Tui Snider - author & speaker

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Win Tickets to the 2017 Aurora Alien Encounter #Texas #UFO #con

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September 16, 2017: Aurora Alien Encounter UFO Conference

Did You know a UFO crashed in Aurora, TX in 1897?  The City of Aurora and Vortexas invite you to come and celebrate the 120th anniversary of this bizarre event  on Saturday, September 16, 2017 for the second annual AURORA ALIEN ENCOUNTER! ( PLEASE NOTE: This event was originally scheduled for April 22th, 2017, but the date has been bumped ahead)

 

What is the Aurora Alien Encounter?

This exciting UFO Conference commemorates a strange event which occurred on April 17, 1897 when a UFO crashed in Aurora, a small town north of Fort Worth, Texas.  After the crash, an alien body was recovered and buried in the local cemetery! I’ve written about it several times here at TuiSnider.com, in posts such as these:

Space Alien Grave in Aurora: The Roswell of Texas?

New Headstone for Aurora, Texas UFO Crash Space Alien Grave

Sculpture of the 1897 UFO Crash in Aurora, Texas

Even after more than 100 years, this incident still stands out as one of the most extraordinary UFO cases of our time!

Come enjoy a full day of activities at Aurora’s local MD Resort such as:

  • featured speakers
  • vendors
  • food trucks
  • costume contest
  • raffle
  • cemetery shuttle tours to the alien burial site!
  • Starchild Skull
  • Man in Black after-party
  • …and more!

Buy tickets:

 Visit this link to see a full list of ticket information: Aurora Alien Encounter tickets.

Contest: Win Tickets or an Autographed Program by Spreading the Word on Social Media!

Help us spread the word about the Aurora Alien Encounter and you just may *WIN* a ticket to this exciting UFO event and/or an Autographed Program – signed by the speakers!

Enter Daily through April 17th, 2017!

For a chance to win one of 4 Adult general admission tickets follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter below: [PLEASE NOTE: I will be revamping this ticket giveaway because the date of this event changed. Everyone who entered for the original drawing will also be entered in the new one. I will get that put together as soon as I can.]
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Aurora Alien Encounter Speakers:

David H. Childress: David H. Childress is a well-known author, researcher and TV personality who is known to his fans as “the real-life Indiana Jones.” A captivating speaker and the author or coauthor of over 20 books, David has traveled the world several times over, seeking adventure and the answers to the mysteries of mankind’s past. His theories about ancient civilizations being contacted by extraterrestrials have become extremely popular in the past few years, and he has appeared on countless TV shows and at numerous conferences. David has conducted research into the 1897 Aurora UFO crash and is very familiar with the case. This will be David’s first ever appearance in Wise County, and he is very excited to bring us his latest research into “Ancient Aliens.” Make plans to come and meet David and listen to his detailed research account.

Jim Marrs: Jim Marrs is the author of numerous books including Alien Agenda and Our Occulted History. Jim will be giving a presentation about the 1897 Aurora UFO crash. For more info, check out: Jim Marrs’ biography

Nick Redfern: Nick Redfern has written a slew of books, too, including Chupacabra Roadtrip and The Real Men in Black. Nick will be speaking about a variety of bizarre Texas UFO cases. For more info, check out: Nick Redfern’s official website.

Noe Torres: Noe Torres has written several books, including The Real Cowboys & Aliens: UFO Encounters of the Old West and Fallen Angel: UFO Crash Near Laredo, Texas. Noe will be talking about Del Rio, TX UFO crash of 1955. For more info, check out: Noe Torres’ biography.

Tui Snider: Tui Snider (that’s me!) is giving a presentation entitled “What on Earth were they Thinking?” which focuses on the public reaction to the numerous airship sightings of 1897 in Texas. (Scroll down to the bottom of this page to see my full bio.)

…and other special guests (TBA)!

Shuttle Tour of the Alien Grave

Travel through Aurora in a shuttle to the burial sites with the City Administrator, Dr. Toni Wheeler as your guide! Dr. Wheeler is a native of Aurora. Her Grandfather, Clyde Idell, was born in the Aurora Hotel in 1925. She is a wealth of information regarding first hand accounts of the “old timers” she visited as a child.

Aurora Alien Encounter: Vendors

You can browse through several vendors with custom goods & services. (I will add details here as I learn more about them!)

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Hey, you! Want to come along for the ride?

No matter where you live in the galaxy, Tui's books can take you on a FUN adventure!
No matter where you live in the galaxy, Tui Snider’s books can take you on a FUN adventure!

FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER: For updates on my offbeat travels, books, & other fun stuff (such as postcards from the road!) subscribe to my newsletter by clicking here.   You can also mix & mingle with me by clicking this link & “liking” my Facebook Author Page:

True Ghost Story Round-up

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Want to read True Ghost Stories?

Even though I research and explore haunted places all year round, when Halloween nears, this site gets even more searches than usual from readers looking for true ghost stories. In fact, I love paranormal stories so much I even wrote a travel guide to haunted hot spots here in north Texas. (It’s called Paranormal Texas – check it out!)

I also share a lot of true ghost stories right here on my website. To save you the hassle of finding them yourself, I’ve made a handy dandy list for you. So scroll on down and dive into some creepy true tales of spooky ghosts and paranormal experiences!

 

Veiled statue. (photo by Tui Snider)
Veiled statue. (photo by Tui Snider)

Check out these true ghost stories:

I hope you enjoy these true spooky tales of paranormal hot spots and ghostly encounters:

Did I Hear Ghosts at Elmwood Cemetery? by Tui Snider

Ghost Hunting in Mineral Wells, Texas

Glowing Tombstone in Springtown, Texas 

Listen to True Ghost Stories on TGWW Radio with Teal Gray & Tui Snider

Tui Snider’s True Ghost Stories Roundup from 2011

Tui Snider’s True Ghost Stories Roundup from 2012

Tui Snider’s Haunted Travel Blog Carnival 

 

Curious about my books & music?

 

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Hey, you! Want to get a (nearly) weekly update?

No matter where you live in the galaxy, Tui's books can take you on a FUN adventure!
No matter where you live in the galaxy, Tui Snider’s books can take you on a FUN adventure!

FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER: For updates on my offbeat travels, books, music & other fun stuff (such as postcards from the road!) subscribe to my newsletter using the form below.  You can also mix & mingle with me by clicking this link & “liking” my Facebook Author Page:

Tui Snider: About my Music #dreampop #electronica

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About my Music

In addition to writing books, taking photos, and giving talks, I also compose music. This often comes as a surprise to people, since I don’t talk about it much. Even so, I’ve been writing songs and playing music for years. In fact, the first thing I ever wrote was a song called “Pig, Pot, Pan” because, at age 5, those were the only words I knew how to spell!

Come to My Senses

My first album is called “Come to My Senses,” and I recorded it in my dining room! And in answer to the question I’m asked the most: yes, that’s really me playing guitar, flute, clarinet, and synthesizer. Also, I used an acoustic guitar, but ran it through some electric filters.

 

"Come to My Senses" is my first album! (photo by Tui Snider)
“Come to My Senses” is my first album! (photo by Tui Snider)

What Genre is my Music?

Describing my musical genre was so confusing that I asked a bunch of friends. Here’s what they told me my music sounds like: Dream Pop, Folktronica, ElectroFolk, Folk Rock with a dash of Shoegaze.

Listen to Song Samples

Of course, the best way to answer that question is simply to listen to a little bit of the music. You can hear 30 second song samples in the player below. And, please, if my music reminds you of another artist, or you have input about its genre, let me know by leaving a comment on this post:

 

Tui Snider at work & play!

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How to contact me:

Tui loves showing folks around Texas!
Tui loves showing folks around Texas!

Email Tui Snider:

The quickest way to reach me is an email sent to TuiSnider at gmail.com

Social Media Links:

I am highly active on social media and can be found all over the web. Feel free to connect with me on the following sites, and anywhere else you bump into me online:

Twitter: @TuiSnider
Instagram: @TuiSnider
Linked In: /TuiSnider
Facebook Author: /AuthorTuiSnider
Facebook Profile: /Tui.Sniderwhite-line-separator

Sign up for my newsletter:

For updates on my offbeat travels, books, music & other fun stuff (such as postcards from the road!) subscribe to my newsletter using the form below:

Review: Beautiful, The Carole King Musical in Dallas #BeautifulOnTour

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Beautiful: The Carole King Musical on Broadway

 

When a major recording artist is featured in a jukebox musical, you can pretty much guess which songs will be recorded – or so I thought before attending Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. The national tour of this Tony Award winning show opened in Dallas, Texas last night to a packed house at the AT&T Performing Arts Center.

Abby Mueller (“Carole King”) Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Photo by Joan Marcus
Abby Mueller (“Carole King”) Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Photo by Joan Marcus

Not just Carole King songs

Beautiful includes plenty of Carole King songs, but what surprised me was how many other familiar tunes came along for the ride. For instance, I didn’t know Carole King and her early songwriting partner, Gerry Goffin, spent a good 10 years writing for other recording artists before King dared to go solo.

Over the years, King and Goffin cranked out no less than 118 pop hits including: “The Locomotion” (Little Eva), “I’m Into Something Good” (Herman’s Hermits), “Pleasant Valley Sunday” (The Monkees), “A Natural Woman” (Aretha Franklin), “One Fine Day” (Chiffons), and “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” (Shirelles), among many, many more!

Curt Bouril (“Don Kirshner”), Liam Tobin (“Gerry Goffin”), Abby Mueller (“Carole King”), Ben Fankhauser (“Barry Mann”) and Becky Gulsvig (“Cynthia Weil”). Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Photo by Joan Marcus
Curt Bouril (“Don Kirshner”), Liam Tobin (“Gerry Goffin”), Abby Mueller (“Carole King”), Ben Fankhauser (“Barry Mann”) and Becky Gulsvig (“Cynthia Weil”). Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Photo by Joan Marcus

Beautiful: The Storyline

The plot for Beautiful: The Carole King Musical follows King’s career from a precocious start at age 16 to her triumphant Carnegie Hall appearance in 1971 at the age of 29.

As the fast-paced production hops from one catchy hit to the next, we follow the lives of Carole King and her songwriting partner, Gerry Goffin, through their productive career and tumultuous marriage. In the 1960’s, the duo shared an office next door to another prolific songwriting team: that of Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann. Despite intense competition on the musical front, the four soon become fast friends.

Although the story touches on heavy topics including depression, drug use and infidelity, Beautiful uses snappy dialogue and humor to create a lighthearted tone in the opening scenes and maintains this throughout.

This sitcom approach works because the true emotional movement of the story is created by witnessing Carole King go from domestic struggles and stage fright to an independent woman in charge of her own creative spirit. In fact, Carole King’s songs do most of the heavy lifting, emotion-wise.

I know I’m not the only one who was swept along by the breezy narrative. At one point, when the packed crowd in Dallas let out a collective gasp, my husband leaned over and whispered, “Listen to this audience!” At other key moments attendees cheered and/or broke into spontaneous applause to encourage Carole King along her life’s journey.

Abby Mueller (“Carole King”) and Liam Tobin (“Gerry Goffin”) Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Photo by Joan Marcus
Abby Mueller (“Carole King”) and Liam Tobin (“Gerry Goffin”) Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Photo by Joan Marcus

Beautiful on Broadway’s talented cast:

In this 2016 Broadway touring cast, Abby Mueller‘s performance as Carole King is a real knock out. Rather than attempt to impersonate Carole King, Mueller somehow embodies the famous songstress. At times, Mueller’s performance made me giggle with appreciation at how perfectly she captured King’s particular way of phrasing and her overall style without ever turning it into a caricature. (Incidentally, Abby’s little sister, Jessie Mueller, snagged a Tony for originating the Carole King role on Broadway.)

Liam Tobin brought as much depth to his portrayal of Carole King’s first husband and songwriting partner, Gerry Goffin as the material allowed. It’s not Goffin’s story, after all, and there was only so much room in the plot to delve into his struggles with addiction and manic depression.

The biggest laughs of the night belonged to Ben Fankhauser as the talented hypochondriac, Barry Mann, while Becky Gulsvig is vibrant and adorable in her role as the commitment-phobic lyricist, Cynthia Weil.

Natural Woman. Foreground: Abby Mueller (“Carole King”). Background: (l to r) Britney Coleman, Sarah Bockel and Ashley Blanchet. Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Photo by Joan Marcus
Natural Woman. Foreground: Abby Mueller (“Carole King”). Background: (l to r) Britney Coleman, Sarah Bockel and Ashley Blanchet. Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Photo by Joan Marcus

Beautiful: How does Carole King feel about it?

Since the story is based on living people, Douglas McGrath created the characters in his book after extensive research and personal interviews, especially with the four main characters: Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.

In case you’re wondering how Carole King feels about the musical based on her life, the first time she saw Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, King was so overcome by emotion that she left during intermission. She has since come to terms with seeing her life portrayed on stage.

These days, King makes a point of watching each actress who portrays her, although she attends performances secretly, wearing a full disguise to as not to draw attention to herself or intimidate the cast. She even advised Abby Mueller to, “Have fun being me,” when the pair met on the set of NBC’s “Today” show.

As for my advice: Grab your tickets to Beautiful: The Carole King Musical while you can!

Beautiful tickets & more information:

What: Beautiful: The Carole King Musical on Broadway
When: Now through June 19, 2016 in Dallas, TX
Where: AT&T Performing Arts Center/Winspear Opera House, 2403 Flora Street, Dallas, TX 75201
Tickets: Check availability and book online at the AT&T Performing Art Center official website.
Runtime: Approximately 2.5 hours, with one intermission.

Beautiful on Broadway Twitter: @BeautifulOnBway & hashtag: #BeautifulOnTour 

NOTE: While tickets were provided for review purposes, the opinions expressed in this article are wholly my own.

Want to read more from Tui Snider?


To read about more weird, offbeat, and overlooked places, check out my best-selling travel guide: 
UNEXPECTED TEXAS: Your Guide to Offbeat & Overlooked History, Day Trips & Fun Things to do near Dallas & Fort Worth.

For ghost hunting hot spots, check out my best-selling travel guide to haunted places: 
PARANORMAL TEXAS: Your Travel Guide to Haunted Places near Dallas & Fort Worth.

For a strange-but-true tale of Texas history, check out this bizarre piece of West Texas history: 
The Lynching of the Santa Claus Bank Robber

 


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Hey, you! Want to come along for the ride?

No matter where you live in the galaxy, Tui's books can take you on a FUN adventure!
No matter where you live in the galaxy, Tui Snider’s books can take you on a FUN adventure!

FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER: For updates on my offbeat travels, books, & other fun stuff (such as postcards from the road!) subscribe to my newsletter using the form below. Each week, I’ll let you know the Historic Cemetery Symbol of the Week, who Teal Gray & I are interviewing on our show that night, and any other fun or interesting news. You can also mix & mingle with me by clicking this link & “liking” my Facebook Author Page:

Mysterious Knights of Elberta, Alabama’s Piney Woods

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Join me for an A to Z Road Trip!

I’m taking you on a road trip with me by sharing travel photos for this year’s A to Z Blog Challenge. So come along as we explore some of my favorite offbeat, overlooked and just plain interesting places in Texas… and beyond!

 

Today is letter K:
Knights of Elberta, Alabama’s Piney Woods

Knight statue of Elberta, AL (photo by Tui Snider)
Knight statue of Elberta, AL (photo by Tui Snider)

Remember Elberta’s Dinosaurs?

If you read my post for the letter D, then you may remember me mentioning the whimsical fiberglass artwork of sculptor Mark Cline. (If not, click here: Quirky Dinosaur Sculptures in Elberta, Alabama.)
My husband, Larry, and I were actually looking for another one of Cline’s offbeat masterpieces called “The Lady in the Lake” when something else caught our attention in an oak grove.
Knight statue of Elberta, AL (photo by Tui Snider)
Knight statue of Elberta, AL (photo by Larry Snider)

Knights in an Oak Grove

As you can see from Larry’s photo, I hopped out to investigate close-up. What I found were four bronze statues. If any of you are well-versed in Medieval history and clothing, perhaps you can shed some light on these mysterious knights. I’d love to know! They look like knights to me, but perhaps they are merely pages, or…

Even though I research and plan our road trip itineraries in advance, it’s always fun to find something more than what we were actually looking for! Has that ever happened to you?
Knight statue of Elberta, AL (photo by Tui Snider)
Knight statue of Elberta, AL (photo by Tui Snider)

Selfie with a Knight

And, of course, thanks to my friend and fellow quirky road trip aficionado, David Sumoflam Kravetz, I had to take a selfie with one these chivalrous bronze men before we left. (If you haven’t checked out David’s A to Z Road Trip posts, pop over to his wonderful blog Less Beaten Paths. You will love it!)

Knight statue of Elberta, AL (photo by Tui Snider)
Knight statue of Elberta, AL (photo by Tui Snider)

See for yourself:

I don’t have a precise address to see the Elberta Knights,  but finding them is part of the fun. To see them yourself, drive to Barber Marina (26986 Fish Trap Rd, Elberta, AL 36530) and keep your eye out for a group of knights standing guard beneath the oak trees as you drive along the marina’s main road.

 

*****I hope you enjoyed today’s post. Come back tomorrow for the next letter in the alphabet!*****

 

Psst! Instagram, anyone?

If you are on Instagram, I’d be delighted to follow you! Simply follow my photo feed (@TuiSnider) on Instagram and I’ll follow you back!

What is the April A to Z Blog Challenge?

 

Each April, bloggers from all over the world participate in the April A to Z blog challenge, and you can too. It’s a lot of fun and it’s a great way to meet other bloggers.

To play along, all you do is make a blog post for each letter of the alphabet during April, then use the blog hop linky to visit as many other bloggers as you can. In addition to my personal blog here, I’m also writing A to Z posts for the the Story Dam writing community. You can check those out by clicking here: Story Dam’s Writing Quotes & Encouragement

Check out more April A to Z Blog Challenge Participants by clicking the link below:

Find out more about the April A to Z blog challenge, and check out the other participants!

A2Z-BADGE_[2016]

Curious about my books? I’ve got 3, so far…


To read about more weird, offbeat, and overlooked places, check out my best-selling travel guide: 
UNEXPECTED TEXAS: Your Guide to Offbeat & Overlooked History, Day Trips & Fun Things to do near Dallas & Fort Worth.

For ghost hunting hot spots, check out my best-selling travel guide to haunted places: 
PARANORMAL TEXAS: Your Travel Guide to Haunted Places near Dallas & Fort Worth.

For a strange-but-true tale of Texas history, check out this bizarre piece of West Texas history: 
The Lynching of the Santa Claus Bank Robber

 


white-line-separator

Hey, you! Want to come along for the ride?

No matter where you live in the galaxy, Tui's books can take you on a FUN adventure!
No matter where you live in the galaxy, Tui Snider’s books can take you on a FUN adventure!

FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER: For updates on my offbeat travels, books, & other fun stuff (such as postcards from the road!) subscribe to my newsletter using the form below. Each week, I’ll let you know the Historic Cemetery Symbol of the Week, who Teal Gray & I are interviewing on our show that night, and any other fun or interesting news. You can also mix & mingle with me by clicking this link & “liking” my Facebook Author Page:

Johnnie Brown, South Florida’s Famous Jazz Age Monkey

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Join me for an A to Z Road Trip!

I’m taking you on a road trip with me by sharing travel photos for this year’s A to Z Blog Challenge. So come along as we explore some of my favorite offbeat, overlooked and just plain interesting places in Texas… and beyond!

 

Today is letter J:
Johnnie Brown, the Jazz Age Monkey

Monkey grave at Pizza al Fresco in Palm Beach, FL (photo by Tui Snider)
Monkey grave at Pizza al Fresco in Palm Beach, FL (photo by Tui Snider)

Monkey on one shoulder, a parrot on the other

Throughout the Roaring Twenties, Addison Mizner was an eccentric south Florida architect and man about town. Of his many quirks, Mizner was especially known for his menagerie, which included raccoons, macaws, and anteaters.

Mizner lived on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach, Florida which is now an upscale shopping street with a labyrinthine maze of gorgeous garden courtyards. His lavish dwelling had a large iron gate and trapdoors for dropping boiling oil on trespassers!

 

Monkey grave at Pizza al Fresco in Palm Beach, FL (photo by Tui Snider)
Monkey grave at Pizza al Fresco in Palm Beach, FL (photo by Tui Snider)

Famous Jazz Age Monkey

Mizner’s favorite pet was a spider monkey named Johnnie Brown. The architect often stepped out with Johnnie Brown on one shoulder and a parrot on the other. It must have been quite a sight!

I’m not sure why he was known as “the human monkey,” but Johnnie Brown certainly had a lot of personality. When he wasn’t happily cavorting through the foliage and vines of Via Mizner, he enjoyed stalking the milkman so he could sneakily pop the caps off of his deliveries.
In 1925, Johnnie Brown was even invited to the Scopes Monkey Trial!
One of many garden courtyards along Worth Avenue (photo by Tui Snider)
One of many garden courtyards along Worth Avenue (photo by Tui Snider)

Buried at an Italian Restaurant

When Johnnie Brown died, Addison Mizner buried him in his courtyard and marked the spot for the “human monkey” with a headstone befitting a human.

See for yourself:

As you can see from the photo at the top of this post, the grave of Johnnie Brown is now part of the outdoor dining area at Pizza al Fresco (14 Via Mizner, Palm Beach, Florida.) On the day I visited, the lovely courtyard bustled with diners enjoying the shady outdoor seating on a beautiful winter day in Florida.
To see more photos of the beautiful gardens and architecture of Worth Avenue, in Palm Beach, Florida, click this link: Worth Avenue – photos by Tui Snider.

 

*****I hope you enjoyed today’s post. Come back tomorrow for the next letter in the alphabet!*****

 

Psst! Instagram, anyone?

If you are on Instagram, I’d be delighted to follow you! Simply follow my photo feed (@TuiSnider) on Instagram and I’ll follow you back!

What is the April A to Z Blog Challenge?

 

Each April, bloggers from all over the world participate in the April A to Z blog challenge, and you can too. It’s a lot of fun and it’s a great way to meet other bloggers.

To play along, all you do is make a blog post for each letter of the alphabet during April, then use the blog hop linky to visit as many other bloggers as you can. In addition to my personal blog here, I’m also writing A to Z posts for the the Story Dam writing community. You can check those out by clicking here: Story Dam’s Writing Quotes & Encouragement

Check out more April A to Z Blog Challenge Participants by clicking the link below:

Find out more about the April A to Z blog challenge, and check out the other participants!

A2Z-BADGE_[2016]

Curious about my books? I’ve got 3, so far…


To read about more weird, offbeat, and overlooked places, check out my best-selling travel guide: 
UNEXPECTED TEXAS: Your Guide to Offbeat & Overlooked History, Day Trips & Fun Things to do near Dallas & Fort Worth.

For ghost hunting hot spots, check out my best-selling travel guide to haunted places: 
PARANORMAL TEXAS: Your Travel Guide to Haunted Places near Dallas & Fort Worth.

For a strange-but-true tale of Texas history, check out this bizarre piece of West Texas history: 
The Lynching of the Santa Claus Bank Robber

 


white-line-separator

Hey, you! Want to come along for the ride?

No matter where you live in the galaxy, Tui's books can take you on a FUN adventure!
No matter where you live in the galaxy, Tui Snider’s books can take you on a FUN adventure!

FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER: For updates on my offbeat travels, books, & other fun stuff (such as postcards from the road!) subscribe to my newsletter using the form below. Each week, I’ll let you know the Historic Cemetery Symbol of the Week, who Teal Gray & I are interviewing on our show that night, and any other fun or interesting news. You can also mix & mingle with me by clicking this link & “liking” my Facebook Author Page: