The
order page for my debut novel In Search of the Magic Theater is now live at Regal House! Now, you might ask why you should order now and directly from the publisher when the book will not arrive until June (it launches June 1st) and it can also be bought from various other sellers.
Well! Here's why:
First of all, pre-ordering (that is, ordering in advance of publication) helps the publisher and others gauge how much interest there is in the book, which includes how skillfully the author is getting the word out. Did you ever wonder how books can be best-sellers from Day 1? The answer is that they had a ton of pre-orders. Pre-orders have other benefits too, but I trust you get the overall point. (This is true no matter where you pre-order from, but read on...)
Second, ordering any book from the publisher means that since the publisher is getting the full retail price you pay, rather than a steeply discounted wholesale price, you're supporting the publisher AND therefore the author (in this case me) receives more of your dollars. That's not to say you shouldn't support your local independent bookstore too, because you should, but when you particularly want to support the author and/or the press right from the start, this is the way to do it.
Third, pre-ordering means you'll get your copy right around when the book launches. You haven't put off buying your friend, relative, or admired author's new title--you're one of the people making it a success.
And fourth, if you're a reader who likes hardback books or special editions, Regal House offers special edition hardbacks
only through its website. You can buy the paperback or e-book elsewhere, but the hardback is
only available directly from Regal House. (Unless, of course, you are buying your hardback directly from the author once the book comes out. I will be ordering some hardbacks to sign for people who buy them from me.)
And so, I hope you will consider pre-ordering
In Search of the Magic Theater right now directly from Regal House at
https://www.regalhousepublishing.com/product/in-search-of-the-magic-theater/
Why, the rather staid young cellist Sarah wonders, should her aunt rent their
spare room to the perhaps unstable Kari Zilke? Like the nephew in Hermann
Hesse’s Steppenwolf, Sarah finds herself taking an unexpected interest in
the lodger, but she is unable to stop at providing a mere introduction to Kari’s
narrative of mid-life crisis and self-discovery, and develops her own more
troubled tale of personal angst and growth, entwined with the account Kari
herself purportedly left behind. Generational tensions, artistic collaborations,
and even a romance steeped in Greek myth follow as Kari and Sarah pursue their
very different creative paths in theater and music. And while Kari seems to
blossom post-divorce, Sarah must grapple with the question of what the role of
mothers, fathers, aunts, mentors, and male collaborators should be in her life
as a young musician.
Praise for In Search of the Magic Theater
Karla Huebner’s debut novel offers a sophisticated meditation on the idea of art, mythology, theater and music (classical and jazz) as two women, separated by a generation and divided by a cultural shift – from 60s to post-60s – negotiate sexuality, love, regret, grief, and above all forgiveness… A treat for the denizens of the world of art and intellect. — Moazzam Sheikh, author of
Cafe Le Whore and Other Stories
In this tale of two women, in which the men are also treated very sensitively, Karla Huebner calls on her deep knowledge of European of classical paintings and verse, and surely her personal knowledge, for a story of desire denied, delayed, and sometimes precariously fulfilled. — Geoffrey Fox, author of
Welcome to My Contri, A Gift for the Sultan, and
Rabble
Huebner sets us up for a climax of dazzling theater that combines Keats’s romantic poetry, Greek drama, music and dance, a production that leaves the reader excited and fulfilled by the magic one can experience with good art. And, yes, a sense of adventure in our unforeseeable future. — Margaret C. Murray, author of
Spiral and
Pillow Prayers
A sophisticated, queer-friendly, and feminist take on Hesse’s
Steppenwolf. Although loosely set in the late 1990s, Huebner’s meditation on repression, instinct, and the creative drive is fresh and timeless. — Gabriella West, author of
Time of Grace and
Once You Are Mine
Through the voices of two women with overlapping lives but diverging paths, Karla Huebner explores the tension between control and surrender, reason and ecstasy, dreaming and choosing. This engaging, erudite, yet accessible novel takes us on a cultural journey spanning millennia, from Greek mythology to Jimi Hendrix, from Elizabethan lyric poetry to performance art, revealing along the way the joy of self-discovery. — Julie Wittes Schlack, author of
This All-at-Oneness
