Tucson resident Sula Miller will discuss her recent book “Welcome to … The Widows Club” (CreateSpace Independent Publishing, 2017) at two local venues next week. Tucson is the last stop on Miller’s seven-state book tour that began in Florida. The novel was inspired by her mother-in-law, Bernyce, who became widowed after 55 years of marriage, and her many friends who shared true accounts of widowhood.
“This is not a memoir or a self-help book,” says Miller, who offers a rare look behind the gates of a vibrant South Florida Jewish senior community, where there’s a whole new set of rules for widows, especially when it comes to dating, sex, and love.
When asked how to best help grieving parents, Miller says “simply spend time with them and do things you can all enjoy together. Sometimes even taking them out of their comfort zone as we did with my mother-in-law and the protagonist in the book — we took a swim in the ocean, something she hadn’t done in over 20 years. We also taught her how to use a computer, which she put to good use on JDate.”
Miller is a writer, fine art photographer, and documentary filmmaker. Her first book, “Memory Hit,” is a romantic science fiction novella. She has exhibited her images in galleries across the country, and her documentary work has aired on the Sundance Channel and PBS stations nationwide. She and her husband, Steve Waxman, moved to Tucson in late 2019. They worked together on the documentary “A Call to Serve: South Florida Jews in the U.S. Military,” commissioned by a South Florida PBS affiliate, and are currently working on a new documentary, “Vote Here,” slated for release next summer.
Miller’s Tucson events are Dec. 12, 2 p.m. at Dusenberry-River Library, 5605 E. River Road, and Dec. 14, 11 a.m., at Bookmans Northwest, 3733 W. Ina Road, in association with the Tucson Jewish Community Center. She will read excerpts from “Welcome To … The Widows Club” and hold a discussion for those who have questions or wish to share their experiences of widowhood. Copies of the book and “Memory Hit” will be available for sale and signing.
