Several months ago, an incredible story was reported in the news. A lobster fisherman off the coast of Massachusetts was suddenly swallowed up by something huge. He found himself in total darkness, being jostled about. Thinking at first that he'd been swallowed by a shark and was about to die, he felt around and there were no teeth. Then he realized he must be in the mouth of a whale. This whale did expel him and he survived. Hard to believe, but apparently true! Does this th

I have learned a new word: hyperphantasia. A recent article in the New York Times ("All in the Mind's Eye": June 8, 2021) discusses research into aphantasia, a condition which involves an inability to conjure mental images, and its opposite, hyperphantasia, a condition involving extreme visualization. People with hyperphantasia see highly graphic and realistic images in their minds. A memory of an object, for example, can be so real and vivid that the person is able to see ev

Tennis star Naomi Osaka made headlines this week by withdrawing from the French Open after being fined for refusing to meet with the press. She has cited depression and mental anguish as her reasons for wishing to avoid press conferences, which exacerbate her levels of stress and depression. This would have been unheard-of years ago. Athletes are supposed to be tough and strong, and mental illness of any type has generally been viewed as a sign of weakness and therefore somet

The prequel has been released! The Whale Surfaces is now available, on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, in paperback and ebook formats. It was interesting to decide how to show Marcia as a girl who will develop into the woman readers meet in Escaping. Since she has some serious mental issues later on there had to be something there at a young age that could metastasize into the fears and delusions with which she struggles as an adult. The beginnings of her emotional problems and he

I have met so many people this past year in the course of giving talks about Escaping the Whale. Discussing inherited trauma led people to willingly share their own fears which they attribute to being children of survivors. Many of the fears are familiar to me, such as the fear of being in an enclosed space where one may feel trapped, the fear of trains, or the fear of anything that is usually associated with the Holocaust. A number of these fears are mentioned in Escaping th

With every talk I have given about Escaping the Whale, someone always asks about Marcia's childhood and background. Finally, people started suggesting I write a prequel to the book, so that they could see how my protagonist got to be the young lady they met in Escaping the Whale. At first, I was opposed to the idea. I felt I had created Marcia Gold as a complete character at age 28, and that anything a reader needed to know about her was revealed in Escaping the Whale. But as

January 6, 2021 is a day we will all remember. Just as many of us can immediately relate where we were and what we were doing when the news of President Kennedy's assassination broke, so too, January 6th of this year will be imprinted on our brains, probably forever. Since most of us were at home due to the pandemic lockdown, many of us were watching television because of the certification of the Biden presidency scheduled for that day. A cousin of mine (a child of Holocaust

We may not like to admit it, especially if we are concerned with appearing too materialistic, but our clothes mean a lot to us. What we choose to wear for any given occasion broadcasts something about our lives and beliefs, and aims to project an image of ourselves that we have crafted. One need only recognize the attention given to the outfits worn at the recent Biden Inauguration. Are the designers American? Do the colors selected convey a political affiliation? Men as well

Happy New Year to all! I am happy to announce that ESCAPING THE WHALE has now been released in audio. It is currently available on Audible.com and will soon be available on Amazon as well as on other sites that sell audio books. The narrator did an excellent job and has a pleasing, clear voice. Since a number of people have told me that they only "read" books on audio, I have discovered how popular audio books are. While walking, while driving, while cooking, while lounging,

If the Covid lockdown has been responsible for anything positive, it seems to be that it has led to an increased understanding of depression and anxiety. Months ago, Michelle Obama released a statement that she felt she was experiencing low-grade depression. Her honesty and forthrightness have always been refreshing, and this has made her a role model. Any time a famous and admired public figure admits to something, it gives that issue credibility. Mrs. Obama's statement was

SO - the election is actually over. I don't know about any of you, but I became consumed with every piece of news, every quote, every prediction. While my husband couldn't stand watching or reading news for more than a few minutes at a time, I could read and watch for hours. I vented with friends, and followed posts on social media. I felt as if I were falling into a deep hole and could only hope for the day when the election would be over and I could climb back out. Will thi

I had the pleasure and honor last week of being featured as a guest on the podcast FLOURISHING WITH PTSD. The planned one hour conversation turned into a two hour conversation as the host and podcast founder Manda and I explored the subject of inherited trauma. This is a topic addressed in my novel ESCAPING THE WHALE through the character of my protagonist, the daughter of Holocaust survivors, who suffers from inherited trauma at a time (1980) when inherited trauma and PTSD

"Water, water, everywhere And all the boards did shrink; Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink." Water plays a huge role -- in life, in ancient mythologies, in religious rituals. I have tried using the power and symbolism of water in ESCAPING THE WHALE. As my title alone tells you, the Biblical story of Jonah and the whale played a background role as inspiration and motivation for me in creating the dilemma of my protagonist, Marcia Gold. The famous stanza quoted ab

I am happy to announce that my short story, "Frau Professor," was published as a Kindle e-book single at the beginning of September, and is available on Amazon. I have been asked if there is a connection between this short story and my novel ESCAPING THE WHALE. In the novel, the protagonist is a 28-year old New York Jewish woman who is the daughter of Holocaust survivors. All too aware of her family's suffering, she suffers from inherited trauma and this prevents her from lea

On Sunday, August 23rd, while casually leafing through the Arizona Republic newspaper, a headline for a book review grabbed my eye. The book was entitled Shark Attacks of the Jersey Shore: A History by Patricia and Robert Heyer. Reading this review brought back memories of the 38 years I lived in New Jersey. That is because one of the shark attacks discussed in the book and mentioned in the review, which may be the most famous shark attack ever, took place in the summer of 19

The impact of the Holocaust on the psyches and lives of the children of survivors, (or 2Gs, as they are known), has been largely overlooked,

Escaping The Whale is a new novel that presents us with an interesting, tormented protagonist.