The Cherry Tree

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As a special thank you to my valued readers, I’m sharing a story from my collection NEW YORK ECHOES with you. I hope it reminds you to cherish those closest to you.  THE CHERRY TREE “There, turn left,” Howard, her grandfather, said, instructing his granddaughter, who was driving, where to make the left. He was obviously remembering […]

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7 Essential Things I’ve Learned About Bad Reviews In My 72 Years As A Novelist

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I’ve been a writer for a long time. 72 years to be exact. I’ve learned a lot and continue to do so and I wanted to pass along some of my knowledge to you. Getting bad reviews is just as important as getting ones that praise your work. I hope that my insights inspire you to remain hopeful and […]

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My Salute to Librarians

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From the moment I entered the hushed, sacred precinct of the Brownsville Children’s Library in Brownsville, Brooklyn, back in the mid-1930s, I have been a passionate advocate of the public library. My most profoundly joyous memory is walking through the crowded, noisy, aroma-filled atmosphere of Sutter Avenue, between rows of pushcarts selling anything edible and […]

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Will TV/Film Kill the Literary Star?

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As a longtime practitioner of the art of fiction writing and a committed reader of the works of others, I have been thinking a great deal about the impact of the proliferating film/TV industry on the future of reading. Having lived through the golden age of Hollywood films shown in ubiquitous neighborhood theaters in the […]

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Why Should Novelists Be Politically Correct?

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The recent flap over a romance novel titled For Such a Time whose plot features a concentration camp inmate falling in love with her Nazi captor has aroused the wrath of various critics and readers on grounds that it is too discomfiting and disturbing to have been published. While I can understand why some readers […]

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I CAN STILL SMELL IT

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They had moved three times, from their original apartment in Gramercy Park, to the East Side on 72nd and finally to the big high rise on the West Side overlooking the Hudson. “I can still smell it,” Rachel said. “It’s not possible. It’s been four years.” Larry, because he loved her with the same zeal […]

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