<p><span style="box-sizing:content-box;font-family:Arial, 'sans-serif';font-size:10.5pt;line-height:14.98px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;background:white;color:#000000;letter-spacing:0.1pt;margin-left:0px !important;overflow-wrap:break-word !important;">Join us for another installment of our Saturday Spotlight Series at the Center City Barnes and Noble! This is an event series focused on celebrating Philadelphia's amazing community of local authors with signings and meet-and-greets each Saturday at the Center City Barnes and Noble.&nbsp;</span><span style="box-sizing:content-box;font-family:RobotoDraft, Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;color:#000000;letter-spacing:0.13132px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;background-clip:border-box;background-color:#ffffff;margin-left:0px !important;line-height:1.8 !important;overflow-wrap:break-word !important;">Stop by the store, chat with the authors, and pick up a signed edition of their book!</span></p><p><span style="box-sizing:content-box;font-family:RobotoDraft, Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;color:#000000;letter-spacing:0.13132px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;background-clip:border-box;background-color:#ffffff;margin-left:0px !important;line-height:1.8 !important;overflow-wrap:break-word !important;"></span>We've cast our March 14th Saturday Spotlight on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Warren%20R%20Basla%22?Ntk=P_key_Contributor_List&amp;Ns=P_Sales_Rank&amp;Ntx=mode+matchall" style="box-sizing:border-box;outline:0px;color:#347d56;text-decoration-line:none;background:0px 0px rgb(255, 255, 255);font-family:Lato, sans-serif;display:inline-block;padding:0px;line-height:1;cursor:pointer;font-size:13.9981px;">Warren R Basla</a>, author of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-blade-of-milan-warren-r-basla/1147853554?ean=9798999224309">The Blade of Milan!</a>&nbsp;</p><h2>About&nbsp;<a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Warren%20R%20Basla%22?Ntk=P_key_Contributor_List&amp;Ns=P_Sales_Rank&amp;Ntx=mode+matchall" style="color:#347d56;box-sizing:border-box;outline:0px;text-decoration-line:none;background:0px 0px rgb(255, 255, 255);font-family:Lato, sans-serif;display:inline-block;padding:0px;line-height:1;cursor:pointer;font-size:13.9981px;">Warren R Basla</a></h2><p><span style="color:#21282d;font-family:Lato, sans-serif;font-size:13.8097px;background-color:#ffffff;">Warren R. Basla holds a Master of Science degree in Global &amp; International Education and Bachelor of Arts degree in Cultural Anthropology from Drexel University. He works as a Director of Development at an education non-profit in Philadelphia where he also lives with his wife and their rescue greyhound. He serves on the Blue Stoop Advisory Board and is a member of Philly Scribes. This is his First novel. He can be found online at warrenrbasla.com.</span></p><h2><span style="color:#21282d;font-family:Lato, sans-serif;font-size:13.8097px;background-color:#ffffff;"></span>About&nbsp;<a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-blade-of-milan-warren-r-basla/1147853554?ean=9798999224309">The Blade of Milan</a></h2><p style="box-sizing:border-box;outline:0px;margin-bottom:1rem;font-family:Lato, sans-serif;font-size:14px;background-color:#ffffff;">The Republic of Milan. 1285 AD</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;outline:0px;margin-bottom:1rem;font-family:Lato, sans-serif;font-size:14px;background-color:#ffffff;">Rebecca Guarna carves her way free of a gritty past and into an action-packed world of deception. The Blade of Milan is at once a thriller, adventure, and one woman's quest for a higher purpose in life despite the limitations of her time. Failed by those who should have loved her the most, Rebecca is raised in Milan's prestigious brothels, spending nights plotting her escape. Bitter and skilled with a blade, she inflicts revenge on wealthy patrons. Rebecca's bloodlust attracts the attention of Rustichello, the master of the Sons of Saint George, a centuries-old league of assassins sworn to protect the Roman Catholic pope's interests. Ambitious yet naive, Rebecca joins Rustichello to learn the art of sabotage and stealth. Between pirate schemes and evading a rival brotherhood of assassins, Rebecca accidentally provokes a secret feud between the pope in Rome and emperor in Austria. Meanwhile, sinister truths come to light at the righteous heart of the Sons of Saint George, threatening to destabilize Rebecca's newfound purpose and the republic of Milan forever.</p><p></p>

Join us for another installment of our Saturday Spotlight Series at the Center City Barnes and Noble! This is an event series focused on celebrating Philadelphia's amazing community of local authors with signings and meet-and-greets each Saturday at the Center City Barnes and Noble. Stop by the store, chat with the authors, and pick up a signed edition of their book! We've cast our March 14th Saturday Spotlight on Warren R Basla, author of The Blade of Milan! About Warren R Basla Warren R. Basla holds a Master of Science degree in Global & International Education and Bachelor of Arts degree in Cultural Anthropology from Drexel University. He works as a Director of Development at an education non-profit in Philadelphia where he also lives with his wife and their rescue greyhound. He serves on the Blue Stoop Advisory Board and is a member of Philly Scribes. This is his First novel. He can be found online at warrenrbasla.com. About The Blade of Milan The Republic of Milan. 1285 AD Rebecca Guarna carves her way free of a gritty past and into an action-packed world of deception. The Blade of Milan is at once a thriller, adventure, and one woman's quest for a higher purpose in life despite the limitations of her time. Failed by those who should have loved her the most, Rebecca is raised in Milan's prestigious brothels, spending nights plotting her escape. Bitter and skilled with a blade, she inflicts revenge on wealthy patrons. Rebecca's bloodlust attracts the attention of Rustichello, the master of the Sons of Saint George, a centuries-old league of assassins sworn to protect the Roman Catholic pope's interests. Ambitious yet naive, Rebecca joins Rustichello to learn the art of sabotage and stealth. Between pirate schemes and evading a rival brotherhood of assassins, Rebecca accidentally provokes a secret feud between the pope in Rome and emperor in Austria. Meanwhile, sinister truths come to light at the righteous heart of the Sons of Saint George, threatening to destabilize Rebecca's newfound purpose and the republic of Milan forever.

Saturday Spotlight: Warren R Basla

The Blade of Milan

Join Barnes & Noble as we welcome New York Times bestselling author, Anthony Horowitz, on Thursday, May 7 at 1 PM ET for a live, virtual discussion of A DEADLY EPISODE,as part of ourB&N Midday Mystery Virtual Event series. In this new mind-boggling mystery, a major feature film of the first Hawthorne/Horowitz novel is being made except—they’re behind schedule, they’ve run out of money and . . . oh! The star has just been murdered. Anthony will be in conversation with New York Times bestselling author of Murder Your Darlings, Jenna Blum. ------------------------- 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 TWO TICKET OPTIONS: A DEADLY EPISODE with Signed Bookplate- $41.83 (Admission + Book + Signed Bookplate/tax/shipping): **LIMITED QUANTITY AVAILABLE**: A ticket PER PERSON includes: One copy of A DEADLY EPISODE Hardcover with Signed Bookplate. Admission to the virtual event space with Anthony Horowitzand Jenna Blum. B&N MIDDAY MYSTERY GENERAL ADMISSION: A ticket PER PERSON includes: Admission to the virtual event space withAnthony Horowitz and Jenna Blum. 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, Thursday, May 7, at 1 PM ET / 12 PM CT / 11 AM MT / 10 AM 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 A DEADLY EPISODE: They’re making a major feature film of the first Hawthorne/Horowitz mystery novel. Except—they’re behind schedule, they’ve run out of money and . . . oh! The star has just been murdered. Ex-Detective Inspector Daniel Hawthorne is dead. Or, rather, the actor playing him in the film adaptation of The Word is Murder is. Rising star David Caine has been stabbed, and it seems that everyone on the set had a motive. Caine had just fired his PA. He had fallen out with his director, slept with the screenwriter, humiliated his co-star and dropped his agent days before he was about to sign a multi-million-dollar deal to appear in the next Spider-Man movie. But what if Caine’s murderer had made a mistake? What if it was the real Hawthorne who was the intended victim? For it turns out that the brilliant detective may have got it wrong ten years earlier. An innocent man has died in jail. And perhaps someone has decided that Hawthorne must pay the price. From the film set on the south coast of England, the story moves to Reeth, in Yorkshire, the village where Hawthorne grew up. A burned-down school, a car accident that isn’t what it seems, blackmail and murder in an Elizabethan country house . . . somehow they combine to unlock the secret of what has happened in Hastings. For once, the local police are helpful. DS Sarah Milnes gives Hawthorne carte blanche to investigate and there may even be a hint of romance in the air. Which leaves his hapless sidekick, Horowitz, on his own, stumbling his way to the truth. A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, A Deadly Episode is an intriguing page-turner that once again demonstrates why Anthony Horowitz is the reigning king of the modern whodunit. ABOUT ANTHONY HOROWITZ: Anthony Horowitz is one of the UK’s most prolific and successful writers, unique in being active in both adult and YA fiction, TV, theater, and journalism. Several of his previous novels were instant New York Times bestsellers. His bestselling Alex Rider series for young adults has sold more than nineteen million copies worldwide and has become a hugely successful show on Amazon Prime TV. His breakthrough murder mysteries Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders were adapted into a miniseries for PBS. He lives in London and was recently awarded the CBE for services to literature. ABOUT JENNA BLUM: Jenna Blum is the New York Times and # 1 internationally bestselling author of novels Those Who Save Us, The Stormchasers, and The Lost Family; memoir Woodrow on the Bench; audiocourse “The Author at Work: The Art of Writing Fiction” and original podcast The Key of Love. Jenna is CEO and Co-Founder of online author interview platform A Mighty Blaze and one of Oprah.com readers’ Top 30 Women Writers. Jenna earned her MA in Creative Writing at Boston University and has taught workshops for Boston University, Grub Street Writers, A Mighty Blaze, and numerous other institutions for over 25 years. She interviewed Holocaust survivors for Steven Spielberg’s Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation and is a professional public speaker, traveling nationally and internationally to speak about her work. Jenna is based in Boston. For more about Jenna, please visit www.jennablum.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, TikTok, and Substack.

Anthony Horowitz celebrates A DEADLY EPISODE with Jenna Blum #BNMiddayMystery

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.

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