San Carlos, CA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 05/01/2017 -- B. Bennett Press today released Odyssey of Chaos, a new novella by Alan Fleishman. This compelling piece of historical fiction tells the story of Jews caught in Nazi-occupied Athens, Greeks who tried to save them, and those who betrayed them.

NUMBED BY HORROR, INSPIRED BY FAMILY SURVIVAL

So many stories have been told of the Holocaust that we have become numb to the horror of it. So why write another one, author Alan Fleishman was asked. "Because for me, it's personal. I have cousins in Athens who were among the handful of Greek Jews who survived. Some of my cousins were hidden in a cellar by a shepherd, aided by their Christian friends. Other cousins were with the partisans fighting the Germans, and some perished in Auschwitz." In spite of all the Holocaust novels, non-fiction, movies, and documentaries, few know the story of the suffering in Greece. Nearly ninety percent of Greece's Jews perished, the highest percentage of Jews lost in any country.

Odyssey of Chaos opens with the Gestapo pounding on every door in Athens, seeking out the Jews. Theo Kantos, a dress shop owner, has a desperate choice to make if he is to save his family. Does he trust the most despicable man he knows to hide them? Or does he place his life and the lives of those he loves in the hands of a communist? And what does he do about his obstinate brother who always has to have the last word?

BONUS: SIX SHORT STORIES

Fleishman's latest work of fiction includes six contemporary short stories in addition to the title novella. In these stories, Fleishman explores new territory, both in style and in subject, to the benefit of his readers. All have one element in common: they are about singular unexpected events and choices which alter the course of our lives and form who we are: A little boy wants a new father. A truly ugly man encounters a charming younger woman. A veteran returns home from the war, a hero to everyone but himself. A woman finds a long-lost lover in a compromised condition. A man discovers there are times when too much money still isn't enough. A domineering mother works overtime to control her compliant son.

JEWISH-THEMED HISTORICAL FICTION

After many fruitful years as a businessman, Alan Fleishman started a new career as a novelist at a time most people are retiring. The writer was quite surprised by the success of his first novel, Goliath's Head. Even greater success came with his second and third, A Fine September Morning and Lara's Shadow. In these stories and Odyssey of Chaos, Fleishman chronicles the staggering Twentieth Century Jewish history, from persecution to tragedy to triumph. His intense novels are rooted in hard fact and driven through well-imagined characters.

Fleishman's promotional appearances are unlike typical authors' readings and book signings. To promote his books, he uses his marketing experience to deliver engaging multi-media presentations about the history that underpins each of his stories. He has delivered his presentations to enthusiastic audiences at public libraries, universities, synagogues, churches, book clubs, bookstores, and Jewish Community Centers from California and Arizona to Florida, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

Today Alan lives with his wife Ann and Siberian cat, Pasha, high on a hill overlooking San Francisco Bay.

Odyssey of Chaos is available for purchase at the following e-tailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple's iBooks, Lulu.com, Smashwords.com, Powell's, and many other e-tailers. It may also be purchased through nearly all retail bookstores. It is available in hardcover, softcover, Kindle, and most e-reader formats.

Visit http://www.alanfleishman.com to read an extensive excerpt and more about the author's Greek cousins Holocaust survival.

ODYSSEY OF CHAOS
Alan Fleishman
B. Bennett Press
Publication date: May 1, 2017

Hardcover: $29.99
ISBN: 978-1365713415
Page count: 220 pages

Soft cover: $14.99
ISBN: 978-1542785181
Page count: 251 pages

Kindle: $5.99
and other e-readers

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

San Carlos, CA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 02/16/2015 -- B. Bennett Press today released Lara's Shadow, a new novel by Alan Fleishman. This compelling piece of historical fiction tells the love story of a Jewish American Army officer and a German woman caught in post-Holocaust hate.

A ROOKIE NOVELIST AT AGE 71

Alan Fleishman published his first novel at the age of 71, his second at 73, and now his third - Lara's Shadow - at the tender young age of 75. After 43 fruitful years as a businessman, he started on this new career path at a time most people are retiring. When asked why, Fleishman said, tongue in cheek, "I just wasn't finished adding to my resume." The writer was quite surprised by the success of those first two novels, Goliath's Head and A Fine September Morning, so he kept on writing.

LARA'S SHADOW HITS CLOSE TO HOME

Like the main character in Lara's Shadow, Fleishman is a Jew who served in a tank battalion in Germany at the height of the Cold War. The military tensions with the Soviet Union, and the tensions between the American soldiers and their German hosts, provided grist for an intriguing novel. But his new novel is not autobiographical, Fleishman insists, though he drew heavily on his own experiences. "I never even knew anyone like Eli Schneider or Lara Kohler. I wish I had. They're very interesting characters."

At the start of the novel, Eli Schneider hates Germans as hard as anyone can hate, and for good reason. They made him a war orphan. Then he falls in love with one of them. Eli is a young lieutenant in the U.S. Army, a Jew expected to defend the perpetrators of the Holocaust. He initially pursues fraulein Lara Kohler just for sex, but it's her quirky personality and fascinating mind that ensnare him. They fall in love. But in a country filled with former Nazis, there are bound to be secrets. He uncovers one layer of Lara's secrets after another until he must ask how much he can be expected to forgive. And how much responsibility she must bear for others' sins?

NOT YOUR TYPICAL AUTHOR'S PRESENTATION

Fleishman's promotional appearances are unlike typical authors' readings and book signings. His novels are historical fiction rooted in hard fact and well-imagined characters. To promote his books, he therefore uses his marketing experience to deliver multi-media presentations about the history that underpins each of his novels. He has delivered his presentations at public libraries, universities, synagogues, Jewish Community Centers, book clubs, churches, and book stores, from California and Arizona to Florida, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

In a more serious vein, the author insists he has too many ideas for more stories to stop now. "Writing keeps my mind and body active. It also brings me enormous satisfaction when I give a presentation and see how people react, or receive a piece of fan mail, or get a good review on Amazon. Every reader brings a little bit of his or her own unique person to a book, and sees the books I write through their own eyes and experience, not mine. I'm still developing as a writer of fiction, but I think I might be getting better at it."

About Alan Fleishman
Today Alan lives with his wife Ann and Siberian cat, Pasha, high on a hill in San Carlos, California overlooking San Francisco Bay.

Lara's Shadow is available for purchase at the following e-tailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books Inc., Apple's iBooks, Lulu.com, Smashwords.com, and many other e-tailers. It may also be purchased through nearly all retail book stores. It is available in hardcover, soft cover, Kindle, and most e-reader formats.

Visit http://www.alanfleishman.com to read an extensive excerpt and other facets.

Lara's Shadow
Alan Fleishman
B. Bennett Press
Publication date: February 16, 2015

Hardcover: $31.99
ISBN: 978-1-312-83627-3
Page count: 261 pages

Soft cover: $14.99
ISBN: 978-1505906509
Page count: 261 pages

Kindle: $7.99
and other e-readers

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm