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gershadmin

If you Crane your neck…

November 28, 2021 by gershadmin


I am a regular visitor to a local park in Tempe know as Kiwanis Park. It features baseball diamonds, basketball courts, a wave pool, walking paths and playgrounds, but the attraction that gets my attention most is the beautiful lake. It supports fishing year round and is regularly stocked.

It’s not just fishermen, however, who take advantage of the bounty. Hawks, egrets and Heron’s frequent it’s shores and are always looking for a meal. One morning, I arrived in time to see a crane fish a Koi out of the water for breakfast. It held it up for all to see, including its feathery brethren, before managing to swallow it whole.

Outside the frame of this picture (which I took with a cell phone) was a 2 legged human fisherman who seemed a little depressed that his competition was better at it than he!

Filed Under: Blog

Book Launch and Festival

November 15, 2021 by gershadmin

The month of November has been very exciting! I had two launch events at local libraries (Tempe and Desert Foothills), and introduced my books at the Thumb Butte Book Festival in Prescott, Arizona. I made new friends who, I trust, will become fans, and had a great time meeting people and signing books.

When I first started writing, I had no idea where it might lead or what subjects I might explore. The process has been long and, at times, frustrating, but I found a way to take the issues of our day and incorporate them into my writings. “Not on My Watch” is based on some news articles I read concerning Medicare fraud at large institutions, including hospitals, clinics, and physician’s offices. It’s sad when a handful of folks take advantage of the system: it hurts all of us in the long rung.

If you’d like to learn more, click this link for an interview I gave on KJZZ to discuss the book further. Better yet, order your own copy by clicking the link on the first page of this website, or go to my Author’s Page at Amazon!

https://kjzz.org/content/1727397/word-s6e4-something-thrilling-comes-way-honoring-black-poetry-day

https://author.amazon.com/profile

Filed Under: Blog

My Fair Lady

October 19, 2021 by gershadmin

Last week, we took a trip to La-La-Land, otherwise known as Hollywood, where we got to see the Broadway Production of ‘My Fair Lady’ at the infamous Dolby Theatre, located next to Graumans Chinese theatre. It was a birthday present for Lisa on her 60th, but due to the pandemic, it was postponed to October 2021.

The singing was fabulous, as was the acting and costumes. It was very much like the movie from the 60’s, and we would recommend it anyone who loves musicals. It is scheduled to come to Gammage in Tempe, as is ‘Oklahoma’ in the fall next year. (Yes, we already have our tickets!

I know that Hamilton is the rage now, and many wonderful plays and musicals have been produced in the last 10-20 years, but we’re drawn to the old favorites.

What’s yours? Let me know and I’ll put your name in for a drawing for a copy of ‘Not on My Watch.’

Filed Under: Blog

Free Presentations for Phoenix

October 6, 2021 by gershadmin

As part of my journey into the realm of writing, I has the opportunity to present my novels at book fairs, libraries and other organizations such as fraternal and business groups. As I fielded more questions about my books and how I wrote them, it occurred to me that others might benefit from my experience, trials and tribulations along the way

One question I got asked frequently was, “How do you do it?” Sometimes, the question was from an aspiring author who was struggling with the process. Other times, people wanted to know how I found the time, while still working full time, to write poetry, fiction and full length books.

The short answer to both questions is to be organized and disciplined. The real answer takes a lot longer to explain, for those willing and interested in hearing about it. As a result, I decided to put together two PowerPoint presentations, one on writing my books, the other on basic time management, which applies to most areas of our busy lives.

If you or your club/organization would be interested in having me present either of these two timely seminars, just contact me via e-mail (gershwriter@cox.net) or look me up on Phoenix Free Speakers dot org.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: #book, #fiction, #freeseminar, #thriller, #timemeangement

Our trip to San Francisco took us beneath the Bay Bridge

September 30, 2021 by gershadmin

We were on a dinner cruise recently in San Francisco and had the occasion to take a dinner cruise on the bay. We had a wonderful time as there was great food, wonderful music for dancing, and a clear, almost cloudless night. As we passed beneath the Bay Bridge, I went topside and was able to get some interesting pictures. This one was from the Oakland side of the bay, looking back at the San Francisco skyline. It was an impressive sight and I’m glad I was able to snap this one. When we returned to Arizona, I sat down and wrote the following poem about it. Being from NY, I have always been fascinated by the nightlights (and night life) of the big city. I hope you enjoy my cruise down memory.

I grew up in New York City

but never realized

how much

I missed the lights.

Manhattan, Broadway, the Brooklyn Bridge

are dazzling by air and sea.

Neon is the perfect pasta

for the eyes.

No matter how long you stare

or how often,

you’re only full

until next time,

always hungry for

more.

In California,

a bridge joins San Francisco

to Oakland.

Mighty buildings emblazon the night sky

and rival the milky way.

Headlights dance on the deck

and on the streets

as people head home

or to dinner

or the game.

East coast or west,

I can’t resist the electricity

of the city.

The signs of life,

civilization,

culture and society.

Don’t get me wrong:

I love the fields and streams and forests

that stretch between them:

the oceans that contain them,

the islands and harbors that define them.

A quiet walk amongst the orchards

or the redwoods

is the balm that heals my spirit.

But oh, that lust to reach the heavens

and tame the wild,

to stretch the intellect

and explore the realm of creativity

reminds me we are more

than protozoans on a petri dish:

we are photovoltaic engines

of invention.

So thank you, Frank,

for making it there,

in the Big Apple.

And bless you, Tony Bennett,

for your

city by the bay.

Filed Under: Blog

SanTan Sun News Article about “Not on My Watch”

September 30, 2021 by gershadmin

SanTan Sun News Article about “Not on My Watch”

Chandler author’s 2nd novel right out of headlines

Chandler author Howard Gershkowitz’s second novel departs from science fiction and focuses instead on fraud and corporate greed.

A couple years ago, Gershkowitz, a Chandler resident for 19 years who has been in the financial services industry for 35 years, published the “The Operator” – a novel set in Prescott that involves time travel, the economy and romance.

This time, his new book, “Not on My Watch,” is a thriller inspired by some news stories he read. It involves a nurse who, with her broker/boyfriend, must stop the merger of the only locally owned, independent hospital with a ruthless conglomerate out of Boston intent on turning it into a Medicare mill. “This book was inspired by an article about a hospital back east that was indicted for Medicare fraud to the tune of $100 million.” Gershkowitz explained. “I thought that was outrageous, especially because of the business I’m in where corporate greed often takes center stage.”

He recalled how he had interviewed a hospital chain administrator while doing research for the novel “and was assured nothing of the kind could happen there because of their checks and balances.”

Four weeks later, Gershkowitz read that one of that administrator’s hospitals in the southeast was similarly indicted on Medicare fraud totaling well over $100 million.

“They were recommending unnecessary procedures to seniors specifically because they were easy to perform, relatively benign and carried the highest reimbursement rates in the Medicare universe,” said Gershkowitz, calling it                 “sickening to hear about.”

“Watch” was actually written before “The Operator” while Gershkowitz was attending a creative writing class at Scottsdale Community College.

“It was initially a short story,” he explained “but it motivated me to continue expanding it till it was a full-length novel.” He recalled writing the bulk of it in longhand as he sipped coffee in the Starbucks inside the Barnes & Noble bookstore, where the novel begins.

After failing to get any nibblers from publishers, he put that manuscript aside and started work on “The Operator” – which continues to sell well. Then he turned back to “Not on My Watch” and had a harrowing discovery: “It wasn’t very well written. It was my first attempt and it showed.”

Gershkowitz applied the lessons he learned in editing and writing “The Operator” and now believes “Watch” is even better than it.

It’s also been thoroughly researched and Gershkowitz said he made sure that even the streets, buildings and other landmarks in his book exist and were accurately spelled and portrayed.

Still, Gershkowitz is busy on his third novel, about assisted suicide, that also was inspired by something he had read.

“I have two other manuscripts in the works, ‘License to Steal’ and ‘The Painter,’” he said. “The characters are all different, as are the plotlines and underlying issues.”

 His hope is to have all three novels completed in the next 18 months.

Though he has been in the financial planning business for three decades, Gershkowitz said, “Writing is what I hope to be my next career.”

 after the vaccines arrived on scene, that it was “There was such uncertainty everywhere, even difficult to concentrate on writing.”

 “I’ve always journaled,” he said. “I’ve always written poetry. I always wanted to be a writer, but I knew I had to earn a living. My son works with me. He’s also my best friend. He and I talk about making sure there was consistency from page one through the final lines required constantly re-reading and adjusting things,” he said.

As for the subject itself, besides reading, he also relied on a retired Arizona State University professor, Sharon Lohr, who has published several books on crime data and studied Medicare fraud.

Yet, anyone who might think the pandemic and its shutdowns and workat-home orders comprised a boon to Gershkowitz’s muse would be mistaken.

Indeed, he’s found the pandemic a huge distraction.

 “There was such uncertainty everywhere, even after the vaccines arrived on scene, that it was difficult to concentrate on writing,” he said, admitting it was “ironic that I had more free time during the shut-down, yet the motivation to write seemed to evade me.

He said his son, Robert Gershkowitz, a financial planner, recommended writing classes. The determined Howard has taken classes at community colleges and Arizona State University’s Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing, as well as in workshops around the country.

“People told me I have a natural talent for it,” he said. “Coming up with ideas for stories and poetry and even novels isn’t a problem. You need to be able to work on characterization and the plot.”

Gershkowitz is planning a couple book signings – 6:30 p.m. Nov. 2 at Tempe Library, 11 a.m. Nov. 6 at Desert Foothills Library and Nov 13, I will be in Prescott at the Elks Lodge for the PAAHC Thumb Butte Book Festival. “The Operator” has five-star ratings on Amazon.com and on Goodreads.com.

Both “Not on My Watch” and “The Operator” are available at Amazon.com.

Filed Under: Book

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