My Resting Poker Face
No video chats here, just an amazing lineup of visiting authors in Asheville.
I got off a Zoom call the other day to chat with a friend and I felt guilty. It’s not like I was going to miss anything as the business part of the Zoom had morphed into chatter about cats, but I still felt indulgent like I had sequestered a box of chocolates to binge under my desk. When I relayed my inner demon to my friend, she howled. “I hate Zoom calls, any excuse to get off is a gift!” The video chat is my kryptonite because I have the worst poker face. You can tell everything I’m thinking with one tip of the eyebrow. Once in the “before times” after an in-person weekly team meeting, my boss took me into his office for a little chat. Apparently my reaction to a co-worker’s mansplaining was a little too threatening. “Maybe you can hide your disdain,” he begged. “Your expression kind of screamed that he was an asshole.”
I love how I feel after a long phone call. My friends know that if I am on a road trip, they should settle in for a chat. And if they throw me straight to voicemail, I will leave a long one. I miss lying on my bed as a teenager and twirling the phone cord around my fingers, laughing at whatever drama had ensued that day at school. I believe that a three-way call can fix anything, and my nostalgia for this basic form of communication sometimes throws off the modern-day way of doing business.
Don’t get me wrong, I still strive for connection in person and offline. And we are so lucky to have more opportunities to welcome some amazing authors to town. Check out the following events we’re hosting at the Bal Harbour Shops Access Pop-Up with our friends at Malaprop’s.
Wednesday, July 23rd
5:30-7:30pm
Join us to welcome four exceptional authors — Rochelle B. Weinstein, Paulette Kennedy, Audrey Ingram, and Emily Carpenter— for an evening of cocktails, conversation, book signings and literary connections. From gripping suspense to heartfelt contemporary tales, from historical depths to magical realism, it’s the perfect group to join and find your next summer read.


Tuesday, August 5th
5:30-7:30PM
Miami meets the mountains as bestselling authors Asha Elias (Namaste Club, Pink Glass Houses) and Joy Callaway (What the Mountains Remember, Sing Me Home to Carolina) come together for a special event to close out the last week of the pop-up. We can’t wait to get these two on the same stage to share their stories and toast to our love of books set in both locales.
The link to RSVP will be up shortly, but I wanted you to SAVE THE DATE. Until then, here’s to enjoying a few more weeks of summer together.
Hope to see you there!
xx Elizabeth