#library event

[gigglealongshiney-shadow-watcher]

Library event (first time)

“And as the sun goes down, Giggles curls up on your bed and rests her big head beside you. Tonight she’ll play in your dreams and guide you away from all those awful nightmares. All you have to do is believe in the magic of your own imagination, and let that little voice inside you speak.” Paradise recited from the picture book, her voice a perfect mix of respect for the kids, and silly excitement. The picture was of a chihuahua sized Shine curled up like a puppy on the bed, around her other toys sat, and a small child was yawning. “Go outside, eat new foods, try something you never thought you could, because Giggles will do it with you.” The drawings showed her munching on an orange next to a middle school aged child, the two of them high fiving. “Adventures are something you’ll never grow out of, if you keep that spark of a silly laugh alive. Giggle along with her, and see what there is to see in this amazing world around you!” 

She smiled at (insert watcher), or she thought she did, since she couldn’t see them. She knew Halo was there, and that was enough. She’d spent enough years with Shine to work with invisible figures. Instead she focused on the event at hand.

…

She packed up the last remaining book, luckily there were only a few of them. She got to walk off with a nice bit of cash, and the smiles of all those kids. That one little boy in particular had caught her heart when he hugged the doll and gave her the biggest smile. His parents had a weird look when they saw what Giggle along looked like, but they let him keep it. 

Paradise caught sight of a familiar form. With a pair of slightly blue tinted glasses, a cozy gray hat, and comfortable clothes, was Shine. Para swung herself over a chair and skidded to a halt next to her Godly girlfriend. “I see you made yourself smaller again~.” She slid a hand along her arm. “How did your big fight scene go? I was getting a little worried there.” 

Shine still reacted to the touch, which made Para Very happy, but she wasn’t bantering back. Instead she shrank another half inch and pulled Para closer. “...It…went.” 

Paradise pulled them away from the groups of people into a nook and sat her down on a stepstool. Para herself sat on the floor so they’d be closer in sitting height. She didn’t mind looking up a little, she was pretty used to this position. “Hey, what’s got my sugarplum glum?” 

Shine couldn’t help but giggle just a tiny bit. It was enough. “I…I lost the fight, and worse than that I lost track of my boy again. I was so close, I was so feathering close to getting him back.” 

Paradise rested her hand on her girlfriend’s thigh and shook her head. “It’ll be alright, you’re a God, remember?” She wasn’t completely sure who the kid Shine was so focused on was outside of some panicked descriptions of torture done to said child and a single gushing motherly rant about how cute he was. “You can rely on me.” 

Shine shoved herself off the stepstool and into Para’s arms, not the first time they’d been like this, but it wasn’t usually due to comfort reasons. “I’m so- I’m terrified of what they might be doing to him while I’m gone. I had to stop by Andy’s place just to get my bearings back.” 

She knew about Andy, and hopefully they’d get to meet soon. “Hey, I got you.” 

“heh..I know.” 

….

They were walking along a street in South Bend Michigan at Para’s request to get out of Hatchfield for a bit. Shine looked less upset, but she was clearly distracted and talking to someone. It was…Well Paradise wasn’t going to tell her magical partner to get off the multidimensional phone when she was dealing with whatever was happening. If Shine didn’t want to talk about it, it was for a reason. 

Instead she focused on the donuts they’d picked up. She loved watching her girlfriend’s face light up around food. It was like seeing someone discover their favorite food, but so far it had been every single thing they’d tried. It never got old. 

Their conversation about whether or not a cat would be safe to bring into the black and white was interrupted by a call that even Paradise could hear. “Mama!” 

They froze. Shine took paradise by both hands and her eyes were literally glowing with emotion. “That’s him. That’s my baby. I’ll be back soon, I promise. I’m sending us back to your place.” Without her usual dramatics they were instantly inside Paradise’s new home. Para stumbled but caught herself in Shine's arms. “Stay here please.” 

“Wait-” 

“Yes?” 

Paradise pulled her still smaller body into a kiss. “I love you, ok? I love you and if you need help, I’ll do what this little human body can do to the best of my ability.” She held on an extra second and pressed one more kiss to her cheek. “Come back to me soon, ok?” 

Shine shivered and tugged her down for a goodbye kiss. “I will, so keep yourself safe.” She was gone. 

[rasheednewsonauthor]

“My Government Means to Kill Me” is the June - August selection for the San Francisco Public Library On the Same Page reading initiative. I am honored.

On the Same Page has also arranged for me to be in conversation with Pulitzer-prize winning author Andrew Sean Greer in the African American Center Exhibit Space at the Main Library on Wednesday, August 14 at 6pm (Click here for more info).

[wahlpaper]

Met Alyson Derrick and Rachel Lippincott at a couple of library events this year! They are so cool and such talented authors! I feel quite lucky to live in the same county as them. They also totally remembered my review of She Gets the Girl! Sometimes it works out to meet your heroes!

[primary-visions]

Got to wear my bear ears for a library work event today and felt like @bamsara’s Y/N. Maybe someday I’ll be allowed to wear the jacket to work too.

[intersectionalpraxis]

"... a stark reminder that genocide is about more than just the premeditated mass extinguishing o human life; it's also about the calculated, and often vindictive, destruction of a people's culture, language, history, and shared sites of community." [source: Gabrielle Bates on X, formerly known as Twitter. 11/27/23.] Original post they are responding to on Literary Hub: "Gaza's main public library has been destroyed."

[dtgriffith]

HWA CT Author Reading at Hagaman Memorial Library in East Haven, CT

Event Recap: Fright Night at the Hagaman

[karen-carlisle-off-the-artboard]

First Author Event for 2024 - Event Wrap Up.

https://karenjcarlisle.com/2024/03/20/first-author-event-for-2024-event-wrap-up/

The Local Author Market at Burton Library (South Aust) was held last weekend. This was their first author event, and the second library author event I’ve attended in the past three months. I caught up with fellow indie authors (of varied genres) who were quite happy for me to film them. Thank you! Here’s the result – my event post for the day.

I met new readers (and got this feedback on the Saturday from one. Thank you, Julie. This made my day. And she brought me a present. More on that in the second post-event video below.)

The Salisbury Library Service staff at the Burton library were great (as usual). And we chatted about the possibilty of future author events… so watch this space. There was even a roaming coffee cart supplying free coffee and tea, and delivered them to our tables. (Nice touch.)

After-event Day one video: (the bad…) Fortunately, they also iced coffee and iced chocolate as, instead of the early autumn expected temperatures of the low twenties (degrees Celcius), Adelaide was sweltering through a heatwave (which lasted several days). At 8.00am it had already passed 30 DegC, and only got worse as we ventured down the hill to the Adelaide Plains. By the time we were packing up the car, it was 42 degrees! Ugh. I never do well in the heat; the dust sets off my allergies and asthma, and the heat triggers fibromyalgia pain and migraines. My mental health takes a beating.. I’m always a wreck for days (to a week) after.

After event Day two video: the good stuff It wasn’t all doom and gloom though. I just need to push through the post-event blurgh… and conentrate on the good stuff.

Now I just have to get through the current building project and I’ll be ready for the next event.

[witsserviceablesubstitute]

I love doing What Pride Had Wrought with Solas because he starts gossiping about the Evanuris and it's the most suss he's ever been.

He successfully maintained his cover as a nondescript scholarly wanderer for most of the Inquisition but needs to break character completely to tell everyone that Falon'Din was a vain idiot.

[fuckyeahgoodomens]

Neil Gaiman and Roz Kaveney at the British Library event Why We Need Fantasy 20.11.2023 :) ❤

Neil: I don't remember if it was you or John M. Ford, the late Mike Ford, who pointed out to me first that there is a thing that I do that I was not aware of doing. And it was.. and I remember this being pointed out to me at the time of the publication of American Gods. Or possibly even before it was published, when I sent it out a manuscript. Because it was pointed out to me that one way that you can tell that you're entering the third act of a Neil Gaiman story is there is always a kiss that sort of ends the second act. And it's never a sort of romantic kiss. It's always a kiss that is unexpected and a little bit wrong, but it symbolizes where we're going to go next.

Roz: Yeah, that was Mike, it's too smart for me.

Neil: That was Mike. And I remember arguing with him and then him pointing out that all the places I'd done it. And then I did it again in the Anansi Boys and didn't realize that I'd done it. And then I forget about this thing. And I saw somebody on Tumblr had found an interview with me from 2002 where I'm talking about this and the kiss, and they're like, 'Still doing it then'.

:)) Yep, Neil is still doing it :D <3 (this is the tumblr post)

You can watch the whole event here :).

[learnelle]

Sitting at dublin airport just thinking about how excited I am to go have little evening chats with my boyfriend again and cuddle my cat Marquis and have tea from my favourite mug and feel at home again ☕️📚🐈‍⬛🤎

[wolfstardaughter-jj]

[gigglealongshiney-shadow-watcher]

Here we are in the Library. The kids will be coming pretty soon. Stop by and pick up a free Giggle Along Shiney and stick around for story time.

They are not washer safe so try not to get them wet! But they 100% adventure safe, dance safe, sleep safe, and memory safe. So don't be afraid to take her out and show her the world. She loves spending time outside, so why not take a walk around town and get some fresh air with her?

Never be scared to laugh, she'll laugh with you! [There is no voice box, she won't literally laugh] if you listen close, she has some nice things to say.

Small enough to fit in a shoulder bag, and full of love! Learn more about her and her favorite things to do in the companion book! (Sold, not free)

[rasheednewsonauthor]

Last night the San Francisco Public Library was spectacular, if I do say so myself! I was in scintillating conversation with Andrew Sean Greer about “My Government Means to Kill Me,” and the crowd of readers was thoughtful and moving.

My deepest thanks to the staff at the San Francisco Public Library, to Andrew Sean Greer, and to everyone who attended!

[swingstep]

just what are you?

[esmiara]

Reading time

[common-sense-is-dead]

You guys remember in a series of unfortunate events where they wanted to do a head transplant on Violet? Fucking crazy that that was in a children's book. 12 year old me ate that shit up tho fr.