What they're saying about our new book:
"The elderly have quite a bit of wisdom, and often you'll get it whether you want it or not. "Feeding Mrs. Moskowitz & The Caregiver" is a pair of two novellas focusing on the topic of the elderly and their interactions with the people around them. 'Feeding Mrs. Moskowitz' is the story of the titular elderly lady and her encounters with a girl rapidly approaching middle age. 'The Caregiver' tells the tale of a caregiver and her job at an assisted living facility. "Feeding Mrs. Moskowitz & The Caregiver" is an enticing read that shouldn't be missed."
-- Midwest Review of Books
"The novellas are authentic, filled with believable characters and situations that resonate with our own life experiences. The stories are funny and poignant at the same time, teaching those who have not thought much about the aging process in the best way possible by fascinating and amazing us."
-- Anne M. Wyatt-Brown
"As someone who was the caregiver for two aging parents, both of whom lived into their nineties, I found Feeding Mrs. Moskowitz and The Caregiver: Two Stories by Barbara Pokras and Fran Yariv a delightful experience. It is a candid and humorous look at aging. .....It is well work reading whether one is a caregiver or not. This is a slice of life worth visiting."
-- Alan Caruba, Bookviews
"Caring for aging parents is one of the most common experiences sisters share, but few can transform their responsibility into bittersweet words of wisdom the way the Pokras sisters, Fran and Barbara, have done. This book, with its tender, funny, and revealing insights into the world of the elderly, is a must-read for every caretaker." -- Carol Saline, author of The New York Times bestseller, "Sisters"
"The novellas are beautiful little parables that are just not meant for caregivers or for the children of the elderly, bur for everyone -- as most of us will, eventually, take similar journeys to those taken by the residents of Sunset Hills, in one form or another." -- John McDonald, New York Journal of Books, award-winning novelist, screenwriter, playwright and graphic novel adaptor of the works of William Shakespeare.
Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena and Village Books in Pacific Palisades proved to be perfect-and well attended - venues for the launch of our book tour. At Vroman's, Southern California's largest independent bookstore, it was "standing room only." The first guest to arrive was a high school friend Barbara hadn't seen since Cadillacs had fins! And Fran's "Sandwich Club" (a group of women stuck between the needs of grown children while caring for older parents) showed up in force.
Village Books, a much smaller venue in Pacific Palisades, had to bring out lots of chairs to accommodate the crowd. Each of us read from the book, and, as promised, lively discussions ensued.
Not that there weren't a few gaffes. Barbara had a "brain freeze" and forgot the name of her brother-in-laws only brother. We hope he'll forgive her. And when we got home, Fran was convinced she left behind a bag of books intended as gifts for family and friends. After frantic searches and phone calls, she discovered she had unpacked the books and put them back on her bookshelf.
All in all, not bad for a couple of ditzy sisters! Stay tuned for more of our version of "On the Road."
Barbara and Fran
Our book tour begins this Friday. What could go wrong??? In my all-to-frequent dreams, everything! I realize I am a worrier, although I usually conceal my anxieties beneath a devil may care exterior. But I am coming clean. I ask myself, why are we doing this? The answers come easily enough. My sister and I co-authored a book. We're excited and proud. For me, it is validation after a long publishing dry spell. For my sister, it is her first fiction publication. We fee the book is good, as do our recent reviewers and we want to get a readership. Fine.
In our thinking, a book tour sounded like fun, a sisterly adventure. I sure hope that's what it turns out to be, but still. .... Perhaps my anxiety is increased because our first signing is a my local bookstore and most of the audience will be people I know. My husband thinks that's good. They will be able to provide feedback and will be supportive. I'd much rather have started in a place filled with strangers, so if I flub things, I never have to face them again.
I already made one mistake. In my emails to friends, I wrote the wrong time. When I discovered my blooper, I panicked, sent out another round of emails with the correct times a half hour earlier.
Here are some of the things I worry about. Have my friends already bought the book on Amazon thus insuring that they will show up to our discussion/signing and NOT buy a book at the bookstore. Embarrassing. I feel I am entertaining friends and acquaintances, so I've arranged for pastry and coffee. Now, I worry if there will be enough, and if the coffee will be set up. And, seeing as the signing is going to be at 7 pm rather than 7:30 pm, I worry that wine and cheese would have been the more appropriate choice for refreshments! Oh, well. When we first signed our contract and decided to do all we could to publicize our book, I told my sister, "Expect nothing, hope for everything." I think I will follow my advice, hope for the best, and enjoy the ride.
Fun is really what it's about. I look forward to the adventure. After Friday, that is.
Fran
P.S. Saturday morning. All the worrying for naught. It was a grand success. Onward!
Some of our favorites to share:
- Barbara's favorite movies: "Precious" "Inglorius Bastards" "The Orange Thief" (never released theatrically), anything by Frederick Wiseman, and "Stop Making Sense" (I worked on this!)
- Fran likes "ALL ABOUT EVE" with Bette Davis
- Another of Fran's favorites -- FIELDWORK by Mischa Berlinski
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