I began writing this newsletter before leaving for Star Wars: Celebration in London, but deadlines (this time, for a book I can’t yet tell you about!) kept me from finishing beforehand. No worries, I thought. I’ll send it from London. Then, the first couple of days in the UK, I was dragging. Having trouble focusing. Jet lag, I figured.
Finally, just in time for the big event itself, I came down with my first-ever case of laryngitis. Weirdly, I had always assumed that laryngitis wasn’t that painful if you didn’t talk; this turned out not to be true at all. Also, it showed up with its two friends, conjunctivitis and bronchitis, for the coveted Itis trifecta. It’s been almost three weeks, and at this point, I can speak again, but I’m still dealing with symptoms. ARGH. You probably did not sign up for this newsletter to get health updates, but I wanted to explain why this issue is coming so late, and also to apologize to any of you out there who might have been at London. It breaks my heart that I had to skip the High Republic meetup and the general fiction panel, and especially that I didn’t get to speak to more of you. I mean, half of my goal for Celebration was to just find fellow fans and talk for hours on end about Star Wars: Andor! This was not to be.
But more important than my need to geek out is the upcoming release of my next book, THE LATE MRS. WILLOUGHBY, the second in what I can now describe as my Jane Austen-themed murder mystery series, “The Mr. Darcy and Miss Tilney Mysteries.” This will be coming out on May 16, and we already have a few events planned. In New Orleans, I’ll be appearing at Garden District Books at 6 pm on release day itself; last year’s event involved wine, snacks, and candlelight, so it’s well worth your time. Then I’ll be doing two more murder mystery parties at Blue Cypress Books, on Tuesday, June 6 (start time: 6:30 pm) and Monday, July 6 (start time 6:30pm). These are SO FUN, guys. Tickets are $40 and include snacks, drinks, a custom-written murder mystery you get to solve along with me and a couple dozen other Austen fans, and the chance to dress up in period costume. Attendance is limited, so if you’ll be in New Orleans around then and want to come, click the links below and grab your tickets now.
If you’re in the Southwest U.S.? I’ll be heading to Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale, Arizona on Tuesday, May 23, then to Murder By The Book in Houston, TX on Wednesday, May 24. (The exact time on both of those is TBD, but I’ll post those on my social media accounts as I get them, and the bookstores’ own websites should soon have details.) If instead you are in the Pacific Northwest, I’ll be heading to Washington State Summer Con June 23-25—check the con website and my socials for signings and panels as that information comes in. In virtual-events news, I’ll be doing one with Milwaukee’s Boswell Book Company on Thursday, June 8 at 2 p.m. I so hope to see some of you at these events! Maybe we can even talk about Andor.
Remember: You can preorder THE LATE MRS WILLOUGHBY whenever books are sold, but please consider your local independent bookstore.
At least the late arrival of this newsletter allows me to send it out just in time for the release of my comic Star Wars: The High Republic: Quest of the Jedi—my one contribution to Phase II of THR. The adventures of master-and-padawan team Barnabas Vim and Vix Fonnick can be enjoyed entirely on their own, but astute readers will see how it fits into the over-arching HR story. With gorgeous art by Fico Ossio, it’s not one you want to miss. Available at your local comic book shop!
As for my Patreon: This month’s review, which also ran late due to illness: My take on the shifting sands of “The Mandalorian.” Next month I’ll be writing about a few things, not just one, but the principal review is of “Star Trek: Picard,” in particular its third and final season.
Last of all, my next book after THE LATE MRS. WILLOUGHBY—THE HAUNTED MANSION: STORM & SHADE—will be released this August! In the next newsletter, I’ll fill you in on events coming up for the HM release. Until then, take care! May absolutely none of you come down with laryngitis.
Currently reading: Red Island House by Andrea Lee; Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier; Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver; Spare by Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex; and a few High Republic books I finally have time to catch up on!
Currently watching: Season 3 of “Star Trek: Picard,” “Beyond Paradise,” “The Diplomat,” and “Star Wars: Andor” over and over again.
Currently anticipating: “Love and Death,” Camp Zero by Michelle Min Sterling; “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret” (the movie adaptation); “Tiny Beautiful Things” (the tv adaptation); Chain Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah; “Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume 3;” “Citadel;” and The Guest by Emma Cline.
It was so great to meet you at Celebration. So sorry you were ill. Thank you for signing my copy of Master and Apprentice and for reluctantly taking my USB!
It was so great to meet you at Celebration. So sorry you were ill. Thank you for signing my copy of Master and Apprentice and for reluctantly taking my USB!