Tuesday, April 21, 2009

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:)

21 comments:

J.R. Turner said...

Thanks for dropping in, Jenny, when you get the time.

I've been dying to know a few things:

1) Do you travel specifically to visit places you want to write about? Or do you travel and then use those places you visited in your writing?

2) You've mentioned your concern for getting the details accurate and being as much inside a "generation" foreign to you (i.e. Vietnam veterans.) What really helped the most with this, do you think?

3) All your books have a 'grittier' element and pay close attention to living in the 'underworld' of society, so to speak. So I'm verrrrrry curious to know how you came to write a book about Myles Connor with Myles J. Connor! :)

And last, because I know you'll be bushed from a long day:

4) What are you working on now? :) Curious minds are dying to know! :)

Thanks bunches again, Jenny!! :)

Warmly,
Jenny:)

Martin Bartloff said...

Dear Mrs Siler. Jenny says Can you post one of infamous "scent" scenes here. Not having any of your books handy I would love to experience right away as I'm intrigued up to my nose.
Please, just tiny paragraph?

--Martin

http://martinbartloff.blogspot.com/

Martin Bartloff said...

Sorry for the typo's I received an important phone call and hit sent before I checked what I wrote :-(

--Martin

http://martinbartloff.blogspot.com/

J.R. Turner said...

Typos are why we love editors, so you're really just spreading the love! :)

Warmly,
Jenny:)

Jenny Siler said...

Hi and thanks for having me. I'm sorry to be making my first apearance so late in the game, but I've been in Boston doing publicity for the book all day.
And now to tackle Jenny's questions:
1)More often than not, I travel first, write later. There are places that are so intriguing I just have to write about them. Morocco, for instance. After my trip there, I absolutely had to write a book.
2)A big part of my research is always reading first-hand accounts by people who lived through that particular time in history. For my Vietnam book I read I ton of memoirs, of soldiers, journalists, the children of soldiers. Likewise, when I was researching the Lebanese Civil War I tried to get my hands on everything and anything written about Beirut at that time. I even found old travel books from the time before the war.
3) I'm afraid my anwer to this one is pretty boring. Myles's story actually came across my agent's desk first, and he thought it would be perfect for me. I was looking for a non-fiction project at the time, and I jumped at the chance to write about Myles. His story is incredibly interesting, and he's a great guy to boot.
4) I am working on two super top secret books right now. One is another non-fiction memoir, and the other is a novel, but something totally different from anything I've done in the past. I'm afraid that's all I can say. :)

Jenny said...

And now for Martin's question. I can't remember off the top of my head, but I think the description Jenny is referring to had something to do with the way the medina smell. Am I right, Jenny?

Jenny Siler said...

I'll be checking in for the next hour or so, so please feel to shoot me some more questions, and I will try my best to answer.

J.R. Turner said...

For me, one of the strongest memories I have of all her stories is the scene in the Marakkech market in Flashback. There are so many in all her books, but here's the one I mentioned above:

There’s a persistent odor to the souqs, the sour stench of the tannery mixed with the musky smell of saffron, the tang of curing meat, and the smothering sweetness of diesel fuel. Where the main arteries of the market intersect, the wave of bodies surges like a swollen river through a nanaroow canyon. Irritated cries of Zid! from donkey drivers mingle with the monotone chants of little boys in the madrassas and the tubercular coughs of beggars.

(Copying that from my book made me want to keep reading!! Yikes! It's addictive :) )

Hope that helps, Martin, and I'm sure Jenny will be happy to offer more if she gets the chance :)

Warmly,
Jenny:)

J.R. Turner said...

Omgosh! You're really teasing me with this Jenny! I can't wait to find out exactly what those two projects are! :)

It's been very quiet on the internet today and I know there were emails and private messages sent all week about people wanting to ask you questions, so I'm sorry it's a bit quiet here now.

I'm just really thrilled to have you and thank you TONS for coming!!

Warmly,
Jenny:)

J.S. said...

Jenny,
Thanks for that extremely flattering excerpt. I know it's crazy, but I tend to forget my own books, so seeing the words again can be really neat.
And as far as the quiet goes, that's not necessarily a bad thing. I'm enjoying being here and am thrilled to have been invited.
:)

J.R. Turner said...

Oh bummer, now I see the typos!! (I feel your pain, Martin! :) )

Jenny, I know exactly what you mean. When I think back to my published books, I always go to that one place I wish I would have worked harder on, or would have had the distance to KNOW to work harder on that part.

So I remember missed opportunities and can't recall my books as much as I would like. And the research I've forgotten. I once learned as much as I could about genetics, but a 5th grader would kick my kiester answering questions about the subject!

It is SO cool to see you here! :)

Warmly,
Jenny:)

jenny siler said...

I'm blaming my typos on a long day and the glass of wine now in front of me. :)
Jenny, you mentioned regrets. I totally understand that. I have never written a perfect sentence, let alone a perfect book. So I try not to think about perfection too much. If I did, I'd never finish a book.

Martin Bartloff said...

Goodness Jenny, that is a great scene. Had I gotten so detailed into every smell, taste and touch, "Torn from Normal" would have been twice as a many pages.
It's all good though and I appreciate the posting the excerpt.
BTW an unedited except of Torn from Normal can be found here:
http://martinbartloff.blogspot.com/2009/04/excerpt-torn-from-normal-by-martin.html

J.R. Turner said...

Ahh, Martin, that's the genius of Jenny Siler! :) She knows exactly what to include when and where so that you feel like you're living it yourself.

It's not the amount--it's the quality :) Anne Rice can get a bit long-winded on her descriptions for me and I know that I have to be in a very calm and unrushed place to really absorb the magic of her writing.

Jenny Siler, on the other hand, takes you deep into the story and moves with such a natural rhythm, when you finish a book, the images remain vivid and alive. That's why she's one of my all time favorite authors :)

Warmly,
Jenny:)

Christy said...

Jenny Siler, I must admit I have not read any of your books yet. What would you recommend I read first? Do you think the Art of The Heist would be a good start? Flashback sounds so interesting already from Jenny Turner's excerpt. I would love to read that too. Where can I purchase your books?

- Christy Weber, Phoenix, AZ

Jenny Siler said...

Okay, I swear I didn't pay Jenny to say these things! :)
But she's definitely right. I thrive on brevity, and my books are always very short. So I always find it funny when people say I'm a descritive writer. It's true that I use intense descriptions, but I try to do so sparingly.

Christy said...

Another question. Which books are written under the name Jenny Siler and which are written under the name Alex Carr?

Thanks again :)
- Christy Weber, Phoenix, AZ

J.R. Turner said...

I think you'd really love Flashback, Christy.

An Accidental American (by Alex Carr) is the other I think that would REALLY suit your tastes.

I'm eager to get my copy of The Art of the Heist--I can already feel the inspiration the book will give me! :)

Warmly,
Jenny:)

Jenny Siler said...

Okay, it's time for me to crawl into bed. I will check in tomorrow to see if there are any after hours comments. Thanks so much for having me!
Sweet Dreams,
Jenny

J.R. Turner said...

Thank you so very much for coming after your long hard day, Jenny!!

I really appreciate your time and kindness :)

I hope you had a fabulous day :)

Warmly,
Jenny;)

Mary Cunningham said...

Oh, sorry I missed this yesterday, J. R. What a treat it was to read the excerpt!

I haven't read Jenny/Alex, but know, just from these posts, that I'd enjoy her writing.

Mary
http://www.cynthiasattic.blogspot.com