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
previous novels, PUPPET CHILD, CHINADOLL, JERUSALEM MAIDEN, and most recently, HOTEL MOSCOW. I can promise you a great reading experience—each novel a journey that stays with you long after “The End.”



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 this summer. Since the list gets updated every month, please check it periodically.

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
been obliterated.”
* “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!


Talia Carner
www.TaliaCarner.com

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