Naked Came the Leaf Peeper

To help celebrate the 30th anniversary of my favorite indie bookstore, Malaprop's Bookstore and Cafe in Asheville, NC, I was invited to be a part of a collaborative mystery novel called Naked Came the Leaf Peeper. Published by Malaprop's itself, Naked features twelve regional authors each writing a chapter of a madcap mystery, in the tradition of legendary collaborative novels like Naked Came the Stranger and Naked Came the Manatee.

Billed as "a zany Southern Appalachian take on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," Naked is already a best-seller at Malaprop's, and has gotten raves from authors who clearly ought to know better, like Ron Rash (Serena), Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat Pray Love), and Charles Frazier (Cold Mountain).

Now Malaprop's is throwing a Naked Author Jam to celebrate the book. Join me and eleven other Naked* authors at the University of North Carolina-Asheville Humanities Lecture Hall on Friday, March 30, at 7:00 p.m. as we read from, discuss, and laugh about our work. The event is free and open to the public.

Joining me on stage will be Tony Earley, Brian Lee Knopp, Linda Marie Barrett, John P. McAfee, Susan Reinhardt, Vicki Lane, Tommy Hays, Wayne Caldwell, Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, Gene Cheek, and Charles Price, reading for Fred Chappell. Come on out and get Naked!**

For more information, call Malaprop's bookstore at (828)254-6734.

* "Naked" in a literary sense, not a literal one, of course.
** Again, clothing is not optional.