Check out these author and book events in Seattle in the upcoming months. Questions should be directed to the host organization, as I am only passing on the information.

SEPTEMBER: Southcenter Barnes & Noble celebrates its 15th anniversary!
Please join us for author panels and signings:

Sun. 09/06 J.A. Jance 1pm (thriller)
Sat. 09/12 Jayne Ann Krentz 3pm (romance)
Sun. 09/13 Robert Dugoni 1pm (thriller)
Sun. 09/20 Team Seattle 2pm: Mark Henry, Cherie Priest, Lauren Dane, Kat Richardson (speculative fiction/urban fantasy)
Sat. 09/26 Yasmine Galenorn 2pm (paranormal romance)
Sun 09/27 Margaret Mallory & Gerri Russell 2pm (historical romance)

Southcenter Barnes & Noble
300 Andover Park W. #200
Tukwila, WA 98188

SEPTEMBER 19-20: Half Price Books Washington Warehouse Sale
Everything $1 or less! 9 am to 6 pm
9241 Greenwood Ave. N. in Seattle

SEPTEMBER 25-27: Seattle Public Library Book Sale
The Friends of the Library hold two major book sales every year, in Spring and Fall. At each sale, over 200,000 books and other items are offered to the general public. Proceeds go to benefit The Seattle Public Library. Location: Magnuson Park, Hangar in Building #30, 7400 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, 98115

• Friday, September 25: 6:30- 9:30 p.m. Member preview sale. Members may purchase up to 25 items. Memberships $10 in advance; $30 at the door.
• Saturday, September 26: 9 a.m.- 5 p.m.
• Sunday, September 27: 11 a.m.- 4 p.m.

OCTOBER 7: 826 Seattle fundraiser: Where the Wild Things Are movie preview
826 Seattle is a nonprofit writing center that helps students, ages 6-18 develop their creative and expository writing skills. Be the first on EVERY BLOCK of Seattle to see what is the most anticipated movie of the year by attending this preview showing of the movie, sponsored by 826 Seattle and our pals at the Northwest Film Forum. How come Warner Brothers is letting us do this? Because Dave Eggers, co-founder of 826 National, also co-wrote the screenplay with director Spike Jonze.

Check out the trailer: http://wherethewildthingsare.warnerbros.com/

Quick! Buy tickets here right now: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/79215

OCTOBER 8, 7pm: R.A. Salvatore
The Ghost King: Transitions, Book III (WOTC)
University Bookstore store Seattle
Don’t miss the gripping conclusion to Salvatore’s New York Times best-selling Transitions trilogy! When the Spellplague ravages Faerûn, Drizzt and his companions are caught in the chaos. Seeking out the help of the priest Cadderly–the hero of the recently reissued series The Cleric Quintet–Drizzt finds himself facing his most powerful and elusive foe, the twisted Crenshinibon, the demonic crystal shard he believed had been destroyed years ago.

OCTOBER 10, 4 pm to 6 pm: Emerald City Book Fair
The public is invited to the book fair of the Emerald City Writers Conference, where tons of local romance authors will be autographing books. The event is held at the Bellevue Hilton. The official author list is not yet public, but I’ll post it when it is. We are pleased to donate a portion of the Book Fair proceeds to DAWN, Domestic Abuse Womens Network of South King County.

OCTOBER 23-25: Seattle Steamcon
Dust off your brass goggles for the first ever Seattle Steampunk Conference. There will be costumes, tea parties, Steampunk author speeches, music (Abney Park), games and more. Check out http://www.steam-con.com for more information.

OCTOBER 24-25, 10am-6pm: Seattle Book Festival
Columbia City Event Center. Remember the old Northwest Book Festival on the waterfront? Seattle’s Columbia City community is bringing it back. It’s going to be very cool event with at least 50 authors in attendance and over 80 exhibitors. This is a grass roots effort with all the funding coming from participants. Rumor has it there will be a panel on the “Changing Face of Romance.”

If you attended the RWA National Conference, you may be aware that Steampunk is in. Still don’t know what it is? It’s already to late to get on the writing bandwagon. Steampunk is Victorian romanticism mixed with futuristic steam powered technology. Steampunk events coming to Seattle:

August 9: The Steampunk band Abney Park presents The Circus at the End of the World

October 23-25: Seattle Steamcon

Now that you have an event you need a costume. This is my favorite part! (Not that I personally own a steampunk-inspired costume. I just like looking at them on the internet.) You can find lots of ready made ones online, but part of the thrust of the movement is a do-it-yourself initiative. Get ready to let your imagination fly and create. Since I’m a knitter, I’ve been perusing the perfect knitted costumes on Ravelry. This is the costume that, if I weren’t writing and traveling and had a lot more time on my hands, I would make myself. You won’t be able to look at the patterns unless you’re a Ravelry member. It’s free. Sign up and friend me.

left: Edwardian Collar by Zehava Jacobs (available for $5 on etsy)

right: Miniature Top Hat by Lara Breese (available for download for $5)

left: Corset Cover by Veronik Avery from “Knitting Classic Style: 35 Modern Designs Inspired by Fashion’s Archives”

right: Lacy Skirt with Bows by Kat Coyle from Greetings from the Knit Cafe

left: The Point About Cuffs by Vicki Square from “Lace Style”

right: Spatz by Zoe Bogner (available as a free ravelry download!)

To complete the outfit I’ll need a long sleeved blouse and a pair of black laced boots, which technically I could make, but as the white rabbit said “no time! no time! no time!”

Another thing to remember is that Steampunk costumes are inspired from a time that never was. You do NOT have to be historically accurate to a certain part of the Victorian Era. Borrow from your favorite time periods throughout history. Mix and match. As the organizer for Seattle Steamcon, Diana Vick, wrote on the website, “Steampunk needs historical accuracy like a dirigible needs a goldfish.”