Events

Tag Along for These Terrific Titles!

These thoughtful stories are full of clever scheming and characters striving to do what’s right, and these great tales will have you rooting for their big-hearted kids!

Come check out:

• The Takeout by TRACY BADUA. When a celebrity chef’s new restaurant threatens Mila’s family’s food truck, she plans to expose them for the recipe thieves they are — even if that means dabbling in the Filipino folk magic she’s tried to avoid, as well as alienating her new friends. Does Mila have to choose between her family and fitting in? Or, like the best recipes, will a blend of the traditional and the unexpected mix into something truly special?
• The Museum of Lost and Found by LEILA SALES. After losing her best friend, Vanessa finds an abandoned museum, and fills it with her own artifacts and memories. Maybe if she can find the right way to tell the story of her broken friendship, she can figure out how to make it whole again. As Vanessa’s museum grows, it seems like the place might have the answers to other questions, like why a mysterious work of art was left behind. Or even, maybe, how to set the past to rest and find a way to move forward.
• Sky Ropes by SONDRA SODERBORG. Breanna is strong, tough, and  doesn’t need to meet new people. She also WILL NOT be ascending Sky Ropes — the highest ropes course in the state — at her school’s required teambuilding camp. No, she’s not afraid of heights! As the week progresses, Breanna can’t help loving her time in nature and bonding with the other kids. But as much as she likes to pretend that she isn’t afraid of anything, Breanna knows that she will have to face the Sky Ropes — and with it, the fear deeply tied to memories of her father’s abuse that she has been fighting to push away.
• Ginny Off the Map by CAROLINE HICKEY. There are two things Ginny Pierce loves most in the world: geography facts and her father. But when her dad is deployed overseas and Ginny’s family must move to yet another town, not even her facts can keep her afloat. The geography camp she’s been anxiously awaiting gets canceled, and her new neighbors prefer her basketball-star sister. Worst of all, her dad is in a war zone and impossible to get ahold of. Ginny decides that running her own camp for the kids on her street will solve all her problems. But can she convince them (and herself) that there’s more to her than just facts?

Saturday, July 8th at 4PM EST via Crowdcast! Reserve your spot here.

World Stories & Adventure Stage
1:55 pm

More info here: https://www.kidsbookfestival.com/

Join us at Verbatim Books Sunday, October 15, for a captivating evening of literary exploration and cultural celebration.

In the enchanting event ‘Diversity in Romance – Celebrating Filipino American Diaspora,’ we embark on a captivating journey through a vibrant tapestry of love stories, marked by the enduring spirit of resilience, all woven intricately within the rich fabric of the Filipino American experience. The all Filipina-American panel of authors, including Elle Cruz, Liz Durano, Mia Hopkins, and Kaye Rockwell, guided by the award-winning author and moderator Tracy Badua, will lead you on a journey through the pages of romance literature. Discover the universal themes of love, hope, and resilience against the backdrop of Filipino American heritage. Don’t miss this opportunity to open your heart to the magic of words and immerse yourself in the beauty of Diversity in Romance.

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Elle Cruz – https://www.ellecruz.com/

Elle Cruz is an author of contemporary romance. She has a bachelor’s degree in English and doctoral degree in nursing. By day she works in the medical field, but at night she writes swoon-worthy stories perfect for all the hopeless romantics out there. In addition to being an author, Elle is active in the writing community and loves to mentor and give advice to new authors. She lives with her husband and two kids in Southern California. Elle is represented by Naomi Davis of the Bookends Literary Agency.

Social Media Link: IG – https://www.instagram.com/ellecruzauthor/

Liz Durano – https://lizdurano.com/

Liz writes women’s fiction and romance with angst. When she’s not living through her heroines, she’s usually drinking too much coffee while wondering what to cook next in her air fryer.

Social Media Link: IG – https://www.instagram.com/lizdurano/

Mia Hopkins – https://www.miahopkinsauthor.com/

Mia Hopkins writes lush romances starring fun, sexy characters who love to get down and dirty. Her award-winning books have been featured by many publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today and Entertainment Weekly. She lives in Los Angeles with her family. Hopkins is represented by Deidre Knight of The Knight Agency. She is also a member of The Authors Guild.

Social Media Link: IG – https://www.instagram.com/miahopkinsxoxo/

Kaye Rockwell – https://kayerockwell.com/

Influenced by her mother, Kaye discovered her love of reading pretty early on in life. At the age of 10, she finally put a pen to paper and wrote her first poem. At age 14, she wrote her first story, a novel that will become “Glad You Exist.” Throughout the years writing became an escape for her. Now that she’s a mom and has found her own happily-ever-after, she is determined to write swoon-worthy and heartwarming stories that speak about the journey to finding HEA even after loss and life happen.

Social Media Link: IG – https://www.instagram.com/thenomaddreamer/

MODERATOR INFO:

Tracy Badua – https://tracybadua.com/

Tracy Badua is an award-winning Filipino American author of books about young people with sunny hearts in a sometimes stormy world. According to her grandmother, Tracy inherited this love of the written word from her great-grandfather, a school teacher in the Philippines. To Tracy, this means writing is in her blood, and she continues this family tradition by telling stories with her own spin in an accessible, heartfelt way. She is represented by Natalie Lakosil of Looking Glass Literary & Media Management.

Social Media Link: IG – https://www.instagram.com/tracybaduawrites/

Each semester, thanks to an endowment created by her family and friends, the Laurie Okuma Memorial Reading honors the memory of SDSU alumna, Laurie Matsueda Okuma.The fall 2023 Okuma Author, Tracy Badua, will share excerpts from her recent novel, This Is Not a Personal Statement. Badua has been lauded as “an author to watch.”

More here.

Join us at Liwanag Lit Fest 2023, a free literary festival shining a light on the vibrant diversity of Filipinx storytelling, organized by the Long Beach Public Library, Bel Canto Books, and our amazing volunteer team of book lovers!

Saturday, 10/21/23 from 10AM to 4PM

Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library (5870 Atlantic Avenue, Long Beach CA 90805)

Free to attend; RSVP encouraged via Eventbrite. Free parking behind the Obama Library.

For more info, visit the festival website here.

Join us for a talk featuring Tracy Badua (author of This is Not a Personal Statement and Freddie vs. The Family Curse) and Alex Brown (author of Damned If You Do and showrunner’s assistant on Supernatural) as they discuss their careers and how their Filipino American identities influence their work from family dynamics to folklore.

More info here.

Join us Saturday November 25th beginning at 10:30 am for Small Business Saturday! Authors stopping by to read/sign books! Bring your kiddos!

Pam Fong reads When the Fog Rolls In at 10:30 am

More info here.