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!

HOTEL MOSCOW --The Adventure Continues

Fun literary events:

Alec Baldwin and his wife Hilaria

 The summer’s most star-studded literary event in the USA must be the East Hampton (NY) Authors’Night. Once again I was honored to be selected among the 100 invited authors to autograph my books. The reception—catered by the best wines and food offerings of the east end of Long Island—was swarmed by a couple of thousands visitors circulating among the celebrity authors and visitors.

Nelson DeMille, who's become a friend

Nelson DeMille, bestselling suspense author, was also honored at a private dinner following the reception, sharing the honor with Dick Cavett. To my surprise and delight, when DeMille rose to speak, he introduced me and talked about HOTEL MOSCOW! (His prior written endorsement is posted on the front cover of the book.)

Book groups are selecting HOTEL MOSCOW

Recording a video for Sutter Home book club

Is it the end of August already? When it came out of the gate, HOTEL MOSCOW was recommended by Reading GroupChoices directory (print and digital) as a book club discussion choice.

Indeed, the first group to Skype with me will so this week. Quite a few others have informed me that they are gearing up for a lively, thought-provoking discussion because the novel’s themes are so varied. (Many book groups simply do not realize that I am available for a phone or Skype participation, so please pass the word.)

A reminder: What is HOTEL MOSCOW about?

Set in Moscow in 1993 during the uprising of the Russian parliament against Yeltsin, the novel is both the story of the valiant Russians going through transition after the fall of Communism and the personal journey of a visiting American woman who teaches the sorely needed business to women. She becomes embroiled in investigating the mafia that controls their ventures, but soon must come to terms with her parents' legacy and her own personal secret that might compromise her future.

            HOTEL MOSCOW is an eye-opening portrait of post-communist Russia and a profound exploration of faith, friendship, and heritage.

Soviet life—before and after communism:

How much has Russia changed? Below is the layout of a typical Soviet communal apartment, where 13 families (20-30 people) share two lavatories, one bath and one kitchen. Millions of Russian still live in such conditions today. Read more about it in the novel.

                                                    A diversion from book tour:

I must share with you my experience of taking time off from writing and public speaking to fly to Berlin to attend the historical event of the European Maccabi Games. This was the largest gathering of Jews in that city since Hitler’s days, and the show of  Jewish power and pride took on a special dimension at the opening ceremony in the arena adjacent to the stadium where he had once banned Jews from participating. You may read more about the event here.

  

A complaint lodged to Amazon:

Rather than be redundant by posting another rave review of HOTEL MOSCOW, I'd like to share with you a fun "complaint":

"Dear Amazon.com;

            I'm writing to complain about Talia Carner's last book.
My husband is riveted to Hotel Moscow, and I cannot get him to come and play with me. In truth I did the same thing to him last month when he could hardly get me out of the bed in the morning because I had read the book half the night.
            This is almost never happened with the same book between us. But at least I don't have to cook, wash, or comb my hair until he finishes.
--- Page-turner widow"

                                             What’s next?

I hope you will all become “page-turner widows and widowers.” If you haven’t yet done so, please get your copy of the book in paperback or digital format by clicking here.

Thank you again, for making the launch of HOTEL MOSCOW a success. Please come and hear me in any of my dozens of speaking events coming up in  NY, CT, NJ, MA, PA, FL and MI.

Yours,

Talia Carner
www.TaliaCarner.com

P.S. If you have missed my previous monthly newsletter (and the interesting photos,) please check them out on my blog, Talia Tells Tales.  

P.P.S. If you’ve read HOTEL MOSCOW, may I ask that you post a comment on Amazon (and/or GoodReads) in the form of a review?  

The Myth of Self-Publishing

More often now, I am approached by people who have just written a novel and immediately self-published it. Starting with their poorly presented request, continuing through their poorly presented material on their website or Amazon--and immediately upon reading the first page or two (sometimes the first paragraph,) the work reeks of amateur writing. I am all for trying to write, but it takes a lot more to reach the publishable stage.

 

While some books get the full professional treatment by the authors who have honed their craft and eventually hire editors to make their manuscripts as perfect as can be, I've heard would-be authors that "never want to bother" with the many rounds of revising and editing--"too much work and it's boring"--not to mention the cost of a professional editor who can shepherd a writer. (Beware of phonies, though, as the field is peppered with them.)

 

This lazy attitude is reflected in the first few page(s) of many self-published books I've been asked to read and to give my endorsement or write reviews--after publication. Unfortunately, the stigma is justified. It is simply too hard to find the gems among these many half-assed efforts in the self-publishing arena. The rare success stories give false hope to many would-be writers the same way that inner-city African-American boys dream of becoming the next Michael Jordan....  These boys stand no more chance to emulate his successful career as any writer can "pull $50,000 a month" as described in some articles or promised by self-publishing outfits. Those print-on-demand outfits make their $$s not from selling books they print, but from the hefty fees paid by authors for "marketing"--another scam since they do little more than make the books available on Amazon.

 

No star dust of success will be sprinkled from above unless you are willing to do the work.

 

Rare is the concert pianist who sits at the piano at age four, and then proceeds to compose and give performances at Carnegie Hall with little training. Most professional musicians spend a lifetime of daily practicing. Writing--especially fiction--requires mastering the craft, revising and editing numerous times--often for years. (I go over each of my manuscripts 80 times and have half-a-dozen astute readers with red pens give me their feedbacks.) It's not for nothing that many authors report 4-10 years of working on a single novel.

 

The exception to this doom-to-fail efforts are those who write personal biographies for their own family recorded history and do not expect to sell (or give away) more than 60 copies. The other exception are consultants who wish to put their wisdom into books they can use as promotions to obtain assignments, establish credibility to get on radio and TV shows, or give or sell copies at their workshops. But their books better be good! It is simply embarrassing to give out a book filled with errors.

 

I am all for the write-your-novel-in-one-month projects as they jump start many would-be authors. But that first month is only the first baby step. If you are writing your first novel, just make sure you love the long and lonely process, so that the journey will be the most exciting you've ever taken.