Sign up for my email list to get the latest newsletter!

Fan Art Tuesday: A Stunning Lightbringer Bookcase

Patrick Heffernan (of Mysterious Galaxy infamy) made this striking board and vinyl case that perfectly holds all five Lightbringer hardcover books.

The picture doesn’t do it justice!
In case you can’t see it, LIGHTBRINGER is the vertical word, and BRENT & WEEKS are the horizontal words.
Like a glove.

Not much else to say about this one, except well done, Patrick! He gave this one-of-a-kind case to Brent during his book tour stop in San Diego last year.

Ahhh, I remember book tour events… And bookstores… Book signings… Book festivals… Author speaking engagements… Browsing library stacks… Eyeballing tchotchkes and board games and socks at Powell’s… Lurking among the packed and crooked shelves that made the too-narrow aisles in my favorite used bookstore, petting the shop cat while I chatted with the staff, the smell of old paper lingering on my shirt after I left.

Sorry, I wandered off there.

Any way, hold fast and stay the course, friends. We’re all doing this quarantine thing for each other.

U.S. Author Tour

I know you can often save money by buying online, but if you can, please consider buying the book at the bookstore that is hosting me–or their online portal. The host store goes to the effort of coordinating the event, spreading the word about the event, putting up signs, ordering extra books, and keeping over-worked staff late! If they go to all that work and then everyone buys the book online, they get discouraged and they also lose money. Don’t do that to our friends.

Because the practice of buying elsewhere has become so widespread, at a few stops, the store requires you to buy THE BROKEN EYE there. (Their house, their rules, sorry. I’m their guest.) In most cases, you can pre-order from the host store, (get pre-order goodies from me!), pick up the book on release day, read the whole thing before I arrive, and just keep your receipt. In some cases that will even put you in front of the line.

You can click the links to go to the Facebook events pages for each event, featuring maps, the bookstores’ FB pages where you can see if your friends are already going (or hector them into doing so!), and get more information.

Powell’s at Cedar Hill Crossing, Beaverton (near Portland), OR
Tuesday, August 26 at 7pm:
Ticket required to participate in signing? There are (free) signing line tickets the night of the reading.
Must purchase a book at host bookstore to get book signed? A purchase at Powell’s is preferred, but not required.
Can bring books from other stores to be signed? Yes.
Limit to books Brent will sign? No.

University Bookstore, Seattle, WA
Wednesday, August 27 at 7pm:
Ticket required to participate in signing? No.
Must purchase a book at host bookstore to get book signed? No. We appreciate it when patrons buy the book in store, but we do not turn away guests from the signing line if they bring a book from somewhere else. 
Can bring books from other stores to be signed? Yes.
Limit to books Brent will sign?  In past Sci-Fi events, we have asked anyone with more than three book wait at the end of the line, which tends to work well. We only cap the number of books if the author requests us to do so. 

Borderlands, San Francisco, CA
Thursday, August 28 at 7pm:
Ticket required to participate in signing? No. Numbers are handed out (for free) on a first-come, first-serve basis on the day of the event to mark your place in line. Attendees are then called up in groups based on their numbers.
Must purchase a book at host bookstore to get book signed? Though a purchase at Borderlands is appreciated, it does not require attendees to purchase books there.
Can bring books from other stores to be signed? Yes.
Limit to books Brent will sign? No.

Mysterious Galaxy, San Diego, CA
Friday, August 29 at 7pm:
Ticket required to participate in signing?  There are signing line tickets available with the purchase of The Broken Eye from Mysterious Galaxy. The tickets are available starting at 10am on August 26th, the publication date. (If you are planning to attend the event, please do not place your order through the web site as all such orders are processed after the event. Instead, please contact the store and purchase the book on or after the on-sale date.)
Must purchase a book at host bookstore to get book signed? Yes, you must purchase one copy of The Broken Eye at Mysterious Galaxy.
Can bring books from other stores to be signed? Yes.
Limit to books Brent will sign? No.

Tattered Cover, Denver, CO
Saturday, August 30 at 2pm:
Ticket required to participate in signing? No.
Must purchase a book at host bookstore to get book signed? A purchase at Tattered Cover is appreciated, but not required.
Can bring books from other stores to be signed? Yes.
Limit to books Brent will sign? No.

The King’s English Bookshop, Salt Lake City, UT
Tuesday, September 2 at 7pm:
Ticket required to participate in signing? No.
Must purchase a book at host bookstore to get book signed? Please do purchase one copy of The Broken Eye from The King’s English Bookshop.
Can bring books from other stores to be signed? If you’ve purchased one copy from us, you can bring other books to be signed.
Limit to books Brent will sign? No.

Murder by the Book, Houston, TX
Wednesday, September 3 at 6:30pm
Ticket required to participate in signing? No, but they will be giving out line numbers the day the book goes on sale. After the talk is over, people will line up by the numbers to meet Brent and get their books signed.
Must purchase a book at host bookstore to get book signed? Yes.
Can bring books from other stores to be signed? Yes, if you’ve purchased one book from this store.
Limit to books Brent will sign? No, but the first trip through the line, customers can get a new book and 3 older titles signed. There will be a second round of signing after that if you have more books to be signed. Signing policy details HERE.

Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Roseville, MN
Thursday, September 4 at 7pm:
Ticket required to participate in signing? No.
Must purchase a book at host bookstore to get book signed? No.
Can bring books from other stores to be signed? Yes.
Limit to books Brent will sign? No.

Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Cincinnati, OH:
Friday, September 5 at 7pm:
Ticket required to participate in signing? No. There is a line letter system, but that is only for keeping the line in order.
Must purchase a book at host bookstore to get book signed? You do not need to buy the book from Joseph-Beth, but you will not receive a line letter if you don’t. This means you will be at the end of the signing line.
Can bring books from other stores to be signed? Yes.
Limit to books Brent will sign? No. However, if you are a collector, you can get roughly 5 signed and then wait until the end if you have more books to be signed.

Barnes & Noble, Madison, WI
Saturday, September 6 at 3pm:
Ticket required to participate in signing? No.
Must purchase a book at host bookstore to get book signed? No.
Can bring books from other stores to be signed? Yes.
Limit to books Brent will sign? No.

The Book Bin, Salem, OR
Monday, September 8 at 7pm:
Ticket required to participate in signing? No.
Must purchase a book at host bookstore to get book signed? No.
Can bring books from other stores to be signed? Yes.
Limit to books Brent will sign? Any amount can be signed.

 

The Broken Eye Book Tour

Click the links to get more details over at the Facebook pages for these events!

Powells_logo1Powell’s at Cedar Hill Crossing, Beaverton, OR
Tuesday, August 26 at 7pm


open-bookUniversity Bookstore, Seattle, WA
Wednesday, August 27 at 7pm


Borderlands_Books_B&W_LogoBorderlands, San Francisco, CA
Thursday, August 28 at 7pm


mysterious1Mysterious Galaxy, San Diego, CA
Friday, August 29 at 7pm


TatteredCoverLogoTattered Cover, Denver, CO
Saturday, August 30 at 2pm


kingsenglishThe King’s English Bookshop, Salt Lake City, UT
Tuesday, September 2 at 7pm


Murder by the BookMurder by the Book, Houston, TX
Wednesday, September 3 at 6:30pm


Barnes-Noble-logoBarnes & Noble Booksellers, Roseville, MN
Thursday, September 4 at 7pm


Joseph-BethJoseph-Beth Booksellers, Cincinnati, OH:
Friday, September 5 at 7pm


Barnes-Noble-logoBarnes & Noble, Madison, WI
Saturday, September 6 at 3pm


bb_logo2The Book Bin, Salem, OR
Monday, September 8 at 7pm


We’ll be posting an update in a few weeks featuring details on whether you need to buy a ticket for the event, a book at the bookstore, and other helpful information. Stay tuned!

 

Repost: U.S. Book Tour Schedule

Powell’s at Cedar Hill Crossing, Beaverton (near Portland), OR
Tuesday, September 11 at 7pm:
Ticket required to participate in signing? No.
Must purchase a book at host bookstore to get book signed? No.
Can bring books from other stores to be signed? Yes.
Limit to books Brent will sign? No.

University Bookstore, Seattle, WA
Wednesday, September 12 at 7pm:
Ticket required to participate in signing? No.
Must purchase a book at host bookstore to get book signedNo.
Can bring books from other stores to be signed? Yes.
Limit to books Brent will sign? Yes.

Borderlands, San Francisco, CA
Thursday, September 13 at 7pm:
Ticket required to participate in signing? No.
Must purchase a book at host bookstore to get book signedNo.
Can bring books from other stores to be signed? Yes.
Limit to books Brent will sign? No.

 

Tattered Cover, Denver, CO
Friday, September 14 at 7:30pm:
Ticket required to participate in signing? No.
Must purchase a book at host bookstore to get book signedNo.
Can bring books from other stores to be signed? Yes.
Limit to books Brent will sign? No.

Mysterious Galaxy, San Diego, CA
Saturday, September 15 at 2pm:
Ticket required to participate in signing? No.
Must purchase a book at host bookstore to get book signedNo.
Can bring books from other stores to be signed? Yes.
Limit to books Brent will sign? No.

Barnes & Noble, Santa Monica, CA
Sunday, September 16 at 2pm:
Ticket required to participate in signing? No.
Must purchase a book at host bookstore to get book signedNo.
Can bring books from other stores to be signed? Yes.
Limit to books Brent will sign? No.
Other: If you bring a book purchased prior to the event, please bring a receipt. Santa Monica B&N requires receipts be shown to prevent theft.

BookPeople, Austin, TX
Monday, September 17 at 7pm:
Ticket required to participate in signing? No.
Must purchase a book at host bookstore to get book signedA copy of the event book must be purchased from BookPeople.
Can bring books from other stores, besides the purchased book, to be signed? Yes.
Limit to books Brent will sign? No.
Other: If you purchase your book from BookPeople in advance of the event, please save your receipt and present it at the event. You can also purchase a book over the phone, and BookPeople will get the book signed and set aside specifically for you. You can also purchase the book online and write “SIGNED BOOK” in the comments field upon checkout. This service is free of charge and available for most of their events.

A Real Bookstore, Fairview (near Dallas), TX
Tuesday, September 18 at 7pm:
Ticket required to participate in signing? No.
Must purchase a book at host bookstore to get book signedYes. A copy of the event book (The Blinding Knife) must be purchased from A Real Bookstore.
Can bring books from other stores, besides the purchased book, to be signed? Yes.
Limit to books Brent will sign? No.
Other: If you have purchased a copy of the event book at A Real Bookstore, Brent will sign any of his previous titles for you. Retain receipts for books purchased in advance of the signing. If you’d like to have a signed copy but are unable to attend a book signing, A Real Bookstore will have books signed for you. Please make online purchases of books to-be-signed at least 48 hours in advance of the event. To get a signed book 48 hours or less to the event, please call the store at 972-398-9888.

Barnes & Noble, Orlando, FL
Wednesday, September 19 at 7pm:
Ticket required to participate in signing? No, unless there are more than 200 attendees, in which case Barnes & Noble will provide wrist bands.
Must purchase a book at host bookstore to get book signedNo.
Can bring books from other stores, besides the purchased book, to be signed? Yes.
Limit to books Brent will sign? No.
Other: As they are hosting this event, Barnes & Noble encourages purchases from Barnes & Noble stores in area — they have over 7 locations in greater Orlando.

Barnes & Noble, Atlanta, GA
Thursday, September 20 at 7pm:
Ticket required to participate in signing? Yes.
Must purchase a book at host bookstore to get book signedTo obtain a pass to the event, please purchase at least one copy of The Blinding Knife from Barnes & Noble in Buckhead (where the signing is taking place).
Can bring books from other stores to be signed? Yes. Barnes & Noble will also have Brent’s previous titles available at the store for purchase.
Limit to books Brent will sign? No.
Other: Priority seating/signing will be given to customers who purchase The Blinding Knife from Barnes & Noble Buckhead. They will be handing out color coded passes. Each group is called by the pass color to the signing area. Passes to the event will be given out at the register with purchase, beginning 5:00 pm the day of the event. Customers with Brent’s previous titles may be asked to wait until the end of the signing.

Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill, NC
Friday, September 21 at 7pm:
Ticket required to participate in signing? No.
Must purchase a book at host bookstore to get book signed? Yes.
Can bring books from other stores, besides the purchased book, to be signed? Yes.
Limit to books Brent will sign? No.
Other: To be in the signing line, you need to have purchased at least one of the books at Flyleaf. Signing is first come, first served. If someone has a lot of books not purchased with Flyleaf, they can have the Flyleaf book signed, then they need to go to the back of the line so others can get their books signed. If someone buys all the books from Flyleaf, they can have them signed all at once.
Also, if you find parking at the store limited, there is more parking across MLK Blvd in the UNC parking lot. There is a crosswalk at the light.

Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Cincinnati, OH
Saturday, September 22 at 7pm:
Ticket required to participate in signing? Yes. They are free and available with purchase of The Blinding Knife.
Must purchase a book at host bookstore to get book signedYes.
Can bring books from other stores, besides the purchased book, to be signed? Yes.
Limit to books Brent will sign? No.
Other: Gives Back Members will be first in the signing line.

Bookstore Signing Etiquette (U.S.)

So, you’ve never been to a book signing? What does one do at this mystical confluence of authorly awkwardness and fannish squee? Take my hand, young padawan, and I will explain the ways of the book signing to you:

Time: About 2 hours

Cost: 1 hardcover ($25 or less)

Dress: Casual, I’m from the West Coast, man.

What you get: To hear an unreleased chapter available nowhere else, to get your books signed, to see my bright happy face, and at least 87 xp toward your next Geek level.

You come in to your local bookstore as normal, and you’ll be able to find some area cleared and with chairs in front of a podium. Grab the podium and throw it to the ground, shouting, “Brent’s books are crap! Don’t buy them!” Okay, don’t do that, except maybe at the first signing. I could use the publicity. Go take a seat. I usually start right on time–okay, I start about two to five minutes late in case stragglers are wandering in, but don’t tell them that! (We all know they’ll just be five minutes later.)

Sometimes a representative from the bookstore might introduce me. Pity them. It’s their job to find nice things to say about me. Then I’ll take the podium. I’ll read a chapter–right now I plan to read a chapter from The Blood Mirror (Lightbringer 3). Don’t worry about spoilers if you haven’t read or finished Lightbringer 1 or 2, I picked a chapter that will make sense to everyone. The reading will take about 15-17 minutes. Then I’ll answer questions. This part can take anywhere from 15 minutes to 30ish minutes, depending on… well, you. I won’t give away future plots, but most other questions are cool. You just raise your hand like in class, and when I call on you, ask your question. If you aren’t loud enough for everyone to hear, I’ll try to repeat you. (So the 5 minute long question/comment/discursive essays? Not so good.)

Then we get to the signing part. Every book store does this a bit differently, which is why I have the guidelines below. However, you can know that I’ll stay until I’ve signed something for everyone. (And in most cases, everything for everyone, but that depends on place and time and crowd size.)

Because I try to chat with each fan–at least to say hi!–and personalize the experience, you can expect the total event to run around 2 hours. If it’s big, it might be 3–though I’ll try to move things along, I promise! Do chat with people in line; they can often guide you to other books that you’ll like if you like mine. My wife will also be there, and she’s far more fun to talk to than me, anyway. If you show up early and get in the front of the line, you might be out in an hour from when I first start talking. Some stores will hand out post-it notes for you to put your name on, so I don’t have to ask twelve times how to spell, “Kajol Mukherjee.”

Last, a word about where you buy my book. I know you can often save money by buying online, and for some of you, you just can’t afford the difference. I understand. Please be aware that if everyone buys the book online, these events become a horrible deal for the hosting bookstore–although they do get to see my smiling face, and that’s gotta be worth something, right? Because the practice of buying elsewhere has become such a problem, at a couple of stops, the store requires you to buy The Blinding Knife there (Check below to see if that’s the case at your store). I know other stores are close to asking the same: they have to spend money coordinating these events, ordering extra books, and keeping staff late. So even if it isn’t required, if you can, please pick up my book from these stores so the event is a success–and therefore they ask me back! You can pre-order, pick it up on release day, read the whole thing before I arrive, and just keep your receipt, and in some cases that will even put you in front of the line.

You can click the links to go to the Facebook events pages for each event, featuring maps, the bookstores’ FB pages, etc.

(Oh, and I’ll also sign ebooks through a handy new way I figured out, but that’ll be its own post.)

Powell’s at Cedar Hill Crossing, Beaverton (near Portland), OR
Tuesday, September 11 at 7pm:
Ticket required to participate in signing? No.
Must purchase a book at host bookstore to get book signed? No.
Can bring books from other stores to be signed? Yes.
Limit to books Brent will sign? No.

University Bookstore, Seattle, WA
Wednesday, September 12 at 7pm:
Ticket required to participate in signing? No.
Must purchase a book at host bookstore to get book signedNo.
Can bring books from other stores to be signed? Yes.
Limit to books Brent will sign? Yes.

Borderlands, San Francisco, CA
Thursday, September 13 at 7pm:
Ticket required to participate in signing? No.
Must purchase a book at host bookstore to get book signedNo.
Can bring books from other stores to be signed? Yes.
Limit to books Brent will sign? No.

Tattered Cover, Denver, CO
Friday, September 14 at 7:30pm:
Ticket required to participate in signing? No.
Must purchase a book at host bookstore to get book signedNo.
Can bring books from other stores to be signed? Yes.
Limit to books Brent will sign? No.

Mysterious Galaxy, San Diego, CA
Saturday, September 15 at 2pm:
Ticket required to participate in signing? No.
Must purchase a book at host bookstore to get book signedNo.
Can bring books from other stores to be signed? Yes.
Limit to books Brent will sign? No.

Barnes & Noble, Santa Monica, CA
Sunday, September 16 at 2pm:
Ticket required to participate in signing? No.
Must purchase a book at host bookstore to get book signedNo.
Can bring books from other stores to be signed? Yes.
Limit to books Brent will sign? No.
Other: If you bring a book purchased prior to the event, please bring a receipt. Santa Monica B&N requires receipts be shown to prevent theft.

BookPeople, Austin, TX
Monday, September 17 at 7pm:
Ticket required to participate in signing? No.
Must purchase a book at host bookstore to get book signedA copy of the event book must be purchased from BookPeople.
Can bring books from other stores, besides the purchased book, to be signed? Yes.
Limit to books Brent will sign? No.
Other: If you purchase your book from BookPeople in advance of the event, please save your receipt and present it at the event. You can also purchase a book over the phone, and BookPeople will get the book signed and set aside specifically for you. You can also purchase the book online and write “SIGNED BOOK” in the comments field upon checkout. This service is free of charge and available for most of their events.

A Real Bookstore, Fairview (near Dallas), TX
Tuesday, September 18 at 7pm:
Ticket required to participate in signing? No.
Must purchase a book at host bookstore to get book signedYes. A copy of the event book (The Blinding Knife) must be purchased from A Real Bookstore.
Can bring books from other stores, besides the purchased book, to be signed? Yes.
Limit to books Brent will sign? No.
Other: If you have purchased a copy of the event book at A Real Bookstore, Brent will sign any of his previous titles for you. Retain receipts for books purchased in advance of the signing. If you’d like to have a signed copy but are unable to attend a book signing, A Real Bookstore will have books signed for you. Please make online purchases of books to-be-signed at least 48 hours in advance of the event. To get a signed book 48 hours or less to the event, please call the store at 972-398-9888.

Barnes & Noble, Orlando, FL
Wednesday, September 19 at 7pm:
Ticket required to participate in signing? No, unless there are more than 200 attendees, in which case Barnes & Noble will provide wrist bands.
Must purchase a book at host bookstore to get book signedNo.
Can bring books from other stores, besides the purchased book, to be signed? Yes.
Limit to books Brent will sign? No.
Other: As they are hosting this event, Barnes & Noble encourages purchases from Barnes & Noble stores in area — they have over 7 locations in greater Orlando.

Barnes & Noble, Atlanta, GA
Thursday, September 20 at 7pm:
Ticket required to participate in signing? Yes.
Must purchase a book at host bookstore to get book signedTo obtain a pass to the event, please purchase at least one copy of The Blinding Knife from Barnes & Noble in Buckhead (where the signing is taking place).
Can bring books from other stores to be signed? Yes. Barnes & Noble will also have Brent’s previous titles available at the store for purchase.
Limit to books Brent will sign? No.
Other: Priority seating/signing will be given to customers who purchase The Blinding Knife from Barnes & Noble Buckhead. They will be handing out color coded passes. Each group is called by the pass color to the signing area. Passes to the event will be given out at the register with purchase, beginning 5:00 pm the day of the event. Customers with Brent’s previous titles may be asked to wait until the end of the signing.

Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill, NC
Friday, September 21 at 7pm:
Ticket required to participate in signing? No.
Must purchase a book at host bookstore to get book signed? Yes.
Can bring books from other stores, besides the purchased book, to be signed? Yes.
Limit to books Brent will sign? No.
Other: To be in the signing line, you need to have purchased at least one of the books at Flyleaf. Signing is first come, first served. If someone has a lot of books not purchased with Flyleaf, they can have the Flyleaf book signed, then they need to go to the back of the line so others can get their books signed. If someone buys all the books from Flyleaf, they can have them signed all at once.
Also, if you find parking at the store limited, there is more parking across MLK Blvd in the UNC parking lot. There is a crosswalk at the light.

Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Cincinnati, OH
Saturday, September 22 at 7pm:
Ticket required to participate in signing? Yes. They are free and available with purchase of The Blinding Knife.
Must purchase a book at host bookstore to get book signedYes.
Can bring books from other stores, besides the purchased book, to be signed? Yes.
Limit to books Brent will sign? No.
Other: Gives Back Members will be first in the signing line.

Book Signing in San Diego

The wonderful folks at the famous Mysterious Galaxy bookstore have invited me to do an informal signing this Friday, July 3rd at 5-6 ish pm. Drop by and see my bright shining face, ask me some questions, and buy a signed book. This will be only like my second official book-signing, so if I haven’t yet mastered the art of chatting while signing, you’ll have to understand that as my mother liked to say, I’m a late-bloomer. Someday, I’ll be a regular James Garfield. (Though I’m not sure you’d want my books signed in Greek and Latin, even if I did do it simultaneously.)