Happy Fall. I hope you and yours are well and have had (or will have) a chance to see the Fall colors. I’d like to tell you about a few developments in my writing that might be of interest. Even if not, there are some jokes at the end that you might enjoy.

Mrs. Kaplan Rides Again

     

As you may recall, MRS. KAPLAN AND THE MATZOH BALL OF DEATH was the first of my “Mrs. Kaplan” cozy mystery series. Originally published by Random House as an ebook in 2014, it was revised and reissued in both print and ebook formats in 2018 by Black Opal Books. The second book in the series, A PAIN IN THE TUCHIS, was originally issued by RH in 2015 and has been out of print for a few years. It will be reissued on January 12, 2021 by The Wild Rose Press. And finally the third book, OY VEY, MARIA!, will be published for the first time on October 27^th of this year, also by TWRP. (Yes, I know that means they are being released out of order, and no, I don’t know why.) MARIA is available for preorder now. 

In MARIA, Mrs. K and Ida are solving another murder, this time involving the Jewish holiday of Purim. (MATZOH BALL involved the holiday of Passover, and TUCHIS Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, which turned out to be a very bad day to commit a murder.) In MARIA, somehow the ladies end up promising to help both the police and the chief suspect. As Ida colorfully puts it (translating the Yiddish saying), “You can’t dance at two weddings with one tuchis.” I think you will enjoy these latest adventures of our two senior sleuths.

By the way, the ebook version of OY VEY, MARIA! will be on sale for only $2.99 (list price $4.99) from now through the month of November.

Click here for a link to Amazon in case you’d like to order OY VEY, MARIA! (it’s available at other booksellers also, of course):

And if you’re interested in MATZOH BALL, it’s available here

A PAIN IN THE TUCHIS should be available for preorder soon.

Murder with Strings Attached 

MURDER WITH STRINGS ATTACHED, a humorous caper/crime novel, was published last February. It has received some very nice reviews. In a nutshell, “A well-planned theft unexpectedly leads to murder and more when a lady burglar and a famous musician attempt to recover a priceless violin.” Like the Mrs. Kaplan books, it’s perfect for a relaxed read by the fire on a crisp Fall evening.

Here’s the Amazon link

 

Other Books

  

A reminder that SISTER-IN-LAW: VIOLATION, SEDUCTION, AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES is still available (click here), still rated R (or maybe X, depending on your comfort level). None of that cozy stuff here. 

Also still available (click here) is MADE IN CHINA, even more relevant now than it was when I wrote it, with the current trade disputes between America and China. 

Some Online “Appearances”

I’m pleased to tell you I will be interviewed on Indie Crime Scene, an online journal, on October 21^st. Do come by if you have a chance. And on December 3^rd, SISTER-IN-LAW will be featured by Book Tour Gals, mainly on Instagram, with a drawing for an Amazon gift card. Finally, OY VEY, MARIA! will be a Featured New Release on Bookbub on December 2nd.

If you know someone else who you think might be interested, please pass this information (or the entire Newsletter) along.

And now, the best reason for reading this far:

Jokes 

-> How many writers does it take to change a lightbulb?

One, but he will change it, change it again, put the first lightbulb back, smash the lightbulb, then change it again.

The critics will still hate it.

-> Asking a working writer what he thinks about critics is like asking a lamppost how it feels about dogs.

-> I can’t understand why a person will take a year to write a novel when he can easily buy one for a few dollars.—Fred Allen

-> The Smith family was very proud of the fact that their ancestors had come to America on the Mayflower. As a legacy for their children, they hired a top-notch author to research and write a book about their family history.
Much to their horror, it was discovered that Great-uncle Clarence had been executed in the electric chair for committing murder. Devastated, they didn't want that to be revealed in the book, but felt that they didn't want Great-uncle Clarence to be omitted either. After voicing their concerns to the author, he assured them that he could handle everything tactfully.
When the book came out, the section on Great-uncle Clarence read:-
'Great-uncle Clarence occupied a chair of applied electronics at an important government institution. He was attached to his position by the strongest of ties and his death came as a great shock.'

-> And here’s a reprise of one from the last Newsletter, because it’s still just as relevant:

That's all. Thanks for reading.