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Readers will have the chance to meet bestselling author Ann Aguirre when she visits the Toledo Lucas County Public Library’s Authors! series on Thursday, Sept. 3, at 7pm at the Main Library.
Aguirre, whose career spans more than 50 published novels, will discuss her newest book, The Hocus Pocus Handbook, a cozy fae fantasy romance filled with wildcraft magic, complicated relationships, found family and a slow-burning romance between two very different characters.
But readers attending the event can expect more than a traditional author talk. Aguirre said her presentation will include remarks about the new novel, a question-and-answer session and discussion of her career as a writer. She wants the evening to be shaped, at least in part, by the curiosity of the audience.
“I want to answer whatever people want to know,” Aguirre said.
A return to Toledo
This won’t be Aguirre’s first visit to Toledo. She has previously traveled to the area for literary events and remembers the experience fondly.
“I have been to Toledo before for events and everyone is welcoming. My last event was in a bookstore so it will be great to be in the library this time,” she said. “I had a lot of fun.”
Her enthusiasm for libraries goes back much further. Aguirre said she grew up loving libraries, making the Authors! event an especially fitting opportunity to return to Toledo.
“I’m excited because everyone is kind and welcoming and the food in Toledo is amazing,” she said.
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A little bit of everything
Aguirre said her Sept. 3 presentation will focus on The Hocus Pocus Handbook, but she also plans to discuss her career and writing life.
The format will include a presentation followed by a Q&A and Aguirre expects the audience to have plenty of influence over where the conversation goes.
“I keep my audience involved,” she said, explaining that she can often tell from the audience what people are interested in hearing about.
That could mean questions about the new novel, her writing process or her extensive body of work. And if the conversation wanders away from the new book, that’s perfectly fine with her.
“If we go off topic, I will not be mad,” Aguirre said.
She especially enjoys questions that catch her off guard.
“I look forward to off-the-wall questions,” she said, particularly questions about small details she may not have considered herself. “I look forward to finding out what has kindled people’s imagination.”
Because The Hocus Pocus Handbook is a new release, Aguirre expects some attendees may not have read it yet. Fans of her young adult novels or her other books, however, may have questions that cover her broader career.
A career built on persistence
Aguirre’s path to publication was anything but quick.
She remembers wanting to become a writer from a very young age. In second grade, she entered a young writers competition with a mystery inspired by Scooby-Doo. She wrote and illustrated the story herself, bound the pages and created a cover. And her book, won!
Aguirre also had the opportunity to meet poet Shel Silverstein at a regional event. Sitting on a carpet square while Silverstein read from Where the Sidewalk Ends, she had a revelation.
“I was like, he got paid to write that book and paid to be here,” Aguirre recalled. “That means writing is a job and I could do that job.”
Nearly 20 years to that first deal
Aguirre wrote her first novel at 15, typing it on a typewriter and sending it to a young adult editor. It was rejected.
She wrote another novel in college. That one was rejected, too.
After college, she wrote another book and began learning about the publishing process. At the time, email wasn’t yet part of the querying process, so she sent letters through the mail.
Eventually, she attracted an agent.
Her early work didn’t fit neatly into the categories publishers were looking for. Aguirre described the market of the early 1990s as dominated by different kinds of romance than the stories she wanted to write.
She continued writing, experimenting with genres and learning what worked for her.
Eventually, she stopped trying to write for the market and wrote the kind of story she wanted to tell: a science fiction romance.
That manuscript initially received a discouraging response. One agent told her it was unsellable.
Instead of giving up, Aguirre went back to querying.
Another agent found the manuscript, loved it and signed her in April 2007. Within weeks, the book had been pitched and Aguirre had an offer. Her first book sold as science fiction with romance elements.
From her earliest attempts as a child to that first publishing deal, it had taken nearly 20 years.
Her advice to aspiring writers is rooted in that experience.
“If you stop writing, you miss all the shots you didn’t take,” she said.
What’s next?
Aguirre has already begun thinking about what comes after The Hocus Pocus Handbook.
She currently has two novels being pitched and a thriller she is revising. She also said there could potentially be more books in the world of The Hocus Pocus Handbook if readers respond strongly to the novel.
Ultimately, that decision will depend on the audience.
“If a book sells well and they see there is a demand, then I will sign a deal to write more of these,” she said.
For now, the future remains open.
And Toledo readers will get a chance to hear directly from Aguirre about the new book, her career and whatever questions they bring with them.
“I am excited to see everyone in Toledo,” Aguirre said. “And I hope they continue to love my books.”
Event information
Authors! with Ann Aguirre
Thursday, Sept. 3
7pm
Toledo Lucas County Public Library — Main Library
About the book: The Hocus Pocus Handbook by Ann Aguirre is a cozy fae fantasy romance featuring Thea Winter, a changeling raised among the fae, and Kerboros, the Winter Court’s relentless hunter. Their journey combines fae politics, wildcraft magic, found family and a forbidden slow-burn romance. The novel is a companion to The Only Purple House in Town but can be read as a standalone.
Tickets here.
