Vernal Equinox: Time to dust off your winter doldrums and embrace the sunshine
As we continue in the Easter season there are many reasons to celebrate, including Thurston Gill at Barnes & Noble this weekend!
This week brings the vernal equinox— otherwise known as the first day of spring. Parisian Phoenix has some hustle and bustle on the bunny trail this season.
We found out today that our own Thurston Gill will be hosting his first official book signing this Saturday at Barnes & Noble in the Southmont Shopping Center, Bethlehem Township, Pa. The community relations manager reached out to us to fill a cancelation and I proposed Thurston as it is just before Holy Week and his Phulasso Devotional would be a great addition to anyone’s Easter celebration. The times have yet to be established, but we’re hoping 1 to 4 p.m.
And while we are on the topic of Barnes & Noble, The Echo City Capers duo, Joe Swarctz and Ralph Greco Jr., had a smashingly successful last Saturday, selling most of the books the store had on the shelves. They connected with one retired woman who purchases items from local business owners to place in charity auction baskets. She bought nearly $300 worth of Echo City Capers books and reached out to me about other titles.
The first one she bought was two copies of Dr. Steven Hymovitch’s The Emotionally Intelligent Dental Office. Her husband is a psychiatrist so it made sense.
Speaking of Joe and Ralph, they got a last minute invitation to the Lehigh Valley Book Festival Author Expo at the Bethlehem Public Library, March 23. One non-Parisian Phoenix author I am so excited to see is Jess Rinker, who will be there promoting her latest release Monolith. I am hoping to purchase a signed copy. Jess and I went to high school together and we’ve had a few conversations throughout this recent project. You can read Jess’s Substack here.
Larry Sceurman has been working on several projects. He’s our nostalgic fiction author, recording stories based in the Lehigh Valley in the 1950s,1960s and 1970s. He has named and started building his own newsletter here on Substack, which he calls “Larry’s Stories.” You can visit that here.
If you’re in the Lehigh Valley, Larry is looking for a few good readers to participate in a discussion group. The group will meet at Mary Meuser Memorial Library some time in May. Participants will receive free copies of Larry’s books and spend some time with him chatting as he prepares for some events this summer. If you might be interested, we still have some spaces left. Just reply to this newsletter and let me know.
Until we reach summer, Parisian Phoenix has a lot of activities going on. They include:
Thurston Gill at Barnes & Noble, Southmont Shopping Center, Saturday, March 23, tentatively 1 to 4 p.m.
Echo City Capers at Lehigh Valley Book Festival author expo at Bethlehem Area Public Library, also Saturday, March 23, 1:30 to 4 p.m.
Wayne Sherrer speaking about Phillipsburg history at the Easton Area Neighborhood Center, Monday, April 1, 1 p.m.
Angel Ackerman discussing publishing with poets at Poet Palooza II, Barnes & Noble, Southmont Shopping Center, Saturday, April 6, 1 to 4:30 p.m.
Wayne Sherrer, book signing, Centenary College, Hackettstown, N.J., Tuesday, April 9, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Book Fair at the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group Conference, with Parisian Phoenix tabling and featuring Book & Puppet Company, Saturday, April 13, 4 to 5:30 p.m.
Echo City Capers at the Pennsylvania School Library Association Conference, Kalahari Resort in the Poconos, Saturday, April 13. Time TBD.
RELEASE DAY: Otto the Oak, the new hardcover from Echo City Capers.
Echo City Capers at Barnes & Noble in the Promenade Shops, Center Valley. Launch of Otto the Oak, Saturday, April 27.
Echo City Capers at Phillipsburg Comic Con, Saturday May 11.
RELEASE DAY: Road Trip, the fourth volume in the Fashion and Fiends series, a werewolf coming-of-age story, Monday, May 20.
Angel Ackerman at Blood in the Stacks, a horror-themed book event at Barnes & Noble, Southmont Shopping Center, Saturday, May 25. Official Launch of Road Trip.
Parisian Phoenix Publishing and Echo City Capers at the Flemington Book Festival, Sunday, May 26.
Special thanks to our art director Gayle Hendricks for designing this for the staff at Barnes & Noble.
I hope to share more exciting adventures and less bulleted lists in coming weeks.
In the meantime, let me leave you with this photo Joan Zachary took of me at a recent meeting. It’s a photo of me that’s not a ridiculous selfie.
As always—
Keep reading. Keep writing. Support local businesses however you can. Consider buying some books and leaving a review.
— Angel