Tennessee Book tour part 1
Hey, y’all.
Tennessee is a beautiful state, in so many ways—and I’m having a ball on book tour here for The Miniaturist’s Assistant! This time I brought my mom along (she’s the best)—and an avid reader.
Our first stop was The Unkind Raven in historic Dandridge, Tennessee—the “second oldest town in Tennessee” set against Douglas Lake. The Unkind Raven is located in the Hynds House, a circa-1845 building downtown. And y’all, it’s magic.
There are creaky wood floors, stained glass transoms, flickering candles, and a sweet turtle at home in the kids’ section. Their stock is varied and large; it is the perfect stop for any book lover in the Knoxville area, or making their way through on a road trip, like us!
I feel so lucky that booksellers Leah and Kaitlyn invited me to come by and sign copies of The Miniaturist’s Assistant. If you’re a local, go grab yours! And don’t miss all the secret nooks and crannies of this one-of-a-kind bookstore, which was voted Best in Tennessee in 2025!
Our next stop was First Friday Poetry Night at Union Avenue Books in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee—where I got to share the podium with poets and authors Ellen Austin-Li, Garrett Ashley, and Sheri Joseph!
It was an exciting night as all four of us have new books out in the world: Incidental Pollen (Ellen), A Field Guide to North American Trees (Garrett), Angels at the Gate (Sheri), and of, course, The Miniaturist’s Assistant (me).
We were introduced by bookseller-emcee extraordinaire Brynn, and had a ball reading from our work, getting to be in community with like-minded bookish folks, and signing our books. I cannot wait to dig into the works of these wonderful writers. Signed copies are waiting at Union Avenue!
I also got to sign books at the wonderful Fable Hollow in Knoxville, and had a fabulous private book party in Memphis. (More to come on those!) Tonight it’s an In Conversation event at the Collierville Burch Public Library with author Chris McClain Johnson and me. We’ll talk her novella Three Guesses, The Miniaturist’s Assistant, offer some insights into the writing life, answer questions, and more. Free and open to the public, with Novel Memphis on hand selling books.
