Novels set in paris

Page & Pairing Book Club

| Ted Wheeler

I’m a little slow on this news, but still excited to share that The War Begins in Paris was picked as the February Book Club book from Page & Pairing!

Click through to the site. It’s pretty cool how they put together everything your book club needs for the perfect book club meeting. The book; discussion questions; an essay from the author about the origins of the book; plus a wine selection and recipe for a simple meal that you can share with your group.

In this case they pair a bottle of Andre Brunel Cotes du Rhone Villages Cuvee Sabrine and chicken fricassee. Sounds so good! Check it out!

Riverside Chats

| Ted Wheeler

Thanks so much to host Tom Knoblauch and producer Courtney Bierman for having me back on Riverside Chats to talk about The War Begins in Paris, American fascism, celebrity journalism, disingenuous political actors, and all sorts of critically-important stuff. This is such a great program; one we’re lucky to have in Omaha.

The conversation aired earlier today on Omaha’s local NPR affiliate, but you can catch it online, of course, at the link below. Or read a transcript here!

Caitlin Horrock’s Endorsement

| Ted Wheeler

I feel so lucky to have the great Caitlin Horrocks endorse The War Begins in Paris!

Caitlin’s The Vexations (about Erik Satie’s life in Belle Epoque France) is one of the best novels of the last five years. She was all booked to come to Omaha in 2020 to tell us about the novel at Omaha Lit Fest, but, alas, it wasn’t meant to be.

“This powerful, immersive novel is simultaneously lush and chilling. Theodore Wheeler transports us to a place and time where friendships make it harder, not easier, to chart a moral path forward, and masterfully explores how love and loyalty can, for better and for worse, change what we’re willing to do, and who we understand ourselves to be.”

—Caitlin Horrocks, author of The Vexations

Timothy Schaffert Blurb

| Ted Wheeler

I’m so honored to share this fantastic endorsement for The War Begins in Paris from one of my favorite novelists (and the godfather of Nebraska authors) Timothy Schaffert!

His Paris novel, The Perfume Thief, is so charming, and being in conversation with Timothy about The Perfume Thief was my highlight of the last Omaha Lit Fest we did in back 2021. I can’t wait for his new novel, The Titanic Survivors Book Club, which is due out in April.

“This vivid novel takes on one of my favorite subjects: journalists in the war zone. Here we have ‘radio traitors’ among them, everybody wound tight, with questions of truth and trust all caught up in threat and propaganda. With fascinating parallels to our own cultural moment, The War Begins in Paris is a captivating and vibrant—and utterly present—portrait of chaos.”

—Timothy Schaffert, author of The Perfume Thief

Goodreads giveaway for the war begins in paris

| Ted Wheeler
(Photo by Vivian Lee.)

It’s Goodreads Giveaway time!

Thanks so much to my publisher, Little, Brown & Co., for giving away 75 free copies of The War Begins in Paris.

When you have a moment, please add the book to your ‘want to read’ stack on Goodreads and enter to win an advance copy. This is also a great way to help spread the word about the novel: the more people who enter win a copy, the more visibility the book will have on Goodreads, the more people will enter to win a copy…

Enter to win a copy here.

If you feel even more inclined to help out, pre-order a copy on Bookshop. Not only does that help support my new novel, but it helps support independent bookstores around the country. This way, we’re all winners.

Cover reveal!

| Ted Wheeler

It’s cover reveal day for my new novel, The War Begins in Paris!!!

What do you think?

I love the dark fog, those ominous birds. I’ve been dipping my toes into the literary noir genre for some time now. This cover feels like I’m squarely there at this point.

The book is also now available for pre-order, should you be so inclined. The book page here on my website has links to several popular vendors, though I encourage you to order either from Bookshop.org or from your local independent bookshop.

Might I suggest Dundee Book Company, the little shop my family runs in Omaha. If you order from us, you get the added bonus of receiving a signed copy, so please make a note about how you want your copy inscribed.

(The Bookworm will also be selling signed copies, so please make a note for them as well.)

Pre-orders are vitally important for authors, as publishers, in part, use this as an enthusiasm gauge to help determine how many copies to print and how much publicity money to put behind a book. (If you want to order from Amazon, Target, or Walmart, it all still helps, as pre-orders influence their book buyers as well.) I do hope to see many of you at a reading or book-signing event when the book is actually out running free in the world, but please know that pre-orders are a great way to help a book receive a larger platform and build excitement. (Rant over.)

More news and excitement is in the offing the next few months. I have new author photos to share; some great blurbs have been coming in; there will be events and appearances to announce.

In the meantime, here’s what one of my favorite authors, James Han Mattson, has to say about the book. Cheers!

“Propulsive, immersive, and beautifully rendered, Theodore Wheeler’s The War Begins in Paris is that rare novel that’s both contemplative and energetic, pulse-pounding and utterly devastating. Through Mielle and Jane, Wheeler deftly illuminates themes of friendship, love, sacrifice, and heroism, and shows us how loyalty and conviction can move in unpredictable patterns under wartime duress. This is a major gut-punch of a novel, and I, for one, am thankful it exists.” —James Han Mattson, author of Reprieve