Vol 3. No 9. August 26, 2013:

First off, thank you all for making the August 3 Summer Speculative Fiction Reading such a success! To the authors, our hosts Quail Ridge Books and The Raleigh Review, and of course all of you who came out to join in and support the event, ask questions, and talk books and writing into the wee hours: thank you, thank you, thank you! In terms of other events, the middle of August was fairly quiet, though the month did bring new novels from NCSU professor Wilton Barnhardt (Lookaway, Lookaway, a satirical historical fiction), Greensboro native Emily Croy Barker (The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Real Magic), and Asheville native Marisha Pessl (Night Film, a literary mystery) who was in the Triangle area over the weekend.

Secondly, you may notice that there are still a few days left in August and yet here is the “September” newsletter. What gives? Well, there is both an event tomorrow that I found out about since the August newsletter went out, and I wanted to give another round of notice to three other late August events as well:

NEW: 27 (Tuesday) 7 pm — North Carolina author Jason Mott launches his new novel The Returned at Flyleaf Books. “In this sparely written first novel, poet Mott posits intriguing questions about our uneasy relationship with death. Harold and Lucille Hargrave are stunned to find their eight-year-old son, Jacob decades after the boy’s death by drowning standing on their front porch, along with Martin Bellamy, a government agent for the International Bureau of the Returned.” (Booklist starred review) Update: As part of the event, Durham author Nathan Kotecki (The Suburban Strange) will interview Mott. The novel is also the basis of the forthcoming 2014 ABC series “Resurrection”.

27 (Tuesday) 7 pm — North Carolina author Jason Mott launches his new novel The Returned at Flyleaf Books. “In this sparely written first novel, poet Mott posits intriguing questions about our uneasy relationship with death. Harold and Lucille Hargrave are stunned to find their eight-year-old son, Jacob decades after the boy’s death by drowning standing on their front porch, along with Martin Bellamy, a government agent for the International Bureau of the Returned.” (Booklist starred review) As part of the event, Durham author Nathan Kotecki (The Suburban Strange) will interview Mott. The novel is also the basis of the forthcoming 2014 ABC series “Resurrection”. 27 (Tuesday) 7 pm — The Regulator Bookshop hosts NCSU professor Wilton Barnhardt for his historical fiction satire novel Lookaway, Lookaway (St. Martin’s and Macmillan Audio, August 20). And check your local listings, as Barnhardt has several additional readings in the local and regional area.

29 (Thursday) 7 pm — Flyleaf Books hosts Richard Kadrey for Kill City Blues, the latest in his Sandman Slim series of dark urban fantasy. Kadrey was generous enough to take the time to answer some questions from Durham author Richard Dansky for the first installment of a new Bull Spec web series, “Coming to Town”, featuring authors with book tour stops in the Triangle area: http://bullspec.com/2013/08/26/coming-to-town-richard-kadrey-interviewed-by-richard-dansky/

31 (Saturday) 6 pm to 9 pm — Chapel Hill Comics hosts Signing with LISA HANAWALT & BRIAN RALPH! “Chapel Hill Comics is proud to announce that as part of our 10th/35th Anniversary Festivities, we will host Lisa Hanawalt and Brian Ralph on Saturday, August 31, from 6pm until 9pm! Lisa will sign her newest book, My Dirty Dumb Eyes (out now), and Brian will sign his newest book, Reggie-12 (Drawn & Quarterly is getting us copies early for the signing)!”

And September is jam-packed as well, with events with David Drake, Susan Cooper, Ursula Vernon, Emily Croy Barker, Jasper Fforde, Daniel Wallace, Robin Sloan, and more. And, just announced, late October will see Lemony Snicket make a few stops in North Carolina, including at Raleigh’s Quail Ridge Books. Enjoy, and help spread the word about these events!

-Sam

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UPCOMING EVENTS, AUGUST 2013

NEW: 27 (Tuesday) 7 pm — North Carolina author Jason Mott launches his new novel The Returned at Flyleaf Books. “In this sparely written first novel, poet Mott posits intriguing questions about our uneasy relationship with death. Harold and Lucille Hargrave are stunned to find their eight-year-old son, Jacob decades after the boy’s death by drowning standing on their front porch, along with Martin Bellamy, a government agent for the International Bureau of the Returned.” (Booklist starred review) Update: As part of the event, Durham author Nathan Kotecki (The Suburban Strange) will interview Mott. The novel is also the basis of the forthcoming 2014 ABC series “Resurrection”.

27 (Tuesday) 7 pm — The Regulator Bookshop hosts NCSU professor Wilton Barnhardt for his historical fiction satire novel Lookaway, Lookaway (St. Martin’s and Macmillan Audio, August 20). And check your local listings, as Barnhardt has several additional readings in the local and regional area.

29 (Thursday) 7 pm — Flyleaf Books hosts Richard Kadrey for Kill City Blues, the latest in his Sandman Slim series of dark urban fantasy. Kadrey was generous enough to take the time to answer some questions from Durham author Richard Dansky for the first installment of a new Bull Spec web series, “Coming to Town”, featuring authors with book tour stops in the Triangle area: http://bullspec.com/2013/08/26/coming-to-town-richard-kadrey-interviewed-by-richard-dansky/

31 (Saturday) 11 am — Ultimate Comics hosts a “memorial” for Ultimate Al as part of its 10th anniversary event series this month. More info at Bleeding Cool’s coverage: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/08/28/north-carolina-store-announces-memorial-on-10th-anniversary-date/

31 (Saturday) 6 pm to 9 pm — Chapel Hill Comics hosts Signing with LISA HANAWALT & BRIAN RALPH! “Chapel Hill Comics is proud to announce that as part of our 10th/35th Anniversary Festivities, we will host Lisa Hanawalt and Brian Ralph on Saturday, August 31, from 6pm until 9pm! Lisa will sign her newest book, My Dirty Dumb Eyes (out now), and Brian will sign his newest book, Reggie-12 (Drawn & Quarterly is getting us copies early for the signing)!”

SEPTEMBER 2013

NEW: 3 (Tuesday) 7 pm — Barnes & Noble of Cary hosts Pittsboro author David Drake for a discussion/signing of his new book Monsters of the Earth (Books of the Elements, #3) on Tuesday, September 3 at 7:00 pm.

4 (Wednesday) 7 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts Susan Cooper, the Newbury Medal winning author of The Dark is Rising, for her new historical fiction novel for young readers, Ghost Hawk. More info: http://www.quailridgebooks.com/event/newbery-medalist-susan-cooper-ghost-hawk

NEW: 7 (Saturday) — The annual Bookmarks Literary Festival in Winston-Salem, with a long list of participating authors including Jason Mott, Robin Hobb, Deborah Harkness, Megan Shepherd, Leigh Bardugo, and more. More info: http://bookmarksnc.org/

NEW: 7 (Saturday) — McIntyre’s Books hosts Wilton Barnhardt – Lookaway, Lookaway: A Novel.

NEW: 8 (Sunday) 3 pm to 5 pm — Book launch party for local author Jon Batson’s latest sf novel, MARS QUAKE. “Tasty treats, wine, cool prizes and give-aways. When astronomer Dana Wright thinks she has seen writing on Mars, she needs to look through a larger telescope. Senate aide Tom Matthews is willing to investigate it with her, but knows it is not writing but buildings, made by intelligent beings. How does he know? ADDRESS: Bosetti Art Tile – 1201 W Lenoir St, Raleigh, NC 27603.” More info: http://mars-quake-book-launch-party.eventbrite.com/

NEW: 8 (Sunday) 3-4 pm — Flyleaf Books hosts Sarah J Maas discusses her new young adult fantasy novel Crown of Midnight.

NEW: 9 (Monday) 6:30 pm — The Barnes & Noble of Cary hosts Teen Fantasy author Sarah Maas, who has written a series Throne of Glass about a young female assassin. Her new book in the series is Crown of Midnight which she will introduce to her readers.

NEW-NEW: 9-15 — The Carolina Theatre of Durham hosts the Escapist Film Festival, with Clash of the Titans, Stargate, Willow, Starship Troopers, The Neverending Story, The Princess Bride, and more. Info at: http://www.carolinatheatre.org/films/escapism-film-festival-september-9-15

NEW-NEW: 13 (Friday) 7 pm — B&N of Brier Creek hosts an eBook Author Event with (among others) Clay and Susan Griffith, authors of the Vampire Empire series. More info: http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/event/4552260

NEW-NEW: 14 (Saturday) 2 pm to 6 pm — Flyleaf Books hosts The Hinge Literary Center presents Writers’ Day — “an opportunity to hear from and talk to some of the area’s most accomplished authors and publishers, as well as representatives of graduate writing programs from across the state. … 2:00-2:50: Meet the Publishers 3:00-3:50: Becoming a Poet 4:00-4:50: Becoming a Fiction Writer 5:00-5:50: Considering an MFA.”

NEW-NEW: 15 (Sunday) 4 pm — The Raleigh Review hosts Joseph Bathanti for a special event, “NC Poet Laureate Reading” at their Writers’ Studio and Bookshop, 3039 Medlin Drive, Raleigh, NC.

17 (Tuesday) 7 pm — Author John Claude Bemis, who is serving this year as the Piedmont Laureate for Children’s Literature, is leading a series of roundtable discussions with local children’s and YA authors about writing craft, creativity, and the magic of children’s literature. The series includes events at the Regulator Bookshop in Durham on Tuesday, September 17 at 7 pm, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill on October 5 at 2 pm, and Quail Ridge Books on Tuesday, October 15 at 7 pm. For more information, visit John’s website at www.johnclaudebemis.com or the Piedmont Laureate website at www.piedmontlaureate.com. For the September 17 event at The Regulator, the participants are Stephen Messer (Windblowne, The Death of Yorik Mortwell), Stephanie Greene, Jackie Ogburn, and Frances O’Roark Dowell.

NEW: 17 (Tuesday) 7 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts Hugo Award-winning Pittsboro graphic novelist Ursula Vernon – New ‘Dragonbreath’ in her continuing graphic novel series for young readers.

18 (Wednesday) 7 pm — The Regulator Bookshop hosts Greensboro native Emily Croy Barker for her new novel The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Real Magic. Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/158671360996987/

NEW: 19 (Thursday) 7 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts Jasper Fforde – ‘The Song of the Quarkbeast’.

NEW-NEW: 21 (Saturday) 10:30 am — Hillsborough author James Maxey will “be teaching a class on Ebook publishing Saturday Sept 21 from 10:30 to noon at the Orange County Library in Hillsborough.” Register online at: at http://bit.ly/MaxeyEPUB

NEW: 21 (Saturday) 2 pm — McIntyre’s Books hosts Daniel Wallace – The Kings and Queens of Roam.

NEW-NEW: 21 (Saturday) 2-4 pm — The Durham County Main Library hosts “Dungeons and Dragons in the Library”. More info: http://durhamcountylibrary.org/events/dungeons-and-dragons-in-the-library-3/

NEW-NEW: 22 (Sunday) 3 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts Raleigh Gets Celebrated in Collection — “Raleigh gets its due in 27 Views of Raleigh: The City of Oaks in Prose and Poetry. NC State’s Wilton Barnhardt, who wrote the introduction, will be joined Sunday, September 22, at 3 p.m. by other contributors for the launch of this new collection. He’ll introduce Betty Adcock, Rob Christensen, Grayson Haver Currin, Tina Haver Currin, Tracie Fellers, Angela Davis-Gardner, G.D. Gearino, Tom Hawkins, Scott Huler, John Kessel, Bridgette Lacy, Amanda Lamb, Kelly Starling Lyons, Lenard Moore, Juliana Nfah-Abbenyi, Elaine Neil Orr, Peggy Payne, David Rigsbee, Liza Roberts, Sheila Smith McKoy, June Spence, and Eleanora Tate. Maybe this will set a Quail Ridge record for most authors at an event?”

NEW: 23 (Monday) 7 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts D.J. MacHale – ‘SYLO’.

NEW-NEW: 26 (Thursday) 7:30 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts Allan Gurganus – ‘Local Souls’.

27 (Friday) 7 pm — Flyleaf Books hosts Robin Sloan for the paperback edition of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. More info: Robin Sloan discusses his novel Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore (paperback release). Additionally, special printed editions of the “officially” digital-only new prequel short story Ajax Penumbra 1969 will be on-hand as promotional freebies to those buying a new book. [Facebook Event]



OCTOBER 2013

NEW-NEW: 1 (Tuesday) 7 pm — Science Fiction panel (one of six in an October series) at the Wake County West Regional Library. With David Drake, Mark L. Van Name, Terrence Holt, and Lisa Shearin. More info: http://www.wakegov.com/libraries/events/Pages/scifiauthors.aspx

1 (Tuesday) 7 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts Maile Meloy for The Apprentices, sequel to her YA/YR debut The Apothecary. More info: http://www.quailridgebooks.com/event/maile-meloy-apprentices

NEW-NEW: 2 (Wed) 7 pm — Flyleaf Books hosts Steven Brust (author of the Vlad Taltos series) for The Incrementalists.

NEW-NEW: 2 (Wed) 7 pm — Science Fiction panel (one of six in an October series) at the Wake County Southeast Regional Library. With Ariel Djanikian, Clay & Susan Griffith, and James Maxey. More info: http://www.wakegov.com/libraries/events/Pages/scifiauthors.aspx

4-6 (Friday to Sunday) — Second Escapist Expo at the Durham Convention Center. More info: http://www.escapistexpo.com/

NEW: 5 (Saturday) 11 am — McIntyre’s Books hosts Allan Gurganus – Local Souls.

5 (Saturday) 2 pm — Author John Claude Bemis, who is serving this year as the Piedmont Laureate for Children’s Literature, is leading a series of roundtable discussions with local children’s and YA authors about writing craft, creativity, and the magic of children’s literature. The series includes events at the Regulator Bookshop in Durham on Tuesday, September 17 at 7 pm, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill on October 5 at 2 pm, and Quail Ridge Books on Tuesday, October 15 at 7 pm. For more information, visit John’s website at www.johnclaudebemis.com or the Piedmont Laureate website at www.piedmontlaureate.com. From John: “I’m still working on the line-up, but once I know I’ll let you know who will be speaking at each event. Should be lots of fun.”

5-6 (Saturday and Sunday) — The annual family festival “Autumn at Oz” at Beech Mountain, NC. More info: http://www.autumnatoz.com/

8 (Tuesday) 7 pm — Local book release day for Pull Down the Night (The Suburban Strange) by Durham’s Nathan Kotecki (Oct 8, 2013) with launch to be held at Flyleaf Books. Kotecki will be on WCOM-FM on Monday, October 7, to discuss the novel on Carolina Book Beat. More info: http://flyleafbooks.com/event/book-launch-nathan-kotecki-discusses-and-signs-his-new-ya-fantasy-novel-pull-down-night

NEW-NEW: 8 (Tuesday) 7 pm — Science Fiction panel (one of six in an October series) at the Wake County North Regional Library. With David Drake, John Kessel, Mark L. Van Name, and Mur Lafferty. More info: http://www.wakegov.com/libraries/events/Pages/scifiauthors.aspx

NEW-NEW: 10 (Thursday) 7 pm — Science Fiction panel (one of six in an October series) at the Cameron Village Regional Library. With Jenna Black, Tony Daniel, John Kessel, and Mur Lafferty. More info: http://www.wakegov.com/libraries/events/Pages/scifiauthors.aspx

NEW: 11 (Friday) 7 pm — Flyleaf Books hosts Wilton Barnhardt reads and signs his novel Lookaway, Lookaway. “Join us for a bourbon tasting with Gary Crunkleton at 6:30pm so we’ll be properly prepped to hear the larger-than-life Wilton Barnhardt discuss his fantastic new novel Lookaway, Lookaway. We’ll have sweet tea for the teetotalers and pearl necklaces for all the ladies! Bourbon tasting is for 21 years and older and while supplies last… In Lookaway, Lookaway, Wilton Barnhardt has written a headlong, hilarious narrative of a family coming apart, a society changing beyond recognition, and an unforgettable woman striving to pull it all together.”

NEW-NEW: 13 (Sunday) 2 pm — Science Fiction panel (one of six in an October series) at Wake County’s Eva Perry Regional Library. With Jenna Black, Clay & Susan Griffith, S. Mark Rainey, and Lisa Shearin. More info: http://www.wakegov.com/libraries/events/Pages/scifiauthors.aspx

15 (Tuesday) 7 pm — Author John Claude Bemis, who is serving this year as the Piedmont Laureate for Children’s Literature, is leading a series of roundtable discussions with local children’s and YA authors about writing craft, creativity, and the magic of children’s literature. The series includes events at the Regulator Bookshop in Durham on Tuesday, September 17 at 7 pm, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill on October 5 at 2 pm, and Quail Ridge Books on Tuesday, October 15 at 7 pm. For more information, visit John’s website at www.johnclaudebemis.com or the Piedmont Laureate website at www.piedmontlaureate.com. From John: “I’m still working on the line-up, but once I know I’ll let you know who will be speaking at each event. Should be lots of fun!”

16 (Wednesday) 6 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts Adam Gidwitz for The Grimm Conclusion, a third volume of Grimm-inspired fairytales for ages 9+ after A Tale Dark and Grimm, then In a Glass Grimmly. More info: http://www.quailridgebooks.com/event/adam-gidwitz-chills-grimm-conclusion

NEW-NEW: 18-24 (Friday to Thursday) — The Carolina Theatre of Durham hosts a special film series, “The Studio Ghibli Collection Part III”.

NEW-NEW: 20 (Sunday) 2 pm — Science Fiction panel (one of six in an October series) at the Wake County East Regional Library. With Tony Daniel, Ariel Djanikian, and James Maxey. More info: http://www.wakegov.com/libraries/events/Pages/scifiauthors.aspx

NEW: 23 (Wednesday) 7 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts Lemony Snicket – ‘When Did You See Her Last?’.

NEW: 24 (Thursday) 4:30 pm — An event for younger readers, Quail Ridge Books hosts Mark Tatulli – ‘Desmond Pucket Makes Monster Magic’.

NEW-NEW: 25-26 (Friday and Saturday) — Duke University hosts the Race in Space Conference: “a first of its kind event that seeks to explore the issues of race, culture and nationality in the colonization of space stations, planets, and stars in space. This two day conference held Oct 25-26 at Duke University will highlight astronauts research, artists and authors who have studied the realities and imaginative events involving the dynamics of race and space settlements.” More info: http://iafrofuturism.wordpress.com/2013/08/29/race-in-space-conference-launches-oct-25-26/

NOVEMBER 2013

NEW-NEW: 1-3 (Friday to Sunday) — HonorCon in Greenville, SC, “Celebrating 20 Years in the worlds of Honor Harrington.” With guests David Weber, Eric Flint, Chuck Gannon, and more. More info: http://honorcon.com/

NEW: 4 (Monday) 7 pm — Flyleaf Books hosts Allan Gurganus reads and discusses his book Local Souls.

6 (Wednesday) 7 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts YA dystopian author James Dashner (The Maze Runner series) for his new novel The Eye of Minds, the first book in his new series The Mortality Doctrines. More info: http://www.quailridgebooks.com/event/james-dashner-eye-minds

8 (Tuesday) 8 pm — Durham’s Carolina Theatre welcomes Chris Hardwick (The Nerdist, AMC’s Talking Dead) for a standup comedy show. Tickets in person at the Carolina Theatre or via Ticketmaster.

9-10 (Saturday and Sunday) — NC Comicon will be returning to the Durham Convention Center. “Twice the space, four times the fun. It’s exponential.”

NEW: 13 (Wednesday) 7 pm — The Regulator Bookshop hosts Allan Gurganus for his book Local Souls, a 3-novella return to his mythological Falls, North Carolina.

NEW-NEW: 22 (Friday) — UNC’s Morehead Planetarium hosts a science education benefit, The Jupiter Ball. “The Jupiter Ball is a benefit gala for Morehead Planetarium and Science Center supporting science education for North Carolina schoolchildren. We are thrilled to announce that Dr. William E. Thornton, North Carolina’s first astronaut, will be our honored guest for the 2013 Jupiter Ball. As a member of the Skylab support crew, a veteran of two space flights on the shuttle Challenger and a holder of more than 35 patents, Dr. Thornton fully understands the importance of inspiration and innovation.” More info: http://moreheadplanetarium.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=page&filename=jupiter_ball.html

NEW: 24 (Sunday) — Quail Ridge Books hosts Elizabeth Langston – ‘Whisper Falls’.

JANUARY 2014

10-12 (Friday to Sunday) — illogiCon iii: The Search for Schrödington’s Gold at the Embassy Suites Raleigh-Durham/Research Triangle, with author guests of honor Mary Robinette Kowal and Lawrence M. Shoen. More info: http://www.illogicon.com/

FEBRUARY 2014

21-23 (Friday to Sunday) — MystiCon in Roanoke, VA with guests Marina Sirtis (ST:TNG’s Deanna Troi), author Todd McCaffery, author A.J. Hartley, and more. More info: http://mysticon-va.com/

MARCH 2014

4 — Local book release day for Ghost Train to New Orleans (The Shambling Guides) by Durham’s Mur Lafferty (Mar 4, 2014).

APRIL 2014

5-6 (Saturday and Sunday) — 2014 North Carolina Literary Festival hosted by the NCSU Libraries at NC State University; the primary venue for the Festival will be the James B. Hunt Jr. Library on Centennial Campus. “This free public event is presented on a rotating basis by the Duke University Libraries, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Libraries, the NCSU Libraries, and North Carolina Central University. The Festival is designed to attract people of all ages, from our surrounding communities and across the state. The program will be varied and will include author readings and discussions, book signings, activities, bookstore sales and more.”

MAY 2014

23-25 (Friday to Sunday) — Animazement in Raleigh, NC. More info: http://www.animazement.com/

JUNE 2014

(May 30) to June 1 (Friday to Sunday) — ConCarolinas in Charlotte, with guest of honor George R.R. Martin. More info: http://concarolinas.org/

JULY 2014

11-13 (Friday to Sunday) — ConGregate in downtown Winston-Salem. More info: http://www.con-gregate.com/

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