It’s here! The official book tour for THE LILAC PEOPLE. (P.S. “Todd on Tour” sounds like “Penguins on Parade” and I love that.)
Huge thanks to 1) my events coordinator, Lily Philpott, for putting so much work into all of this, and 2) all these bookstores, libraries, and venues who have so generously included me in their event lineups.
I hope to see folks at one or more of these events! I’m a notorious indoor cat, so who knows when I may emerge from my comforts again. If you want a signed copy, these are your chances, though can also preorder (repeat: PREORDER) through All She Wrote Books and they’ll ship a signed copy out to you on debut day!
If you’re an entity not on this schedule and feel soul-crushing regret, I’m also available for virtual events/book clubs/etc. (This book would make a particularly relevant book club read for Pride Month. Just saying!) Please be in touch through the Contact page.
Want to hear a sample from the audiobook? My amazing narrator, Max Meyers, posted this video of them recording one of my favorite scenes, in which trans people are explained as the canaries of a country. I adore the way Max has approached the book and feel they’ve elevated it to a whole new level. If you’re looking for an audiobook narrator, definitely consider Max.
While The Lilac People is a work of fiction, the book is inspired by true history and artifacts I found in my research. Its pages contain such events as the rise of the original trans and queer fascism movement, the first documented queer and trans book ban, and other atrocities.
Learn more about the history behind The Lilac People in the below guide.
Countless readers and reviewers are saying wonderful things about THE LILAC PEOPLE, and it appears that many are planning it as their next book club pick. With its immersive historical setting, timely subject matter, and endless discussion opportunities, it’s easy to turn this next book club pick into an experience you’ll remember!
Music
First off, a bit of ambiance never hurt anyone. I’ve curated a list of music reminiscent of the book’s setting, as well as tracks I listened to while working on the book. Click here to access the playlist through Spotify! If you want to create your own mix, stick with jazz, swing, blues, ragtime, and dance band.
Looking to add food and beverages? You can’t go wrong with champagne/sparkling Sekt, beer/lager, and many popular cocktails such as the Old Fashioned, the Gin Rickey, the Highball, and the Sidecar. Click here for a list of 1920s cocktails.
For food, many dishes appear authentically in THE LILAC PEOPLE, such as raclette potatoes, soft pretzels, (bacon-wrapped) asparagus, and jelly donuts. (Just don’t put any mustard in them!) Other foods popular during the 20s include shrimp cocktails, deviled eggs, Jell-O salads, Chicken à la King, croquettes, oysters Rockefeller, and red velvet cake.
Back in early August, Counterpoint gave me the go-ahead to share the cover for THE LILAC PEOPLE. I’ve been in love with this cover for many months now, ever since I first saw it. It was designed by Farjana Yasmin and she did a fantastic job. I’m honored and grateful for all the care and detail she provided.
So here it is, the cover for THE LILAC PEOPLE in all its glory:
In 1932 Berlin, Bertie, a trans man, and his friends spend carefree nights at the Eldorado Club, the epicenter of Berlin’s thriving queer community. An employee of the renowned Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld at the Institute of Sexual Science, Bertie works to improve queer rights in Germany and beyond, but everything changes when Hitler rises to power. The institute is raided, the Eldorado is shuttered, and queer people are rounded up. Bertie barely escapes with his girlfriend, Sofie, to a nearby farm. There, they take on the identities of an elderly couple and live for more than a decade in isolation.
In the final days of the war, with their freedom in sight, Bertie and Sofie find a young trans man collapsed on their property, still dressed in Holocaust prison clothes. They vow to protect him—not from the Nazis, but from the Allied forces who are arresting queer prisoners while liberating the rest of the country. Ironically, as the Allies’ vise grip closes on Bertie and his family, their only salvation becomes fleeing to the United States.
Brimming with hope, resilience, and the enduring power of community, The Lilac People tells an extraordinary story inspired by real events and recovers an occluded moment of trans history.
What I love about this cover:
The cover is striking within itself. Even if you have no idea what the book is about, I feel it’s a cover that will get someone to stop browsing and at least read the description. What more could an author want?
The oil painting-esque motif. The cover merges the sense of historical time and place of a photograph with the originality of a design, producing something wholly unique.
The lilac clouds. They’re easy to spot, yet not overpowering. I love the balance and control of their usage. (Relatedly, I love the use and balance of color in the entire cover.) The lilac clouds are also a descriptive quality from the book itself, which is a wonderful touch.
The hint of birds in the background. Easy to miss if you’re not staring obsessively at the cover as I have, and I like that about it. A wonderful subtlety of meaning.
The newspaper texture on the bottom half. It brings added depth to the visual and ties in directly with the book. How? I mean, you’ll just have to read the book to find out.
The font. It’s a bold, modern font that I feel pushes against the historical content in a wonderful way, suggesting that, yes, a lot of what’s happening in the book resonates with trans people of today. The jagged placement of the words also suggests difficulties amidst an otherwise deceptively pastoral backdrop.
There’s more to it than meets the eye. I said earlier that the cover is striking within itself, but as you read, you realize there’s so much more to the cover than just a pretty face. Many details are in play that make more sense (or perhaps you realize for the first time) as you go further into the book. I feel that tactic gives its own generous nod to the book’s themes.
But also–and perhaps most importantly to me–when someone starts reading the book, they may have one interpretation of the cover, only to have a different interpretation once they finish reading. I don’t want to spoil anything, so that’s all I can say for now.
I also want to give a shoutout to tracy danes, who did the interior design for the book. While quoting text from or sharing pictures of the inside of an ARC is forbidden the world over–NEVER do that, folks–I want everyone to know that this book’s aesthetic is awesome both inside and out. I’m so grateful to everyone at Counterpoint and the love they’ve shown THE LILAC PEOPLE, which will publish on 4/29/25.
