Category: Publishing News

Jerry Maren, the last surviving Munchkin in the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz, died this week. Read the fictional biography of his fellow Munchkin, Meinhardt Raabe, who played the Coroner. Meinhardt wants the respect given normal people, yet his disability makes him mistrust even those who can see past it. My novel A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press) comes out in August. Pre-order the electronic book now https://amzn.to/2LqpAu7. Print pre-orders will be available in July. Read more about Jerry Maren and see a picture of him, Meinhardt Raabe, and two other Munchkins after they received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007 at https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/06/arts/jerry-maren-dead-wizard-of-oz-munchkin.html. See NOVELS to learn more about A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve.

I’m delighted to report the enthusiastic Tazia and Gemma book launch & reading, Q & A, and signing event on June 3 at Bookbound Bookstore, 1729 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor. I read narrative passages from the first Tazia section and my daughter Rebecca joined me to read the mother-daughter interview from the first Gemma section. Thanks to Bookbound owners Megan and Peter, and to all who attended the Tazia and Gemma event. I urge Ann Arbor residents and visitors to check out this friendly independent bookstore with a large selection of children’s books and wide-ranging adult literature. For a complete list of my publication events see NEWS; to read more about my books see NOVELS.

The Tazia and Gemma book launch & reading is at Bookbound Bookstore on Sunday, June 3, at 2 PM, 1729 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor. See the Facebook event page https://www.facebook.com/events/813290068858590/. Learn more about the book at http://www.vineleavespress.com/tazia-and-gemma-by-ann-s-epstein.html and see the trailer on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lijLhwR2Yb0. Hope to see you on June 3! For a complete list of my publication events see NEWS; to read more about my books see NOVELS.

I’m getting ready to launch my new novel Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press, 2018). The launch is Sunday, June 3rd from 2:00 to 4:00 PM at Bookbound Bookstore in Ann Arbor and I’ll also be reading from the book on Tuesday, July 31st from 7:00-9:00 PM at Literati Bookstore in Ann Arbor. Copies will be available for purchase and signing at both events. You can also order the book at http://www.vineleavespress.com/tazia-and-gemma-by-ann-s-epstein.html. To read more about this sweeping historical novel, beginning with the Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire in 1911 and ending fifty years later, see NOVELS. For more details about these and other upcoming events, see NEWS. Please join me to celebrate the book’s publication. I’m looking forward to lively Q & A sessions.

The cinematic book trailer for my new novel Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press, May 2018), made by the talented team at Gash Productions, is now available on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lijLhwR2Yb0. Read more about the book at the publisher’s webpage http://www.vineleavespress.com/tazia-and-gemma-by-ann-s-epstein.html. Print and e-book formats available for pre-order soon.

The publication date for A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press) is August 14, 2018. A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. is a fictional biography of Meinhardt Raabe, a Munchkin in The Wizard of Oz. Meinhardt wants the respect given normal people, yet his disability makes him mistrust even those who see past it. The narrative moves from Nazi Berlin through decades of social change in the U.S. to a return pilgrimage to Germany, where Meinhardt chooses between isolation and opening his heart. The book cries for justice in the face of discrimination. Meinhardt’s journey fortifies readers with the intelligence, love, and courage to follow the yellow brick road to the safe home we all deserve. // For more information about the book, see NOVELS. Pre-orders available May 2018. Check this website and the publisher’s https://alternativebookpress.com/ for updates about the book’s release, print and e-book orders, and related events.

Wilderness House Literary Review will publish my flash fiction piece “Space Cat” in its Spring 2018 issue (link to follow when the story goes online). Here’s the log line: “‘Space Cat,’” based on the true but unheralded story of Félicette, the first (and last) cat in space, is a cri de coeur for recognizing the important role of felines, and females, in science.” Please bestow belated honors upon the brave Félicette, 51 years after her sacrifice on behalf of humankind.