How far will a mother go to save her child? What options are left when all the doors are closed? These two questions are at the core of Talia Carner's first novel, PUPPET CHILD, a family legal drama set on Long Island. Few, if any, novels in recent years have dealt with the very real problem of the treacherous morass our legal system has become for children caught up in the nightmare of sexual abuse. PUPPET CHILD is a story that unfolds against a backdrop of the theatrics of New York Family Court, a system fueled by the political machine which must placate an ever changing public opinion and the media pressure that often surrounds such cases.

Prior to its publication, PUPPET CHILD has been praised as "relevant and enlightening," "taut and suspenseful," "moving," "gripping," "a gut wrenching story" that "will leave you breathless" [see attached quote sheet for complete quotes and attributions].

PUPPET CHILD [259 pages] is being released on November 15, 2002 in simultaneous hardcover [$23.95; ISBN 1-58961-018-0] and paperback [$13.95; ISBN 1-930252-98-6] editions. Both editions contain a Reading Group Guide.

Ms. Carner's research for PUPPET CHILD included many days attending Family Court in New York, where she was allowed access to closed hearings and court files. She also set up an 800 number called by dozens of mothers who told her their heartbreaking stories of callous injustice, judicial incompetence, and life-shattering loss. As a result of the information she had gathered, Carner has taken on a new role -- that of an activist, speaking and writing on behalf of children wronged by the justice system.

"Through fiction, I want to engage readers in a national dialogue about the ways our society victimizes children through judicial callousness and bias," Carner says. "But mostly, I enjoy weaving a good, engaging tale, involving emotions the reader can relate to."

PUPPET CHILD is the story of Rachel Belmore, a 34-year-old advertising executive and mother who has everything, who wakes up one night to a vision of hell -- her husband sexually molesting their young daughter, Ellie. Fleeing their Fifth Avenue penthouse and a life of luxury, Rachel begins a prolonged decent into a world she could not previously even imagine. In Family Court Rachel must face a judge who believes that he applies the law without prejudice, but in fact is trapped by his own biases, the needs of a reelection campaign, and the winds of a growing media storm. Also aligned against her, her estranged husband, the handsome, glamorous, and politically connected, Dr. Wes Belmore [dubbed "surgeon to the stars" by People magazine] and his high powered lawyer who convincingly portrays Rachel as an unstable and delusional kidnapper. Thrown into the center of a media frenzy, her career in jeopardy, her close relationships in chaos, her finances almost gone, and just one court hearing away from having to turn over her 5-year-old daughter to the permanent custody of a pedophile, Rachel takes matters into her own hands. She begins a journey that will take her from the horrors of a women's prison to the discovery of a true love, through family betrayals and family heroism to a final illuminating spiritual rebirth and the salvation of her "puppet child."

About the Author: Talia Carner was the publisher of Savvy Woman magazine and the founder of Business Women Marketing Corporation, a firm servicing Fortune 500 companies targeting women consumers. A former adjunct professor at Long Island University, she has also been a counselor and lecturer for the Small Business Administration, a member of United States Information Agency missions to Russia, and a participant at the 1995 International Women's Conference in Beijing. Ms. Carner's personal essays and short stories have appeared in The New York Times, Chocolate For A Woman's Soul [Simon & Schuster], Cup of Comfort [Adams Media], Lilith, and in literary magazines, including Lynx Eye, Moxie, confrontation, Rosebud and The Best Jewish Writing 2003. Talia Carner and her husband Ron, have four grown children. The couple lives in Bridgehampton, Long Island.