Quick events update!

Chickens-

As you know, the new novel is due in 22 days, so your Polymath is all about the typing right now.

The good news is that I think you are all really going to like it.

But you'll have to wait till next May :)

I am planning on leaving the house briefly for some upcoming events, and I really really really would love to see you there.

Lemme 'splain.

I know many of you love to read but don't necessarily come out for booksignings.  Maybe you think they will be boring.  Maybe you worry about parking.  Maybe it just isn't on your radar for something to do.  But here is something to think about:

What we do as writers is, by its very nature, isolating and lonely work that when we get to deadline, isolates us from even the people we live with, bless their compassionate and understanding hearts.

These people who live in our heads are good stories, but not such great company.  And we write for a faceless, nameless mob of strangers, people who exist in an almost ephemeral space, who are just shy of mythological, and who we are all desperately afraid are mostly mere figments of our imaginations.

For authors, book events are a chance to get out of the house, to put on clothes without elastic waistbands/holes/stains of indeterminate origin, to put on a bit of makeup and do our hair in a style that isn't "unwashed sloppy bun on head".  And it's a chance to take that bloblike mysterious mass of "readers" and turn it into real actual flesh and blood people.  Nothing is more nervewracking for us than the days leading up to an event, when we are sure no one will show up, and nothing feels worse than when no one does.

By the same token, when you come out?  When you leave your houses and park and maybe make a night of it with pals and have some wine and dinner and come to talk to us, and ask us questions and tell us your names, that?  Right there?  That is EVERYTHING.  We want to meet you and take pictures and hear that you gave the book to your sister or that you introduced us to your book club.

Heck, we want to COME to your book club. You know who is never IN a book club?  Authors.

If you are our friends and family, having your familiar faces in the crowd makes our heart rates slow to normal rates, and increases our joy, and gives us confidence.  We love having those moments to connect with the people we care about, and your support of us, (especially when you bring your friends to meet us), that is huge fun.

If you are readers we've never met before, coming out to see us without any sense of personal obligation or guilt or duty, just because you like us, you really like us?  That is like the awesome guy you thought didn't even know your name breaking out a serious prom-posal.

YOU ARE OUR JAKE RYAN.

I'm not kidding.

When we come into a bookstore or library and you are there in your chairs waiting for us?  We see you all looking fabulous, leaning against your red Porsche, and we just know there is going to be cake.

Also, often, we have cake.  So that is good too.

So, my little Jakelets, here are some upcoming opportunities to really make my day.  Don't let my blowouts be in vain, I wanna see you!  I wanna meet your friends and your sister and your grandmother, as long as she doesn't mind if I work a little blue.

Thursday June 18 6:00 pm-8:00 pm
Read it and Eat a fabulous new cookbook foodie bookstore in Lincoln Park!
2142 N. Halsted
WITH CAKE!
Register for the free event HERE.

Saturday June 20 noon to 1pm
Boelter Superstore in Milwaukee
WITH CAKE!
Details HERE.

Saturday August 15, 2pm
In conversation with Jen Lancaster
Warren-Newport Public Library
Gurnee, IL
Register HERE
(Cake TBD)

I'm going right back to the book typing now, or I won't have a reason to re-post this request next Spring, but know that I adore each and every one of you and REALLY WANT TO MEET YOU SOON!

Your Samantha,
The Polymath