Here it is, folks. All the news on the launch of my debut novel: The Dancing Girl and the Turtle.
author events
I’m headed to California in April on a DIY book tour. Most of the events are private (thank you Rozanne, Jim and Steve!) but here is one that is open to the public.
Saturday, April 22 from 1-2:30pm, the Chinese Historical Society of America will host me for a Meet the Author talk. The CHSA is "the oldest organization in the country dedicated to the interpretation, promotion, and preservation of the social, cultural and political history and contributions of the Chinese in America." Tickets available here.
book reviews
I’ll be posting these reviews as fast as they come in. I can’t tell you how very pleased I am with the current crop.
Contemporary Small Press
From the Contemporary Small Press in London, a wonderful review of my novel. 07.04.2017. Becky Danks captures my novel is all its complexity: the opulent time period, the seedier side of Shanghai and the oppressive courtesan culture that fed it. The pain and the violence are described as well, so I’m particularly happy about this observation.
The human need for intimacy and understanding is apparent on every page.
It’s exactly what I was aiming to do. As for Becky’s final judgment, here it is:
Gripping and complex, this challenging read provides an intensely detailed, often harrowing but ultimately sympathetic insight into a lost culture.
Rhiannon Jenkins Tsang
Rhiannon Jenkins Tsang is the author of The Woman Who Lost China, a novel set in the chaotic aftermath of the Communist Revolution. Tsang studied Oriental Languages at Oxford and my gues is that her Chinese is a whole lot better than mine! She was the first one out the box to deliver this doozy of a book review! 07.03.2017. Here are some particularly nice quotes:
Kao writes in a minimalist present tense, each word meticulously chosen and exquisitely placed in the manner of a poet.
The real power of this novel lies in the gradual unveiling of the brutal realities.
Karen Kao is a master of the Noir.
Woohoo!
launch date
That’s 1 April 2017 (yes, April Fool’s Day!), the publication date of my book.
launch party
The launch party for my novel will be on Saturday, April 8. The host of this event is Boekhandel van Rossum. You’ll hear readings from my novel, see photos of Shanghai and listen to 1930’s jazz music.
SOLD OUT!
forget about the launch, i want to buy the book
Very good. You can do that here, too.
My book is NOW AVAILABLE for purchase via my publisher, Linen Press. They will ship books worldwide. You can also order my book through your local independent bookseller, rather than feed the monopolist.
Dutch readers can go to Boekhandel van Rossum to pick up a hard copy for as long as supplies last.