I took some time off and traveled to Costa Rica for two weeks. It was awesome! My wife and I decided to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary in style. We stayed at the Arenal Monoa in the LaFortuna area overlooking the active Arenal Volcano for one week. I took a hike into the jungle and saw sloths, exotic birds, iguanas, and other native creatures. We then went on a 4-hour, bumpy car ride to the Nocoya Coast and stayed at the Largarta Lodge. We hiked to where the surfers hung out and took an E-Boat ride through a river where we saw crocodiles, Iquanas, and beautiful birds. I am currently putting together a page on my website to sell fine art images of Egrets and Herons. The link will be in the following newsletter. This was the first real vacation we had taken in over 20 years, and I am happy to say we had a great time:)
Back to the Book: This Saturday, Barnes and Noble.
That’s right. Those following my journey will say, “Didn’t you already do a book signing at the Denver Barnes and Noble?” The answer is yes!. They invited me back for a Holiday special. I am excited to be back, and this will be unique. Since my wife, Kate, and I will be reading from the book. Here is a video I made for the occasion.
I have to return to my other job, teaching at the Denver Art School RMCAD. I am teaching portrait photography this term. So Please share and subscribe, and if you are in Denver, stop this Saturday and say hi.
I wanted to share with you that I received an exciting email last week from the American Library Association that my novel Leaving Cleveland is being considered for nomination for the Sophie Brody Award in literature.
The Sophie Brody Medal was first awarded in 2006, and includes a medal for the winner. It is funded by the Sophie and Arthur Brody Foundation and is given to encourage, recognize, and commend outstanding achievements in Jewish literature.
Needless to say, I am very grateful to even be considered for this acknowledgment. There are 10 well-known readers in the field to whom I have sent my novel to will judge the book. I am over the moon to have my book read by them and hope they will share it with others. I believe the announcement will be at the end of this year.
A happy birthday to one of my mentors, Annie Leibovitz. I was her assistant for a year in 1982. It was a challenging year and really tested my fortitude. In retrospect, it was a lot of fun and absolutely crazy. We parted as friends and had a mutual respect for each other. Those who know of my novel Leaving Cleveland may think it is Annie, but in truth, the photographer in the book is many photographers whom I have had the privilege to work for. It is hard to believe Annie is 74 today. I will always know her as Anna Lou…back in 1982. Here is a photo of her I took in the NYC studio…Fun Times:)
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One of the questions I do recieve a lot is when is the second book coming out.
I am slowly beginning the second book, and I say slowly since I am still waiting to see how the first book is doing with interest and sales. I have begun writing, and it starts with a funeral. I am also researching the city of Boryslav before the Nazis invaded. I am also in the middle of teaching two classes, teaching chess, and creating family time. I really do enjoy the process of writing so for now it is my happy place until it is not.
Last week, I had the fortune of flying to NYC with my Daughter to drop her off to begin her Sophomore year in College. She is studying stage management and directing at Marymount Manhatten College; for those who have read my book, Leaving Cleveland, you know that most of the story takes place in NYC in the 1980s.
The thing I love about NYC is it is constantly changing and full of surprises. We went to the MET to see an exhibit on Buddhism and accidentally ran into Richard Avedon’s exhibition of wall-size portraits of his work in the late 60’s. The image below is of the picture of the Chicago Seven with Jerry Rubin and Abbie Hoffman.
Photo by Richard Avedon 1969
For me, it brought back a vivid memory of when I was tipped off by a Newsweek Reporter that Abbie Hoffman was coming out of hiding and was gathering his supporters. Abbie is being pursued by the F.B.I. He is the third person from the left in the above photograph by Avedon. I went to the location in Greenwich Village, with camera in hand, and met the Newsweek reporter. She knocked on the nondescript door, told the person we were from Newsweek, and showed her credentials. He let us into a dark room where about 20 other people were. About 20 minutes later, Abbie arrived to receive a big applause. I will never forget his saying, “Never trust anyone under 30.” The crowd laughed and burst into applause and started ” yipping.” Those old enough will understand what I am talking about; if not, message me, and I will explain. Sadly Hoffman committed suicide in 1989 the year I took this photograph of him at that gathering.
A lot of memories of NYC. It was a successful trip; my daughter moved into her dorm, I got to see some excellent friends, and I ate some pretty good food. We went to the Garden Terrace at the Met, where I took the photo below. I decided to use the image to advertise my book and promote the E-book discount price of $2.99 for a limited time. I also surveyed some of my readers and asked them what they thought of the book. To my surprise, ” funny and coming of age ” often appeared.
Thanks for reading, and please share and subscribe and reach out to me if you have any questions.
As the summer ends, the Fall flow of life begins. It has been established that my novel, Leaving Cleveland, has traveled more than I have. Readers have sent selfies of my book from Italy, Mexico, New Mexico, Florida, California, Ohio, New York, Texas, Montana, Colorado, and 15 other States and Countries. As a big thank you, I am offering an E-version of my book for only $2.99 till the end of August. After that the price will go up to $8.99. Purchase it here: Leaving Cleveland.
Goldberg Award:
The Goldberg Award is a competition that awards a writer’s debut novel about the Jewish Experience. Inaugurated in 1950, the National Jewish Book Awards is the longest-running North American awards program of its kind and is recognized as the most prestigious. The Awards are intended to recognize authors, and encourage reading, of outstanding English-language books of Jewish interest. The winner is announced in January 2024. Wish me luck.
Finally, I Would Like To Thank…
I would like to thank all of you who took the time to write a review of my book. As an author it means a lot to me and all writers who put their heart out their and the hopes their story will be read. All my reviews on Amazon are authentic, meaning I did not pay anyone or a service to write them. I would rather have few authentic reviews that hundreds of fake ones. That said, if you have read the book please go to Amazon and share you thoughts about my book with other readers.
Have a great weekend.
I will head to NYC next week to drop off my daughter to college, see some friends, and sell some books. I will be back after the holiday week for the next blog. In the meantime, be safe and have fun.
I received a text today that a book I sent to New York City did not arrive. You are probably thinking, the Postal system strikes again. Perhaps, but the envelope arrived, and the book Leaving Cleveland, enclosed, did not. Did someone steal the book? Or did the book envelope fail, and the glue came undone. I was flattered to think someone would go through the trouble to steal my book, but it is under further investigation. A trip to the post office revealed that, most likely, the glue came undone, and the book fell out at the NYC mail facility.
The culprit was cheap glue that melted, allowing the book Leaving Cleveland to be lost in the mail room forever!
Why does this even matter? You ask?
I sent out this book to my NYC contact because she informed me that a writer for the New York Times is interested in reading my book. I will not reveal their name, but I can tell you this person is well known in the photography/culture circles. Of course, nothing may come of this interest, but what have I got to lose? I guess the loss of a book.
What is new in the world of Leaving Cleveland and it’s Author?
I have been creating more video reviews of my book and am up to 21 five-star reviews, 1 four-star review, and 1 one-star ( no check or name, just someone trying to undermine my book’s success. I have recorded 5 reviews thus far, and my goal is to record all of them by year’s end.
You can go to my YouTube channel, Leaving Cleveland, to watch all the videos; just click on this Link to see all the videos, and while you are there, subscribe to keep up with the latest from Leaving Cleveland.
Chutzpa is a Yiddish world meaning ” crazy” courage.
Those who know me know I can get crazy with Chutzpa. For example, I contacted Barnes and Noble in Manhattan on Fifth Ave. I thought since I had a successful book signing in Denver at the B&N, surely the 5th Ave store would want me. I will be traveling to NYC at the end of this month to drop my daughter off at college, and since I am there… Well, the good news is they got back to me right away; the bad news is the person said that unless I can guarantee 200 people showing up for the book signing, it would not happen. Knowing that taxes and death are the only guarantees, I had to be honest and say, ” I am not sure.” She did say I should try other bookstores in Manhattan, an excellent way to leave the discussion. That is the definition of Chutzpah.
How’s It Going?
That question often arises when people ask me how the book Leaving Cleveland sells. My only reply is, ” I don’t know.” I have learned that you must wait four months to receive your first royalty check when you publish a book on Amazon. Since my book came out on April 12, 2023, I imagine I will know by the second week of this month. It is not a best seller yet, but it has consistent rankings. What does ranking mean? Here is where it gets crazy. So my book Leaving Cleveland has been averaging a ranking of 500k and as low as 80k, and as depressing as that sounds, it is pretty good on Amazon. For instance, the book Zombie is ranked at 1.5 million. There are millions of readers on Amazon.
If you have read the book, review and rate the book.
Please get the word out to friends, book clubs, and local bookstores. If I hit 25 four-star reviews on Amazon, I can sell the Kindle version of the book for $2.99; I am three reviews away from that goal.
Thank you for subscribing and taking the time to read my blog, Leaving Cleveland. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or comments.
Leaving Cleveland 