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Showing posts with label author. Show all posts
Showing posts with label author. Show all posts
Friday, January 31, 2025
Saturday, September 7, 2024
Talia's Most Recent Newsletters
If you have missed, or want to catch up on prior updates, here are the links to my most recent newsletters. (To view previous one, please scroll down the blog):
October 2024: https://secure.campaigner.com/csb/Public/show/6dns-2v21sw--1877pc-hh6iff7
September: https://secure.campaigner.com/csb/Public/show/6dns-2upd06--17v22w-j3mj1xs2
August: https://secure.campaigner.com/csb/Public/show/6dns-2udgml--17lixf-gd55yr6
July: https://secure.campaigner.com/csb/Public/show/6dns-2udgml--17lixf-gd55yr6
June: https://secure.campaigner.com/csb/Public/show/6dns-2tlegk--172n2p-gd55yr1
April: https://secure.campaigner.com/csb/Public/show/6dns-2t37z0--16ks1y-gd55yr7
March: https://secure.campaigner.com/csb/Public/show/6dns-2su6rc--16dmjt-gd55yr3
Feb: https://secure.campaigner.com/csb/Public/show/6dns-2sgr2g--160o2w-gd55yr6
For prior listing, please check: https://taltellstales.blogspot.com/2023/12/
Thanks for your interest!
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Spring is here!
I once heard Chuck Adams, a Simon & Schuster veteran editor, say about a good book: “It’s like in sex. If you are a good lover, you have a good time, but your partner has a better time.” As you can see in my photo, I am having a great time….Spring has sprung, and with it a sense of renewal as my most recent novel, HOTEL MOSCOW, continues to make waves. The novel has received two great awards, the first, from USA Book News in the multicultural category. The second, The Book Excellence Award in the THRILLER category now has this digital seal!
No wonder! The “thriller” part is what’s happening in Russia; it’s in the news often, and readers’ minds are stimulated when learning from HOTEL MOSCOW how the culture is still seeped in the Soviet mentality that makes the 25-year transition from communism so painful….
In the meantime, as I continue my public speaking, I’ve been greatly helped by my Toastmasters’ clubs, where I keep receiving these precious ribbons. Most importantly, Toastmasters has given me a community wherever I go. (Anyone who is in the public eye or needs to speak on the job should visit the local Toastmasters club to get the feel.)
Just as my book tour was supposed to end, new invitations have been coming my way. I’m finding myself re-energized by the great audiences. We are adding events, so please check my website for new ones that are in the process of being finalized in NY, NJ, AZ and FL!Here, having fun with NYT bestselling author, Barbara Shapiro ("The Muralist," "The Art Forger") with whom I shared the stage in the Polo Club, Boca Raton (FL). In this photo we are comparing our opposing footwear....
Just as HOTEL MOSCOW is often being selected by book clubs, my previous novels are going strong too, leading by JERUSALEM MAIDEN. I Skype with groups often, so if you know of a book club among your friends, please suggest that they contact me at AuthorTalia@aol.com to schedule my participation. Needless to say, it adds a whole new dimension to have the author available to add to the discussion.After hours of pleasure authors give you, you can do something for them—and I take the liberty of speaking on behalf of all of us who toil at the craft: Post reviews. Sometimes just a couple of lines would do.
Not surprisingly, authors whose readers are younger tend to get more digital reviews than authors whose readers are less engaged with internet sites and activities. I urge you to “act young” and post reviews for books you’ve enjoyed. (Here are my links for HOTEL MOSCOW on Amazon and GoodReads.)There is no greater pleasure for an author than to share her work with appreciative audience. Thank you for taking this journey with me!
Thank you for your great support—and have a great Spring!
Talia
www.TaliaCarner.com
Monday, June 13, 2016
Book tour: What's next?
A frequent question I and other authors are asked is, “What
are you working on now?”
I’ve been pondering why do I get this question more often
than one asking me to give an overview of my previous novels? Why are readers
more interested in yet-unwritten books when there are so many out there crying
to be read?
The answer may lie with interest in the creative process.
How does an author sit down and pours out a 400-page novel, or 110,000 words that
are meaningful, entertaining, and leave a mark—even if that mark is as
transient as an ebb created by a stone thrown into a pond.
That is why, at my event at the East Meadow Jewish Center
(Long Island, NY,) rather than focus on the [fascinating] historical, political
and cultural aspects of Russia and its people during a painful transition time--the
focus of HOTEL MOSCOW--I spoke about, “Take A Skeleton Out Of The Closet—And
Dance With It.”
That speech, covering the breadth of my four published
novels, allowed me to share with the audience the way a social issue grabs me
and doesn’t let go. The subject may ferment in the hinterland of my
consciousness for years, with bits and pieces of exposure or insights feeding
it. Finally, the subject ignites a fire in my belly and demands that I explore
it in depth. I am almost feverish, distracted from my immediate world, as I crawl
under the skin of the protagonist as she learns the tragic realities. Like in a
dream, I see the sights, hear the sounds, smell the aromas, and feel the
emotions. Inevitably, what interests me is the story of the human spirit as it rises
over the forces that shape our lives. That is also when you, the reader, encounter
a memorable protagonist that stays with you and gives you what I call “a good
reading experience.”
In the process of writing, suspense is the key. I take a
page from author Stephen King who fine-tuned this art form into every sentence
and every paragraph. But there is also the larger suspenseful arc of the entire
story. I call it “get the cat on the electric pole, then get the cat off the electric
pole.”
Until I am ready to speak about my novel-in-progress (yes,
there is one,) please turn to any of my
The book tour for
HOTEL MOSCOW continues!
My appearances for HOTEL MOSCOW have been so successful,
with captivated audiences raving about the thought-provoking talks, that invitations
are spilling into a second year. In the second half of 2016 and early 2017 I’ll
be covering mostly Florida and the Northeast,
including Newport , RI
And if your community has a fund-raiser or a meeting that can
benefit from a keynote speaker that engages
and inspires, please contact me or my events coordinator.
Q: How does an author
know that she’s “made it?”
A: When she is asked to endorse a novel in the form of a
blurb to appear on its cover.
Just as I have received endorsements over the years from top
bestselling novelists, it is my duty and
pleasure to give forward by helping
other authors on their way up. I will be forever grateful to Tess Gerritsen,
Jacquelyn Mitchard, Nelson DeMille, Tami Hoag, Andrew Gross and more than a
dozen other successful authors who put aside their precious writing time to
read my manuscripts. By lending their names to my novels they have sent messages
to readers that the new book was “a must-read.”
To such requests recently got my attention—and my full
endorsements. One is a translated novel by an Israeli author, Sarit
Yishai-Levi, “The Beauty Queen of
Jerusalem,” which I found fascinating. It was released last month with my
blurb on the back. (The other will be released in September, so I’m withholding
my announcement until it is available.)
“Discovering” a new
world through HOTEL MOSCOW:
“I loved the book. I learned so much, and I tell everyone
about it.”
Often, a reader who “discovers” a good book can’t wait to
share that experience with friends. Word-of-mouth indeed is the best way for a
book to get traction. That is why, in today’s fragmented marketplace, bloggers
with only a few hundred followers each create a tapestry of devoted readers
that collectively often surpass the effect of a review in a major newspaper
reaching hundreds of thousands. It is the personal testimonial of a reader that
carries trust with other readers.
Therefore, may I ask that you share your reading experience
of HOTEL MOSCOW with the world by posting a review on Amazon or GoodReads? (Even a line or two would
suffice--unless, of course, you want to articulate more.)
Book groups’
reactions to HOTEL MOSCOW:
* “It was fascinating to grasp the nightmare of waking up
one day to a world where all laws have
* “We’ve had the best meeting! The terrifying portrait of a
nation in transition from Communism came to life.”
* “HOTEL MOSCOW taught us all lessons about humanity, about
what we, as people, are capable of.”
Has your group select HOTEL MOSCOW for discussion? Please
contact me, and I will join your meeting via phone or Skype.
My Personal Corner:
Happy post-Mother’s Day to the mothers and grandmothers
among you. My birthday happens to coincide with Mother’s Day, giving me a
double blessing (but some years half the celebration.) Here I am, with the
mothers and grandmothers of my immediate family with our children and
grandchildren--after we excluded the men from the photo.
Thank you all for your great support!
P.S. If you haven't read HOTEL MOSCOW yet, here are links for both the trade
paperback--about $12--or the digital format for under $10.
Or, you may read for free the first chapter of
HOTEL MOSCOW on my website or download a free sample digitally.
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
HOTEL MOSCOW --The Adventure Continues
Fun literary events:
 |
| Alec Baldwin and his wife Hilaria |
The
summer’s most star-studded literary event in the USA must be the East Hampton (NY) Authors’Night. Once
again I was honored to be selected among the 100 invited authors to autograph
my books. The reception—catered by the best wines and food offerings of the
east end of Long Island—was swarmed by a couple of thousands visitors
circulating among the celebrity authors and visitors.
 |
| Nelson DeMille, who's become a friend |
Nelson
DeMille, bestselling suspense author, was also honored at a private dinner
following the reception, sharing the honor with Dick Cavett. To my surprise and
delight, when DeMille rose to speak, he introduced me and talked about HOTEL
MOSCOW! (His prior written endorsement is posted on the front cover of the book.)
Book groups are
selecting HOTEL MOSCOW
 |
| Recording a video for Sutter Home book club |
Is it the end of August already?
When it came out of the gate, HOTEL MOSCOW was recommended by Reading GroupChoices directory (print and digital) as a book club discussion choice.
Indeed, the first group to Skype
with me will so this week. Quite a few others have informed me that they are
gearing up for a lively, thought-provoking discussion because the novel’s
themes are so varied. (Many book groups simply do not realize that I am
available for a phone or Skype participation, so please pass the word.)
A reminder: What is
HOTEL MOSCOW about?
Set in Moscow in 1993 during the uprising of the
Russian parliament against Yeltsin, the novel is both the story of the valiant
Russians going through transition after the fall of Communism and the personal
journey of a visiting American woman who teaches the sorely needed business to
women. She becomes embroiled in investigating the mafia that controls their
ventures, but soon must come to terms with her parents' legacy and her own
personal secret that might compromise her future.
HOTEL
MOSCOW is an eye-opening portrait of post-communist Russia and a profound exploration
of faith, friendship, and heritage.
Soviet life—before
and after communism:
How much has Russia
A diversion from book
tour:
I must share with you my experience
of taking time off from writing and public speaking to fly to Berlin to attend the historical event of the
European Maccabi Games. This was the largest gathering of Jews in that city
since Hitler’s days, and the show of Jewish power and pride took on a
special dimension at the opening ceremony in the arena adjacent to the stadium
where he had once banned Jews from participating. You may read more about the
event here.
A complaint lodged to
Amazon:
Rather than be redundant by posting another rave review of HOTEL
MOSCOW, I'd like to share with you a fun "complaint":
"Dear
Amazon.com;
I'm writing to complain about Talia Carner's last book.
My husband is riveted to Hotel Moscow, and I cannot get him to come and play with me. In truth I did the same thing to him last month when he could hardly get me out of the bed in the morning because I had read the book half the night.
This is almost never happened with the same book between us. But at least I don't have to cook, wash, or comb my hair until he finishes.
--- Page-turner widow"
What’s next?
I hope you will all become “page-turner widows and
widowers.” If you haven’t yet done so, please get your copy of the book in
paperback or digital format by clicking here.
Thank you again, for making the launch of HOTEL MOSCOW a
success. Please come and hear me in any of my dozens of speaking events coming
up in NY, CT, NJ, MA, PA, FL and MI.
P.S. If you have missed my previous monthly newsletter (and
the interesting photos,) please check them out on my blog, Talia Tells Tales.
P.P.S. If you’ve read HOTEL MOSCOW, may I ask that you post
a comment on Amazon (and/or GoodReads) in the form of a review?
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