February 2024 Virtual Book Festival
We've been hosting virtual book festivals for several years... and each one gets better. Each new event brings together more Indie Authors from more places on the planet. Every time, we try to "one-up" the last and make it more exciting and more fun for everyone, authors and readers alike.
In 2023, we introduced our first Interactive Festival, and it was such a big hit that we're doing it again this year.
This year's theme is "The Seance at The Whitney. For those unfamiliar, The David Whitney Jr. House was built by successful lumber baron David Whitney Jr., one of Michigan’s wealthiest citizens and the wealthiest man in Detroit, at the time. The house was completed in 1894. Whitney was worth more than $15 million when he died in 1900.
The Ghost Bar, known for its "Witching Hour Martini," is located on the house's third floor. This is where our fictional story will take place. For anyone who would like to know more, visit The Whitney's website.
A collection of brave authors who volunteer, will play the role of one of eight personas attending a Seance at the Whitney's Ghost Bar. During the game, we'll discover a mystery (or two) and work each night to solve it. The authors are kept in the dark about who did what and when... they are only given brief character sketches and a thin plot outline. From that, they must answer questions posed by other players and visitors (readers) who join us each night of the festival. Fifteen minutes each night is devoted to probing questions and super-sleuthing skills to ferret out the clues and bring us closer to learning the solution to the mystery. Put a bunch of writers into a room together and give them the chance to do a little Improv, and the result is tremendously entertaining.
Each night is completely spontaneous, and because we make it up as we go along, you never know what might happen and what direction the story and the mystery might take. The evolution is hilariously organic and in the end, everyone is surprised by the solution. If you're curious about what all this looks like in real life... check out the replays from last year's The Case of the Missing Manuscript and The Murder of A Book Thief.
If you're an Indie or Small Press Author, and you'd like to join us for a month of tremendous fun, scroll down to learn more and sign up. This year's cast of rabble rousers will be chosen from those brave enough to volunteer when they sign up as a participating author. Watch our Facebook page for updates and more details.
In 2023, we introduced our first Interactive Festival, and it was such a big hit that we're doing it again this year.
This year's theme is "The Seance at The Whitney. For those unfamiliar, The David Whitney Jr. House was built by successful lumber baron David Whitney Jr., one of Michigan’s wealthiest citizens and the wealthiest man in Detroit, at the time. The house was completed in 1894. Whitney was worth more than $15 million when he died in 1900.
The Ghost Bar, known for its "Witching Hour Martini," is located on the house's third floor. This is where our fictional story will take place. For anyone who would like to know more, visit The Whitney's website.
A collection of brave authors who volunteer, will play the role of one of eight personas attending a Seance at the Whitney's Ghost Bar. During the game, we'll discover a mystery (or two) and work each night to solve it. The authors are kept in the dark about who did what and when... they are only given brief character sketches and a thin plot outline. From that, they must answer questions posed by other players and visitors (readers) who join us each night of the festival. Fifteen minutes each night is devoted to probing questions and super-sleuthing skills to ferret out the clues and bring us closer to learning the solution to the mystery. Put a bunch of writers into a room together and give them the chance to do a little Improv, and the result is tremendously entertaining.
Each night is completely spontaneous, and because we make it up as we go along, you never know what might happen and what direction the story and the mystery might take. The evolution is hilariously organic and in the end, everyone is surprised by the solution. If you're curious about what all this looks like in real life... check out the replays from last year's The Case of the Missing Manuscript and The Murder of A Book Thief.
If you're an Indie or Small Press Author, and you'd like to join us for a month of tremendous fun, scroll down to learn more and sign up. This year's cast of rabble rousers will be chosen from those brave enough to volunteer when they sign up as a participating author. Watch our Facebook page for updates and more details.
THE DISCLAIMER: OUR EVENT IS RATED MILD
Just a brief reminder about monitoring your language and behavior. We want to make this month-long event accessible to as many people as possible, LIVE and in Replay. Please keep these guidelines in mind when you are in the Zoom room; this applies to anyone attending, playing the game, and the readings.
Just a brief reminder about monitoring your language and behavior. We want to make this month-long event accessible to as many people as possible, LIVE and in Replay. Please keep these guidelines in mind when you are in the Zoom room; this applies to anyone attending, playing the game, and the readings.
- No swearing or use of deity as a swear word (dang, darn, and other substitutes okay)
- May contain mild crude humor appropriate for preteens and up
- No sex, or talking about having sex
- May contain mild kissing
- May contain brief description of non-sexual nudity
- May contain brief bullying or violence; there’s been a murder, after all; just keep it non-sexually explicit
- No drug, alcohol, or tobacco use by minors
- May contain mild use of drug, alcohol, or tobacco by adults
FORGET WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT MYSTERY PARTIES!
If you have attended or hosted a mystery party elsewhere, you will have to forget what you know about mystery parties. Our format is completely different! It's a true, authentic whodunit investigation, where even the killer can investigate and cast an accusation, even if they accuse themselves… And our game endures for a FULL MONTH of fun and excitement, not just one night.
This event is intended to be 100% improvisationally interactive. What this means is that instead of sitting around, reading in turns from a specific script with pre-designed actions and dialogue, everyone fires questions to piece together the clues and solve the mystery as a group, almost completely off the cuff. The intention with this event is to create a fun “Investigation” experience for everyone... Suspects and Sleuth visitors. Someone has been killed (fictionally, of course), and the Suspects have been identified. They need to be questioned, just like a Sleuth would question witnesses and suspects to solve a murder case in “real life.”
In the middle of each night of the Festival, we'll have an interrogation session that will last just 15 minutes. Suspects and Sleuths are encouraged to improvise questions and answers with only a few basic rules which will be explained at our first night of the Festival. After each session, you’ll take what you’ve learned and begin to formulate a solution, and by the end of the event, you’ll come to a conclusion and cast your Accusation.
On February 29, the final night of the Festival, The Big Reveal will announce who the killer is, along with all the Where, What, When, Why, and How answers. Each night of the Festival is performed LIVE, with a replay of the night's antics shared on our Website, and Facebook, YouTube, and Spotify channels for reviewing the next day. If you can't make it one night, be sure to watch the replay before coming back to the Zoom room so you can collect any clues you may have missed. We want to keep the event moving forward, without repeatedly asking questions already asked and answered.
We will not have an event session on February 14, 2024 because, well, Valentine’s Day means chocolate, flowers, and love, and no one wants to miss out on all that, right?!
If you have attended or hosted a mystery party elsewhere, you will have to forget what you know about mystery parties. Our format is completely different! It's a true, authentic whodunit investigation, where even the killer can investigate and cast an accusation, even if they accuse themselves… And our game endures for a FULL MONTH of fun and excitement, not just one night.
This event is intended to be 100% improvisationally interactive. What this means is that instead of sitting around, reading in turns from a specific script with pre-designed actions and dialogue, everyone fires questions to piece together the clues and solve the mystery as a group, almost completely off the cuff. The intention with this event is to create a fun “Investigation” experience for everyone... Suspects and Sleuth visitors. Someone has been killed (fictionally, of course), and the Suspects have been identified. They need to be questioned, just like a Sleuth would question witnesses and suspects to solve a murder case in “real life.”
In the middle of each night of the Festival, we'll have an interrogation session that will last just 15 minutes. Suspects and Sleuths are encouraged to improvise questions and answers with only a few basic rules which will be explained at our first night of the Festival. After each session, you’ll take what you’ve learned and begin to formulate a solution, and by the end of the event, you’ll come to a conclusion and cast your Accusation.
On February 29, the final night of the Festival, The Big Reveal will announce who the killer is, along with all the Where, What, When, Why, and How answers. Each night of the Festival is performed LIVE, with a replay of the night's antics shared on our Website, and Facebook, YouTube, and Spotify channels for reviewing the next day. If you can't make it one night, be sure to watch the replay before coming back to the Zoom room so you can collect any clues you may have missed. We want to keep the event moving forward, without repeatedly asking questions already asked and answered.
We will not have an event session on February 14, 2024 because, well, Valentine’s Day means chocolate, flowers, and love, and no one wants to miss out on all that, right?!
A GENERAL AGENDA:
We will host the Festival every night in February, except February 14, 2024. All times are EST, so if you live somewhere else, make sure you’ve done the correct time zone calculations so you don’t miss anything.
6:45PM: Zoom Room opens for the Suspects. This is when the Suspects can begin coming in, make sure the technology works, get comfy, say hello, etc. This is what we theatre nuts call “The Green Room.” This time will NOT be recorded.
7:00 PM: Zoom Room opens for the public and we begin recording. This time is prompt, as we want to be respectful of the lives you all live… please don’t be late!
7:00 PM – 7:20 PM: Indie Authors Read from their books. We will have a maximum of two authors read each night. Please keep your reading to no more than 8 minutes.
7:20 PM – 7:40 PM: The Séance Game and Interrogation time. This is the time we will have to ask and answer questions. We will not go beyond this time limit. So, if your question doesn’t get answered, be sure to have it ready for the next night’s session.
7:40 PM – 8:00 PM: The Spinny Wheel of Happiness and Wrap Up. During this time, we’ll award prizes (you must be present to win), give a status on contests, and do a little light housekeeping.
8:00 PM – The Festival night concludes, and recording stops. The replay of each night’s event will be posted on our Website, YouTube, Spotify, and Social Media by 9:00AM the following morning.
We will host the Festival every night in February, except February 14, 2024. All times are EST, so if you live somewhere else, make sure you’ve done the correct time zone calculations so you don’t miss anything.
6:45PM: Zoom Room opens for the Suspects. This is when the Suspects can begin coming in, make sure the technology works, get comfy, say hello, etc. This is what we theatre nuts call “The Green Room.” This time will NOT be recorded.
7:00 PM: Zoom Room opens for the public and we begin recording. This time is prompt, as we want to be respectful of the lives you all live… please don’t be late!
7:00 PM – 7:20 PM: Indie Authors Read from their books. We will have a maximum of two authors read each night. Please keep your reading to no more than 8 minutes.
7:20 PM – 7:40 PM: The Séance Game and Interrogation time. This is the time we will have to ask and answer questions. We will not go beyond this time limit. So, if your question doesn’t get answered, be sure to have it ready for the next night’s session.
7:40 PM – 8:00 PM: The Spinny Wheel of Happiness and Wrap Up. During this time, we’ll award prizes (you must be present to win), give a status on contests, and do a little light housekeeping.
8:00 PM – The Festival night concludes, and recording stops. The replay of each night’s event will be posted on our Website, YouTube, Spotify, and Social Media by 9:00AM the following morning.
The plot is murder, but is free of all references to drugs and sex. This mystery adventure is appropriate for all audiences over 13 years old.
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All Indie Authors and Small Press Authors, of nearly every genre*, everywhere in the world, are welcome to participate. We will host Live Author Readings, Interviews, Games, Contests and Giveaways Every Night in February on Zoom and Social Media, with replays on the Indie Reads Aloud podcast Spotify and our YouTube channel.
This event is free to attend as a Sleuth or Reader. All participating author fees are non-refundable, unless the Festival is cancelled by Pages Promotions. 
Click The Banner To Learn More About This Year's Mystery Game!
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