Jenny Siler for Talent Tuesday!

Jenny Siler aka Alex Carr RULES!!

Okay everyone, this is a BIG BLOG day for us. There are a gazillion authors I honestly admire and aspire to emulate, but there are few authors whom I truly envy. Dean Koontz is one, for his grasp of language and consistently entertaining imagination. Jenny Siler is another, for her ability to make me walk away from a book with such vivid memories of the story they actually feel like I’ve lived them personally. This is not even something Koontz has done to the same degree.

Jenny Siler is not just a talented plotter, but she has managed to pull from the real world just the right amount of information, the right details, to make the reader experience the moment fully. Gosh, some of my memories of her writing even include scent! Talk about knowing what you’re doing!;)

The level of research she does is awe-inspiring, and inspiring—making me want to bury my nose in research so the world’s I create can come just as alive as the ones Siler creates for her readers. This is one of the MANY reasons I’m so very thrilled we’re part of launching her nonfiction book: The Art of the Heist: Confessions of a Master Art Thief, Rock-and-Roller, and Prodigal Son.



Description from Harper Collins:

"From New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, to the Smithsonian Institution in D.C., to Boston's Museum of Fine Art, to dozens of regional museums throughout the United States, no museum was off-limits to legendary art thief Myles Connor. He has used every technique in the book, from breaking and entering, to cat burglary, to false identities and elaborate con jobs. He once even grabbed a Rembrandt off a wall in broad daylight and simply ran like hell. His IQ is at genius level, and his charm is legendary. The fact that he was in jail at the time of the famous robbery of the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum—which remains the largest art theft in American history—has not stopped the FBI from considering him a top suspect in that still unsolved robbery.

How did the son of a decorated policeman grow up to become one of Boston's most notorious criminals? How did he survive a decades-long feud with the Boston police and the FBI? How did he manage to escape one jail sentence with a simple fake gun carved out of soap? How did he trade the return of a famous Rembrandt in exchange for early release from another sentence?

The Art of the Heist is a roller-coaster ride of a life, by a man who was drawn to misadventure at every turn. As a promising young rock star, Myles Connor started collecting Japanese swords and weapons. Soon his collection expanded through less than legitimate means, and his education in European masters and modern artists accelerated. Disguised as an art collector, he spent time in the archives of museums far and wide, and visited after hours to take advantage of what he learned by day.

Along the way, he robbed banks, warehouses, trailers, and estate homes. He engaged in rooftop shootouts with the police. He walked the streets of Boston in disguise while dozens of policemen were out searching for him. The Art of the Heist is part confession, part thrill ride, and impossible to put down."

I’m truly excited Jenny’s coming to respond to comments and I hope y’all will make her feel warm and welcome.

Feel free to ask her questions—including how to eat sushi, since she was the one who taught me! ;) Y’all just don’t know how cool it is to stand in line to have all your books autographed by a favorite author and then be invited to lunch! (Or maybe you do, lol! ;) )

Warmly,
Jenny:)