May 16, 2017Â Newsletter
No Images? Click here Greetings from my favorite Hawaiian beach!Why am I celebrating with a mai tai??? I am thrilled to be able to announce that my novel, The Nightingale, is finally available in trade paperback. I know what good news this is for readers who like this format and have been patiently (and not so patiently) waiting. One of the great things about the paperback is the new content in the back. There are lots of good questions for book clubs to discuss — even if your book club is just you and your mom or you and your best friend, or even just you! Read on for a contest where you can win signed copies of The Nightingale for your book group — or a copy for yourself! My fabulous publisher celebrated the launch day by sending a box of freshly baked croissants to some independent bookstores. What fun! One of the things I love about Facebook is photos! Check out the cool Eiffel Tower display at Wellesley Books to showcase the books…and below are some photos from The Bookstore Plus and Carmichael's Bookstore. I did a tour for the paperback, and it was fantastic! I am so fortunate to have been able to meet with so many wonderful readers. Thanks to all of you who came out to see me. I will probably be on tour again in February (for my new book!) and will be going to more cities. I will have details on that tour on my website in the late fall. Hope to see you then! I bet that most of the bookstores I visited still have signed copies. Here is a link to where I did events and below are a couple of pictures from the tour. The top two photos are from Excelsior Bay Books in Excelsior, MN; it was their biggest event ever! Boswell Book Company in Milwaukee Good Great Place for Books in San Francisco Below is a picture of me at a very special event hosted by Anderson’s Book Shop in Naperville. My good friend (and great author) Susan Elizabeth Phillips came to support me and ended up on stage with me. (She maintains she was dragged on stage; I say she jumped on eagerly.) We had such fun! It was so great to have someone who knows me ask questions. I think the readers enjoyed it as much as we did. On stage with Susan Elizabeth Phillips A Belated Mother’s Day Contest!Ok, so I am late on this. It’s the story of my life these days. So how about a I-love-Mother’s-Day-but-I-missed-the-deadline contest? Just to make up for my delay. Sounds good to me. I am going to give away a Grand Prize of 12 signed copies of the trade paperback edition of The Nightingale, so you can host a book group event, and there will be five additional prizes of single signed copies of the trade paperback edition of The Nightingale. Something that surprised me....One of the things that surprised me on tour was how many people I met who haven’t read The Nightingale. How cool is that? So, here’s a little scoop on the book for those of you who have been waiting to read it in paperback… About The NightingaleOne of the sentences that most attracts people is the first paragraph of the book, in which an old woman says: “In love we find out who we want to be; in war we find out who we are.” This sentence is really the heart of The Nightingale. It highlights what I believe is the very essence of the story — that we idealize ourselves through love, but in hard times, especially in the darkness of war, we are stripped bare and the truth is revealed. Some will be revealed to be heroes, others cowards. I think we all believe we are heroes at heart, but the sad truth is that often, when confronted by life-threatening dangers, we choose to see things as “other people’s problems.” The characters in The Nightingale are each confronted with incredible, terrifying choices. In love and in war, each character will find out who they really are. Here are some fabulous pics of France and of the real women of the French Resistance… Behind the BookThe Nightingale is a fictional story that was inspired by real events and real people. I was first inspired to write the novel after reading the story of a young Belgian woman named Andrée du Jongh who created one of the first escape routes out of Nazi Occupied France. Hers was an incredible story and pulled me in immediately. The more I read about her, and women like her, the more I wanted to share their stories with the world in a way that would resonate deeply with modern readers, make people ask themselves what they would have done in similar situations. I also see the world as increasingly dangerous and, in some aspects, intolerant. I think the stories of courage and bravery in war are especially relevant in our increasingly dangerous world — a good reminder of who pays the price for intolerance and war. These women were so courageous, and their story deserves to be remembered. Actually, the loss of so much of women’s history is a pet peeve of mine. I am actively searching for stories to tell that highlight how women have shaped our world. This idea of lost women’s history is especially apparent in the context of war. History is often told by men, about men. I think it’s vital that we remember the sacrifices made by women. The women of the French Resistance battled incredible odds and took courageous chances to help others and save their children and themselves. I want these stories told and remembered. The Nightingale MovieThat’s a question I get a lot. Well…the movie plans are coming along absolutely beautifully. We have a fabulous director and writer and producer and Studio president, ALL of whom are women. Check my website for details as they become available. What’s next, Kristin?Okay, so really, I have been fielding this question (dodging it, actually) for more than two years. The truth is that it took me a while to find a story as powerful and interesting and compelling as The Nightingale. I spent a lot of time pacing and rewriting (and throwing away what I wrote) and…yeah, okay, I drank a lot of wine, too. But finally, it came to me and I am thrilled to announce that my next book, The Great Alone, will be published February 6, 2018. I don’t have a cover yet, but as soon as I do, you’ll see it! Thanks so much to all of you who loved The Nightingale, and shared your passion for it with your friends (or anyone who would listen). I can’t find the words to express the depth of my gratitude. |