I'm pleased to share a new review of The Last Good Halloween that came out from The Billings Outpost's David Crisp. It's a really great review that manages to get to the core of what I was trying to do in the book. I'd encourage everyone to read the whole thing, but here are a few choice excerpts (in my humble opinion):

"Mr. Cromley has a light touch and a keen ear for dialogue. His observations on adolescent life may not be piercing, but they ring true. Kirby steers his way through life with an endearing blend of awkwardness, personal charm, humor, anger and defiance, trying, at least, to every day get a little better."

Because the novel is set largely in Billings, I was curious to see how my fellow Billings-ians read it. I found this last bit to be a really insightful and generous observation:

"The problems of high school students as they negotiate the boundaries between childhood and adulthood seem to be universal problems, certainly not a Billings phenomenon. But the grace with which Mr. Cromley draws his vision of this corner of the world makes the book a welcome addition to the Montana bookshelf and perhaps a sign of more and better to come."

Due to continuing inclement weather, the City Colleges of Chicago remain closed today. Thus, the reading I was scheduled to give today at Kennedy-King College has been postponed. I will post the new date and time when I find it out. Sorry for any inconvenience. As a side note, it really is dang cold out there today, so don't go outside unless you have to and unless you're really bundled up.

I'll be doing two readings next week. If anyone has a notion, I'd love for you to stop by and say howdy. 

The first reading will be Tuesday, January 28th at 2:00 PM, on the second floor of the Kennedy-King College Library, which is located at 6300 S. Halsted Street. I'm extremely excited about this event because Kennedy-King is the college where I teach, so there's the added benefit of the home-field advantage. 

The second reading will be Friday, January 31st at 7:00 PM, at The Book Cellar, which is located at 4736 N. Lincoln Avenue. The advantages of this reading are that I'll be teaming up with some pretty awesome writers (Ben Tanzer, Mark Brand, and Joseph Peterson), plus The Book Cellar is a super kick-ass book store. So, really, no reason not to join in the festivities.