paris, with yet again a fresh view of the city that had once dominated my dreams. (Read my Paris blogs here in April-June 2013)

Great TV interviews:

The end of October has seen new airings of great TV interviews in which I discuss HOTEL MOSCOW, the background and the creative process of creating such a thriller. You may watch The Artists’ Forum here. (Click for additional TV interviews, including Sarder TV about my business life in the 1980s.)

"Talia Tells Tales" blogs are a hit!

   

Did you miss my previous monthly newsletters? If you are already here, scroll up and down and at

least glance at the photos. Judging by the number of hits this blog gets, readers enjoy the behind-the-scene peeks into book publishing.

Skype me!

Now that HOTEL MOSCOW has been out since June, book groups have been selecting it for lively, thought-provoking discussions. Yet, many groups do not realize that they can invite me to join their meeting via Skype. If you are not in a book group, please let your friends who belong to one know about this option. They will thank you.

My words on paper are only marching little ants. You, the reader, give them meaning. I continue to appreciate your great support!

Talia

www.TaliaCarner.com 

P.S.Florida here I come! 

This winter will find me in Florida, with a dozen speaking appearances. I do not do “a reading” (frankly, I find it boring,) but rather tell stories and anecdotes that have inspired my novels and my quest for social justice. Please check the schedule on my website and join me.