A Writer’s Life: A Glimpse into a Writer’s Career During the Pandemic- Summer 2021

During the pandemic I learned how to self-publish a book, and believe me, it’s not easy. Since August, 2020 I self-published The Abduction of Joshua Bloom, The Legend of Koolura, Koolura and the Mystery at Camp Saddleback, and finally, Koolura and the Mayans. All five books have new covers. 

I’m not an artist and when it comes to drawing, my work looks like the efforts of a child. Consequently, I found a talented illustrator, April Klein, and hired her to design and illustrate the covers. She is a digital 2D artist and visual storyteller specializing in fantastical, semi-realistic illustrations. She is passionate about designing unique characters, items, and environments. She also enjoys painting realistic representations of plants, animals, and people. Her digital illustrations are often highly-detailed, realistically accurate, and colorful, and they emit a “storybook” aesthetic which is admired among authors and game-makers. 

Portfolio: https://www.behance.net/apridian.

Next, you’ll see the new cover for The Abduction of Joshua Bloom followed by The Koolura Series. Let me know what you think of her work by leaving a message on the blog at the end of this post.

The Abduction of Joshua Bloom

Here’s what a recent reviewers said about my science-fiction love story: K.C. Finn from Readers’ Favorite Book Review rated The Abduction of Joshua Bloom with 5 stars. She said: “The Abduction of Joshua Bloom is a work of fiction in the science fiction, mystery, and suspense sub-genres. A teen adventure with a lot more going on beneath the surface, this work can be enjoyed by young adult and adult audiences alike. We meet our teenage hero Joshua Bloom, who goes from local track star to abductee when a group of adolescents from another planet take him away to serve their own purposes. The Oceanians want to further their race with Josh’s help, and in doing so they introduce him to a wide world of new wonders, and places where the rules of the society and culture he knows are totally turned on their heads.

“Author Michael L. Thal has crafted a strong story with plenty for science fiction fans to get stuck into. Joshua is a relatable central figure for the action to take place around, and his initial naivety is soon swept away by an intriguing learning journey that takes him to other planets and really opens his mind to the world. I loved the central message of the work, where unity is key, and Josh’s emotional arc as he comes to understand those who are different from him was powerful and effectively penned. I also felt that the dialogue was a particular highlight, with strong characterization and a great way to move the plot forward. Overall, I would definitely recommend The Abduction of Joshua Bloom for science fiction readers seeking an exciting and insightful story.”

Sandy Masia, also from Readers’ Favorite Book Review rated the book with 4 stars and had this to say: The Abduction of Joshua Bloom by award-winning author Michael Thal is about a teenage boy who gets rescued by aliens who then take him on a journey across the galaxy. He uncovers the mysteries of life, the future of sentient life, and what it means for the people of earth. This is an eclectic sci-fi story. It uses the attractions of sci-fi to explore important issues of sexism, nationalism, and identity, among others. The allure of space travel in sci-fi is adventure and the exploration of unknown worlds. What some people would call an exercise in reimagining how our world would have been like, could be like or could change. Some feel it is about wondering what is out there or what has happened. Wherever you lie on that spectrum, The Abduction of Joshua Bloom offers satisfying answers. 

The story is intriguing. By reversing the roles of the sexes in the alien world, Michael Thal gives his readers a framework to process, understand, and empathize with on important social movements of our time. He advocates for the values of internationalism, which is more important than ever in the time of the pandemic, but also reminds us that these things don’t threaten national or religious identities. It is impressive how Michael Thal manages to tread these lines without evoking opposing feelings. The Abduction of Joshua Bloom is incredibly entertaining and edifying. I highly recommend it. The writing style is minimalist, sharp, and engaging, which strengthens and moves the story at lightning speed. It is a ride worth taking.

You can learn more about the evolution of this novel from conception to multiple publications at http://michaelthal.com/the-evolution-of-a-novel/. 

A New Look for Goodbye, Tchaikovsky

Twenty-six years ago, I had an over-night sensor-neural hearing loss caused by an unknown virus that needed the help of an audiologist. Over the years I’ve sought the expertise of five different audiologists. Dr. Sharzad Cohen has proved herself to be the best. With the others I always felt hurried, as if they needed to get through with me fast so they could get to their next patient. Not with Dr. Cohen. She spends quality time with her patients and knows all about the emotional upheaval I’ve been living through due to hearing loss. Dr. Cohen knows what to do to stabilize my condition and teach me to train my brain to deal with what hearing I have left. She is absolutely fantastic. 

I gave Dr. Cohen a copy of Goodbye, Tchaikovsky and this is what she had to say: “Goodbye Tchaikovsky is a fascinating novel about hearing loss with an emotional component that does not get taught in schools.”

Goodbye, Tchaikovsky is a quick read about a teenager growing up with hearing loss. The best deal you’ll find is on the Royal Fireworks website at: https://bit.ly/2g1biDk

The Koolura Series

The Koolura Series with new covers is now available for purchase on Amazon.com. Late last year I contacted April Klein to design and illustrate the new covers. I think she did an incredible job. Let me know what you think…

The Legend of Koolura: Book 1 in the Koolura Series is a fantasy about a young girl’s metamorphosis into adolescence.

Koolura isn’t an ordinary girl. She has what every child dreams. She has the KOOL. But, like all preteens, Koolura has doubts about herself. She and her father have relocated so often she has few community ties. Now, at her new school, she feels right at home for the first time in her life.

The Legend of Koolura tells the story of a sixth-grade Armenian girl and how she obtained kool powers.  She has the ability to dematerialize at will and reappear where she chooses. She can move objects with her mind and she can even defy gravity!

But will these powers be of any use in stopping a stalker intent on her destruction? The stalker is determined to retrieve Koolura’s unrealized kool powers and hurt any of her friends who get into his way.

As the hour approaches for Koolura’s final confrontation with her nemesis, she may finally find vengeance to the man who killed her mother.

Koolura and the Mystery at Camp Saddleback (Book 2): Koolura has the ability to teleport, levitate, heal, and even fly. At Camp Saddleback Koolura wakes up drained and powerless. Who has stolen her psychic powers? 

As Koolura searches for the truth about her power loss, she and the Chumash Girls have to deal with pranksters ruining their cabin and destroying their summer. Campers plan revenge but problems escalate as lives are threatened. Will Koolura and the Chumash Girls solve the mystery at Camp Saddleback? 

10-year-old Bryce had this to say about Koolura and the Mystery at Camp Saddleback: 

Ah, summer camp. What a perfect way to relax, and have fun in the summer. At least, for most people. Definitely not for Koolura. In book two of the Koolura Series, Koolura and the Mystery at Camp Saddleback, Koolura goes on a date that goes BADLY, and then has to leave her gorgeous new room, having to deal with a camp full of boys that are annoying pranksters and a jerk from home who called her names when she wouldn’t be his girlfriend! On the bright side, she meets a new friend, Leila, and shares the same cabin as the famous movie star Aletha Jones. She and her bunkmates concoct a plan that scares the pranksters. Unbeknownst to anyone, Koolura uses her telekinesis powers to cause pillows to smash faces and allows her to float in a creepy costume with frightening makeup as she yells like a ghost. REVENGE! HAHAHA! This book is so exciting, full of laughs, and I would definitely recommend this book for 9+. 

Koolura and the Mayans (Book 3): Koolura, a girl with extraordinary psychic powers, is back again with pal Leila. The duo is off to Mexico for Koolura’s father’s wedding. When touring a Mayan archeological dig, the girls uncover a mysterious device that hurtles them 2000 years back in time. They soon discover aliens from the planet Aquari living amongst Mayan natives. Are these Aquarians planning to take over Earth? And can Koolura and Leila stop them in time? 

Red City Review gave Koolura and the Mayans ★★★★and had this to say: Koolura and the Mayans is the third entry in author Michael Thal’s young adult series about a girl named Koolura with mystical powers. Koolura and her friend Leila are on vacation in Mexico City, where Koolura’s father is getting re-married, when the girls unwittingly stumble upon a derelict relic in an old Mayan tomb that whisks them thousands of years into the past. There’s just one problem: Koolura doesn’t know how to get back! Now, stranded in history with her best friend, she must hide her abilities from an alien race known as the Aquari, who have subjugated the native population for nefarious reasons. This Mayan mishap could end up costing Koolura much more than a few extra days in Mexico!

A unique hybrid of science fiction, folklore, and pure fantasy, Koolura and the Mayans is a fun romp through time and space. Readers do not have to have read the first two books in the series in order to keep pace with the plot, but if you enjoy Thal’s tale here, take comfort in knowing there are two more books about Koolura to devour. As with any story this brief, readers might find themselves wishing there was a bit more meat to occupy their appetites, especially during one short journey which finds Koolura jetting off to an unknown planet in search of a device that could help the Aquari leave Earth. Still, it must be said that Koolura is a charming and unpredictable protagonist. The result is that readers will simply have no idea where the story will take them next—and that feeling is utterly magical.

Koolura and the Mayans won First Place Gold in the 2018 eLit Awards Juvenile/Young Adult Fiction. It came in second in the Reader’s Favorite Award Contest and Second Place in the 2016 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards. 

The Lip Reader

For the past five + years I’ve been working on a novel based on my wife, Jila’s life. Jila was my beshert, my soulmate . She passed away 6.5 years ago from cancer. To deal with the loss I decided to write a fictional account of her life from the stories she told me of her childhood, life in Iran, and the United States. She immigrated to America when she was 35. I met her fourteen years later. We were together for 16 years sharing a beautiful and fulfilling relationship. I miss her dearly. Writing her story, getting into her head via letters, memories, emails and stories her family related to me, was a cathartic experience. The book is finished, edited and will be published by Paper Angel Press in November, 2021.

The Lip Reader, a 57,000-word novel, is realistic fiction based on actual events, but reads like a memoir. 

The novel is about Zhila Shirazi, a deaf Persian Jew. Set in Iran and later in Los Angeles, California, Zhila tells her story about growing up in Iran and feeling like an outsider. She does not allow adversity to stop her from reaching her dreams—improved communication, a meaningful profession to support herself, and a man to share her life. Disgusted with the treatment of Jews by the new Islamic government, Zhila immigrates to the United States for a better life. At the age of forty-nine she meets Mickey, her beshert or soul mate. After the two are deeply in love, the scourge of cancer threatens the couple’s life together. Mickey takes the role of Zhila’s primary care giver as the couple grow closer to fight the disease. Throughout her life, Zhila Shirazi shows her caring nature, innate intelligence, and will power to overcome almost any adversity. 

Here’s what the acquisition’s editor for Paper Angel Books had to say about The Lip Reader: 

It’s so vivid, so earnest, so honest, so full of love and luminous intelligence, so lacking in mean spirit even as it treats some of the deepest horrors of life with total clarity and resolution. I’m not ashamed to say that even this much-scarred, stoical woman is weeping freely. The world must have this book.

Jacqueline Diamond, USA Today bestselling author of the Safe Harbor Medical series, said this about The Lip Reader:

This fascinating, fictionalized memoir brings to life the dramatic and moving events of a deaf woman’s life. Zhila Shirazi not only survives but rises above anti-Semitic persecution in Iran and personal tragedies as she finds a new home and family in America. The unique aspect to Zhila’s story is her deafness from early childhood, which she overcomes through innate intelligence and a remarkable gift for lip reading, later augmented with sign language. Most people would struggle simply to master several languages, without also having to deal with a severe hearing handicap. Her widower, author Thal, skillfully uses fiction techniques to give her story immediacy. This fluidly written and upbeat memoir should enjoy wide appeal.

The Pandemic

The Pandemic has been tough on all of us. We’ve spent approximately 18 months communicating with family and friends on video chats like FaceTime and Skype while accepting business meetings on Zoom. (If only I could transport back in time a few months and buy 1000 shares of Zoom stock.) Fortunately, no one in my immediate family has come down with the virus. (Thank G-d!) When the vaccine became available, I was first in line to get the Pfizer shots. 

During the Pandemic I kept myself busy searching for an agent or publisher for The Lip Reader. Fortunately, I found an excellent publisher, Paper Angel Press, and recently signed a contract in which the book will be published no later than January 2022, if not sooner. Since the gyms were closed, I doubled my visits seeing Lindsay Gross, my superb trainer. Though the pandemic robbed me of my social life, it has provided the extra time to get a lot of my writing projects completed, cleaning out closets, and training my dog, Scribble. 

Grandchildren

 My youngest two grandchildren are Ezra and Jordon. Here they are at Safta (Grandma) Daphna’s home playing with my dog, Scribble. 

Around Memorial Day, my family and I went to a working farm in Moorpark. Here’s son-in-law Magic with grandson Ezra and I:

Here’s grandson, Shaye, posing for a family portrait: 

Granddaughter Arielle with her friend during Thanksgiving.

Surviving the pandemic with my daughters:

With the Pandemic winding down, please make sure you get your inoculation against COVID-19. If you enjoyed this post, leave your email address in the orange box to the right of this post and you’ll be receiving future blog posts. (I usually write one a week) Enjoy your summer, and if you want to find a good read, take a look at my books, and enjoy.