The gala will take place at Union Hall, in Raleigh, NC, USA. The full address is:
510 West Martin Street
Raleigh, NC 27601

The event will take place on Saturday, November 15, 2025. This is three days earlier than the official release of the book, meaning gala attendees will have their copy of Shadows Upon Time before anyone else.

We haven’t ironed out a full itinerary yet, but we’ll update all ticket-holders and this page when we know the exact time the event will start and end. Right now, all we can tell you is “in the evening.”

Yes! There will be food. All guests will be treated to an assortment of heavy hors d'oeuvres; we know the event is around dinner time, and we certainly don’t want anyone to starve.

An exact menu will be released when it’s finalized.

Yes, if you want to partake. You can add the optional Bar Access Pass to your ticket, which will entitle you to unlimited beer and wine, as well as 2 themed cocktails. If you buy this pass, please be prepared to show valid ID at the check-in table to confirm you are of drinking age (21 years old); if you do not bring ID or are underage, you will not be permitted access to the bar and the cost of your pass will not be refunded.

Please remember to have fun responsibly! On-site security will remove anyone who appears too intoxicated to peacefully enjoy the event.

If you want to drink at the event, you should buy your bar access pass in advance. There will be a very limited number of extra passes available for sale on-site, and bartenders will not be accepting cash.

There are two key differences. First, Plus Ones do not receive a copy of Shadows Upon Time, nor do they get a “swag bag.” Second, Plus One tickets must be bought in association with a General Admission ticket; for every one Plus One ticket, you must also be purchasing a General Admission ticket.

My party has three people, and I’m the only one who wants a book. Can I buy 2 Plus One tickets? No. In this case, you would need to buy 2 General Admission tickets and 1 Plus One ticket.

VIP Access tickets receive all the perks of a General Admission ticket, plus several extras: additional items in their swag bag, including an extra Sun Eater trading card booster pack; included open bar access (wine, beer, cocktails); guaranteed seating at a table (as opposed to theater-style seating).

Also, VIPs will be invited to attend a smaller pre-gala “meet and greet”, where they will have more opportunity to talk to Christopher Ruocchio and Mike of Mike’s Book Reviews. At this “party before the party,” VIPs will also be allowed to bring in previously purchased (“outside”) books to be signed by Christopher Ruocchio.

We hear you! We are working on implementing this functionality ASAP to allow you to purchase the add-ons after you’ve already purchased your ticket itself.

Everyone’s copy of Shadows Upon Time will be signed, and (pending logistics) there will be a signing line during the event where you will have the opportunity to say hello to Christopher Ruocchio as he signs your book with a short personalization (e.g., “To John Doe”). Christopher will also sign any books purchased on-site from Quail Ridge Books, though these may or may not be personalized, depending on time constraints.

VIP Access guests will also have the opportunity to bring up to 7 books with them to the pre-gala “meet and greet.” Christopher will sign and (briefly) personalize these books during that time.

This event is in association with Quail Ridge Books, so they are providing the book stock. However, due to differences in the two point-of-sale systems involved, it isn’t possible to reconcile previous pre-orders with new ticket sales.

This means that you will need to file for a refund directly with Quail Ridge to cancel your preorder. They are aware of and prepared for many such requests related to the gala. View more information on requesting a refund / cancelation at this link.

If you prefer you may, of course, keep your preorder as-is. It will be processed as normal by Quail Ridge.

We aren’t going to turn anyone away at the door for their attire, but we’re hoping this will be an opportunity for you to wear something nicer than you typically do. Cocktail attire is likely the most fitting dress code.

If you’d like to come in costume, that’s great! Please make sure your costume is not overly large, does not include any ambiguously realistic weaponry, and is not a danger to yourself or others.

Given the adult nature of these books, the presence of alcohol, and other factors, we have decided that no children under the age of 12 may attend. Children 12+ must have tickets of their own to be allowed inside the event (either a General Admission or Plus One ticket).

The exception to this is “babes in arms”: infants young and small enough to be worn or carried through the entirety of the event. This especially applies to any breastfeeding women who may be attending the event. “Babes in arms” are not required to have their own tickets.

Mike of Mike’s Book Reviews will be our master of ceremonies. Other BookTubers will also be attending as special guests. So far, we are able to confirm the attendance of: Talking Story; 2ToRamble; K.C. of The Book Binge.

We have not entirely decided the contents of the swag bag, but what we do know is you’ll be receiving a trading card booster pack guaranteed to contain an Ultra Rare card, an event-related T shirt, and at least one other item. It’ll all be packaged in a nice Sun Eater tote (of a quality to be reused in your daily life, if you so desire).

We want the event to be an exceptionally special time for all involved, so we’re keeping the swag bags and the live talks exclusive to the event itself. (We will likely upload a recording of Christopher’s big talk after the event, but it will not be livestreamed.)

Your ticket(s) will come in the form of an emailed QR code. This will take place on a separate system from our main website, so please give us a bit of time to iron out that process to ensure everyone receives their QR codes correctly. Don’t worry: if your purchase went through completely, you have a ticket for sure.

Cancelations will not be processed until after the event sells out. After this point, a procedure will be put in place to essentially re-list your tickets for sale; if your ticket does sell, you will receive a refund.

Transfers are another matter. We’re still working on how to handle these, to allow for reasonable changing-of-hands but also to discourage predatory scalping. Stay tuned!

No! Christopher Ruocchio will still be delighted to sign your book(s) at the smaller signings he typically does. The gala is a once-in-a-lifetime thing: it isn’t indicative of how we plan to do each and every signing moving forward. We understand not everyone will be able to come, and we want to assure you that this isn’t the end of the road for you in terms of meeting Christopher and having him sign your Shadows Upon Time.

If you are flying, you’ll want to fly into RDU International Airport.

As for hotels, we were sadly unable to negotiate a reasonable hotel block for the event, so we don’t have any deals or discounts to offer you there. However, the event venue is in a very central area, so you will have many, many hotels to choose from.