Lee Sato Hits New York: Hornet’s Nest Tour is Real, and It’s Electric

Lee Sato, the Indiana-born author behind the addictive thriller Hornet’s Nest—Book One of the Jara Quinn series—is bringing her literary debut to one of the world’s most intimidating, inspiring stages: New York City. If you’re wondering why this matters, it’s because New York is publishing, and she’s charging into that world with grit, emotion, and a promise of getting right under your skin.

What’s the story?

Hornet’s Nest dropped in July 2025 via Launch Point Press. The novel is about Jara Quinn, an FBI agent haunted by a brutal accident that killed her parents. She’s also split—between duty and old love—when Katerina Lansing, a promising law-enforcement heiress, resurfaces under crisis. Secrets, betrayal, power plays, and rekindled feelings all collide. It’s suspenseful, deeply emotional, and at its core, a love story loosely wrapped in a thriller.

What’s Lee Sato doing in NYC?

Lee’s taking her debut out of quiet rooms and into bookstores—getting real with her readers face-to-face. According to a press release, she’s “preparing to head to New York City for a series of book signings that will introduce her debut work to one of the world’s greatest literary stages.”

Signed, sealed, delivered: Where & when

She’s got at least two confirmed events through GLR Books (Global Language Reads):

• Port Jefferson (Long Island):
  Date: Friday, September 19, 2025
  Time: 7:00 PM
  Location: GLR Books, 402 Main Street, Port Jefferson, NY
• Williamsburg (Brooklyn):
  Date: Sunday, September 21, 2025
  Time: 3:00 PM
  Location: GLR Books, 303 Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11249

Heads-up: The Williamsburg event specifically calls it a “presentation” of The Hornet’s Nest, hinting there might be some reading or Q&A along with the signing.

Why this matters

I don’t buy hype stuff unless it feels almost explosive—and this feels like one of those “quiet before the storm” moments. This is Lee Sato’s debut novel in a saturated genre, yet the build-up feels intentional, grounded, and real. She’s doing the author thing the way veteran writers do—connecting in actual, physical bookstores, not just scrolling on BookTok.

For readers: it’s your chance to meet the person behind the story, chat about those plot twists, maybe tell her how you guessed that secret early, or ask about what she struggled with writing that ending.

For fans of thrillers and LGBTQ+ romance (because yes, there’s a real, beautifully complicated connection at the heart of Hornet’s Nest)? It’s worth trekking out.