Frances Dinkelspiel New York Times Bestselling Author

I was pleasantly pleased to discover that Towers of Gold made the bestseller list of the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association this week. Towers of Gold was the #7 bestselling book for the week of January 25. But I was puzzled, too, since the only event I did that week was at the private Metropolitan…

Did you know there was a thriving Jewish community in El Paso, Texas? I didn’t, until this review of Towers of Gold came out in the El Paso Times. Apparently there are three shuls and a Holocaust Museum.   Daniel Olivas, a Los Angeles lawyer, author of four books, and editor of Latinos in Lotusland:…

  1)      That my cousin Warren Hellman and I will be on Michael Krasny’s Forum on KQED on Tuesday Dec. 23 at 10 a.m. Listen in to hear an original song on Isaias Hellman performed by Warren’s band, the Wronglers. I have listened to Krasny’s show for years and have always dreamed of being on…

I am heading back down to Los Angeles, where I will give a talk this evening at Metropolis Books, a small independent bookstore in the heart of the city’s downtown and banking districts. I am really looking forward to this reading because the store sits next door to the building Isaias Hellman constructed in 1905…

In my book on my great-great grandfather, Isaias Hellman, I go on and on (and some say on) about his prescience in backing business partners who would go on to do great things for California. For example, Hellman formed partnerships with the founders of Lehman Brothers, with Harrison Gray Otis, who bought the LA Times,…

Today is the first day in about three weeks that I can take a breather, relax, and reflect on all that has happened since Towers of Gold was released a little more than three weeks ago.   All I can say is: wow!   I never expected this response. I never expected to have so…

Old Los Angeles I just spent five days in Los Angeles and will be home for just 24 hours before leaving for New Jersey and New York.   I flew into the Burbank Airport around 9:30 on Thursday and was met by Ken Wilson, who is known in the publishing business as a media escort.…

It’s been a whirlwind week of talking, talking, talking and signing for Towers of Gold. It’s so strange to be finally doing this – selling my book – after dreaming about it for years. By far the most fun is going to bookstores and venues to talk about the life of Isaias Hellman. Last night…

Today is the day I have been waiting for the last eight years. Today is the day that Towers of Gold: How One Jewish Immigrant Named Isaias Hellman Created California is officially published. Did the heavens sing to me this morning? Did stardust drop around my head as I woke up? Frankly, no. It was…

My book, Towers of Gold, officially goes on sale November 11, and amid all the worry about reviews, publicity, and speaking engagements, I have been obsessed by an equally important question: what do I wear for my book tour? Now, I am a pants and sweater kind of gal who occasionally puts on slightly nicer…