Magic City Books is happy to welcome Jillian Forsberg for a free, in-store event to celebrate her latest book, The Porcelain Menagerie, on Wednesday, October 29, 2025 at 7:00pm. This event will take place in the Algonquin Room at Magic City Books, 221 E. Archer Street in the Tulsa Arts District.
The Porcelain Menagerie will release on October 21, 2025, and you can pre-order a copy through Magic City Books.
About The Porcelain Menagerie
In a world where ambition is as fragile as porcelain, two lives are shaped by a king's dangerous obsessions.
In 18th-century Dresden, the dangerous whims of King Augustus the Strong shape the court and the lives of those held captive, both people and animals.
Johann Kändler, a talented young artist, is drawn into the world of King Augustus the Strong. The king's relentless desire for a lifelike porcelain menagerie could make or break Johann's future. As Johann works to meet the king's impossible demands, he finds unexpected allies in former royal mistress Maria and her daughter Katharina. Johann's art might secure his future—or ruin it if he fails to satisfy the king.
Decades earlier, another story unfolds. Fatima, a Turkish handmaiden, is chosen to replace Augustus's discarded mistress. As she tries to create a menagerie of exotic animals and navigate the intrigues of an unpredictable court, Fatima must learn to survive in a world that values beauty and power above all. She must fight to keep her identity and unlock her own cage in the king's dangerous realm.
Two timelines, bound by a king's obsessions: art and survival intertwine as Johann and Fatima navigate the king's unpredictable demands and the deadly allure of court life, where ambition can be as fragile as porcelain.
About the Author
Award-winning Kansas author Jillian Forsberg holds a master’s degree in public history from Wichita State University and a bachelor’s degree in communication and history from McPherson College. Jillian is a regular contributor to Writer Unboxed and leads the Manuscript Matchup beta reader program through History Through Fiction. You can find Jillian gardening, browsing the closest antique mall, or reading every label at a museum. She'll most likely be wearing vintage dresses, except when she's at the zoo. Jillian owns Dress Gallery, Kansas's best-rated bridal store, and has worked in bridal since 2007. She lives in Wichita, Kansas, with her husband, child, and pets.
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