OCTOBER 12: Indie Author Day
Norwalk Public Library, Norwalk CT, 8:30AM-5PM
Join me and a whole SLEW of authors at the Norwalk Public Library for their third annual Indie Author day, which is a worldwide event. Each year, libraries and organizations around the world welcome local indie authors, writers, and their communities in for a day of education, networking, mingling, writing, open mics, panels, and so much more! There, you'll find writers speaking about and reading from their books. Plenty of opportunity for Q&A, and it's FREE. More details HERE.

OCTOBER 21: CECA/CASL Authorpalooza
Hartford Convention Center, Hartford CT
Authorpalooza is part of the CECA/CASL conference where attendees will have an opportunity to hear readings and engage in Q&A with authors from all over the country. More details, including author reading schedule, visit their website.

OCTOBER 25: Book Signing and Author Chat
Barnes & Noble, Milford CT, 9AM-3PM
Benefiting Madison Middle School
Join me at Barnes & Noble in Milford, CT for a book signing and author chat to benefit one of our local schools, Trumbull's Madison Middle. Treats and Swag for all! 

OCTOBER 28: Shoptalk on WHOLEHEARTED WRITING: Practices for maintaining persistence, perseverance, and productivity.
Willoughby Wallace Library
Stony Creek, CT, 6:30PM
The life of a writer is immensely rewarding and exciting, but the journey to publication can be equally long, challenging, and discouraging. In this talk, I will draw from my psychology background to share psychologically-valid, evidence-based concepts and action steps to enhance motivation, increase productivity, and to fuel perseverance for writers and illustrators at any stage of the writing journey. Whether you are struggling with finishing your manuscript or portfolio, trying to maintain enthusiasm as you face the query trenches, or are wading through the world of post-publication, you will find something here to inspire you and concrete steps to apply to keep your whole heart in the game. This is a free event, but call 203-488-8702 to register. Or, visit wwml.org or the event page HERE.

DECEMBER 5-8th: Book Signing and Author Chat
Wicked Weekend Horror Festival
Palace Theater, Stafford Springs, CT
Join me and Patrick Moody, author of the creepy, fun, and heart-filled MG novel, THE GRAVEDIGGER'S SON for a very wicked weekend. This is a horror lover's dream. All weekend long, the Palace Theater will be invaded by horror lovers of all sorts, from movie actors, to cos-playing fans, to writers like Pat and me who love to spin spooky yarns. This event has it all! Movies, Food Trucks, a horror art exhibit, and giveaways. SPECIAL GUEST JOE MANGANARO! You can shop till your heart's content, talk with horror industry pros, and spend a little time with me and Pat. Swag and treats for all!

Visit the Wicked Weekend page for more details and full schedule. Kids under 12 enter free.

So, it's now September 1st, and TEN AFTER CLOSING comes out on September 4th, which is crazy to me. I can't even believe the day is here. I know many of you reading this are writers too, so you know how long this process is. (Just to give those of you who don't write a feel, I started this book in January of 2015, and it was done by July of that year. I did an intensive revision period in winter 2016, so it was ready to submit by then. Of course there were more edits after we sold it to Sky Pony, but you get the picture.)

To celebrate the culmination of this long road, I'll be doing a series of appearances in the coming months, some in CT but not all, so keep your eyes open for info.

For now, here are the dates I have nailed down for sure:

• September 8th, 4-6PM: BOOK SIGNING at Barnes & Noble in Milford, CT 
• October 21st, 2-6PM: BOOK SIGNING at Barnes & Noble in Fairfield, CT (Fairfield University Bookstore)
• September 29th, 5PM: MULTI-AUTHOR PANEL & SIGNING at Briars & Brambles Bookstore in Windham, NY

A weekend in Palm Beach, FL. My first author panel, moderated by R. L. Stine, an icon and a personal favorite. Seeing my book for sale for the first time. My book with a library bar code! And the kids. They were INCREDIBLE. I can't even explain what it felt like hearing a mob of young readers say they want to read my book. Nothing was so painful as choosing one for my giveaway (I did eenie-meenie-miney-mo). And I got to do my first signing. And have dinner with this fabulous group of writers and Mr. Stine and his lovely wife and editor, Jane Stine. The weather was fabulous, and the other authors were wonderful. (Writers are seriously the best people, ever.) Amy Christine Parker  (author and chair of the new International Thriller Writers Young Reader division) was a fountain of information and made the whole thing easy as can be. J.D. Fennell, Karen McManus, Megan Miranda, and Shelia Sobel were super fun to hang with, and I can't wait to see how things go with all their careers. The Palm Beach Library System set up the event with such professionalism, and helped to ensure we had a large crowd. We visited two high schools the day after the main event, Glades High School and Atlantic Community High School, where we met Elizabeth Zrodowski and Rebecca Radic, librarian and medial specialists, extraordinaires. 

The event was also sobering. As most people know, February 14th, 2018 saw a shooting at the Marjorie Douglas Stoneman HS in Parkland, FL. The schools in the area were under high alert in the week after, which included our visit, mere days following the horrifying event. Security measures were in effect, but tensions were high. I wont lie; it was emotional and scary. Imagining what kids in America must experience on a daily basis when they walk into their classrooms was immensely moving. Being afraid of going to school. Fear of being in a place where something terrible might happen. Our schools have threats on a regular basis. Social media makes it so easy for masked threats, many of which are pranks, but how does anyone know? Not having children myself, this was a huge eye-opener. Don't get me wrong, I appreciated what all this meant, just nowhere near enough.

Our educators are heroes. Period. Our children are courageous. I don't know how parents get through. In life, we are occasionally exposed to things that change our worldview. This was one of them for me.

I want to end by thanking everyone involved. I also want to thank the International Thriller Writers and the Debut Program, organized by Shaun Harris (author and fellow member of Team Triada), for creating an opportunity for debut authors like me (in other words, clueless authors like me) to learn this valuable aspect of the business in a safe, supportive way.

Holy MOLY, I'm going to be on an author panel next month. And it's with R. L. Stine. I DEVOURED Fear Street books when I was a YA reader, and I still have a couple of my favorites on my shelf. I can't believe I'll get to meet one of the authors that inspired my writing and be part of a pane discussion with him and four other debut authors! 

For more info, check out the Palm Beach Library Group page for the event. And I hope to see you there! I'll have swag, a special giveaway, and a TEASER for my upcoming release, TEN AFTER CLOSING.