Tuesday, April 7 | 6:00 PM | Nic + Juniors
Step into the shadowy tearooms and glittering salons of 1920s Paris with highly acclaimed author Olesya Salnikova Gilmore, as she joins us for an enchanting evening of historical intrigue and literary magic at the Chicago Literary Salon.
In her richly imagined novel, The Fortune Tellers of Rue Daru, Gilmore introduces Zina, a spirited young woman who helps run her family’s tearoom in the heart of Paris’s Russian émigré community. By night, she and her mysterious grandmother conduct séances and tell fortunes—until a visit from an exiled Romanov princess shatters their quiet life and unlocks a decades-old mystery.
As ghosts from the past begin to haunt the present, Zina is forced to confront the secrets buried deep within her family line—and to decide whether her growing powers are a gift or a curse.
Your evening includes:
A signed hardcover copy of The Fortune Tellers of Rue Daru
A thoughtfully curated menu by Nic + Juniors, featuring:
A welcome cocktail
Hors d’Oeuvres
A spellbinding conversation with Olesya Salnikova Gilmore on spiritualism, identity, and writing women with power
Tarot readings throughout the evening by Trisha Tay Tarot, offering guests a personal glimpse into their own fate
Thoughtfully designed conversation prompts to spark reflection and connection—no prior reading required
Whether you’re drawn to mysticism, historical fiction, or the enduring allure of Paris, join us for an evening where the veil between past and present grows thin—and every story holds a secret waiting to be revealed.
Seating is extremely limited. Reserve your place today.
About The Fortune Tellers of Rue Daru:
A fearless fortune teller in 1920s Paris must use her powers to divine who she can trust when an exiled Romanov princess and her brother come to her seeking answers about a decades-old mystery…
Spirited Zina and her secretive grandmother, Baba Valya, own a tearoom on rue Daru in Paris, where they have lived quietly since Zina’s mother’s untimely death. By day, the women serve tea, mostly to members of the bustling Russian émigré community, but when dusk falls, they divine fortunes and perform séances for their loyal clientele.
Then the charming Princess Olga and her brother arrive, searching for knowledge about the disappearance of their father, the exiled Grand Duke, cousin of the last Tsar of Russia. Zina, eager to learn more about the spirit world and her powers, performs the séance. She is able to summon the Grand Duke, but to her horror, he starts to haunt the shop, and he seems to know something sinister about her mother’s death.
As Zina delves into her family’s hidden past, dark secrets are unearthed, threatening the home and tearoom Zina and her grandmother have worked so hard to build, not to mention their very lives.
About Olesya Salnikova Gilmore:
Olesya Salnikova Gilmore is the author of The Witch and the Tsar and The Haunting of Moscow House. Originally from Moscow, she was raised in the US and graduated from Pepperdine University with a BA in English/political science, and from Northwestern School of Law with a JD. She practiced litigation at a large law firm in Chicago for several years before pursuing her dream of becoming an author. She writes gothic suspense and other dark fiction. She also loves exploring Eastern European history and folklore. Her work has appeared in LitHub, Tor.com, CrimeReads, Writer’s Digest, and Washington Independent Review of Books, among others. She lives in a wooded, lakeside suburb of Chicago with her husband and two daughters.