From Book Writing to Book Reading
Writing can be such a solitary activity. As I sorted through files and documents and tried to find some order and arc in the story I wanted to tell about my family’s past, and how it affected me, I could not even imagine what it would be like to finally have the book in my hand and stand in front of a group of sixty people and read the first page out loud.
Now I know. It is awesome. A few weeks ago THE WOMAN IN THE PHOTOGRAPH had its “launch” at Pegasus Bookstore in North Berkeley. I must acknowledge Pegasus for being a truly independent bookstore with it’s unique and sometimes eccentric selection of books, its support for local authors (who have their own shelf) and its generosity to new authors and Indie publishers.
When I was writing, I always imagined that there were themes in my story that other people would relate to. The content might have to do with my parents’ birth in Germany and their exodus to escape from the Nazi regime, but I have discovered that people from all different backgrounds, including those with many generations in America, are also trying to sort out the mix of family myths, beliefs, unresolved issues and broken dreams that got passed on to them in unfinished sentences and references to events that fall out of any context or don’t quite fit into the linear story.
I invite you to enjoy a little video clip from the beginning of my book talk. Let me know what it stirs up in you.