Phoebe Sinclair's Blog

Tonight’s Specials, Table for 7’s anthology that we indie-published in December 2024, needs book reviews. Can you help?

Why Review

A good way to help new readers discover Tonight’s Specials is by leaving a review on your favorite bookish site. Do you use Goodreads or a similar website? Are you an Amazon customer? Please write a review for us there!

If you don’t have a fav bookish spot on the Interwebs —your local library’s website works, too. Oh, wait. Is your library lacking a copy of Tonight’s Specials on their actual or virtual shelves (think: OverDrive, Libby, Hoopla)? You can recommend Tonight’s Specials by sharing the title and authors with library staff.

How to Review

Stars are nice. We especially like 5 in a row.

No, for real / if you’re new to writing reviews, or a reluctant reviewer, here’s what you can include: what you enjoyed about the anthology, what you didn’t quite enjoy or what may have confused you, a particular story that you connected with, interesting themes, sensory responses, or memories. Some people like to use the “sandwich” approach, which is to say something positive, add a point or two of constructive critique, and conclude with positivity, praise, or a hope for the book or author(s).

Reviews don’t need to be long. Completing the entire book isn’t necessary, although we’d prefer you skip this task if you haven’t read any of Tonight’s Specials anthology. (Say you got as far as the excellent forward by Annette Trossello and want to compliment her fine work —I bet she wouldn’t be mad.)

Our Bribe

You knew this was coming, didn’t you? YES! Bribery is not beneath us. Two lucky review-writers will be entered into a raffle (random number generator is our friend). Prizes include:

Tf7 will mail 1 softcover copy of Tonight’s Specials to the lucky home of your choosing

1 sheet of the cutest tasty food stickers you ever saw

To win: read, review, and contact hellopho@hotmail.com by October 15, 2025 for entry into the raffle.

My writer’s group did a THING.

It’s year five for Table for 7 Press where six writers have combined skills, talents, and interests to develop work and self-publish together. Tonight’s Specials is extra-special because it’s our indie press’s fifth book, and each of our names can be found within, attached to a short story (or introduction page.)

What’s the anthology feature? Five authors from Table for Seven Press weave together short stories that explore the eternal question: “What if…?” when the promise of tickets to see a beloved band are on the horizon. Learn more here.

We’re so excited, and we want to celebrate with you! We hope you’ll consider attending our launch party on zoom. Details below.

What: Launch Party for Tonight’s Specials. Five Stories. One Vietnamese Restaurant.
When: Thursday, May 22, 2025, 7:30 PM
Where: Zoom! RSVP at https://bit.ly/tf7launchparty
Who: Us. You.

Greetings from the other side of my book launch!

Begun in a paper notebook in 2005, CONFESSIONS OF A CANDY SNATCHER (CoaCS) arrived with a whoop of well-wishes at a dance party in its honor on August 15, 2023. Friends and family joined to listen to an excerpt of the novel, participate in a Q&A, and dance in celebration to the beats of DJ Univers-AL (Alison Brill: hire her! Socially conscious DJ, dj.univers.al.beats@gmail.com).

One guest remarked, “Why isn’t every book launch a dance party?”

Why, indeed.

Here are some highlights from the rest of Launch Season::

SeptemberFeatured blog post, name pronunciation guide, and reading excerpt on Teaching Books – Sept 4Author chat on YA and Kids Books Central websiteNerdy Book Club blog postOctoberThe audiobook version of CoaCS, read by narrator Ruffin Prentiss, launched on Recorded BooksMassachusetts Independent Comics Expo (MICE) workshop “1 Question + 8 Pages = 1 Mini-Zine” – Oct 1Watertown Zine Fest “30 Days of Mini-Zines” – Oct 14Author Talk at Silver Unicorn Books with Erin Dionne, author of Shiver by the Sea, a spooky new chapter book series – Oct 17Story Behind the Book article, published in the Boston Globe newspaper, featuring me (!) – Oct 22Official Launch at Porter Square Books – Oct 25NovemberBlack Creator Series Podcast with Dr. Sonja Cherry-Paul – Nov 9Author appearance with Raúl the Third at Papercuts Bookshop in JP on Small Business Saturday – Nov 25DecemberSleep, sleep, sleepOfficial Launch Event

On the evening of Wednesday, October 25, 2023, I debuted CoaCS to a packed house at Porter Square Books in Cambridge, MA. My friend, artist-illustrator-author Raúl the Third, interviewed me, asking questions about the novel, my creative process, and my favorite scary movie (none; too frightened). I’m deeply grateful to Raúl for being so giving of his time and for helping me create the best in-person event I could have imagined!

As well, I thank everyone who attended IRL or via Zoom, with a special shout out to Diane Martin and her young friend, who helped set up and managed the most / least favorite candy game, and also Anna Borges, local musician and Creative / Art Director at Sounds of Brazil Anna Borges Productions, who took the amazing photos you’ll see below.

Well, I really missed out on sharing my full mini-book-tour here on my website. Oops. That’s alright though ’cause there’s one more event on the way.

I’m so excited to conclude this October-ride with my buddy, award-winning artist-illustrator Raúl the Third. Join us for a conversation on Wednesday, October 25th, 7 PM, at Porter Square Books, 25 White Street, Cambridge, MA.

More information: https://bit.ly/45zK7oQ

RSVP: https://fb.me/e/bUglSfm4f

August 15th, Confessions of a Candy Snatcher will officially be published and available for purchase in bookstores and online!

Come celebrate at a reading followed by a virtual dance party featuring DJ Univers-AL.

Date: Tues, Aug 15

Time: 8-9 PM EST

Link: bit.ly/3YyJGJl

Secret Passcode: c@ndyc0rn81523

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Excited to meet readers out in the REAL WORLD this fall, and in the virtual world in just a few short weeks.

My writing group’s publishing collective was fortunate enough to be interviewed by writer, coach, and tea enthusiast Allison Pottern Hoch. We’re early days with Table for 7 Press, just two years (and four books) in. We’ve learned a lot, and are encouraged to keep pushing forward –gaining new skills and getting our work into the hands of readers.

Follow along with our journey on Allison’s substack, Books, Marketing, & More: https://pottern.substack.com/p/book-marketing-now-table-for-7-press

I’m pleased to announce that my middle grade novel, CONFESSIONS OF A CANDY SNATCHER, will be coming to a bookstore / library / home-shelf near you in the summer of 2023! It’s being published by my dream publisher, Candlewick Press and will officially launch on August 15. I hope you will be able to join me in-person to celebrate at a book launch event in fall 2023. You can stay in the loop by signing up for my mailing list.

Meet Jonas:

A night of Halloween fun gone wrong has Jonas wondering if he’s really a wolf in disguise in this fast-paced fiction debut delving into accountability, relationships . . . and zines.

For the past few years, twelve-year-old Jonas and his friends have competed to see how many bags of candy they can grab from unsuspecting trick-or-treaters. No one’s supposed to get hurt, just lose their treats. So Jonas is taken by surprise when one of his smaller targets fights back against his snatching attempt. He’s even more surprised when he starts to receive anonymous notes from someone who knows what happened that night. Jonas already has enough on his plate, between his parents’ ill-defined separation and his own guilt—guilt his friend Concepción challenges him to confront in a zine she’s creating around the prompt “What’s the worst thing you ever did?” It’s a complicated question, one that touches on issues of identity, maturity, physical boundaries, and safety.

Featuring zines crafted by award-winning illustrator Theodore Taylor III, Phoebe Sinclair’s debut novel relates an emotive, reflective story about the wonder—and mess—of growing up.

Join my mailing list to learn more and get notified when preorders are available.