The Bear is First

They even have one on tap called Delirium Tremens!

Hearty thanks to Ace and her book club for reading Everliving this month! It was my first book club visit at a restaurant (of sorts), Redmond's Malt and Vine. I'm not much of a beer drinker, so I couldn't do the hundreds of offerings justice, but I enjoyed a hard cider and the company.

The liquor lubricated the already-sharp mental instincts of the group (I mean that in all sincerity), and we had a great discussion about whether or not Daphne the ghost showed any "development," whether or not Gladys was "faking it," why Carson Keller did what he did at the end, and why little Noah saw what he saw. It turns out one of the women's had a tree-canopy-studying botanist for a sister, and a father who had been a psychiatrist at Napa State Hospital! Should have dedicated this book to Lisa, clearly.

One of the funniest moments was when they asked me about my up-and-coming book. When I told them the title was The Beresfords, Laura asked, "The Bear is First?" Ha ha! Maybe, if all else fails, I could market The Bear is First as a Berenstain Bears fan-fiction, or a memorial tribute to Jan Berenstain, who recently passed away.

Speaking of The Beresfords, I just signed off on the front cover (!). The ball in rolling. Look for launch parties in late April or early May, and shoot me a message if you'd like to host a party and get your copy free!