Brake for Boswell - and come for these events - Paul Salsini tonight, Andrew Shaffer (Hope Rides Again) tomorrow, J Ryan Stradal sold out, Michael Moreci and Javier Ramirez on Thursday, Billy Jensen with Doug Gordon Friday

I should note that between June 18 and 26 of this year, we had eight speakers and seven were female. It's just one of those random things of the calendar.

And now, what's happening at Boswell.

Monday, August 12, 7 pm, at Boswell:
Paul Salsini, author of The Ghosts of the Garfagnana: Seven Strange Stories from Haunted Tuscany

Milwaukee author of A Tuscan Series, Paul Salsini continues his fictional explorations of the haunted side of Tuscany.

Strange things are known to happen in the rugged Garfagnana region. It is a little-known area of high mountains, either brilliantly white or deeply forested, small villages, some of them abandoned, and rippling streams. And there is something eerie and mysterious about it.

This was the place with a bridge built by a devil in the Middle Ages, a mountain that contains a witches’ coven, an underground cavern where voices can be heard, and a village that had been flooded but whose church bells can be heard under the lake on cold winter nights. Salsini reflects this mood with supernatural stories - a friendly ghost haunts a monastery, a statue cures the sick, and a village sleeps for a hundred years. All these and more make their appearance in Salsini’s latest, The Ghosts of the Garfagnana.

Paul Salsini is the Milwaukee-based author of The Cielo, Sparrow's Revenge, and The Fearless Flag Thrower of Lucca. Salsini is an instructor at Marquette University and formerly worked for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Want to know more? Here's a link to Paul Salsini's interview on Lake Effect.

Tuesday, August 13, 7 pm, at Boswell:
Andrew Shaffer, author of Hope Rides Again and Hope Never Dies

The New York Times bestselling author rides into Boswell with the sequel to his hit Obama and Biden mystery, Hope Never Dies, in which the former POTUS and VPOTUS reprise their roles as BFFs-turned-amateur-sleuths as they chase Obama’s stolen cell phone through Chicago.

Shaffer chats about the second entry into his series that The New Yorker calls, “a giddy premise, a bit of Resistance wish-fulfillment for those who’d like to see Biden and Obama trading one-liners and cracking skulls.” In Hope Rides Again, Biden’s old pal Obama invites him to meet a benefactor whose endorsement could turn the tide for Joe if he decides to run for president. But the two friends barely have time to catch up before another mystery lands in their laps.

When their number-one suspect winds up full of lead on the South Side, the police are content to write it off as just another gangland shooting. But Joe and Obama smell a rat. Set against the backdrop of a raucous city on St. Patrick’s Day, Joe and Obama uncover a vast conspiracy that goes deeper than the waters of Lake Michigan - exactly where they’ll spend the rest of their retirement if they’re not careful.

We'll have a drawing for Obama and Biden action figures and scented candles.

At capacity - Wednesday, August 14, 7 pm, at Café Hollander, 2608 N Downer Ave:
J Ryan Stradal, author of The Lager Queen of Minnesota - signed copies can be ordered here

This event is fully registered. However, cancellations do occur. Check back at stradalmke.bpt.me to see if any spots have opened up. In addition, there will likely be some last-minute standby seats available the night of the event, but space is limited. We'll also have signed copies available after the event, or you can reserve a signed copy now. Personalization requires payment in advance.

Kirkus’s starred review calls The Lager Queen of Minnesota, “an absolutely delightful read, perfect for a summer day with a good beer and a piece of pie.” J Ryan Stradal is author of Kitchens of the Great Midwest, which won the American Booksellers Association Indie’s Choice Award and the Midwest Booksellers Choice Award. He is a contributing editor at TASTE Magazine.

Thursday, August 15, 7 pm, at Boswell:
Michael Moreci, author of We Are Mayhem: A Black Star Renegades Novel, in conversation with Javier Ramirez

Michael Moreci had to cancel his June appearance at Boswell, so we have rescheduled his return to the store for a chat with Javier Ramirez, a bookseller at Oak Park’s Book Table, about We Are Mayhem, the second installment of Moreci’s Star Wars-inspired series that Nerdist calls "the next big thing."

A ragtag group of misfits known as the Black Star Renegades not only possesses the will to fight for galactic freedom, they also possess the ultimate ace in the hole: the mythical Rokura, the most powerful weapon ever known. Too bad they haven’t figured out how to use it. Rebel Cade must embark on a dangerous mission into uncharted space to discover the Rokura’s origins and learn how it can be wielded. If he doesn’t, all hope for the galaxy might be lost.

As reviewed in USA Today, “Those who dig Arthurian legend, Guardians of the Galaxy cosmic high jinks and especially Star Wars mythology will find oodles to love.”

Michael Moreci is a Chicago-based novelist and comic books writer recognized as one of Newcity Lit's "Lit 50: Who Really Books in Chicago 2018." His comics include Roche Limit and Burning Fields. He's also written Suicide Squad for DC, Planet of the Apes for Boom!, and the forthcoming Black Hole Repo.

Friday, August 16, 7 pm, at Boswell:
Billy Jenson, author of Chase Darkness With Me: How One True-Crime Writer Started Solving Murders, in conversation with Doug Gordon

Billy Jensen talks true crime capers with Wisconsin Public Radio’s Doug Gordon, Producer and Host of BETA. Jensen is a journalist turned cold case investigator who helped complete Michelle McNamara’s #1 New York Times bestseller, I’ll Be Gone in the Dark.

Register for this free event at jensenmke.bpt.me. Attendees can also upgrade to a book-with-registration for signing line priority at the special price of $24.70, with tax and ticket fee included. No refunds for book-with-registration upgrade after August 15, 2019.

Journalist Billy Jensen has built his career on solving cold case murders, often using information found on social media and in other places the police don't think to look. When detectives have no answers, they call Billy, the world's first digital "consulting detective."

Step inside the world of true crime as Billy solves the Halloween Mask Murder, finds a murderer/fugitive hiding out in Mexico, and investigates the only other murder in New York City on 9/11. Readers will also follow Billy closely as he helps finish Michelle McNamara's I'll Be Gone In the Dark after her sudden death. Full of twists, turns, and rabbit holes, Jensen’s Chase Darkness with Me allows readers to ride shotgun with Billy as he uses groundbreaking techniques to identify the criminals behind seemingly unsolvable murders.

Please note that if we get close to capacity in registration, you'll need to be registered to attend this event. It's at jensenmke.bpt.me

We're taking a long summer weekend, so our next event is Mark Hineline at the Urban Ecology Center on August. Keep up to date with all our Boswell events on our upcoming event page.

Photo credits!
J. Ryan Stradal: Anna Pasquerella
Billy Jensen: Robyn Van Swank