Signing at The Bookstore at Fitger’s in Duluth (take two)!
Back in April, I had to cancel my signing in Duluth because a snowstorm had the audacity to strike that same weekend. I re-scheduled, and now the new date is almost here: come see me at the Bookstore at Fitger’s in Duluth this Saturday, June 27th, from noon to 2pm!
I’ll be parked at a table. Come by and talk books, cheese, cats, and all kinds of stuff with me. The store has my latest books in stock, and also feel free to bring copies you already own. I look forward to seeing folks there!
4th Street Fantasy 2026
4th Street Fantasy takes place in Minneapolis this weekend! I’m attending Friday and Saturday. Yes, I will have cookies (chewy honey maple) and they’ll be wrapped up for easy consumption at that moment or later, as all attendees will be masking much of the time.
My one panel is Saturday at 4:30pm: “Deal Me In: Expanding Your Reading Toolkit.” Expect me to expound upon the positives and negatives of being in three book clubs.
The full panel schedule can be found here.
Nebula Weekend Schedule 2026
I’m attending Nebula Weekend in Chicago (well, Rosemont, as my Chicagoan friends are quick to specify). I’ll arrive late Wednesday and be present into Sunday morning. My public schedule is pretty light, but I’ve already arranged various meetings and foodie adventures with friends.
Follow my social media for schedule updates, food pics (hmm maybe there will be cheesy things?), and general trip news!
See me at the Red Wing Library this Saturday!
My cozy mystery, Cheddar Luck Next Time, was the Community Read pick for the Red Wing Library! They gave away copies of the book (apparently, they went fast) and I’ll be a guest at the library this Saturday from 10am to 11:30am. I’m going to talk about my personal journey as an autistic person and why I wrote the book, and also, about CHEESE. I have it on good authority that cheese will be available, too.
Come on by if you’re anywhere in the area!
Impersonated by a Scammer on TikTok
I am not on TikTok.
I will never be on TikTok.
This bethcato2 account is impersonating me and direct messaging writers in an effort to sell marketing services. Any account pretending to be me on TikTok is fraudulent. Even more, I will never, ever, in a million years contact people in such a manner to sell marketing services on any platform.
I’ve been informed that reporting an impersonator on TikTok isn’t really possible unless you are the person being impersonated. That said, if you’re on there, report them however you can, and even more, shame them and shame the platform for enabling this behavior. Please. I want people to share my warning posts and graphic everywhere. Get the word out.
Please reach out to new authors online and in person. Warn them to never, ever trust direct solicitations, no matter how flattering they seem, whether they come via email or social media. As I posted just recently, I’m also being impersonated in AI-compiled email scams that also target writers. I get spammed with these scams, too, purporting to be opportunities from book clubs, Goodreads list curators, and even radio stations.
My website lists my real, active social media accounts. If you see a suspicious Beth Cato out there, hey, let me know. Do the same for other authors, too.
Thanks. I hope I don’t have to do another post like this soon, but well…
Read MoreImpersonated by a Scammer
In recent months, most writers I know have had to contend with regular AI-written emails purporting to come from book clubs or Goodreads list curators or even radio stations. A new version I learned about this week is a fake invite to a genre conventions; when the writer expresses interest, of course, a fee is mentioned.
Well, I found out yesterday that someone–likely heading a spam bot army–is impersonating me.
I’m horrified. The people who are most likely to fall for these scams are new writers, eager for any kind of “in” to the industry. To think that someone in that position could be taken advantage of, in my name… ugh ugh ugh.
I’m mystified as to why the spammers even picked me. I’ve seen friends mention being “contacted” by Margaret Atwood, Donna Tart, and other big name, more literary authors that even non-readers might recognize. I am definitely not of that ilk, and yet, here we are. Goes to show that no one is safe.
I’ll say straight up: if you get an email from a “Beth Cato” out of the blue, it’s probably not me. I’m under a horrible deadline strain right now. I don’t even have time to do blog posts, but I had to make time for this one. (My Bready or Not posts are set up months in advance right now, for my sanity’s sake.) If you get a suspicious email, report it as spam and block it. Please. And do the same for any other spam of this nature. Warn other people about these scams, too, especially writers who are just starting out.
My Blue Sky post on this topic has gone viral. If you’re also on there, please share it as well. Awareness increases safety… and if the spammers stop getting business, they’ll eventually give up. I hope.
Be careful out there.
Read More
