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An Evening with Jessica Alexander
Past event
Featured Book
Agnes, We're Not Murderers!
Lesbian vixens from another dead world thread through moon-drenched cornfields and opulent drawing rooms in this literary horror remix of iconic gothic sagas.
Agnes is wasting away. In a bed of velvet and silk, she dreams of death—and Mary.
Mary—a wraith with bloodstained gown and mouth—drips mystery and menace. She materializes beside a lake, beneath a pear tree, outside the window. She turns servants feral and plunges the manor into anarchy. Since her arrival, nothing is right. The maids snarl. The nights grow strange. Agnes swoons.
Her brother, Arthur, calls it a sickness. A curse. He stalks the halls with scissors in his fist. He wants purity and order. He’ll strike out the unintelligible. He is not the only one. Others have begun to stir—jilted lovers, disgraced doctors, moralists with sharpened knives. The disorder is spreading. It’s riotous. Contagious. They’ll purify the world in flame.
Written partially through footnotes and with a mystery of interwoven red text, Agnes, We’re Not Murderers! is an atmospheric gothic vampire journey for fans of Kathe Koja and Mark Z. Danielewski.
This book will be available for purchase at the event.
About This Event
CHB Lafayette and UL Lafayette’s English Department along with support from the Levy Humanities Series present Jessica Alexander for a reading and Q&A at 6:00 p.m. on Oct. 12!
Jessica will be reading from her solo debut Agnes, We’re Not Murderers. The metafictional tale moves between black and red text, with footnotes, also in red, written by a mysterious author. Partly taking place in Styria, the setting of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s classic vampire tale, Carmilla, the black text follows Agnes as she is visited by the vampiric Mary, whose arrival heralds the spread of a strange illness. This contagion also extends into the footnotes, written from the United States during the Covid pandemic and offering a reflection on illness, grief, and queer life.
Seats are limited so please secure your ticket for the event through Bon Temps Tix – general admission is free and available until the start of the event (or sell out)! You can also order your copy of Agnes, We’re Not Murderers by 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 11. Books will be available at the event!
We can’t wait to spend this evening with you and Jessica!
About the Venue
Cavalier House Books · Lafayette
John and Michelle Cavalier acquired Beausoleil Books in the summer of 2024, bringing Cavalier House Books to Lafayette. At this location, CHB has worked to honor the former bookshop's legacy by building on what Beausoleil had begun in 2020. CHB's roots are in Denham Springs, where the business began in 2005 before opening its storefront in 2009. By 2024, the Cavaliers became a part of the Downtown Lafayette community by opening their second location. They have built their Lafayette team with Acadiana at the forefront, with John and Michelle even partnering with the Alliance Française to take French language lessons in order to build relationships with Francophone publishers and increase CHB's French language offerings. Lafayette has offered a warm welcome to the Cavaliers, including further connecting Michelle to her Cajun heritage and bringing her back to the language her grandparents lost. It is their hope to reinvest in the city all that has been granted them!
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A Court of Splintered Harmony Midnight Release Party!
We can't wait to go back to Prythian with you on October 26, 2026 at midnight! Tickets for the event are required for entrance. You can choose one of the three ticket options in Bon Temps Tix: $55 -- A Court of Splintered Harmony + Goodies & In-Store Discount (Single Admission): Pre-order your copy of A Court of Splintered Harmony by Oct. 25 @ 11:59 p.m. This ticket option includes A Court of Splintered Harmony, a Goodie Bag, and an In-Store Discount during the party! $47 -- A Court of Splintered Harmony + Goodies (Single Admission): Pre-order A Court of Splintered Harmony to pick up at the event! 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 25, 2026! This single admission ticket will include A Court of Splintered Harmony + A Goodie Bag! $32 -- A Court of Splintered Harmony (Single Admission - Book Only): Pre-Order your copy of A Court of Splintered Harmony as your single admission ticket to the midnight release party by 5:00 p.m. on Oct. 26, 2026! What you can expect that night: Trivia! Activities & Crafting! Costume Contest! Snacks and Energy Drinks! Surprises along the way :) Order through Bon Temps Tix today, and we'll see you on Oct. 26 @ 10:30!
October Book du Mois: Slewfoot!
CHB Lafayette is reading Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom for its October Book du Mois🧹📖✨We’ll meet at 6:15 p.m. on Oct. 29 at the bookstore to discuss! Pop by the bookshop, or order your copy through CHB's website! 📖🧹📖🧹📖🧹📖 Book du Mois is CHB Lafayette's monthly book club! A CHB Bookseller leads the discussion, and we vote at our meetings for our upcoming monthly picks.
Meet & Greet with Leslie Helakoski
EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT: Leslie Helakoski will be at CHB Lafayette on Nov. 8 at 1 p.m. to celebrate her latest book Fake Gnus! Fake Gnus follows kid reporter Scoop Jackson as he asks readers to consider what is fake news and what is fact, while looking for the gnus — pronounced nooz — that have escaped from their pen at the zoo.The gnu pen is empty! So where are the gnus? There are many different clues to follow, and it’s up to Scoop to decide if the evidence he hears and sees is true … or not! Someone tells Scoop they saw the gnus eating ice cream in Central Park. But this news site says they’re climbing the Empire State Building. And here’s a photo showing the gnus at a dairy farm. Can all of these sources be real gnus? Or are they fake gnus? Scoop reminds us that a fact is something that can be proven to be true. With every new source, Scoop always checks the facts!This tongue-in-cheek introduction to fake news asks kids to think critically about what they see and hear from media sources. The book includes a quiz and an author’s note that touches on AI and expands on the concept of reputable sources. Come meet Leslie and get your copy of Fake Gnus signed during the event! Reserve your spot and order your copy through Bon Temps Tix! Fake Gnus is available to order as your ticket until 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 7. Copies will be available at the event!