Events

Shattered Into Being with Anastacia Jayet

Author Anastacia Jayet will be joining us to discuss her new book, Shattered Into Being, on Sunday, October 30th at 3:00pm.

This poignant story tells of personal tragedy and triumph, of getting lost and finding the internal compass – one’s own North Star – to take responsibility for creating a life of value and purpose. It acknowledges that a lack of self-esteem and confidence is at the root of victimization – that taking responsibility for personal choice and action brings empowerment – and that forgiving oneself, while releasing blame, removes the final obstacles to freedom and eternal joy.

Discover New Mexican Cocktails with Greg Mays

Local author, consultant, and cocktail guy Greg Mays will be joining us to discuss his new book, New Mexico Cocktails, on Sunday, November 6th at 3:00pm.

New Mexico may appear to be the land of a thousand Margaritas, but its distilleries and historic cocktails are complex enough to satisfy even the most discerning palate. Cowboys and banditos alike distilled and drank their way to infamy. Prohibition drinkers masked the questionable spirits with cocktails at local joints like the legendary triple-level speakeasy of Santa Fe that was so secret, it had no name. Though the state had no legal distilleries for several decades following Prohibition, Arturo Jaramillo created the quintessential New Mexican cocktail in 1965. When Don Quixote Distillery opened in 2005, it set the stage for a cocktail revolution. Cocktail enthusiast Greg Mays explores a boozy history spiked with anecdotes and garnished with over one hundred simple recipes for the home bartender.

Greg Mays is an innovative marketing consultant, author, and founder of the Simple Cocktails blog and podcast, and those reach about 25,000 people every month. he has a Bachelor’s in Journalism and Mass Communications with a specialization in Public Relations.

Series Premiere with Author Shannon Baker

Author Shannon Baker will be joining us to discuss the first book in her new series, Stripped Bare, on Sunday, November 13th at 3:00pm.

Kate Fox is living the dream. She’s married to Grand County Sheriff Ted Conner, the heir to her beloved Nebraska Sandhills cattle ranch, where they live with Kate’s orphaned teenage niece, Carly. With the support of the well-connected Fox Clan, which includes Kate’s eight boisterous and interfering siblings, Ted’s reelection as Grand County Sheriff is virtually assured. That leaves Kate to the solitude and satisfaction of Frog Creek, her own slice of heaven.

One night Kate answers a shattering phone call from Roxy at the Bar J. Carly’s granddad Eldon, owner of the ranch, is dead and Ted has been shot and may never walk again. Kate vows to find the killer. She soon discovers Ted responded so quickly to the scene because he was already at the Bar J . . . in Roxy’s bed. And to add to her woes, Carly has gone missing. As she becomes the victim of several “accidents,” Kate knows she must find the killer before it’s too late. . . .

Now a resident of Tucson, Baker spent 20 years in the Nebraska Sandhills, where cattle outnumber people by more than 50:1. Shannon is proud to have been chosen Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ 2014 Writer of the Year. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, Western Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, and Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers.

Diamonds at Dusk with Catalina Claussen

Local author Catalina Claussen will be joining us to discuss her new book, Diamonds at Dusk, on Thursday, November 17th at 6:30pm.

It’s hard to miss Cascade Rose Jennings. She’s the one in cowgirl boots who up until this morning wasn’t interested in boys. But, on the eve of her sixteenth birthday something inside her knocks loose.

His name is Chadwick Dean Holbrook, a college prep school boy from Albuquerque and Cassie’s long-time “fair weather” friend. Every year, at summer’s end he disappears from her Grandpa Norm’s high desert ranch in southwestern New Mexico. This time, he promises to stay for Cassie’s birthday. Just when Cassie thinks she can count on him, Chad breaks his promise. He leaves behind an endearing, flirtatious treasure hunt. Cassie, filled with renewed hope, stifles a pang of jealousy when she discovers, her best friend, Ahzi Toadlena, is in on it. In the end, Cassie realizes that her friendships, her family, and deep connection to the land mean more to her than any romance.

Catalina Claussen is a graduate of Reed College, Prescott College, and Western New Mexico University. She is a founding English teacher at Aldo Leopold Charter School and writes short story, poetry, YA novel, and memoir.

Learn the Life of an Underground Ranger

Local author Doug Thompson will be joining us to discuss his book, Underground Ranger, on Sunday, November 20th at 3:00pm.

For six exciting years Doug Thompson worked as a park ranger at Carlsbad Caverns National Park. In Underground Ranger he passes along the essence of what he learned on this unusual job and in his related adventures exploring the surrounding Chihuahuan Desert. He overcame his fear of tight spaces and heights, learned to climb rope, and went on to explore many of the deep vertical caves in the Guadalupe Mountains of western Texas and southeastern New Mexico―including Lechuguilla Cave, one of the most spectacular underground wonders of the world. He even became a member of the park’s technical rescue team and made a fifty-story rappel into one of the deepest underground pits in the United States. In visceral detail, Thompson shares the physical and mythical stories of caves and shows what it’s like to experience the extravagant beauty of nature’s underground realm.

Doug Thompson joined the National Park Service in the early 1970s and worked for thirty-three years as a law enforcement ranger, resource manager, and interpretive ranger at a variety of national parks. After retiring from the National Park Service, he moved to the small town of Capitan in the juniper-pinyon foothills of central New Mexico, where I spend my time hiking, reading, writing, and enjoying my friends.

Join Us for our 2016 Visit from
Scifi & Fantasy Legend, Connie Willis

Local author Connie Willis will be joining us to discuss her new book, Crosstalk, on Tuesday, November 22th at 6:30pm.

In the not-too-distant future, a simple outpatient procedure to increase empathy between romantic partners has become all the rage. And Briddey Flannigan is delighted when her boyfriend, Trent, suggests undergoing the operation prior to a marriage proposal—to enjoy better emotional connection and a perfect relationship with complete communication and understanding. But things don’t quite work out as planned, and Briddey finds herself connected to someone else entirely—in a way far beyond what she signed up for. But that’s only the beginning. As things go from bad to worse, she begins to see the dark side of too much information, and to realize that love—and communication—are far more complicated than she ever imagined.

Connie Willis has won eleven Hugos and seven Nebulas—more major awards than any other writer. She was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2009 and the Science Fiction Writers of America named her its 28th SFWA Grand Master in 2011.

New Releases from Barbe Awalt,
Gail Rubin, & Ross Van Dusen

Local authors Barbe Awalt, Gail Rubin, and Ross Van Dusen will be joining us to discuss their new books on Sunday, December 4th at 3:30pm.

The Ultimate Christmas Bucket List book features, "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year." There are the foods, the gifts, the traditions, the clothes, the songs, the movies, the decorations, the candy, and the symbols from all over the world. And of course, what would Christmas be without Santa Claus? Old St. Nick and his elves, reindeers, and angels, celebrate filling the stockings, christmas tree decorating, and everything from Thanksgiving to New Years. This book captures the traditions in different parts of the world that we might have forgotten. So, on a snowy evening, get a mug of egg nog, some Christmas cookies, curl up in front of a fireplace, and read what makes Christmas so unforgettable. It comes just once a year - enjoy it!

Barbe Awalt, and her husband Paul Rhetts, have nurtured a love affair with the New Mexican devotional arts for almost two dozen years. They have written or published together about 45 books.

KICKING THE BUCKET LIST: 100 Downsizing and Organizing Things to Do Before You Die
Every single day, approximately 10,000 Baby Boomers will turn 65 from now until 2029 (They comprise 26% of the U.S. population). Eventually, 100% of them will die, leaving their possessions, financials, and funeral plans in the hands of their spouse or kids - if they have them. Yet less than 30% of U.S. adults have done any end-of-life planning, and that's a problem.

How can this Silver Tsunami generation avoid leaving a disorganized mess? KICKING THE BUCKET LIST: 100 Downsizing and Organizing Things to Do Before You Die helps adults clear their clutter, firm up their financials and leave the world a better place.

Gail Rubin is a Certified Thanatologist (a death educator) who uses humor and funny films to help teach about end-of-life issues. She wrote the award-winning A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don't Plan to Die and Hail and Farewell: Cremation Ceremonies, Templates and Tips.

Lyle Got Stuck in a Tree relates how an elephant turned his sorry predicament into a good deed and became an honorary fireman.

Ross Van Dusen is a local author, painter, and sculpture.