<div style="box-sizing:content-box;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;background-clip:border-box;color:#5d5d5d;font-family:RobotoDraft, Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;background-color:#ffffff;"></div><div style="box-sizing:content-box;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;background-clip:border-box;color:#5d5d5d;font-family:RobotoDraft, Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;background-color:#ffffff;"><div style="box-sizing:content-box;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;background-clip:border-box;height:150px;overflow:auto;text-overflow:ellipsis;">R-SPEC is a group of aspiring writers, professionals, and interested readers who meet to examine, discuss, celebrate, and create speculative literature. Please join us!</div></div>

R-SPEC is a group of aspiring writers, professionals, and interested readers who meet to examine, discuss, celebrate, and create speculative literature. Please join us!

R-Spec Monthly Meeting (Speculative Fiction)

Join Barnes & Noble as we welcome #1 New York Times bestselling author, Louise Penny and award-winning journalist Mellissa Fung for a live, virtual discussion of THE LAST MANDARIN on Monday, May 11at 7PM ET. In this fast-paced, all-too-real thriller a mother and daughter are caught in a global reckoning where family, loyalty, and power collide. Louise and Mellissa will be in conversation with a special guest. ------------------------- This is a live, ticketed event. You must have a ticket to gain access. Please be sure your correct email is listed when you purchase and that your Eventbrite settings include updates on this event. For book-based tickets: This is for US-based customers ONLY (NO P.O. Boxes), excluding Puerto Rico; P.O. Boxes and all international addresses. Any non US orders, Puerto Rico or P.O. Box mailing addresses will be cancelled and refunded. Books will be mailed AFTER the completion of the live event; please allow ample time for shipping, typically 8-10 business days. Each ticket must have a different email associated with it to gain entry. Any repeated emails will be cancelled and refunded. TICKET INFORMATION: **THERE ARE THREE TICKET OPTIONS: THE LAST MANDARIN Signed Edition- $39.25 (Admission + Signed Book/tax/shipping): **LIMITED QUANTITY AVAILABLE**: A ticket PER PERSON includes: One signed copy of THE LAST MANDARIN. Admission to the virtual event space with Louise Pennyand Mellissa Fung. THE LAST MANDARIN with Signed Bookplate- $39.25 (Admission + Book + Signed Bookplate/tax/shipping): **LIMITED QUANTITY AVAILABLE**: A ticket PER PERSON includes: One copy of THE LAST MANDARIN with signed bookplate. Admission to the virtual event space with Louise Pennyand Mellissa Fung. THE LAST MANDARIN Unsigned - $39.25 (Admission + UNSIGNED Book/tax/shipping): **LIMITED QUANTITY AVAILABLE**: A ticket PER PERSON includes: One UNSIGNED copy of THE LAST MANDARIN . Admission to the virtual event space with Louise Pennyand Mellissa Fung. EVENT DETAILS: Each registration must have a different email associated with it to gain entry. Please be sure your correct email is listed when you register and that your Eventbrite settings include updates on this event. This event will air as a Zoom Webinar. You MUST BE SIGNED INTO EVENTBRITE WITH THE EMAIL IN WHICH YOU PURCHASED THE TICKET to access the event. We highly recommend you CREATE AN EVENTBRITE ACCOUNT, as well as DOWNLOAD ZOOM & familiarize yourself prior to the event for the best possible experience. Access to the event will become available on the afternoon of the event, Monday, May 11, at 7 PM ET / 6 PM CT / 5 PM MT / 4 PM PT. Access to the event will become available via: OPEN IN ZOOM button in your Eventbrite account (found under “Tickets” --> “Go to online event page”) OR your event ticket confirmation email. Two hours prior to the event, you will receive a separate email FROM ZOOM with a personalized access link. You may also use this to enter the event. You will receive reminder emails from Eventbrite before the event. You may also access the event through the reminder email, HOWEVER YOU MUST BE SIGNED INTO EVENTBRITE WITH THE EMAIL IN WHICH YOU PURCHASED THE TICKET. You may be asked to re-enter the email in which you purchased this ticket to re-validate. GUIDELINES: Disruptive Conduct: Barnes & Noble wants to create a safe virtual space for all. You acknowledge and agree that Barnes & Noble reserves the right to remove you from the Virtual Event if B&N, in its sole discretion, determines that your participation or behavior create a disruption or hinder the Virtual Event or the enjoyment of the Virtual Event content by other attendees. By registering for a paid Barnes & Noble Virtual Event Ticket, you agree not to share, sell or trade your access. If Barnes & Noble determines that you have violated this policy, B&N may cancel your access, retain any payments made by you, and ban you from future Virtual Events. Recording, Live Streaming, and Videotaping. Participants may not record or broadcast audio or video of Barnes & Noble Virtual Events. This is a US-based event ONLY, and please allow ample time for delivery. Due to complications around shipping during the pandemic, delays can be common. All tickets include the cost of shipping to domestic, non-P.O. Box addresses only. Please note that Eventbrite is the only authorized dealer for this event. Each person must have a ticket to enter. REFUNDS: We cannot guarantee a replay of the program. Please keep this in mind before purchasing a ticket. There will be no refunds for missing the live event. Event guidelines are subject to change. _______________________________________________________________________ ABOUT THE LAST MANDARIN: Alice Li, a first-generation Chinese American and former food blogger, has long lived in the shadow of her mother, Vivien Li— a Tiananmen Square dissident turned world-renowned human rights activist and passionate advocate for a free and democratic China. When security and fire alarms go off simultaneously all around the world, setting off a panic, the signal is traced back to China. As world leaders scramble to respond, Vivien and Alice are called to the White House in hopes Madame Li can interpret the Chinese intentions. But why involve Alice? If China isn’t behind the attack, Vivien warns, someone even more dangerous is pulling the strings. Mother and daughter must join together to overcome their estrangement if they have any hope of preventing global catastrophe. From DC to Ohio to Hong Kong, they work to prevent the next attack, along the way decoding an ancient legend and uncovering a secret language invented by women, for women. The Last Mandarin is an electrifying study of absolute power and voracious greed, political terror and personal conviction. But it is also an intimate examination of choice, of sacrifice, of memory and myths, both cultural and personal. It is the story of a mother and daughter, as well as a compelling international thriller about the precarious balance of power across the world, and within a family. And what happens when both break down. In a world ruled by power, even family can be a weapon. ABOUT LOUISE PENNY: Louise Penny is the multi-award winning author of the Chief Inspector Gamache novels, set in her home province of Québec, Canada. Her books, including State of Terror written with Hillary Rodham Clinton, have sold more than 18 million copies worldwide, topped international bestseller lists, including the New York Times, and been translated into 32 languages. The recipient of both the Order of Canada and l’Ordre national du Québec, her country’s highest civilian honours, her Three Pines Foundation reaches out to those in crisis and offers financial and emotional support, with a special focus on literacy as well as dementia care. Her husband, Michael, died of dementia in 2016. She lives with her golden retrievers Muggins and Charlie in a village south of Montreal. ABOUT MELLISSA FUNG Mellissa Fung is a veteran journalist, author, and award-winning filmmaker. She has produced original award-winning documentaries for Al-Jazeera International, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), and TV Ontario, among others. She covered the war in Afghanistan, leading to her best-selling first book, Under an Afghan Sky, which chronicled her experience as a hostage after she was kidnapped while on assignment in Kabul in 2008. Since then, Fung has focused on human rights reporting, with a focus on women and children in conflict. She is a frequent contributor to The Globe and Mail, and her work has also appeared in The Huffington Post, The Toronto Star, and on PBS. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University in New York. She was appointed as an officer to the Order of Canada in 2024 for her work with women in conflict. She lives in Toronto with her husband Paul and her scruffy rescue dog, Sammy.

Louise Penny and Mellissa Fung celebrate THE LAST MANDARIN

B&N welcomes bestselling author, Travis Deverell, for a live, virtual discussion of HE WHO FIGHTS WITH MONSTERS with Steve Beaulieu. "Exciting, hilarious, irreverent, and action—packed." — Matt Dinniman (New York Times bestselling author of Dungeon Crawler Carl) Join Barnes & Noble as we welcome bestselling author of Travis Deverell A.K.A. Shirtaloon for a live, virtual discussion of HE WHO FIGHTS WITH MONSTERS Vol. 1: Outworlder on Wednesday, May 13 at 7 PM ET. In this action packed, page-turning fantasy, Deverell introduces readers to rich characters and world—building offer humor alongside lots of monster fighting. Travis will be in conversation with award-winning author Steve Beaulieu. This is a live, ticketed event. You must have a ticket to gain access. Please be sure your correct email is listed when you purchase and that your Eventbrite settings include updates on this event. For book-based tickets: This is for US-based customers ONLY (NO P.O. Boxes), excluding Puerto Rico; P.O. Boxes and all international addresses. Any non-US orders, Puerto Rico or P.O. Box mailing addresses will be cancelled and refunded. Books will be mailed AFTER the completion of the live event; please allow ample time for shipping, typically 8-10 business days. Each ticket must have a different email associated with it to gain entry. Any repeated emails will be cancelled and refunded. TICKET INFORMATION: BOOK ADMISSION- $45.72 (Admission +Book with Signed Bookplate/tax/shipping): **LIMITED QUANTITY AVAILABLE**: A ticket PER PERSON includes: One copy of HE WHO FIGHTS WITH MONSTERS with Signed Bookplate. Admission to the virtual event space with Travis Deverell and Steve Beaulieu. B&N GENERAL ADMISSION: A ticket PER PERSON includes: Admission to the virtual event space with Travis Deverell and Steve Beaulieu. EVENT DETAILS: Each registration must have a different email associated with it to gain entry. Please be sure your correct email is listed when you register and that your Eventbrite settings include updates on this event. This event will air as a Zoom Webinar. You MUST BE SIGNED INTO EVENTBRITE WITH THE EMAIL IN WHICH YOU PURCHASED THE TICKET to access the event. We highly recommend you CREATE AN EVENTBRITE ACCOUNT, as well as DOWNLOAD ZOOM & familiarize yourself prior to the event for the best possible experience. Access to the event will become available on the afternoon of the event, Wednesday, May 13, at 7 PM ET / 6 PM CT / 5 PM MT / 4 PM PT. Access to the event will become available via: OPEN IN ZOOM button in your Eventbrite account (found under “Tickets” --> “Go to online event page”) OR your event ticket confirmation email. Two hours prior to the event, you will receive a separate email FROM ZOOM with a personalized access link. You may also use this to enter the event. You will receive reminder emails from Eventbrite before the event. You may also access the event through the reminder email, HOWEVER YOU MUST BE SIGNED INTO EVENTBRITE WITH THE EMAIL IN WHICH YOU PURCHASED THE TICKET. You may be asked to re-enter the email in which you purchased this ticket to re-validate. GUIDELINES: Disruptive Conduct: Barnes & Noble wants to create a safe virtual space for all. You acknowledge and agree that Barnes & Noble reserves the right to remove you from the Virtual Event if B&N, in its sole discretion, determines that your participation or behavior create a disruption or hinder the Virtual Event or the enjoyment of the Virtual Event content by other attendees. By registering for a paid Barnes & Noble Virtual Event Ticket, you agree not to share, sell or trade your access. If Barnes & Noble determines that you have violated this policy, B&N may cancel your access, retain any payments made by you, and ban you from future Virtual Events. Recording, Live Streaming, and Videotaping. Participants may not record or broadcast audio or video of Barnes & Noble Virtual Events. This is a US-based event ONLY, and please allow ample time for delivery. Due to complications around shipping during the pandemic, delays can be common. All tickets include the cost of shipping to domestic, non-P.O. Box addresses only. Please note that Eventbrite is the only authorized dealer for this event. Each person must have a ticket to enter. REFUNDS: We cannot guarantee a replay of the program. Please keep this in mind before purchasing a ticket. There will be no refunds for missing the live event. Event guidelines are subject to change. ABOUT HE WHO FIGHTS WITH MONSTERS: What’s it like to wake up in a mysterious world of magic and monsters? It’s not easy. For Jason, making the career jump from office—supplies—store middle manager to heroic interdimensional adventurer is surreal. Jason tries to be heroic, but it's hard to be good when all your powers are evil. He’ll face off against cannibals, cultists, wizards, monsters...and that’s just on the first day. He’s going to need courage, he’s going to need wit, and he’s going to need some magic powers of his own. But first, he’s going to need pants. ABOUT TRAVIS DEVERELL: Travis Deverell, A.K.A. Shirtaloon, was working on a very boring academic paper when he realised that writing about an inter—dimensional kung fu wizard would be way more fun. It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. To his surprise and delight, Deverell found a warm and welcoming audience in the world of online serialized fiction. Transitioning his work into actual books, he is continually startled at the appetite for his particular blend of high magic, wild adventure and absurd nonsense. Success has allowed Shirtaloon to fund an excessive board game collection he doesn’t have time to play because he’s always writing. The unplayed games sit on the shelves behind him as he works, silently judging. Travis Deverell, A.K.A. Shirtaloon, was working on a very boring academic paper when he realised that writing about an inter—dimensional kung fu wizard would be way more fun. It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. To his surprise and delight, Deverell found a warm and welcoming audience in the world of online serialized fiction. Transitioning his work into actual books, he is continually startled at the appetite for his particular blend of high magic, wild adventure and absurd nonsense. Success has allowed Shirtaloon to fund an excessive board game collection he doesn’t have time to play because he’s always writing. The unplayed games sit on the shelves behind him as he works, silently judging.

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R-Spec Monthly Meeting (Speculative Fiction)

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