I know I’m starting a little late to get out there for book fairs and conferences for Bag of Tricks (released March 2025), but since the 3rd book in the trilogy- Old Tricks, New Treats- is coming out November 14th, 2025 and the 2nd book- Tricky Business- was made available in the interim, I’m hitting the pavement hard and submitting applications to read, be part of panels, and sit in a booth to sign books for hours…
I already have a couple of events scheduled: Saturday October 4th Collingswood Book Fair in NJ 10a-4p, and Sunday October 19th Easton Book Fair in PA 12p-4p. I’ll be signing books and representing Earth Island at both events. Then, I’ll apply to events for 2026 at the end of this year, and will list all appearances here, so stay tuned.
In other news, we finished recording the audio version of Bag of Tricks a week ago and are editing for the next few weeks. I will definitely keep you posted as to when that will be available from Earth Island!
And last, this is a tough time for me right now. My lovely, dear friend Annabelle passed away coming up on a year ago in September. Mid-month, I’ll be heading to CA for her memorial. I look forward to seeing old familiar faces but dread the flood that I know will flow when we get together.
Annabelle’s birthday is two days after mine. I always watch the calendar every year and get excited to call her and she calls me, and we catch up, if we haven’t done so in the weeks before the sun slingshots us past our birthdates once more. This year, every time I looked at those dates, my heart clinched up and I had to look away. Annabelle doesn’t get any more birthdays and we don’t get any more Annabelle. That’s all fucked up. The one person who can corroborate my stories, or verify for me- ‘yeah, we were there, or yeah, it happened like that’- is gone. There isn’t another soul I can check in with about so many moments, so many near-memories. Plus I just miss everything about her.
I wish she was able to see some of her photos grace the covers of all three books. That’s one thing that makes me smile even in the middle of this strange, omnipresent grief- seeing Annabelle’s spirit shine out at me from each book. For those of you who didn’t know her, please take a second peek at those pictures and know that the photographer was someone truly special. Annabelle, this one’s for you.