Summer 2020: A Glimpse into a Writer’s Career

The Pandemic

The Pandemic has been tough on all of us. We’ve spent a lot of time 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!) But like everyone else, I pray for a vaccine that will hopefully put this entire affair behind us. 

I’ve been keeping busy by finishing up on The Lip Reader, learning how to self-publish The Abduction of Joshua Bloom on Amazon, and since the gyms are 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 and cleaning out closets and growing tomato plants.

Since my last newsletter, my daughter, Koren, had a baby boy named Ezra. He is the most adorable child with a huge smile for everyone. My other grandchildren are doing fine. Arielle, now 9, spent a month with her Tata in Miami Beach. Shaye, age 7, has been going to a day camp, and their little brother, Jordan, will be turning 3 in October. 

The Abduction of Joshua Bloom

To my shock, Solstice Publishing, the publisher for four of my novels, decided not to renew the contracts on my books. Unlike Solstice, Royal Fireworks Press republished Goodbye Tchaikovsky (see below), giving it a new cover. I spoke to a writing friend and she suggested I self-publish on Amazon. I studied a book on the subject and The Abduction of Joshua Bloom is available on Amazon as an ebook beginning August 13. You can order a copy at this LINK.

I sent a copy of Abduction to Reader’s Favorite for a review.

K.C. Finn from Readers’ Favorite Book Review rated The Abduction of Joshua Bloom with 5 stars. Here’s what she had to say: “The Abduction of Joshua Bloom is a teen adventure with a lot more going on beneath the surface, and can be enjoyed by young adult and adult audiences alike. Our teen hero, Joshua Bloom, goes from local track star to abductee when a group of adolescents from another planet takes 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.

“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.”

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 Press website.

The Lip Reader

For the past four + years I’ve been working on a novel based on my wife Jila’s life.She passed away 5 1/2 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 when she was 49. 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, and stories her family related to me, was a cathartic experience. The book has the working title of “The Lip Reader.” 

The Lip Reader, a 60,000-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 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. 

Jan Seeley, an excellent editor, worked over a month on weeding out the chafe and immensely improved the content of The Lip Reader. Currently, I’m searching for an agent/publisher and will keep you posted.

The Koolura Series

The Koolura Series is available for purchase from my Website.

The first book in the series is The Legend of Koolura, 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 COOL. 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.But will these powers be of any use in stopping a stalker intent on her destruction? As the hour approaches for her final confrontation with her nemesis, Koolura may finally find vengeance to the man who killed her mother.

The Mystery at Camp Saddleback is the second book in the Koolura Series.

Koolura has the ability to teleport, levitate, heal, and even fly. But at Camp Saddleback she wakes up drained and powerless. Who or what 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?

Finally, the award winning novel, book three in the series, Koolura and the Mayans. In 2018 it was the first place Gold winner of the 2018 eLit Awards Juvenile/Young Adult Fiction. Below is a book review by Red City Review:

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, Koolura 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.

With this summer heat upon us, Covid-19, and the need to wear masks in 100 degree weather is sure trying our patience. Take a break, order one of my books, and kick back with a refreshing cold drink. And most importantly, stay well.