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It’s sad but true: bad moms make for great stories.

I’m not talking about the kind of bad mom who made you eat your broccoli or picked you up from a high-school dance in her pajamas. I mean the really bad mothers you (hopefully) only see in books. The ones that take such pleasure in manipulating, belittling, or just generally screwing up their offspring that you can't help but assume the author took the advice to "write like your parents are dead" to heart.

Yes, they're terrible mothers, but with every abandoned baby and murderous rampage, these women make for page-turningly compelling reading. So for Mothers' Day, let's celebrate five of these literary momsters who definitely don't deserve breakfast in bed this year. 

It's (almost) Star Wars Day (May the 4th—get it?!?!). As Yoda would say, love this day, we at Quirk do. So in honor of the greatest holiday under the two suns of Tatooine, we've rounded up all of our fantastic Star Wars stuff—book trailers, blog posts, ecards, and more!—under the jump.

May the Fourth be with you! It’s a sentiment that was used not long after Star Wars first came out in 1977, with the first alleged reference coming from England in 1979 after Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister. An advertisement was released stating "May the Fourth Be with You, Maggie. Congratulations.

It seems like an odd way for this phrase to be recorded for the first time, but I’m sure it had been bandied about before that. It wasn’t until 2011, however, that the first organized celebration of Star Wars Day on May 4th took place in Toronto.

But I’m not here to talk about Star Wars Day in particular. Many people are going to be writing about it and celebrating today. What I would like to share with you is one of the most fascinating and fun places I’ve ever been to, Sucher & Sons Star Wars Shop.

Last week, Nicole De Jackmo and I packed our bags (and a bunch of books) and zipped off to C2E2, to talk to convention goers about Quirk. We had an awesome time meeting fans, introducing people to our authors, and of course, taking in the amazing cosplay at the con. 

From Ian Doescher's awesome book signing to eager Ben H. Winters fans clamouring for World of Trouble ARCs, it was a wonderful experience. Above, you'll find a short video of some of our highlights, and below, a number of photos from the convention floor.

Thanks for having us Chicago! We'll see you next year. 

Image via NPR

Free Comic Book Day is almost upon us! It occurs on Saturday, May 3rd this year, so now's a great time to talk about how you can be awesome on that day.

The whole point of FCBD is to bring in new (or distanced) fans of any age, while also potentially bringing in new business to local comic book shops. It's also kind of a thank you from the comic shops to the fans in the area for keeping them afloat. It should be a fun (and safe) day for everyone involved. It's the day that, while supplies last, you can walk into a participating comics store and grab select books (this is important – the free books are specifically made for this event) for zero dollars, which is pretty dang sweet.

Of course, any time you've got hordes of people cramming into small spaces for free stuff, things can go south pretty easily. Here are five easy steps to avoid being a jerk:

STUFF EVERY MOM SHOULD KNOW by Heather Gibbs Flett and Whitney Moss ($3.99)

AMAZON / BARNES & NOBLE / KOBO / IBOOKSTORE