What's Happening

EVENTS IN 2022

Saturday April 30 from 3:00 - 4:30 PM Pacific

    Canadian Independent Bookstore Day A real live event! I'll be at Western Sky Books (2132-2850 Shaughnessy St. Port Coquitlam BC)

Sunday Jan. 30 from 5:00 - 6:30 PM Pacific / 8:00 - 9:30 PM Eastern

    GUNG HAGGIS FAT CHOY 2022 (Virtual Event) Gung Haggis Fat Choy began here in Vancouver, the ultimate fusion of cultures as we celebrate Robbie Burns Day and the Lunar New Year with tongue-in-cheek fun and fabulous food. Normally this would be a big banquet with wine and whiskey and live performances. This year, organizer Toddish McWong has assembled a programme of performances that's a balance of traditions old and new with music & poetry, Scottish & Chinese, with Canadian twists! I will be doing a reading from THE LIBRARY OF LEGENDS, about a Chinese New Year scene.

    Performances include:

    • JILL BARBER -  Loch Lomand
    • JANIE CHANG - Library of Legends
    • CHINATOWN OPERA - ERICA IRIS HUANG
    • Traditional Reading of The Selkirk Grace
    • PIPE IN THE HAGGIS & Dragon
    • Adddress to the HAGGIS 
    • FIONA TINWEI LAM - Vancouver Poet Laureate
    • BLACKTHORN BLOSSOMS - Burns Song
    • Close with Auld Lang Syne

    Attendance is free, but please register ASAP so that you can get your login link in time Click here to sign up.

    But what about the traditional Chinese-Scottish banquet, you ask? Catering provided by Floata Restaurant - a special Take-Away Dinner for 2 Menu – designed to travel well and not to spill.

    • 2 Corn soup with “egg clouds”
    • Spicy jelly fish appetizer
    • 2 turnip cake appetizer
    • 2 haggis dumpling appetizer
    • Special vegetarian lettuce wrap
    • 2 slices of haggis
    • 2 salt & pepper fish
    • 2 Capitol pork loin
    • Buddhist feast
    • Long Life e-fu noodles

    Price is $75 + tax. Please call Floata to pre-order by Friday 8pm. Pick-up will be approximately 3.00-4:30pm on Sunday to give you time to get home and watch our show on your computer or TV. Please call 604 602 0368 and ask for Brian, the catering manager looking after this event. **

    ** You must order this dinner by tonight, Friday 8 pm. If you're too late, we ask that you support a local business and order from Floata's regular take-out menu, or order from your favourite local restaurant. 

    ** I suggest you read the menu and order by phone

    Events in 2021

    Thursday Oct. 28 at 7:00 PM Pacific / 10:00 PM Eastern

    • VANCOUVER PUBLIC LIBRARY (Virtual Event) Nothing quite like an event in your home town library! Short presentation then Q&A. Please remember that for Q&As I am happy to answer questions about writing and publishing. I know there are lots of emerging writers out there. Attendance is free, but please register in advance. Click here to learn more and sign up.

    Thursday Oct. 21 at 7:00 PM Eastern/ 4:00 PM Pacific

    • WATERLOO PUBLIC LIBRARY (Virtual Event) Super excited about this one because it's part of the Evergreen award events. THE LIBRARY OF LEGENDS was nominated for an Evergreen award by the Ontario Library Association and various libraries schedule author events around the award. Attendance is free, but please register in advance. Click here to learn more and sign up.

    Friday Oct. 15 at 8:00 PM Eastern/ 5:00 PM Pacific

    • KNOWLTON LITERARY FESTIVAL (Virtual Event) Looks like I'll be kicking off this Festival with an online visit. I plan to talk about some of the real family events and real people who found their way into THE LIBRARY OF LEGENDS. Happy to take Q&As from the audience ! See you there! The majority of the festival is free, so register for your free pass. But for only $25, you'll have access to the VIP Stage where special guest authors will be. Click here to learn more and register

    Tuesday Aug. 3 at 8:00 PM Eastern/ 5 PM Pacific

    • THE BLOOM ROOM with host Amy E. Reichert. And now for a different kind of live-streamed author experience. To join in the fun, just pop in to the Bloom with Tall Poppies Facebook group this Tuesday Aug. 3rd at 8 PM Eastern for this week's BLOOM ROOM where the incomparable Amy E. Reichert will be interviewing me and J'Nell Ciesielski about books and - gasp! - non-book stuff. Fun stuff. Food stuff. Possibly deeply revealing stuff. ALSO I leave you to ponder this one word : CONCEALER. Be there or live out the rest of your days without ever knowing.

    Saturday May 29, 2021 from 6:30 - 7:30 PM Pacific

    • FUNDRAISER for Royal BC Museum and Jade Phoenix Club I'll talk about THE LIBRARY OF LEGENDS and the true events behind the novel, as well as the process of research and how it affected the story. The audience will have an opportunity to ask questions at the end. Tickets $13.50 for Museum members, $15 for non-Members. Click here for more information and tickets; there is also a link on the page for buying signed copies of THE LIBRARY OF LEGENDS.

    Sun, May 16, 2021 from 2:00 - 3:00 PM Eastern

    • High Tea at Home with Authors Pam Jenoff, Kate Quinn, and Janie Chang (moderator). Register to attend the HarperCollins Canada's Ultimate High Tea Virtual Event. FREE but you must register to attend this virtual event featuring authors Kate Quinn (The Rose Code), Pam Jenoff (The Woman with the Blue Star), and Janie Chang (The Library of Legends), and to be entered for the chance to win the Ultimate High Tea Giveaway! Anyone can attend, but the Giveaway is for Canadian residents only.
    Events in 2020

    Friday, Nov. 20, 2020 from 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM Eastern

    Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020 from 6:00 PM – 7:00 Pacific

    • I Have Been Wondering In Conversation with author Danny Ramadan. Danny and I will be talking about heritage, family, and navigating personal history through historical fiction. "I Have Been Wondering" is a limited series hosted by author and public speaker Danny Ramadan. Each month, Ramadan invites an author who identifies within the LGBTQ2+ community, and/or a racially marginalized community, to read for 15 minutes, then share a 30 minutes conversation, ending with a 15 minutes question period. The event will be ticketed and will be hosted on a Zoom Webinar. At the end of the season, all six readings will be available for free on Ramadan's YouTube's channel. There is a No Questions Asked policy on providing free tickets to those asking for them. Register here.

    Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020 from 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM Eastern

    • Kitchener Public Library Virtual Author Visit In conversation with author pal Jennifer Robson! Which means it could turn into a total gabfest about anything and everything. Register for free here.

    Monday, Oct. 26, 2020 from 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM Eastern

    • TIFA Toronto International Festival of Authors Love & Sacrifice in Storytelling: Janie Chang & Louise Hare. Historical fiction writers Janie Chang and Louise Hare come together for a compelling conversation about love and sacrifice in their latest books. In The Library of Legends, Chang takes us back to 1937 China, where unexpected bonds yield profound consequences, as Japanese bombs fall from the sky. Hare’s debut, This Lovely City, introduces us to a Jamaican immigrant living in postwar London, whose terrible discovery triggers a plight for redemption and search for hope. Join us for this pre-recorded conversation, and uncover the stories beyond the pages of these fascinating tales. Registration link is on this page.

    Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020 from 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM Pacific

    • WOTS Word on the Street literary festival, Lethbridge Virtual presentation managed by the Lethbridge Public Library. Details to come. Register now!

    Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020 from 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM Central

    • Fox Cities Book Festival Virtual presentation. Readers and emerging writers of historical fiction often ask about research and how closely should authors adhere to true events. Janie Chang will discuss research and what to consider when making the decision between absolute historical accuracy and tweaking the facts. Using examples from her novels, she will talk about some of the most common mistakes; when to fictionalize history to create a better story; how to balance authenticity and fact; effective ways to convey time and place; and how research can turn up unexpected information that makes authors rethink characters and plots – and sometimes even derail the original story – hopefully for the better! Here is the webinar registration page.

    Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020 from 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM Pacific

    • Lorenzo Virtual Book Club Virtual author visit hosted by the University of New Brunswick. Details to come.

    Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020 Time TBD

    • Drinks with Dames A virtual event with a pack of historical fiction authors. More later.

    Friday, Aug. 28, 2020 from 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM EDT

    • Historical Fiction Happy Hour A virtual event via Crowdcast with authors Finola Austin, Linnea Hartsuyker, and Carrie Callaghan. Four authors, endless book nerdiness. The event is FREE, but please register in advance. Use this link.

    Thursday, June 18, 2020 from 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM EDT

    • Virtual Book Event at Fox Tale Book Shoppe A virtual event via ZOOM. Hosted by the wonderful folks at FoxTale Book Shoppe. The event is FREE, but space is limited. Reserve your e-ticket now.

    Saturday, May 23, 2020 from 2:00 - 3:00 PM EDT

    • High Tea at Home: A virtual event via Zoom. I'll be on a panel with fellow historical fiction authors: Tara Moss and Danielle R. Graham. Discussion moderated by Jennifer Robson. Attendees will receive an exclusive downloadable 'High Tea at Home Guide' with step-by-step instructions on how to prepare your high tea, plus recipes from the authors! The event is FREE, but spaces is limited. Reserve your e-ticket now.

    Monday May 18 - Friday May 22, 2020

    • Book Club Girls Writer in Residence: I will be anchoring the week at the Book Club Girls Facebook page. So if you haven't already, join this private group on Facebook. It's for book lovers and there's lots of book recommendations, conversation starters, online chats with authors, and more.

    Friday, May 15, 2020 - Sunday, May 17

    • 5-Book Giveaway from Kate Quinn: Author pal Kate Quinn gives away 5 copies of The Library of Legends on her Facebook page.
      US residents only.

    Tuesday, May 12, 2020 10:00 am - Noon PT

    • Video chat about The Library of Legends with bestselling author Kate Quinn : In which we get all history-geeky AND I will do a giveaway of an awesome 1,000-piece super-limited edition puzzle based on artwork from the cover of the book and 3 copies of The Library of Legends. Jump in and comment before Noon PT to enter. Happening on my Facebook page (the video will stay up on my page)
      US residents only.

    Monday, May 11, 2020 from 4:00 - 5:00 pm PT

    • Bloom Zoom: Live streaming on Zoom. What do authors talk about when we're in a group? And what questions would you ask if you could jump in to the conversation? I will be chatting with fellow Tall Poppy Writers Nicole Blades, Kathryn Craft, Amy Impellizzeri, and Sadeqa Johnson. Log in or join the Bloom group on Facebook.

    Friday, May 1, 2020 - Sunday, May 3

    • 5-Book Giveaway from Jennifer Robson: Author pal Jen Robson gives away 5 copies of The Library of Legends on her Facebook page.

    Tuesday, April 28, 2020 10:00 am PT

    • Video chat about The Library of Legends with bestselling author Jennifer Robson : Talk about the inspiration and real events behind The Library of Legends PLUS a giveaway of an awesome 1,000-piece limited edition puzzle based on artwork from the cover of the book and 3 copies of The Library of Legends. Jump in and comment before Noon PT to enter. Happening on my Facebook page (the video will stay up on my page)
      Canadian residents only.

    Saturday, April 25, 2020 3:00 pm PT

    • Drinks with Dames: Authors in Quarantine: a live Zoom event hosted by Berkeley Publishing. Featuring 13 historical fiction authors. We talk about what we're doing during quarantine and what we're working on. And we take questions. Hang out with me and my friends Georgie Blalock, Bryn Turnbull, Erika Robuck, Renee Rosen, Stephanie Thornton, Jennifer Robson, Eliza Knight, Chanel Cleeton, Alix Rickloff, Kerri Maher, Laura Kamoie, and Kate Quinn. Video recording now posted on Youtube.

    Tuesday, April 7, 2020 5:00 pm PT

CURRENT & UPCOMING GIVEAWAYS

May 3, 2022. Just in time for Mother’s Day brunch planning! Get this free recipe booklet of BRUNCH LIKE A WRITER, recipes from 12 author pals. Download now!