Upcoming Events

Happy Belated Labor Day, all!

My family and I are finally back at the ranch after almost three weeks traveling between three different beaches and three different sets of friends and family. We did come home for two days somewhere in the middle, but it was a fly by. Suffice to say, though it has been a wonderful trip, I am feeling like Dorothy: there is most certainly no place like home.

I'm getting pretty darned excited about the launch of Keowee Valley, coming up on Sept. 27th. It looks like this is going to be a busy and exciting Fall, and I've got some events planned I'd love to share:

• Friday, Sept. 21 at 9 a.m., I'll be presenting a paper at the 2012 Southern Women Writer's Conference at Berry College in Mt. Berry, Georgia. The paper's essentially a longer excerpt from Keowee Valley. I'm excited to learn from great Southern female writers like Dorothy Allison and Josephine Humphreys, and to hear some wonderful new voices in Southern literature. I'm also looking forward to touring Berry College, which I've heard is simply gorgeous.

• Friday, Oct. 12 at 11 a.m., I'll be the featured author at Litchfield Books' lunch with the author series, called Moveable Feast. My luncheon will take place at the famous Sea View Inn on Pawleys Island, South Carolina. I'll talk about the novel and myself, read from it, and take questions. After, there'll be a book signing back at Litchfield Books for those who couldn't make the lunch. Litchfield Books owner Tom Warner tells me that this venue sells out FAST, so if you're interested and in the area, I hope you'll contact Litchfield Books soon! I grew up vacationing in the area, and can't wait to be back and to meet wonderful readers!

• Tuesday, Oct. 16 at noon, I'll be presenting at the Transylvania County Library's Bag Lunch Arts Series in Brevard, N.C. My presentation, "The Slanted Truth: When Fiction Meets History," will delve into the murky waters of historical fiction, past and present. I plan to talk about my own journey researching and writing Keowee Valley, which is set in a time and place shrouded in mystery, even now. After the event, copies of the novel will be sold by the fine folks at Highland Books, Brevard's fabulous independent book store.

• Saturday, Oct. 27 at 2 p.m., I'll be giving a reading and book signing at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva, North Carolina. City Lights is a Western North Carolina staple and hub for book lovers and lovers of the arts. I'm very much looking forward to being a part of such a wonderful book store, and to meeting area readers and writers.

More events to come, both real and virtual!