10/21 Charlotte Arts & Lectures Presents: Women Behaving Badly Tour

Join Charlotte Arts & Lectures, Cleary's Bookstore & Sourcebooks for this Fall's Women Behaving Badly Tour, featuring three seriously spooky authors and "bad" ass women. Authors Ann Davila Cardinal, Janasha Prabhu & Emma C. Wells will be in-conversation with a panel led by Cleary's Bookstore owner, Alison, and then will mingle and sign books following the discussion. This event will also feature themed mocktails mixed by Lizzy and bites by Chef Steph.

With the purchase of a ticket, guests will receive their choice of book by one of the authors featured on the panel. Refreshments are also included with the ticket. Additional copies of each others backlist titles will be available for purchase and signing at the event. Please note that we will not be able to accommodate the signing of personal copies brought from home; please refrain from bringing additional books to this event.

Tickets for the event are $25. Purchase Tickets Here.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS & BOOKS

ANN DÁVILA CARDINAL is a two-time International Latino Book Award winning novelist and aging tattooed punk. Her adult debut, the novel The Storyteller’s Death, was released by Sourcebooks in 2022, and her second magical realist adult novel, We Need No Wings, followed in 2024.

The past never dies—it just changes its tune in this edgy, speculative thriller following an aging woman who begins to hear the murders of girls she used to know in her punk rock youth and now must uncover their killer and reckon with a past she's desperate to leave forgotten.

For more than forty years, Elena Altieri has been hiding from the tragedies of her New York City punk rock youth. Tragedies that left her best friend, Sin, dead, and other women in their orbit missing. Now, the past is catching up with her in more ways than one. Not only is she hearing strange noises under the hum of her tinnitus, but the photographs she took of a recently deceased musician are going viral, thrusting her back into a world she hoped would remain locked away forever.

When Elena begins to hear the screams of a woman ringing in her ears, she becomes convinced that she's somehow hearing Sin’s murder. Desperate for answers, she has no choice but to revisit her past, and what she’ll uncover will not only force her to reckon with her own fractured memories, but might prove that Sin, and other innocent women from their youth, were the victims of an unspeakable crime that only she can solve. 

Old punks never die, and Elena’s going to prove that.

JANASHA PRABHU is a graduate of the University of Illinois with degrees in chemistry and computer science and is a fellow of the 2024 LitUp cycle through Reese’s Book Club. She has adored horror ever since picking up her first Goosebumps book as a kid and enjoys incorporating her experiences as a queer woman of color, her love for animals, and her interests in cooking into dark and twisted stories. Janasha currently lives in Chicago with her two cats, Grimm and James, and loves catching the latest horror movie with her partner when she’s not writing.

Dark, twisty, and atmospheric debut thriller for readers of The Quiet Tenant and The Butcher. Her uncle was a serial killer. The town whispers, could she be a killer too?

On the night Jiah Rai was found cradling her girlfriend Georgia’s dead body at the bottom of Wailing Cliff, everyone suspected her. There wasn’t enough evidence to charge her, but the town refuses to forget. They whisper: murder must run in the family. Jiah’s uncle was a convicted serial killer, and while he died behind bars, his legacy lives on in Jiah and her sister. It doesn’t matter that they’ve lived in Dumont their whole lives—her family has never fit into the insular white community. And legacy isn’t done with her yet.

One year later, memories of Georgia's death and torment from her twin brother threaten to crumble the shaky safe haven Jiah rebuilt. Maybe the neighborhood dinner party Estrella invited her to will ease her mind. But when her best friend never shows, a series of texts lead Jiah to the beach below, where she finds a mutilated body positioned exactly how her uncle displayed his victims over a decade ago. The killer mocks Jiah, hinting they know about her secrets, too. But is Jiah the monster Dumont thinks she is? As Jiah hunts the killer, how far will she go to keep her lies buried with the dead?

EMMA C. WELLS is the USA Today bestselling author of The Girl's a Killer (2024 Sourcebooks). She loves anti-heroes, dark humor, witty banter, and ride-or-die friendships. Twisty relationships are her kryptonite (or catnip—depending on how you look at it). She lives in Louisiana.

Sharp Objects with a dash of Practical Magic in this southern gothic thriller with cool girl edge from USA Today bestselling author Emma C. Wells following two estranged sisters who will do anything to protect each other – even murder. Again.

Milly can’t divine the future anymore, and maybe that’s a good thing. Lately, her life has been bleak enough, she doesn’t need the now-silent tea leaves to tell her. She’s alone and waitressing in a sleepy town while her estranged younger sister thrives miles away in a shiny new life with a shiny new marriage. Milly doesn’t blame Francis for wanting nothing to do with her. Not after what happened in that Tennessee meadow a decade before.

But when Francis shows up on Milly’s doorstep with a black eye and a plea for help escaping her well-connected, wealthy husband – Milly can’t say no. Especially when the tea leaves are finally crystal clear: if the sisters don’t kill Francis’s husband, he’ll eventually kill her.

But if they’re going to plot a murder, the sisters have no choice but to return to the one place, and two aunts, they’d left behind. A place where another body – and a multitude of secrets – were buried. Because this isn’t the first time the sisters have needed to dispose of a bad man. In fact, they might be pretty good at it.

 

10/21 Charlotte Arts & Lectures Presents: An Evening of Bog Lore with Anna North

Join Charlotte Arts & Lectures and Cleary's Bookstore for an entertaining and educational evening of "Bog Lore" with Bog Queen author Anna North! Anna will host a lecture on all things Bogs: They're secrets, the history of bog bodies, druids, how they were the inspiration and research subject for her first book, Bog Queen, and more. We hope you will join us for an insightful evening with a fantastic author!

With the purchase of a ticket, guests will receive a signed paperback copy of Anna North's book Bog Queen. Additional titles on the subject of bogs will be available for purchase at the event, as well as signed copies of Anna's previous novels Outlawed and The Life and Death of Sophie Stark. Please note that we will not be able to accommodate the signing of personal copies brought from home; please refrain from bringing additional books to this event.

Tickets for this event are $25. Purchase Tickets Here.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Anna North is the author of America Pacifica, The Life and Death of Sophie Stark, and the instant New York Times bestseller and Reese's Book Club pick Outlawed. She is a senior correspondent at Vox and lives in Brooklyn.

ABOUT THE BOOK

When Agnes arrives in the peat bogs of Northern England to study an anthropological marvel—an Iron Age body—she isn’t expecting the controversy. Peat-cutters are looking to profit from the bog, activists are demanding it be preserved, scientists are clamoring for the next discovery. And then there is the moss itself: a repository of artifacts, with its own dark stories to tell.

Flashing between post-Brexit England and the druidic order of Celtic Europe, Bog Queen brims with ancient wisdom as it connects across time two gifted, farsighted young women learning to harness their strengths in a landscape more mysterious than either can imagine.

 

12/7 Charlotte Arts & Lectures Presents: An Evening with Adrienne Young

We are over the moon to welcome Adrienne Young to Charlotte to celebrate the release of her new book Chosen Son, the conclusion to the Fallen City duology. For this ticketed, author event, Adrienne will be in conversation with Isabel Ibañez! We're so excited to host these two fantastic, local authors. This event will feature an author in-conversation, audience Q&A, and book signing after their discussion, as well as refreshments to enjoy before and during the event. We hope you will join us for an evening to remember with two of our favorite authors!

With the purchase of a ticket, guests will receive a signed copy of Adrienne Young's new book Chosen Son. Additional pre-signed copies of Adrienne's and Isabel's backlist titles will be available for sale at the event. Please note that we will not be able to accommodate the signing of personal copies brought from home; please refrain from bringing additional books to this event.

Tickets for this event are $35. Purchase Tickets Here.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

ADRIENNE YOUNG is a foodie with a deep love of history and travel and a shameless addiction to coffee. When she’s not writing, you can find her on her yoga mat, sipping wine over long dinners or disappearing into her favorite art museums. She lives with her documentary filmmaker husband and their four little wildlings in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. She is the author of the New York Times bestselling Sky in the Deep duology and the Fable duology.

ISABEL IBAÑEZ is a #1 New York Times, Sunday Times, USA Today and Indie bestselling author of historical fantasies. Her acclaimed novels include Woven in Moonlight, the Secrets of the Nile duology, Together We Burn, Written in Starlight, and Graceless Heart. She is the proud daughter of Bolivian immigrants and has a deep love for history, traveling, and writing stories where her characters are often running for their lives. She currently lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains with her family.

ABOUT THE BOOK

The conclusion to Adrienne Young's razor sharp Fallen City duology! When the gods demand a sacrifice, it will be something no one could have ever expected. The war is just beginning.

When the city fell, Maris lost everything—her freedom, her future, and the man she loved. Now, with Luca trapped behind the gates of Isara, she makes a choice that will change her life forever: to don the armor of the enemy and march back into the heart of the city she was forced to flee. Every step brings her closer to Luca, but also deeper into the blood-soaked machine of war.

Inside Isara’s walls, Luca wrestles with a truth more dangerous than any sword. Once the symbol of the Loyal Legion, he has lost the thing he was truly fighting for—Maris. The shift of the war has left him to question whether he has become a pawn of the gods, and with betrayal lurking in every shadow, Luca must decide who he is: the dutiful soldier forged by rebellion, or the man willing to risk everything for love.

Across battlefields and through broken temples, Maris and Luca’s treacherous paths through Isara are set to collide. And when the gods demand sacrifice, it comes in a form no one could have expected.

 

1/14/27 Charlotte Arts & Lectures Presents: An Evening with Marisa Kashino

We are thrilled to welcome Marisa Kashino to Charlotte to celebrate the paperback release of Best Offer Wins, the first pick for our Spooky Sh*t book club for 2027 and a top-read of the year for Cleary's Booksellers! For this ticketed, author event, Marisa will be in conversation with Renée Ahdieh and the event will feature an author in-conversation, audience Q&A, and book signing after their discussion, as well as refreshments to enjoy before and during the event. We hope you will join us for an evening to remember with two fantastic authors!

With the purchase of a ticket, guests will receive a signed copy of the paperback release of Marisa Kashino's Best Offer Wins. Additional pre-signed copies of the hard back edition and Renée's backlist titles will be available for sale at the event.

Tickets for this event are $25. Purchase Tickets Here. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

MARISA KASHINO was a journalist for 17 years, most recently at The Washington Post. She spent the bulk of her career at Washingtonian magazine, writing long-form features and overseeing the real estate and home design coverage. She grew up near Seattle, graduating from the University of Washington with a degree in journalism and political science. She lives in the DC area with her husband, two dogs, and two cats. Best Offer Wins is her first novel.

Renée Ahdieh is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In her spare time, she likes to dance salsa and collect shoes. She is passionate about all kinds of curry, rescue dogs, and college basketball. The first few years of her life were spent in a high-rise in South Korea; consequently, Renée enjoys having her head in the clouds. She and her family live in Charlotte, North Carolina. She is the #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author of the Wrath and the Dawn series, the Flame in the Mist series, and The Beautiful quartet.

ABOUT THE BOOK

An insanely competitive housing market. A desperate buyer on the edge. In Marisa Kashino’s darkly hilarious debut novel, Best Offer Wins, the white picket fence becomes the ultimate symbol of success—and obsession. How far would you go for the house of your dreams?

Eighteen months and 11 lost bidding wars into house-hunting in the overheated Washington, DC suburbs, 37-year-old publicist Margo Miyake gets a tip about the perfect house, in the perfect neighborhood, slated to come up for sale in one month. Desperate to escape the cramped apartment she shares with her husband Ian — and in turn, get their marriage, plan to have a baby, and whole life back on track — Margo becomes obsessed with buying the house before it’s publicly listed and the masses descend (with unbeatable, all-cash offers in hand).

A little stalking? Harmless. A bit of trespassing? Necessary. As Margo infiltrates the homeowners’ lives, her tactics grow increasingly unhinged—but just when she thinks she’s won them over, she hits a snag in her plan. Undeterred, Margo will prove again and again that there’s no boundary she won’t cross to seize the dream life she’s been chasing. The most unsettling part? You’ll root for her, even as you gasp in disbelief.

Dark, biting, and laugh-out-loud funny, Best Offer Wins is a propulsive debut and a razor-sharp exploration of class, ambition, and the modern housing crisis.