🎭 UNMASK THE AUTHOR IS GOING VIRTUAL! Join us Friday, October 23, from 6:00–8:00 PM CT for a free Coffee with the Characters LIVE event celebrating authors, their stories, and the people who help bring books into the world. Authors: want to be unmasked? Choose one character from your book and give us a few clues you’re comfortable sharing. The audience will guess in the live chat before we reveal your character, your book, and you! Then you’ll join me for a brief CWTC-style conversation about your story. No major spoilers required. ☕📚 We’ll also meet literary service providers, and one eligible author who is live at the end will win a free Coffee with the Characters LIVE interview. Interested in featuring your character? Comment “UNMASK ME” and I’ll send you the participation details. Masks and costumes are encouraged, but optional. 🔗 CoffeeWithTheCharactersLive.com

📅 OCTOBER 2, 2026 🎃 OCTOBER NIGHT ONE: UNHINGED HALLOWEEN Couldn’t join us LIVE? You can still participate! Choose one of yesterday’s three rounds, set a timer for exactly 10 minutes, and start writing. Create something completely new, use characters from your current WIP, or throw your existing cast directly into the October chaos. When the timer ends, stop writing and share your story in the comments! ROUND 1 ☕ Genre: Gothic Family Soap Opera ☕ Main Character: A funeral director who discovers one of the bodies has been answering the business phone ☕ Location: A haunted mansion that has suddenly appeared in the middle of a suburban neighborhood ☕ Suspicious Object: A Halloween mask that becomes harder to remove every hour ROUND 2 ☕ Genre: Occult Courtroom Drama ☕ Main Character: A gravedigger receiving love letters through newly carved headstones ☕ Location: A funeral home hosting an adults-only costume contest ☕ Suspicious Object: A Polaroid showing tomorrow night’s murder before anyone has died ROUND 3 ☕ Genre: Cosmic Horror Mystery ☕ Main Character: An undead beauty queen determined to reclaim the crown she lost fifty years ago ☕ Location: A Spirit Halloween store that locks itself at midnight ☕ Suspicious Object: A jack-o’-lantern whispering secrets in the owner’s voice ☕ PARTICIPANT SHOUTOUTS @princess.asmodai @authorheiressmoon @charles.speaks91 @glam.annisa @E Solenne @dawnibanez007 Choose your round, start your timer, and show us what kind of beautifully unhinged Halloween trouble you can create in ten minutes. 🎃😈✍🏾 Ten Minute Stories returns LIVE every Friday at 8:00 PM CT!

📅 Saturday, October 3, 2026 Good morning, butterflies! 🦋📚 Saturday is our little catch-up day, so here’s what’s brewing around Coffee with the Characters LIVE. 🎙️ TODAY No confirmed Coffee Table interview today. 📚 COMING TO THE COFFEE TABLE 🎙️ Oct. 8 — Michelle Davis-Newell | 6 PM CT | Virtual 🎙️ Oct. 14 — April Finley | 1 PM CT 🎙️ Oct. 15 — Felicia “Fifi” Tillman | 6 PM CT | In Person 🎙️ Oct. 22 — Velanie M. Turner | 6 PM CT | In Person 🎙️ Nov. 3 — Nikki Baker + Taylor Higgins | 2 PM CT | Virtual 🎭 UNMASK THE AUTHOR 📅 Oct. 23 | 6 PM CT A night of authors, conversation, community, resources, and a little mystery. 👀 📖 READER REMINDER The Reading Room is here for more than announcements. Drop your current reads, recommendations, reviews, book finds, and anything another butterfly might want to add to their TBR. 🦋 SATURDAY CHECK-IN What’s one book you’d recommend to somebody this weekend? Your coffee is brewed. Your next story is waiting. Open the book. ☕🦋📚

📅 Friday, October 2, 2026 Good morning, butterflies! 🦋📚 October is here, and we’ve got a busy Coffee Table lineup coming your way. 🎙️ TODAY No confirmed Coffee Table interview today. 🌻 COMING TO THE COFFEE TABLE 📚 Michelle Davis-Newell — The Roots Between Us Oct. 8 | 6 PM CT | Virtual 📚 April Finley Oct. 14 | 1 PM CT | In Person 📚 Felicia “Fee Fee” Tillman Oct. 15 | 6 PM CT | In Person 📚 Velanie M. Turner — The Legacy Project: How Faith, Loss and Love Built a Life That Still Stands Oct. 22 | 6 PM CT | In Person 📚 Nikki Baker + Taylor Higgins — The Awakening of Tink Nov. 3 | 2 PM CT | Virtual 🎭 UNMASK THE AUTHOR 📅 Oct. 23 | 6 PM CT A night of authors, conversation, community, and a little mystery. 👀 🦋 TODAY’S READER CHECK-IN Which upcoming Coffee Table are you most curious about? Your coffee is brewed. Your next story is waiting. Open the book. ☕🦋📚

📅 Wednesday, September 30, 2026 Good morning, butterflies! 🦋📚 Today we’re closing out Reader Engagement Month with a little celebration. 🎁 TONIGHT — GIVEAWAY LIVE! ⏰ 6 PM CT Tonight is our Reader Engagement Month Giveaway, and I hope to see you there! 💛 📖 LAST DAY OF READER ENGAGEMENT MONTH One more day to lean into the 5Rs: Read • Review • Recommend • Repost • Return Thank you for showing up for indie authors this month and helping stories reach new readers. 🦋 🌻 COMING TO THE COFFEE TABLE 📚 Michelle Davis-Newell — Oct. 8 | 6 PM CT | Virtual 📚 April Finley — Oct. 14 | 1 PM CT | In Person 📚 Felicia “Fee Fee” Tillman — Oct. 15 | 6 PM CT | In Person 📚 Nikki Baker + Taylor Higgins — Nov. 3 | 2 PM CT | Virtual 🎭 COMING IN OCTOBER Unmask the Author 📅 Oct. 23 | 6 PM CT 📍 The Book Readers Venue + Virtual 🦋 TODAY’S READER CHECK-IN Before we close out September: what was your favorite read, recommendation, or book discovery this month? Your coffee is brewed. Your next story is waiting. Open the book. ☕🦋📚