Some fun book tour highlights of 2015:

Starting 2016 with a bang!

       For my first of many keynote speaking events scheduled for the coming months, at Hadassah Cascades in Florida, I’ve had the pleasant task of pre-autographing all the 190 copies of my novel, HOTEL MOSCOW! It was included in the price of the brunch, and as always, my talk was not about the book itself but rather about issues relating to its background. (Organizers can choose from 4 suggested topics.)

Please check the list of many events coming up in Florida, Arizona, New York and New Jersey, and hopefully you’ll join me.(If you read the testimonials you'll see why my presentations are not to be missed.)

Some fun highlights of 2015:

         In my December newsletter I promised to highlight some of the many memorable/ unusual activities surrounding my book launch of HOTEL MOSCOW. It's hard to pick just a few from the series of events starting with the celebrity-studded book launch party at the Manhattan's famous Friars Club to the exhilarating luncheons and dinners where I connected with appreciative readers. I love the TV and radio interviews, which I invite you to watch/listen. But here is a look at "behind-the-scene":

1)  A tasty morsel to go with the novel: The request for a recipe to for a book-group meeting in which the novel is discussed brought out my culinary creativity. So here is my recipe for a Blini Caviar. It's easy to make for your next book meeting--and please remember to contact me to Skype your book discussion! 

2)  HOTEL MOSCOW was honored with the USA Books News award in the multi-cultural category.

The novel tells a universal story about people going through a political upheaval. Does the fall of a totalitarian regime mean that people wake up to Democracy--or to chaos and lawlessness? I hope that if you have not yet read this suspenseful, historical novel you will do so soon and get the inside view of this thought-provoking experience.

3) Authors’ endorsements:

The blurbs that HOTEL MOSCOW received from NYT bestselling authors were the ultimate

affirmation, and each took my breath away. It is a huge sacrifice for a working novelist—often under a contract to produce a new book each year—to take the time to read a full-length novel and lend his/her reputation to endorsing it. I am grateful to the many authors that have found HOTEL MOSCOW so worthy of their names—Nelson DeMille, Andrew Gross, Tami Hoag, Ellen Meister and many others!

4) Reviews:

As an author I toil in solitude and silence for about 5 years on each novel. Then comes the Big Bang

when the story is thrust out to the world and is embraced by both taste-makers and readers. Both ends of the process—the lonesome creative and its ultimate public reception—are equally satisfying, especially when my latest “baby” has received accolades such as:

“Stunning,” “A compelling narrative,” “Gripping,” “Unflinching and unforgettable,” "Skilled and vivid writing," "Fascinating," "An ambitious, timeless story," "Intriguing," “An eye-opening exposé ,” "Awesome," “Thought-provoking,” “A can’t-put-it-downer,”  “Action-packed, steamy and suspenseful,” “A moving, poignant, and heartening novel.”

All describe what I had sought to achieve in writing HOTEL MOSCOW.

5) Mah-Jongg tournament:

At a Book & Author luncheon in St. Petersburg, Florida, where I planned to arrive the night before, the organizers got a whiff of my love of Mah-Jongg. They asked me to participate in a special fund-raiser dinner and proceeded to sell tickets for attendees to play Mah-Jongg with the author! The fun was all mine.

6) HOTEL MOSCOW in Costco!

In its month-long run, the novel did so well that Costco continued the promotion for two more weeks.

From my very personal diary:

Some of you know that my husband, Ron, is the president of Maccabi USA. Over Christmas/ New Year we had the extraordinary experience of attending the Maccabi Pan-Am Games in Santiago, Chile, where the USA brought 400 Jewish athletes to compete against over 20 teams. It is a highly effective cultural- and Jewish-identity program that brings dispersed Diaspora communities together. It was a chance for me to reconnect with South-American friends I've made these past 30 years.

Finally,

In thanking you all, I’d like to offer you bookmarks. Many readers appreciate them, and I can send up to 30 at a time. Please write me at AuthorTalia@aol.com , and I will be delighted to mail them to you.

Thanks again, and wishing you all a great 2016!

Talia Carner

www.TaliaCarner.com

P.S. If you’ve read HOTEL MOSCOW, please post a review on Amazon or GoodReads. (Even a line or two would suffice--unless, of course, you want to articulate more.) If you haven't read the novel yet, here are links for both the trade paperback--about $12--or the digital format. 

HOTEL MOSCOW -- Summer Reading

Presenting against the backdrop of Cape Cod beach

Since HOTEL MOSCOW was released, I’ve been on a whirlwind of personal appearances. I do not do “readings,” but rather speak about the background of my novel: my experiences when teaching Russian women business skills and the grim reality of life of Russians during transition time--often worse than under communism. Some groups ask me to speak about the question of today’s secular Jewish identity (the protagonist’s haunting internal struggle.)

        While most often I keynote an event as the sole speaker, the occasional sharing of the podium with other authors is a great bonding experience. Such inspiring recent events were the literary luncheon in Cape Cod organized by a bookstore, Where the Sidewalk Ends, in the plush Wequassett resort (with bestselling authors Jane Green and Beatriz Williams above,) and the Stamford library event in Connecticut (with bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank.)

        In each event the organizers included a talented debut author showcasing her first novel, and it reminded me how far I've gone since 2002 when PUPPET CHILD was published--and how grateful I am forever for the successful authors who helped me along....

​Summer reading! 

  

HOTEL MOSCOW is taking its place as a serious summer read—“thought-provoking yet adventurous," a novel that readers claim to have taken to the beach because they couldn’t put it down. Library Journal joins the choir with this review: “…This tense thriller, based in part on author Carner’s (Jerusalem Maiden) own experiences in post-Communist Russia, is an eye-opening exposé of life following the collapse of the Iron Curtain. ….Carner’s novel of vividly drawn characters and taut suspense adds up to a real-life dystopian page-turner of the un-put-downable variety.” (Read more reviews on my site. )

The Surprise after "The End"

  But when the story ends, the book does not, because the publisher has prepared a series of surprises for you. Appearing as a "P.S.," the section contains “About the author” complete with my photos in Russia as well as exclusive photos of communal apartments, an insightful interview with me by bestselling biographer Lucette Lagnado, my essay “Russia Then and Now,” and a Reading Group Guide.

 TV interviews: 

Ann Bocock interviews me for Between The Covers

A few TV interviews have been particularly thorough and probing, each in its unique way. While Between The Covers  was conducted in front of studio audience and discussed my escape from Russia, which underpins the background of the novel, Jewish Education Media focused on my family heritage, personal life, feminist issues and cultural topics. Surprisingly, Sarder TV probed a topic rarely raised: my take on the nascent realities of women breaking into the business world in the 1980s as well as some of my contributions to shedding light on women entrepreneurs. 

Book tour:   

Presenting at Stamford library 

  

Dozens of speaking engagements are scheduled for the coming months, and many more are in the finalizing stages and will be posted next month. Come to hear me speak in NY, CT, NJ, MA, PA, FL and MI.(Please read the testimonials to get a sense of why you shouldn’t miss such an event.)

      Most importantly, I hope that HOTEL MOSCOW has or will give you a satisfying reading experience, with characters and eye-opening events that will stay with you long after you've finished reading. As a book review blogger, Black Dog Speaks , wrote: "Books contain an intense magic, so powerful that it can transport us to a different time and place... These wizards of words not only teach us about history, but they weave together the threads of history, humanity, thought and perception to create the most vivid tapestries, which tell the stories of places, people and the events in which they partake. Talia Carner’s wand has created such a tapestry that vibrantly depicts a time and a place that most of us know almost nothing about."

Book groups: 

Sutter Home winery selected HOTEL MOSCOW as its June book groups' read receiving 400,000 hits and complete with my recipe of blini caviar for a great book discussion meeting!

Watch the video of my book introduction, and please contactme to Skype your meeting.

And so the fun continues for both me and my readers.

Thank you for making the launch of HOTEL MOSCOW a success!

Yours,

Talia Carner

www.TaliaCarner.com

 P.S.  Did you miss the prior monthly newsletters? Please scroll down for more Talia Tells Tales posts..