They knew they were close to exposing the murderer, but someone was holding all the jokers.

In June of 1956, Lily and her sister-in-law Syd are looking forward to another blissful summer with their families at the Bungalow Colony in the Catskill Mountains. But their hopes for a tranquil vacation are shattered when Lily accidentally stumbles on secret information, and a dead body is discovered in an abandoned bathtub. As the body count rises, Lily, Syd, and their Mahjongg partners Ruthie and Mary, uncover a sinister web of blackmail and intrigue with roots in the lingering dark shadows of World War II.

Careful not to expose the secret, or further endanger the innocent blackmail victims, the “Mahjongg Ladies” sift through a surprising number of people who could be guilty. All the while they continue doing their daily chores, attending the children’s day camp events, creating the Saturday night extravaganzas, and most especially not missing even one of their daily Mahjongg games.

Drawing on the ten summers she and her family spent at a bungalow colony in the Catskill Mountains, Ms. Bernfield has crafted a charming memoir/mystery. In 1950s America, Jewish families were still excluded from many summer resorts; to avoid the heat they escaped in droves to a vibrant community in the beautiful Catskill Mountains. In towns like Monticello and Ellenville, alongside flashy hotels like The Concord, Grossinger’s, and Kutcher’s, dozens of cozy Kuchalayn (Bungalow colonies) had sprung up to welcome them. It is in one of these that the shocking events in Mahjongg and Murder take place.

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4-18-22 In the second half of my interview with Frank Galati, Frank continues to describe the serendipity of his extraordinary career, and talk about the creation, with Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, of the brand new musical Knoxville, based on the on the Pulitzer Prize winning book A Death in the Family by James Agee and Pulitzer Prize winning play All the Way Home by Tad Mosel which will have its premier at the Asolo on Saturday 4-23-22.

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 4-15-22 Interview with Actor, Director, Teacher Tony Award winning Playwright Frank Galati. I began my interview with the indefinable Frank Galati while he was directing a production of 1776 for the Asolo Theater. He was summarily whisked away for rehearsal so we never got to talk about 1776. In this half our conversation Frank talks about his early life. 

2-19-22Interview

2-19-22 Scholar, Business Woman, Feminist, Author, Screenwriter Jane Plitt has been a champion advocate for small business, women, and social justice. She was chosen by SAVVY magazine as one of fourteen outstanding women in New York State and by the U.S. Small Business Administration as a Small Business Advocate. Her current passion is bringing to light the true story of how Martha Matilda Harper, a servant girl from the time she was seven years old, became a successful entrepreneur and created modern franchising in 1891 with her Harper Method, a healthy hair and skincare salons. Having written three books on the subject, Jane has now created a delightful and inspiring video about Marvelous Martha, which will be shown on February 23 from 4:00-6:00, at the Manatee Performing Arts Center 502 3rd Ave W, Bradenton, FL 34205 (941) 748-5875, tickets at $8,00- $12.00. And can be seen at Through Women’s Eyes film festival and available remotely  March 10-14 any time!  click. https://twe2022.eventive.org/films/.

Listen to this charming, self-deprecating woman describe her six year journey to finally bring Martha Harper the credit she deserves and was denied – and highlight the possibilities for woman and girls which they too have been denied.

-31-22 Actor, Director, Playwright, Administrator, and Educator. Lee Gundersheimer has done it all. Actor in 75 shows in New York and more all over the country. Director of over 80 plays, from Shakespeare to Annie. Playwright of 7 full length plays and 4 one acts including “Incommunicado,” nominated for four Audelco Awards, and opened the new Federal Theater Season off Broadway and Pas De Deux which won Best play in the New Play Festival on Theater Row. Administrator – he built and ran two theaters in New York; a Rep Company an off Broadway theater, was the Managing Director of a professional Shakespeare Festival and Arts and Culture Coordinator for the city of Winona, MN. Educator he taught at 7 University’s. Listen to this passionate man describe a lifelong commitment to every aspect of Theater.   

1-25=21 Carrie Seidman Passionate, talented and courageous Carrie Seidman is a dancer, a journalist, a cancer survivor, and parent of child with mental health issues. She discovered her passion for dance at three years old while watching her older sisters do what she was “too young “to do. Although assured that she could not begin to study until she was five Carrie managed to bully her teacher into letting her begin at “almost five.” And that tenacity is the hallmark of her life. Soft spoken and basically shy Carrie has a will of iron. She has survived everything life has thrown at her and emerged victorious. A graduate of Columbia University’s School of Journalism, Carrie has been a journalist for 40 years: a full time staff writer for the New York Times, Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, Albuquerque Journal and Albuquerque Tribune. For the last 10 years she wrote and incredibly popular column for the Sarasota Herald Tribune. Now, she’s created a new venue for her writing. She says “ Well, thanks to popular demand, I’ve caved and set up a newsletter on Substack.com to serve as a new platform for my writing and musings on Sarasota, community, family, creativity and connection. Please consider checking it out at https://carrieseidman.substack.com/welcome and I’d be grateful if you’d spread the word. I have missed you my readers!!

5-11-20 Interview
The Anatomy of an Artist Series with Lynne Bernfield

Lynne Bernfield sings a song from her CD and explains why she wrote it

I was studying Hypnosis with Stephen Gilligan, who’d been a student of Milton Erickson, the father of clinical hypnosis. Something Stephen said caused me to write this song, I don’t know what it was, because I was in trance at the time. Click the link to listen to “You Really Can.”

4-20-20 Interview

4-15-20 Interview

4-9-20 Interview

1-6-20 Interview

7-15-19 Interview

Lynne Bernfield at Bookstore1’s Book Fair 8-10-19 at 2:00

And get to know all the Book Fair authors before the event at
Teas Days 6517 Superior Avenue 6:00-7:00 on Thursday Aug 8th

Click link below for information and free registration
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mingle-with-authors-in-sarasota-tickets-65795412851

7-22-19 Interview

6-3-19 Interview

6-3-19 Part 3 of my interview with Ballet Master Robert de Warren begins with a description of the frightening climax to his tour with Iran’s National Folklore Organization to celebrate America’s Bicentennial and his departure from Iran as that country descended into chaos. It goes on to describe his seven year tenure with La Scala in Milan which Rudolph Nureyev chose him to lead: a star studded period during which Robert choreographed and designed ballets for the world’s most prestigious dancers and for which Princess Margaret was the Ballet’s patron. It concludes with a description of the ironic way Robert began his 13 years leading the Sarasota Ballet Company.

4-28-19 Interview

4/29/19 On May 6 2019 “The New York Theatre Barn is honoring co-founder and board member Sheilah Rae with a Lifetime Achievement Award for her exceptional contributions to musical theatre as a writer, composer, lyricist and performer for over 50-years, and her outstanding service and vision for New York Theatre Barn for more than a decade”. Sheilah found her life path very young. During the performance of “South Pacific” 5 year old Sheilah told her mother that she was “going to do that.” Her parents arranged for her to study dance with the renowned Edna McRae. Since Ms McRae also required that her students know music, 6 year old Sheilah began piano lessons. She was soon studying dance, piano, music theory and violin at the Chicago Conservatory of Music. She got her first role on Broadway in “Fiddler on the Roof” right out of college and never stopped adding to her arsenal of talents and accomplishments. Listen to this multi-talented, effervescent woman talk about a career in which she has done everything. And hear a song from one of her musicals (“I Married Wyatt Earp,” now called The Belle of Tombstone) lyrics by Sheilah and music by Michele Brourman.

4-22-19 Interview

4/22/19 Kelly Dumar A poet, playwright, and engaging workshop leader, Kelly generates enlivening writing experiences for new and experienced writers. Her Aim for Astonishing photo-inspired process elicits profound personal awakenings, deepens connection with others, and fosters beautifully crafted writing in poetry and prose. Author of three poetry collections, Kelly is also author of Before You Forget— The Wisdom of Writing Diaries for Your Children. Kelly inspires readers of #NewThisDay – her daily photo-inspired blog – with her mindful reflections on a writing life. Each post

3-18-19 Interview

4/1/19 On Sunday April 14th at 2:00 at Bookstore1 (12 S Palm Ave, Sarasota, FL 34236) Lynne Bernfield will discuss concepts in her book When You Can You Will which explain what stops people from changing. She says “When you can’t do what you want to do there is always a good reason.” Come discover the reason you haven’t been able to do what you want to do. Listen to the introduction to the When You Can You Will audiobook and call Bookstore1 at 941-365-7900 for reservations.

10-15-18 Interview

Andrei Maleav-Babel is a Russian Immigrant. The son and grandson of writers and artists, Andrei wrote musicals and directed his parent’s friends in his plays, by the time he was 10 or 12. Luckily coming of age as Perestroika was occurring in Russia, Andrei was able to start his own theater as a very young man. Barely able to speak English, he met, courted and married an American sociology student and became a Professor of Acting at the prestigious FSU Conservatory for Actor Training, one of the top ten actor training companies in the United States. Listen to him tell his amazing story and talk about his direction of the Conservatory’s production of Ibsen’s’Ghosts opening on Jan 4th

10-22-18 Interview

10/22/18 George Schofield is an entrepreneur, consultant, author and public speaker, but that is not all. As a single parent he raised his small sons, and has zealously studied Sogetsu Ikebana, the ancient art of Japanese flower arranging. Listen to him describe his realization that he had spent his life learning those things knew he didn’t know, and now wanted to discover “what he didn’t know he didn’t know” Always attracted to the beautiful and elegant George joined The Sarasota Chapter of Ikebana International where he studies with Sensei, Patricia Bonarek. Typically he progressed quickly through the rankings, is now an accredited Sogetsu Ikebana Instructor (Sensei), and has achieved a Japanese name. On Thursday Nov 11th at 11:00 AM, as part of Bookstore1’s Bridge to Japan: A Celebration of Japanese Culture, George will perform a ceremony, creating a Sogetsu Ikebana flower arrangement for the store window. Listen to this atypical, thoughtful, interesting man talk about a life dedicated to pursuing personal growth as well as helping others achieve their best possible life. And come to Bookstore1 12 South Palm Ave, (365-7900) to see George demonstrate this ancient art 7900

9-1718 Interview –

9/17/18 Part 3 of my interview with Roger Steffins begins with his description of how he discovered Bob Marley and Reggae Music and how this discovery became a lifelong obsession. Today his collection of records, posters and other memorabilia, is the largest in the world. Hear about his frustrating campaign to establish an archive of this collection as the Museum of Reggae Music in Jamaica. Then he describes his years of doing a radio show on MPR, the creation of the Reggae/African Music newsletter which lasted 28 years and had as many as 60,000 subscribers, his relationships with film greats Waldo Salt, Bill Link and John Ritter which led to his career as an actor and narrator of film, audio books and documentaries.