The Girls from 'On Tuesdays, They Played Mah Jongg' Are Back in 'Michael's Secrets' by Milton Stern

    WASHINGTON, DC, March 03, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Riding on the heels of the hilarious, yet disturbing, ON TUESDAYS, THEY PLAYED MAH JONGG, STARbooks Press releases MICHAEL'S SECRETS by Milton Stern, bringing back those menopausal, Jewish women who proved popular with book clubs from New Jersey to Texas to Las Vegas.

Set twenty years later, Rona Sapperstein and Doreen Weiner, the surviving players from Hanna Bern's Tuesday night Mah Jongg game are now living together, while Hanna's son, Michael Bern, the highly successful television comedy writer, begins three new chapters in his life.

"After finally brining my screenplay, 'The Girls' to life in 2006 as 'On Tuesdays They Played Mah Jongg,' I never considered a sequel," Milton Stern says. "After all, it was a 19-year process to finally get it published. But, a year later, I decided to continue the story."

Stern tells us that he actually stopped publication of the sequel because he felt that although funny, it was even darker than his usual writing. "However, this last spring, a book club in Las Vegas picked up 'Mah Jongg,' and I was asked by my publisher to dust off the sequel, so I spent the summer rewriting it - twice!" he continues, yet he can't help but amuse, shock and sadden his readers at the same time. "It is how I write, and it reflects a lot of how my childhood was - funny, sad and shocking. I read 'Mommie Dearest' and said, 'So, what?'"

While incorporating flashbacks to continue his main character's story, in MICHAEL'S SECRETS, there are no more therapy sessions. "Michael Bern finds himself in two emotionally draining relationships that bring up issues from his past that many will be able to identify with," Stern says. "And, the girls are back, especially Rona and Doreen, who are funnier than ever."

In closing, he tells us that he thinks Michael's actions "may hit too close to home" for some readers who have been on both sides of his two screwed up relationships. "But, they always say art imitates life ... if I can be so bold to call what I do art," Stern says with a smile.

REVIEWS:

MICHAEL'S SECRETS is a wonderful book of self-discovery, taking us along with Michael on his journey to understanding himself, and the choices (usually bad ones) that he makes, particularly in his love life. We see more of the fabulous women from Stern's first book, as Stern whips back the covers and exposes the flaws and secrets kept hidden from Michael and us until now. ... From page one, we are drawn into Michael's life, rooting for him to finally make the right decisions, holding his hand as he finds out the truth about himself and his family, and aching for him to find happiness. All the lovely -- and often hysterical -- details and characters we grew to love in ON TUESDAYS, THEY PLAYED MAH JONGG are present here in MICHAEL'S SECRETS. I highly recommend this well-written, often funny, sometimes sad, and always entertaining book.

- Kiernan Kelly

MICHAEL'S SECRETS by Milton Stern is a beautifully written story with well-drawn, vivid characters. The protagonist, Michael Bern, is a delightfully sympathetic character. ... I enjoyed journeying with him into his world of romantic heartaches and self-discovery, always facing whatever darkness his life presented with humor and the desire to retain his personal integrity and goodness no matter how much he's been mistreated. The fact that Michael also stands firm and faces deep pains from his childhood and teenage years at the hands of his truly awful mother and her husbands only adds to his likeability. The supporting cast of characters, too, is wonderfully drawn, especially of course, the elderly Jewish women who'd cared for Michael since he was born. Their humor was so hysterical I was laughing out loud and there is one line in particular that is one of the funniest lines I've ever read in a book. (You'll have to read it to find out which one I mean.) . ... I would recommend MICHAEL'S SECRETS to anyone who enjoys a read filled with humor and the journey of a person who cares about people and who wants a better life for himself and those he loves.

- Sedonia Guillone

FROM THE BACK COVER:

The Girls from ON TUESDAYS, THEY PLAYED MAH JONGG are back in MICHAEL'S SECRETS by MILTON STERN.

Just when things are looking up for Hollywood television and screen writer, Michael Bern, his TV show is cancelled, his best friend dies face first into her birthday cake, and his dog decides to take an eternal nap in her favorite chair. To escape the unending drama of Tinsel Town, he accepts an offer to move to Washington, DC, and co-write a screenplay with his friend, Sharon. But, anyone who knows Michael knows that drama just follows him everywhere, and it is usually of his own making.

He meets and falls in love with Steve, a narcissistic "leather queen in a sash," as his friend Mark calls him. The sex is hot, but it is followed by the emotional game of push-pull. Just when Michael extricates himself from this relationship, he finds out the darkest secret from his childhood, and emotionally raw, he allows himself to be pulled back into Steve's world only to fall harder than ever. But, there is someone else - Sam, a nice Jewish actor, who would be perfect for Michael, yet it's the oldest story in the book. He liked a man he never loved and loved a man he never liked.

At least Rona and Doreen, the surviving girls from his mother's Tuesday night Mah Jongg game, are there to add much needed humor to Michael's oh-so-dramatic life in DC. Now living together, Rona and Doreen reveal secrets from Michael's past that explain his attraction to men who use him then discard him.

If it all sounds dreary and depressing, it isn't because Milton Stern's wit and style entertain us once more as he finds humor in everything, and in MICHAEL'S SECRETS, he does not fail to deliver.

MICHAEL'S SECRETS by MILTON STERN
This book is intended for all audiences.
$16.95 U.S.
245 Pages
ISBN-10: 1-934187-46-1
ISBN-13: 978-1-934187-46-3

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Milton Stern resides in Washington, D.C., with his toy parti-poodle, Serena Rose Elizabeth Montgomery, where he works as a writer and editor and volunteers for a gay antique car club and an animal rescue association. He is the author of four books, including "Harriet Lane, America's First Lady" and "On Tuesdays, They Played Mah Jongg," along with numerous short stories.

PRESS CONTACTS

Eric Summers
Senior Editor
STARbooks Press
[email protected]
202-536-5638

STARbooks Press
PO Box 711612
Herndon, VA 20171
[email protected]

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