Humorous Fiction/Romantic Comedy/Historical Fiction/Jewish Fiction
Date Published: July 9th, 2024
Publisher: Acorn Publishing
Abe Goldstein’s life is speeding downhill faster than a Coney Island roller coaster.
His Manhattan diamond company is on life support. Crime is so bad that muggers are mugging other muggers. And his overbearing mother has gone behind his back and posted his profile on a Jewish dating site. Now, Abe’s phone is blowing up with messages from women who want to marry him.
At the advice of his accountant, Abe flees to Honolulu and cuts a deal with an Okinawan family to buy their diamond ring business. The owner’s beautiful daughter Kiyoko stays on as a consultant, and Abe finds himself falling hard for her.
But there’s trouble in paradise. Abe’s meddlesome mother hires an unscrupulous matchmaker to break the pair up and find a nice Jewish girl for him instead. To make matters worse, a rival diamond firm connected to Japanese organized crime is bent on destroying Abe’s fledgling business, Shaloha Gems.
As Abe navigates the twists and turns of his unconventional island life, everything he values is in jeopardy. He may be willing to damage his relationship with his mother to preserve his romantic relationship. But will he crumble under the pressure if he loses his reputation and his budding diamond empire too? Or will a discovery that leads back to the darkest days of World War II open an unexpected door to a brighter future?
Interview with Terry Chodosh
Have you read anything that made you think differently about fiction? Joseph Wambaugh’s books
How do you select the names of your characters?
From family & friends names
Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?
Aspects of my cross cultural marriage (Jewish/Okinawan)
What was your hardest scene to write?
Love scenes and the emotional conclusion of my story
Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
I hope to write a sequel including some of the characters but morphing into international intrigue and criminal activity more consistent with my background as a USSS investigator.
What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you feel you achieved them?
I believe that I achieved my goals of writing a fast paced, humorous, compelling story with a historical background involving the liberation of Dachau concentration camp and the heroic 442nd regional combat team made up of Japanese-Americans as well as achieving an emotional and impactful conclusion to my story.
What inspired you to write Shaloha Gems?
The Secret of Harry Bright by Joseph Wambaugh
Can you tell us a little bit about the next books in Shaloha Maui & The misadventures of Guido Capezi or what you have planned for the future?
I would like to write a sequel to Shaloha Gems and a “fictional” novel about a wayward iconoclastic USSS agent.
Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in Shaloha Gems?
Abe Goldstein jewish NYC diamond dealer who desperately wants to escape NYC. Moishe Goldstein his father Dachau survivor and originator of Goldy’s diamonds on 47th St. NYC, Adam “Bombastic” Bushkin Abe’s accountant and best friend and humorous sidekick, Miriam Goldstein Abe’s overbearing mother desperate for him to marry a jewish woman and have a family and attempts to break up the relationship hiring an unscrupulous matchmaker, Kiyoko Arakaki the beautiful daughter of the owner of Aloha Gems (Chikara Arakaki) who stays on as a consultant to the new business “Shaloha Gems” (a combination of the words Shalom and Aloha)who Abe falls in love with and marries. Hatsuko Arakaki, Kiyoko’s mother who is not happy with the relationship and goes head to head with Miriam Goldstein. Kenji Ono a rival diamond dealer in Honolulu connected to the Yakuza in Japan. Gilad an Israeli living in Honolulu connected to the Israeli Shin Beth who assists Abe when his business is threatened.
What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
Inserting the historical fiction background which connects the both very different families at the conclusion.
About the Author
Born and raised in New Jersey, Terry Chodosh earned his MS in criminology from Florida State University. Terry began his twenty-eight-year career with the United States Secret Service (USSS) in NYC and fulfilled assignments in the San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Honolulu field offices as well as in the Gerald Ford protective detail.
While assigned to the Honolulu office, Terry traveled extensively in Asia, conducting complex financial crime investigations and providing executive protection for US government officials, including the president and vice president of the United States. After retirement, Terry wanted to tap into his humorous and creative side, which was often restrained throughout his career, so he began writing his novel Shaloha Gems.
Terry lives with his wife and son in Honolulu, Hawaii. He enjoys distance swimming in the ocean and outrigger canoe paddling, and he strives to stay one step ahead of skin cancer and tiger sharks.
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