It’s hard to believe, but it’s one year since “The Tin Horse” was published – January 29, 2013! Year 1 has been an amazing ride. A few highlights …

* The launch party at Warwick’s Books in La Jolla was such a high! Walking from the car to the bookstore, I warned myself not to have expectations about how many people would be there … and it was mobbed. I was so moved by all of the friends who came to help me celebrate.

* In February, I spoke at the Breed Street Shul in Boyle Heights, the Los Angeles neighborhood where my novel is set. I was interviewed by Dr. George Sanchez, a USC professor who studies Boyle Heights’ multi-ethnic history. And, true to Boyle Heights’ diverse history, the talk had a wonderfully diverse standing-room-only audience.

* In August, I spoke to a Hadassah group in Madison, Wisconsin, and my mom was able to attend! (She’s in the yellow shirt in the foreground of the picture.)

* On a trip to Paris in November, I found the French version of the book, titled “Les Belles Promesses,” in a bookstore on the Left Bank.

I was touched by how perceptively reviewers engaged with the book. Here’s one of my favorite comments, from The Historical Novel Review: “’The Tin Horse’ offers that rare delight: a sophisticated, character-driven book with a suspenseful, hard-to-put-down plot. … The role of Elaine’s Romanian immigrant mother and the twists in her story will wham you with their humanity and depth. No clichés here.” And “The Tin Horse” was one of O Magazine’s books to pick up in March!

Along with  highs, the year has brought some big learning opportunities. I’ve lurched into the world of social media and discovered that not all online material can be dashed off as quickly as a Tweet. Pieces I wrote about my passions for Judaism and dance made me dig deeply to define why these things speak to my soul. And I made a video – you can’t see it, but my hands were pretty much glued to my sides to restrain my tendency to dance with them when I talk.

It’s been quite a journey. And it continues. Unlike the old days of book promotion, when you did a flurry of talks at the time a book first came out, many of my events are visits to book groups, where everyone has read the book. That has been a very special pleasure. During the years I was writing the book, “my readers” were a vague presence. Now they are real faces and voices, and I’m honored to hear how “The Tin Horse” resonated with them.

 

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 29th, 2014 at 7:03 pm and is filed under The Writing Life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.