Easton Book Festival 2023

October is nearly upon us and with it, the Easton Book Festival, which will take place October 19-22 in downtown Easton, PA. The central hub of the festival is Book & Puppet Company at 22 Centre Square but programming is scheduled all over town including:

International Fusionism Museum
Nurture Nature Center
College Hill Tavern
Easton Area Public Library
Skillman Library
Quadrant Book Mart
Easton Farmers Market

The full schedule of impressive events can be found here on the festival website.

I’ll be participating on Sunday, October 22 in the following events:

Easton Book Festival Small Press Expo11AM – 5PM – Easton Small Press Expo. Author tables will set up in the Easton Public Market located at 325 Northampton St. Come on out to see local writers Angel Ackerman, Michael Stephen Daigle, Phil Giunta, Christopher Ochs, Ginny Shephard, Felicia Heath, Dianna Sinovic, and Tom Lubben.


Hard-Boiled and Loaded with Sin Book Cover11AM – Noon – Grit and Crime: The Art of Writing Noir with Albert Tucher, Suzanne Mattaboni, Dianna Sinovic, Phil Giunta (moderator).

Noir is a subgenre of crime literature featuring cynical characters and bleak settings. Dark in theme and subject matter, noir often features systemic corruption and a disturbing mixture of sex and violence. It is frequently associated with hard-boiled detective fiction, but they’re not exactly the same. Panelists will discuss the similarities and differences between noir and hard-boiled fiction, and what inspired them to write in these genres. Panelists will read excerpts from their stories in “Hard-Boiled and Loaded with Sin,” the latest crime noir anthology from Hawkshaw Press.


Dark and Stormy Night Gameshow2PM – 3PM – A Dark and Stormy Night: Game Show with Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group. Host: John Evans. Participants: Phil Giunta, Bernadette Sukley, Michael Stephen Daigle, Suzanne Mattaboni, Dianna Sinovic, Charles Kiernan.

Storm clouds gather as the audience votes on their favorite excerpts read by three GLVWG authors in a literary “gameshow.” Each round showcases the authors’ mastery of an element of fiction: dialogue, setting, character with the audience as the judge. Expect audience participation, a literary trivia quiz, door prizes, and fun for all.


3:45PM – 4PM – I will be reading a 10-minute excerpt (unless I speak quickly and finish the entire thing!) from my short story, “Where Halloween Never Ends” at the Easton Public Market.

About This Writing Stuff…

Nice to hear from a few writer friends on the blog this month. Sara Karnish reminds us about proper critique etiquette and discusses the writer/editor relationship with Pattie Giordani.

It is said that your focus determines your reality. That applies to fictional characters as well. However, there are occasions in real life when we deliberately ignore or avoid something unpleasant. Writer pal Kathryn Craft shows us effective ways to depict that in our characters.

Over at Good Story Company, Amy Wilson draws a distinct line between editing and revision while Kristen Overman delves into the “chosen one” trope and how to ensure your hero is up to the task.

Struggling with book marketing? With a writing drought? With imposter syndrome? We got you covered on all three this month.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

Follow the Energy of Denial by Kathryn Craft

Chosen One Stories: Is Your Hero Worthy of the Journey? by Kristen Overman

How Right Do Your Characters Have to Be? by Terry Odell

How to Give a Critique (Without Being Too Critical) by Sara Karnish

I Would Rather See My Books Pirated Than This (Or Why Goodreads and Amazon are Becoming Dumpster Fires) by Jane Friedman

How to Market Your Books to Get Worldwide Exposure by Diana Urban

How Authors Use Preorders to Promote New Books in 2023 by AJ Yee

5 Things Influencers Look for in a Book by Ryan Steck

5 Ways to Survive a Publishing Drought by Katrina Kittle

The Difference Between Editing and Revising by Amy Wilson

The Author/Editor Relationship: A Q&A with Pattie Giordani by Sara Karnish

How to Escape Imposter Syndrome in Your Writing Life by Lynette M. Burrows