Author Event Recap: Yasmeen Salama's The Crimson Run

There's no better way to spend a Saturday than surrounded by goats in bandanas, an hour-long wait at a lobster food truck, and alongside a very determined young adult fiction author holding down a rogue tarp with the full force of her body.

What? Is that a unique experience?

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of experiencing Jester King Brewery's Green Acres Hop Fest & Springtime Art Market with my dear friend and client, Yasmeen Salama. Together, we braved the wind with a table full of books and themed merch. That includes THE cutest crocheted squids ever! (Spoiler alert: there are no steampunk squids in top hats in her book.)

Yasmeen is the author of the hilariously clever debut novel The Crimson Run. Best described as Sherlock Holmes meets The Princess Bride meets Pirates of the Caribbean, it's as entertaining as she is. (Spoiler alert: that means very entertaining.)

The Crimson Run follows Lady Isabelle Viece—a wealthy, whip-smart woman with zero detective training—as she dives headfirst into a deadly mystery. When investors start dying under suspicious circumstances, she suspects a link to a popular newspaper series about a gang of thieves. With a crew that consists of the constables, a crime lord, and a failed circus troupe, Isabelle sets out to expose the Puppet Master behind it all.

As the wind threatened to send bookmarks airborne and a light sprinkle kept us eyeing the sky, we remained... well... unfazed isn't quite the word I'm looking for, considering we were definitely fazed. Steadfast might be more accurate.

Thankfully, the clouds never fully opened up, so we experienced a (mostly) incredible day with friendly faces and fun conversations. We even chatted with one guy who got his own novel hybrid published, just like Yasmeen!

Watching her connect with readers and beam with every book purchased was an absolute joy. As her assistant, it's been such a privilege to support her and see her creative journey unfold. She made even the windy chaos feel like an adventure, and I genuinely can't wait for whatever's next on this wild, wonderful ride.

10/10 would do it again. Maybe with big bags of rocks next time.

Want to show some much-deserved love to Yasmeen? You can buy the paperbook or ebook version of The Crimson Run on Amazon when you tap this link! (And if you're someone like me who tears through Kindle Unlimited books like a rabid beast, you can find it there too.)