Leslie and I agreed from the outset that we were writing Jewish Luck for the love of writing and out of admiration for the stories of Vera and Alisa. Despite our high minded objectives, we still encourage readers to buy copies and spread the word. It wouldn’t hurt to cover our expenses!
Speaking only for myself, I also wrote the book because I thought I’d enjoy working together with my sister on a project. I did, and I also loved the process of writing and researching, especially talking weekly with Vera and Alisa. The research trip to St. Petersburg and Stockholm was a bonus. Aside from learning about the lives and struggles of Vera and Alisa, I have learned about the struggles of writers to publish and market their books and have felt warmed by the collegiality and generous spirits of other authors I have met along the way.
What has surprised...
Perhaps because she is close to her “relative,” the Queen, or perhaps because she is even further from St. Petersburg.
The real reason is that she was hired by a very progressive telecommunications company, Millicom, where the Swedish concept of lagom (the average is good enough) does not rule. She has global responsibility for procurement of services and will be working out of three hubs. Her main base is London and she will also be visiting Luxembourg and Miami (where we hope to celebrate with her and Vera).
Vera and Alexei have been busy on their “pirate island” procuring a new boat more suited to their recreational purposes. They has also attained citizenship in the Caribbean and their son, Lev, is now going on his second year as a US citizen. Mention was made in a previous blog of Vera’s Hollywood connection to RD’s movie, The Kitchen Boy. Vera says... 
No, not our book, but The Kitchen Boy by Robert Alexander aka RD Zimmerman! For those of you who have not read our nonfiction book, Jewish Luck, our story would not be complete without RD Zimmerman or Lars Peterssen who can be credited with creating some of the real luck that benefitted Vera. The film of The Kitchen Boy is directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky of The Counterfeiters fame and will star Kristin Scott Thomas. Looks like an Oscar possibility based on screenwriters, cast and director. Check this slow link for the full story. Who knew we would ever be linking to the Hollywood Reporter? Karma is complete for RD, as Vera and Alexei have invested in the project. Our best wishes to RD.
Speaking of best wishes, RD and Lars are approaching the first anniversary of their marriage after 34 years of partnership. Their marriage was a special story as it occurred on the... 
Nadezhda Simonovna has long deserved her own column. Of all the people with whom I reunited in Russia after thirty-four years, she was the one I would have recognized anywhere. Nadezhda Simonovna is the mother of my friend Volodya. After a thirty plus year hiatus in communication, I had contacted Volodya about two weeks before our 2011 arrival in St. Petersburg to ask if he wanted to meet for coffee with Meryll and me. Russians don’t seem to meet for coffee. If I base all my observations on Volodya, they also want to meet you at the airport, drive you to historic places through god-awful traffic and take you home to a multi-course feast afterwards before asking when they can see you next.
Coffee? Hardly. Volodya asked for our travel details and called the moment we arrived in St. Petersburg to plan our meeting. The first destination would be to... 
