Authors Announcing Their Books

[Barbara]

Marrakech meets New York in this warm, funny memoir of my entry into both deeper Jewish observance and the Sephardic cultural and culinary world. I was the clueless Ashkenazic bride who had to learn it all from scratch... My mishaps and triumphs are interspersed with recipes for all the delicious Sephardic food you always wanted to know how to make. It hit #1 today in new Jewish cooking books! https://www.amazon.com/Well-Spiced-Li...

[Greg]

I am excited to announce my book "The Spiritual Practice of Good Actions: Finding Balance Through the Soul Traits of Mussar" went on sale today. It is already #3 in Jewish new releases.

It has been a dream of mine to have an audiobook version since 2016 when the paperback version came out. Two summers ago I started recording, and after many edits and retakes, I am very proud of the final product. And yes, I am the narrator.

If you'd like to get a copy, it is on sale pretty much anywhere audiobooks are sold.

You can get a free copy with a trial membership of Audible on Amazon. FYI if you use the link below, I will get a small bonus when you sign up or download a copy into your existing account.

Finally, I don't want money to be a barrier for anyone who wants a copy. Just send me a private message and let me know. I have a limited number of low cost or free copies I can distribute, and we'll make sure you are taken care of.
https://amzn.to/3xNJiht

[Charles]

I've had two books traditionally published in the past 12 months. The first is "Jacob's Courage: Romance and Survival amidst the Horrors of War," June 13, 2023, Amsterdam Publishers. (https://jacobscourage.com). “A tender, coming of age tale. This book shows the critical roles that love, determination, and steadfast belief play toward battling one’s demons both physically and mentally. Jacob’s Courage is ultimately a tribute to the triumphant human spirit.” ---- Jewish Book World

The second book, just released July 1, 2024, is "Lost & Found: An Alien Adventure," 2024, Gen Z Publishers (https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Found-Adv...). American astronaut Ariel Wolfe is working near the International Space Station when a huge solar flare cascades his mind into another solar system, where it is downloaded into the body of a cloned alien. Ariel begins a fascinating new life on a planet with two highly advanced civilizations at war with each other. As an air force pilot for the society that saved him, Ariel is shot down over enemy territory, where ferocious monsters are everywhere. Saved from death by the society on the other side of the planet, Ariel falls deeply in love with a beautiful human woman. Stuck in inside an alien body, Ariel vows to find a way to bring the warring societies to peace, become cloned back as a human, marry his true love, and find a way to return to Earth.

Both new books are available through most book retailers and libraries as a hardcover, paperback, and e-book. Special thanks to my talented literary agent, AAA Books Unlimited, and to my editors and publishers.

[Henry]

While this is not technically a book announcement, I invite folks to take a look at my essay "Honor Their Memories" about the challenges and responsibilities of writing fiction about events like the Holocaust as eyewitnesses are progressively dying (thankfully of old age) is up online on Paper Brigade Daily of the Jewish Book Council (https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/pb-...).

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[Barbara]

Who doesn't love a Jewish cozy mystery? In Seven Blessings and a Murder by Barbara Bensoussan, newlyweds Dalia and Ezra fly to Jerusalem for a family wedding. Everything is picture-perfect until someone is found dead under suspicious circumstances! With a cast of colorful and mostly-Sephardic characters, this is a fun and not-the-typical read!
https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Blessing...

[Shanah]

Barbara wrote: "Who doesn't love a Jewish cozy mystery? In Seven Blessings and a Murder by Barbara Bensoussan, newlyweds Dalia and Ezra fly to Jerusalem for a family wedding. Everything is picture-perfect until so..."

Sounds interesting, Barbara. I'm putting it on my to-read list.

[Barbara]

Thank you Shanah! I am mostly traditionally published, but I did this one as an indie, so I would be very grateful if you and others would leave an Amazon review if you enjoy it. We should all make an effort to leave reviews for each other!

[Dahlia]

Last year, my book on my mother's life was published. Recently I just published the book in audible.

If you would like to hear it in exchange for a review, please DM for promo code.

Caravan of Hope: A Bukharan Woman's Journey to Freedom
Zina Abraham was born in an Uzbeki prison in 1933. It was a tumultuous time in Jewish history. Soviet Union annexed the territories of what is now Uzbekistan and the Stalinist regime had led to widespread discrimination against the Jews. Ultimately released from prison and strapped to her mother's chest, Zina and her mother, traveled by horseback undetected to Afghanistan. But as a woman in Afghanistan, she was still essentially in prison, concealed from the outside world with no access to education or medical care.
Abraham's story takes us on sweeps and swirls through Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Her quest toward religious freedom and education transports us to India, to Israel, and then finally the United States. Central to each chapter of her life is a story of survival and a deep faith and commitment to build and nurture a Jewish life for herself and her community.
Caravan of Hope tells the story of a Central Asian Jewish woman hailing from Bukhara, striving to reach the shores of a country that offered religious, financial and educational freedom. It recounts the experiences of many Bukharian Jews who were mainly uneducated and persecuted, with no time or wherewithal to chronicle their lives. This is one woman's journey.
https://a.co/d/2R4gJ8H

[Gila]

My older YA Jewish novel With A Good Eye was finally released on Amazon/Amazon Kindle August 18, 2024. I'm thrilled that it will also be on audio (all uploaded, waiting for a final message from audible). Luna Levi is an ordinary 19 year old with extraordinary problems. Her mother's acting career is more important to her than the stage of real life. Her father struggles with PTSD as an ex-combat soldier and is equally MIA when it comes to his daughter. The Levis jump from financial crisis to financial crisis until in one-split second someone enters their lives and throws them into the biggest disaster of all. When Luna tries to warn her mother, she is pushed aside and it's the first hint that her mother has every intention of going full steam ahead with a partner who lies - about everything.



Can you ever save anyone but yourself?



Do any of us ever really leave home?

[Arnon]

Hi, all!

I'm happy to have found this group. I'm a filmmaker, screenwriter and author, with a big focus on Jewish genre fiction. I'm best known for my debut book, a graphic novel about Jewish pirates in the 16th century Caribbean called "Jose and the Pirate Captain Toledano." I recently released my first novel, "Wayfarers," which is a Jewish dystopian sci-fi adventure, and a collected special edition of my comic book series, "Ben Mortara and the Thieves of the Golden Table."

I believe that there is very great value in sharing fun, mainstream Jewish stories with a broad, global audience - a value who's urgency I feel all the more on a day like today. I'm looking forward to connecting here and to seeing what everyone's reading these days.

for more about me and my work, check out my Goodreads profile, here: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

or my website, www.arnonshorr.com

[Shanah]

Dahlia wrote: "Last year, my book on my mother's life was published. Recently I just published the book in audible.

If you would like to hear it in exchange for a review, please DM for promo code.

Caravan of Ho..."

Thank you for letting us know, Dahlia. I'm always happy to see colorful stories of Mizrachi origin. The world needs them right now along with an understanding of the history. I'm Persian, but lost ancestors in Azerbaijan in the 1800s. I cannot find anyone who knows enough of the stories that I could reconstruct them, though.

[Shanah]

Gila wrote: "My older YA Jewish novel With A Good Eye was finally released on Amazon/Amazon Kindle August 18, 2024. I'm thrilled that it will also be on audio (all uploaded, waiting for a final message from aud..."

Hello, Gila. I love writing YA, so I'm putting your book on my to-read list. Thanks for letting us know.

[Shanah]

Arnon wrote: "Hi, all!

I'm happy to have found this group. I'm a filmmaker, screenwriter and author, with a big focus on Jewish genre fiction. I'm best known for my debut book, a graphic novel about Jewish pir..."

Who doesn't love a pirate? Thanks for letting us know, Arnon.

[Shimon]

Greetings! I write about significant events in ancient Jewish history. To date, I have written a novel about the siege and destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE (The Rebel's Niece) and another about the siege and capture of Masada in 73 CE (Masada: Thou Shalt Not Kill). My third book about the Maccabee rebellion (Rededication: The Hanukkah Story) will be available in late November.

So many novels about Jews focus on the Holocaust, but Jewish history is so rich that I feel it is necessary to tell stories about the rest of Jewish history. Let me know if you like to read historical fiction about ancient Jewish stories. Thanks

[Shanah]

Shimon wrote: "Greetings! I write about significant events in ancient Jewish history. To date, I have written a novel about the siege and destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE (The Rebel's Niece) and another about th..."

Hello, Shimon. I'm also a fan and writer of historical fiction. I agree we need more diverse approaches to the genre. Thanks for letting us know.

[Stacey B]

Shimon wrote: "Greetings! I write about significant events in ancient Jewish history. To date, I have written a novel about the siege and destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE (The Rebel's Niece) and another about th..."

Hi Shimon,
Thank you for posting. The "group" reads a specific genre every month. But this is the best place to promote your work. :) I like Shanah love historical fiction, so thank you for letting the group and myself know. Happy New Year!!

[Lara]

Greetings! I’m thrilled to share the press release for my book, Camel from Kyzylkum. Find more details about this #book here: https://rb.gy/tkwa15.

The memoir traces a gripping path from Ukraine to the Kyzylkum Desert in Uzbekistan, and onward through Austria, Italy, and finally America. Along this journey, the author navigates personal truths and aspirations, illustrating the resilience and determination required to forge a new path in unfamiliar lands. This memoir tells the story of an ordinary person who lived the American dream, it is a book to open your eyes to a new world that might be outside of your own.

[Shimon]

My new novella, Rededication: The Hanukkah Story, is now available just in time for the holidays. If you've ever wondered about the true origins of Hanukkah beyond the tale of the miracle of the oil, this book dives deeper into the historical events that shaped the festival.

Set in the ancient Greek world under King Antiochus IV, Rededication explores a time when practicing Judaism was forbidden. In the face of the desecration of the Temple in Jerusalem and the imposition of Hellenistic rituals by their Seleucid rulers, five Maccabee brothers rose up to defy the oppression. Led by Judas Maccabee, they began a fierce struggle against tyranny and religious persecution.

Follow the Maccabees as they fight to reclaim their faith, battling against the Seleucid king and the Hellenizing priests who sought to impose Greek culture on their land. Will they succeed in securing the right to practice Judaism as commanded by God? Can they drive out the oppressive Seleucids and restore freedom to their people?

[Michelle]

Hi All,
I hope it's okay to post this here.

My novel, Ash on the Vine, here is the blurb from the back cover:

1989, Israel. The year of the first intifada.
Living and working on a vineyard in the Mt
Carmel foothills, three generations of Holocaust
survivors excavate their ancestral past, whilst
the newly formed Hamas target the family for
a proposed terrorist attack.

When Sami goes home for her 20th birthday, she asks
her grandmother to share her Holocaust experiences
in order to unlock her own intergenerational trauma.
Soon after, in a Palestinian hotel, Sami’s conversation
with Gideon about her emotional problems is
overheard by Rahima and also caught on CCTV.
So begins the captivating story of the intersecting
lives of ordinary people born on different sides of the
warring divide. It is a story of brave humanity, family
secrets, love, heroism and revenge.

[Howard]

My unusual novel, The Last Dekrepitzer, which is not widely known, received the National Jewish Book Award's Book Club Award yesterday. A fiddler busking blues and occasionally niggunim in a New York subway station in 1962 is the Dekrepitzer Rebbe, the sole survivor of his sect. The book describes the Odessey that brought him from his shtetl, through the war in the Russian army, to rural Black Mississippi, to the streets of New York where he accompanies the great blues guitarist, The Reverend Gary Davis. The book received a "get it verdict" from Kirkus and is favorably reviewed in the December issue of Moment and on the JBC website, It is my first book.

[Maggie]

After two years of research, followed by another year of writing and editing what I thought was the finished historical novel, I can finally announce that The Midwives' Escape: From Egypt to Jericho will be out on March 4, 2025. Just in time for Women's History Month and Pesach, the story describes the Exodus from the point of view of an Egyptian mother and daughter who join the Israelites to follow Moses to the Promised Land.

[Orit]

Hello Jewish Book Carnivalers!

For those seeking modern historical fiction that tries to make sense of what is happening in Israel today, I'd love it if you could all give some love to my novel, The Settler. It was written after I covered the pullout from Gush Katif, Gaza in 2005 as a journalist. It opened up so many issues relating to Jewish identity, division in Israeli society, and coming of age. A lot of it is based on real events--especially the crisis of faith among the youth. It takes you into the world of Tel Aviv nightlife and also religious Zionism. Happy to send a review copy for those interested.
Orit

[R.L.]

With little evidence, would-be author P.J. Larkin serves a "nibble" on the trendy new social-media app Crave, accusing editor George Dunn of stealing the novel she submitted to him for publication. The nibble shoots to the top of the site's Popular Menu Items and before you can say "unpaid literary labor," George is embroiled in a scandal, his job and book deal in jeopardy. P.J.’s novel is snapped up amid the publicity, but has she revealed secrets belonging to her sister, Mia, in the book? Some diners on Crave think so and now it’s P.J.’s turn to feel the public’s scorn.
Told in the humorous vein of Where'd You Go Bernadette?, A COMPLETE FICTION is a novel that examines the very serious questions of who has a right to tell a story and has cancel culture gone too far.
Out November 4 in the U.S. and Australia. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

[J.]

In my latest book, Mrs. Wallenberg: a Holocaust romance, I resurrect for a modern audience the astonishing saga of the hero Raoul Wallenberg, if in a way never before attempted. Not only is it the first novel about the man who in saving thousands upon thousands of Jews from the flames of Auschwitz out-Schindlered Schindler, but running throughout it is a true-life love story a-drip in unfettered passion. Join me on a path no other author has dared tread.
https://a.co/d/f0eEPYS