Some authors are really, really good at making appearances and taking part in events, making an ongoing dialog available on a regular basis. Others end up booking four things in one extended weekend. Guess which I am? Go on, guess. I’ll wait.
The Bold Strokes Books Bookathon
It’s time for the April BSB Bookathon! This awesomeness is a full schedule of author panels, chats, and readings and is available free online, though you do need to register (which you can do here). If you click that link, you’ll see the full schedule of events and notice yours truly is taking part in a few things, which include:
To Plot or Not to Plot—7pm EDT, Friday April 8th, 2022—I get to moderate Erin Dutton, Genevieve McCluer, Felice Picano, VK Powell, and Jane Walsh in a discussion of one of the oldest (and most heated) debate among writers: plotters vs. pantsers!
BYO Pets!—7pm EDT, Saturday April 9th, 2022—Join Georgia Beers, myself, Meredith Doench, Ursula Klein, Krystina Rivers, and Lauren Emily Whalen as we introduce you to the real stars of the show: our pets! (And we authors will read from our books, too.) That’s right. The legend, the husky… MAX! Surely this will go off without the slightest hitch because he is such a good boy who obeys all the time.
Three Left Turns to Nowhere—3pm EDT, Sunday April 10th, 2022—Join Jeffrey Ricker, J. Marshall Freeman and myself as we discuss—you guessed it—our trio of linked queer YA novellas, Three Left Turns to Nowhere. Grilled cheese. Ghosts. A small Ontario town with a dash of magic. Cherry red Mustangs. Did I mention grilled cheese?
Kids These Days—5pm EDT, Sunday April 10th, 2022—Aurora Rey moderates myself, Lauren Melissa Ellzey, J. Marshall Freeman, Jeffrey Ricker, and Lauren Emily Whalen as we discuss writing YA fiction, including how some of us—*cough* me *cough*—are no longer among said target demographic by, y’know, decades.
Bag of Giving
But wait, there’s more! As readers may know from my fantastic time on Tales from the Loop, I’ve been taking part in Bag of Giving, where a bunch of creatives get together to play games and do some good. I had a brilliant time as a player, but now I’m putting on my narrator hat and leading Mike Chen, Brandon Crilly, Darcie Little Badger, Premee Mohamed, and Alex White as they boldly go in a Star Trek Adventures session. Am I freaking out with impostor syndrome? Yes. Will it be amusing? Also yes, and you can witness me trying to tribble my way through it on Arvan Eleron’s twitch, Monday, April 11th, 2022, at 7 pm EST.
Not only that, but you can win a tonne of great prizes (I know, it’s like the Bag keeps on Giving, eh?) And if you glance at the “Magic is Complicated” Book Bundle, you’ll notice a familiar name (and also some famous awesome names), as said bundle includes copies of Exit Plans for Teenage Freaks by yours truly (signed), Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey (signed), Strange California, edited by J. Daniel Batt and Jaym Gates (signed by Jaym), Three Left Turns to Nowhere by myself, J. Marshall Freeman, Jeffrey Ricker (also signed by me), and When We Were Magic by Sarah Gailey (signed)!
How do you enter? A donation to charity. Hop on over to Bag of Giving for the full scoop and your choice of charities, but this month Bag of Giving is spotlighting two charities in particular:
Based in Canada’s capital, Max Ottawa focuses on improving “health outcomes of guys into guys” through a variety of ongoing initiatives. This includes health and wellness support groups, harm reduction programs, youth leadership initatives, and focused programs for Black queer males and individuals over 40. Their strategic plan is available here, and you can donate here.
Our second spotlight is TENT (Transgender Education Network of Texas), based out of Austin. Trans rights have been under serious threat recently in Texas, making TENT’s work all the more important. Their focuses include bullying and harassment support for trans youth, cultural competency programs for schools and businesses (TransSafe), and lobbying for trans rights in the Texas legislature. Learn more about their important work here, and click here to donate.
'Nathan Burgoine 