Join me at the Southern Writers Showcase at the Patton Creek Barnes & Noble on October 17th

hmurphy – October 3, 2015 1 Comment

Located in the Patton Creek Shopping Center at 171 Main St, Hoover, AL 35244

I’ve been invited to participate in the Southern Writers Showcase at the Barnes & Noble at Patton Creek in Hoover, AL (171 Main Street, 35244). I love the store at Patton Creek and have been visiting it for years. I’m really looking forward to this festival. I’ll be signing copies of Imogene in New Orleans and talking to readers from 11a-3p on Saturday, October 17th. The event is part of “Educator Appreciation Days” at Barnes & Noble which takes place from October 10-18th. The folks at B&N have invited some first-rate writers in the area to participate.

From a recent press release, “Barnes & Noble stores nationwide and Barnes & Noble.com (www.bn.com) will offer pre-K-12 public, private and homeschool educators and administrators special discounts*, events, sweepstakes and giveaways during this time. Barnes & Noble’s Educator Appreciation Days occur several times during the year, recognizing educators and providing them with an opportunity to explore the company’s vast selection of products, learn about programs and events, as well as save with deeper discounts.”

I had some fantastic teachers as a kid. In fact, if it hadn’t been for those exceptional educators, there’s no way I would have wanted to write. I believe like Oscar Wilde that “You can never be overdressed or overeducated.”

One of our best Southern scribes, Pat Conroy, said, “The great teachers fill you up with hope and shower you with a thousand reasons to embrace all aspects of life.”

And in one of my all-time favorite books, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, education is the focus of the novel, which centers around an eccentric and exceptional teacher: “The word ‘education’…means a leading out. To me education is a leading out of what is already there in the pupil’s soul.”

Here are some of the great souls who will be featured at the Southern Writers Showcase:

♦ Patti Callahan Henry,  author of many wondrous books, including her most recent The Idea of Love. I’ve been wanting to meet Patti for ages. She’s great fun.

♦ Lou Anders author of a middle grade fantasy adventure series called Thrones and Bones (great title, btw)

♦ Stephen Duncan, author of the Revelation Saga series, which includes The Revelation of Gabriel Adam.

♦ Ol’ Hunter Murphy (I’m not sure who this joker is.)

♦ Heather Jones Skaggs, author of two fascinating local histories, Hoover and Bluff Park.

♦ Catherine Pittman Smith, photographer extraordinaire and author of Mountain Brook and also featured in South: What it means to be here in heart or in spirit

♦ Kim Johnston, who’s written Haunted Shelby County AND Haunted Talladega County (which I cannot wait to read, especially with it being October)

♦ Shane Busby, co-author of Haunted Talladega County (a place I haunted when I lived in that magical county, in the shadow of Mount Cheaha)

♦ Shevita Cooper– Vita Coop, author of the suspense/romance novel Hearing Colors, is an Author, Designer and Independent Business Owner.

♦ Mark Glick, author of Serpentkind, the first in his series.

As my main character Imogene would say, “Boys, this here will be a shindig.” I’m looking forward to October 17th and I hope you’ll join us!

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