Main Street Reads

Booksigning: 90 Days at a Time and Team Positive w/ Thom and Todd Schmenk
2020-01-02 17:30 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
The perfect way to kick off the New Year/New You theme at Main Street Reads! On January 2, 2020, authors Thom Shmenk and his son and co-author of Team Positive Todd Schmenk will be signing from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. 90 Days at a Time is Thom’s own tale of his journey surviving a leiomyosarcoma and is the starting point of Team Positive, written by Thom and his oldest son, Todd Schmenk, is an expansion of what they learned and applying those principles to anyone facing a life-changing diagnosis. Together they used their experience and training to publish a ‘How To’ guide for people on their own journey or those supporting people facing a significant diagnosis.
Thom Schmenk is an early-retired Ohio firefighter and a retired SC government administrator who has lived in South Carolina for over 20 years. Thom and his wife Judy have been residents of the Summerville area since 2006. Thom is a six-year sarcoma survivor who now dedicates his time to spreading awareness, support and optimism for others on their own cancer journey. Thom does public speaking and participates in fundraising efforts to support cancer research. In June, 2019 MUSC Hollings Cancer Center presented him with the Harper Drolet Award in Honor of Courage, Strength, and Hope for his Dedication in Supporting Cancer Research.
Todd Schmenk is a licensed mental health counselor and adjunct professor, with over twenty years of experience in the mental and behavioral health field helping patients work through chronic health, anxiety, and adjustment issues. His approach and body of work is a compilation of past experiences starting as a Patient Educator for the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, followed by continued engagements as a Health Educator for the York City Bureau of Health, a Health Consultant for the corporate sector, and as a Clinical Mental Health Counselor for several behavioral health agencies and now his own private practice, AQAL Therapies, located in Providence, Rhode Island. www.ToddSchmenk.com

Booksigning: Meet Author Cheryl Oliver
2019-12-28 10:00 - 13:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
On Saturday, December 28th, we’re pleased to host local author Cheryl Oliver, with the release of her latest book, My Best Friend is Gone, about her daughter Jennifer, killed by a drunk driver in 2017. Cheryl wants to help others through their grieving process, especially during the Holiday season.
A Virginia native, Cheryl Oliver grew up near Washington D.C.Aside from “My Best Friend is Gone” biography about her daughter, Oliver has written 7 historical non-fiction books. A graduate of Marymount University, she is a member of the National Genealogical Association, DAR, UDC, in process with Colonial Dames, and was invited to join the Descendants of Jamestown, VA. She lives in Summerville, SC, enjoys reading and tending to her beautiful garden flowers. She is currently working on a book about all the men behind the designing, building, training, and sailing of the H. L. Hunley.

Booksigning: Acting Lessons for Living AND Beyond the Bookclub
2019-12-27 17:30 - 19:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
On Friday, December 27th, we’re off to an early start with our “New Year – New You” theme when Chicago author Ruthie Landis will be in town and has graciously agreed to join us to sign copies of her newest release, Acting Lessons for Living, as well as her release from earlier this year, Beyond the Bookclub: We Are the Books We Must Read.
LOTS of fodder for discussion in both these wonderful, heartfelt books — we hope you’ll join us for a chat and free refreshments!

Booksigning: Third Thursday Features Christmas Confusion!
2019-12-19 17:00 - 20:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Meet local author Christina Sinisi at Main Street Reads this Third Thursday when she’ll be here to sign her brand new novel, Christmas Confusion! Just in time for the holidays – come join us for merriment and a signed copy, the perfect gift!
As always, our Third Thursday will feature treats and a special performance by local singer, songwriter and guitarist Mike Kaltofen, who’s being featured in this week’s Summerville Journal Scene!

Booksigning: Prayers of an Adoptee with Alison Holley
2019-12-15 12:00 - 14:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
On Sunday, December 15, we’ll proudly host Summerville native Alison Holley, celebrating the release of her debut novel, Prayers of an Adoptee.
Based on a true story, Prayers of an Adoptee is about the life of Alexandra, a woman who was adopted at birth and spent decades searching for her biological family. Although she was raised by wonderful parents in a loving family, as a teenager, she began to feel an unexplained void in her life. This void sparked her need to solve the mystery of her past and find the family she had never known.
During her teenage years and throughout her adult life, with help from her adoptive parents and her husband Teddy, she searched and prayed for clues that would lead to her biological family. But early in her search, Alexandra realized that the pieces of the puzzle-the answers to her prayers-would be revealed only in God’s timing.
Alison Holley is a first-time author and has launched her book, based on her decades-long search for her biological family. She is a native of Summerville, SC. She now resides with her husband in Bluffton, SC. She has two grown children. Alison loves sitting on her back porch, enjoying the coastal wildlife, while working on her second book. Find her at https://www.facebook.com/alisonholley100/ and on Instagram.

In Conversation: Dr. Benjamin B. Alexander and JC Sasser Discuss Flannery O'Connor (Booksigning)
2019-12-14 14:00 - 17:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
On December 14, JC Sasser, author of the wildly popular 2018 Southern Fiction winning Gradle Bird, and Ben Alexander, editor of Good Things Out of Nazareth, a much-anticipated collection of many of Flannery O’Connor’s unpublished letters, will be at Main Street Reads to discuss brilliant southern fiction and the great lady herself.
Flannery O’Connor is a master of twentieth-century American fiction, joining, since her untimely death in 1964, the likes of Hawthorne, Hemingway, and Faulkner. Those familiar with her work know that her powerful ethical vision was rooted in a quiet, devout faith and informed all she wrote and did.

You’ll have the opportunity to get signed copies of both Gradle Bird AND Good Things out of Nazareth, touted as a literary treasure of over one hundred unpublished letters from National Book Award-winning author Flannery O’Connor and her circle of extraordinary friends.
Good Things Out of Nazareth is a collection of many of O’Connor’s previously unpublished letters—along with those of literary luminaries such as Walker Percy (The Moviegoer), Caroline Gordon (None Shall Look Back), Katherine Anne Porter (Ship of Fools), Robert Giroux and movie critic Stanley Kauffmann. The letters explore such themes as creativity, faith, suffering, and writing. Brought together, they form a riveting literary portrait of these friends, artists, and thinkers. Here we find their joys and loves, as well as their trials and tribulations as they struggle with doubt and illness while championing their beliefs and often confronting racism in American society during the civil rights era.

JC Sasser’s work has been compared by other great southern authors to Flannery O’Connor, and Sasser says she’s been a huge influence on her own work, so this will be a VERY engaging discussion!

Praise for Good Things Out of Nazareth
“An epistolary group portrait that will appeal to readers interested in the Catholic underpinnings of O’Connor’s life and work… These letters by the National Book Award–winning short story writer and her friends alternately fit and break the mold. Anyone looking for Southern literary gossip will find plenty of barbs… But there’s also higher-toned talk on topics such as the symbolism in O’Connor’s work and the nature of free will.”—Kirkus Reviews

“A fascinating set of Flannery O’Connor’s correspondence . . . The compilation is highlighted by gems from O’Connor’s writing mentor, Caroline Gordon. . . . While O’Connor’s milieu can seem intimidatingly insular, the volume allows readers to feel closer to the writer, by glimpsing O’Connor’s struggles with lupus, which sometimes leaves her bedridden or walking on crutches, and by hearing her famously strong Georgian accent in the colloquialisms she sprinkles throughout the letters. . . . This is an important addition to the knowledge of O’Connor, her world, and her writing.”—Publishers Weekly

Praise for Gradle Bird

“J.C. Sasser takes us on a romp of an adventure through the life, eyes and heart of Gradle Bird‘s dark and twisted, but loving and hilarious world in rural Georgia. Gradle Bird reads like it was written, in collaboration, by the ghosts of Flannery O’Connor and Florence King, while finishing off a bottle of Battlefield Bourbon. And truth is, if it had been the fruit of the ghosts of two of the South’s darkest and wittiest writers, we could only hope that they would continue the collaboration. But we’re in luck as J.C. Sasser is alive and well and, hopefully, will be telling her stories for years to come. It’s a wonderful story, a wonderful book.” – Robert Hicks, author of The Widow of the South and The Orphan Mother
“Think Flannery O’Connor riffing Elmore Leonard and you get some sense of this wildly inventive, picaresque novel that stretches the boundaries of what it means to be family and what it costs to love and be loved. But don’t get me wrong. J.C. Sasser writes in her own lyrical style, weaving often tragicomic events into a mosaic of sometimes hallucinogenic wonder. Her characters seemed swept up in an arc of ever-pending disaster. And yet in the unforgettable presence of Gradle Bird herself, the book’s 16-year-old chief protagonist, you learn how redemption can stumble into our lives at the unlikeliest of times from the unlikeliest of places.” –Ken Wells, author of Meely LaBauve
“Anyone who doesn’t fall in love with Gradle Bird, the character, might want to stop by an Urgent Care facility for an EKG. Anyone not totally mesmerized by the world depicted in Gradle Bird, the novel, might as well forfeit his or her Human Being ID card. J.C. Sasser’s invented a complex, big-hearted, dirt-road-smart protagonist surrounded by hilarious one-of-a-kind characters (and a ghost). Absurd, yet utterly believable. Southern, yet universal. I’m jealous.” –George Singleton, author of The Half-Mammals of Dixie
This special event takes place between 2 and 5 p.m. — The spirited discussion will begin promptly at 3 p.m. and refreshments will be served! Following their conversation, JC and Ben will take questions from the audience.

Booksigning with NYT Best-Selling Children's Author Melinda Long
2019-12-07 15:00 - 17:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
A special event indeed on Saturday, December 7 (rescheduled from November 23 after Melinda’s injury!) when we host NYT best-selling children’s books author Melinda Long to Main Street Reads!
Her books on hand for signing will include Art Smart, Science Detective, How I Became a Pirate, Pirates Don’t Change Diapers, and, apropos to the season, The Twelve Days of Christmas in South Carolina.
Melinda Long began her writing career on a rainy day when she was six. Her mother, tired of hearing how bored Melinda was, told her to write a story about Yogi Bear and friends. She even gave Melinda a typewriter to use. It was so much fun, Melinda just kept writing. Now it’s one of her favorite things to do. Melinda lives in South Carolina not far from two pirate hangouts. She enjoys reading, acting, and visiting schools to talk to kids about writing.

Booksigning: Jewel Sweeney and Terri Barnes
2019-12-07 10:00 - 12:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
On December 7, just in time for more holiday shopping, we’ll welcome back authors Jewel Sweeney and Terri Barnes to Main Street Reads, on hand to sign their books for you and friends, and answer questions about their work!
Here’s Jewel’s full lineup of her popular children’s book series:

Up, Up, & Away: Join Bugaboo & Ladybug as they take a trip in the bright blue skies. Watch them soar like the birds of the air. As the storm approaches, will they be okay?
Out of This World: Bugaboo & Ladybug have a long trip to take. They will join the space team to blast off to Planet Mormorfar! Join them as they meet out of this world friends.
The Fire Breathing Dragon: Oh no! The fire breathing dragon has awakened and is making his way through Buggleland. Knight Bugaboo must defeat the dragon to save Princess Ladybug.

Jewel is also the author of adult titles: A Time to Walk, The Path Unseen, Running 101 and Conditioning 201, which will also be available for signing at her book event!

Terri Barnes is the author of Spouse Calls: Messages From a Military Life. Terri takes readers beyond the headlines and homecoming videos for an inside look at the day-to-day hardships, victories, and many ways military life shapes, challenges, and enriches its families.Through poignant personal stories, incisive interviews, and emotive reflections, Terri s military life columns create a historical snapshot of American and world affairs, preserving an important piece of our nation’s culture.

Booksigning: James Masciarelli's Beyond Beauport!
2019-12-05 17:00 - 19:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Come on out Thursday evening and meet visiting author James Masciarelli, author of the modern-day pirate tale, Beyond Beauport, a fascinating read that also visits the pirate history of Charleston!
In Beyond Beauport
Shannon Clarke’s childhood dream to become a sea captain is revived when her long-lost seafaring uncle Patrick visits with a salty tale of their maritime family ancestry of pirates and privateers. He shares recovered family letters and artifacts from the Golden Age of Piracy.
They take to the sea in Patrick’s brigantine to follow the siren song of their ancestors in quest of destiny, truth and treasure. The voyage is fraught with raw forces of nature, past traumas and present day sea robbers, as their talents and beliefs of family, identity and purpose are shaken to the core.
James Masciarelli is a writer, entrepreneur, and storyteller with deep experience of the human condition from his work with individuals, families, and organizations in crisis, growth and change. Writing and use of story enabled him to move ideas through organizations in his social work, human resource, and business career. His creative fiction focuses on stories of change and transformation by the sea. He resides in Naples, Florida and his homeport, Gloucester, Massachusetts with his creative wife and twin beagles.

Booksigning: Priscilla K. Garatti
2019-12-01 12:00 - 14:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
We have a special event planned for you to welcome December! On December 1st (also our singing bookseller Hannah Rose’s birthday!) we’ll be hosting Charleston author Priscilla K. Garatti!
Priscilla K. Garatti is the author of a collection of reflective essays, On A Clear Blue Day; a novel, Missing God; and a memoir, An Ocean Away.
An Ocean Away
Two stories dramatically entwine through this memoir of a woman’s journey to regain lost love and a lost self.
Thirty-five years ago, a teenage girl boards an ocean liner and meets the Italian boy who becomes the love of her life. Through a series of synchronous events she finds him again and must confront the painstaking choices it will take to love him again.
Missing God
When Emily King finds herself jolted into early widowhood after her husband’s heart attack, she cannot seem to find her bearings in a once predictable world. Desperate for any bit of consolation to soothe her raw heart, she seeks the solace of the Sea Islands that stretch out along the coastline of South Carolina.
During one her sojourns, she meets a winsome child named Ocean. The little boy and his mother enter Emily’s life bearing gifts—warmth, laughter, gritty strength and the friendship of an African man named Cannon to whom Emily finds herself surprisingly drawn.
These four unlikely companions help each other navigate the treacherous terrain of grief, bound together even more tightly as they seek to rescue Ocean when he falls into dangerous hands.
On A Clear Blue Day
People often feel alone and isolated in our performance-based culture. They have a deep desire to be validated and accepted for who they are. To be loved—to know the love of a God who does not reject them.
With lyrical prose and a blend of lush images, Priscilla moves you through the seasons of the year taking on such topics as regret, vulnerability, loneliness, intimacy and imperfection. In each essay she weaves a divine thread through the quotidian.
Meet Priscilla
In 2018, Priscilla was selected as an emerging writer in South Carolina, with both fiction and non-fiction works appearing in anthologies compiled by Z Publishing. On A Clear Blue Day won an Enduring Light medal in the 2017 Illumination Book Awards. And In 2019, Z Publishing once again featured Priscilla as one of America’s emerging authors in their literary fiction anthology for The Carolinas. Look for her latest book, The Light By Which We See in February 2020. Priscilla currently resides with her Italian husband near a tidal creek in Charleston, South Carolina. Find her at priscillakgaratti.com and on Instagram and Twitter.

Our Prince of Scribes Writers Conference
2019-11-23 09:30 - 18:30 | James Dean Theatre, 133 S Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Calling all you writers! On November 23, the Our Prince of Scribes Writers Conference will take place at the James Dean Theatre, brought to you by a powerhouse team that includes the Pat Conroy Literary Center, the South Carolina Writers Association (SCWA), the Flowertown Players and of course, Main Street Reads!
Join Our Prince of Scribes: Writers Remember Pat Conroy contributing writers Margaret Evans, Jonathan Haupt, Jonathan Sanchez, Alex Sanders, Sean Scapellato, and Lynn Seldon–along with special guests MacKenzie Collier and Cele Seldon–for a lively series of four writers workshops and a panel discussion at Summerville’s Flowertown Players Theatre on Saturday, November 23.
ALL-DAY REGISTRATION (includes all 4 workshops and the panel discussion; lunch on your own): $50 for SCWA members and $70 for non-members.
For Readers:
OUR PRINCE OF SCRIBES panel discussion only (does not include workshops): $10.00.
REGISTER HERE!

Museum Art Show at Main Street Reads!
2019-11-21 17:30 - 19:30 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Our own Summerville Dorchester Museum is collaborating with Main Street Reads to offer a unique Third Thursday event this month, an art show featuring three local artists, and a talk about Summerville area history (will be especially interesting to all you newer Summervillians!)

Meet the Artists

Therese Haynes: Therese won her first art show in 2nd grade. She has sold paintings of beloved pets, cars, and landscapes for 25+yrs in KY and MI. She moved to Summerville in 2011 offering her talent to Dorchester Summerville Museum and Crossroads Church. She was commissioned to complete two historical murals for both Museums (St George). Dorchester Co Parks and Rec commissioned Ms. Haynes for 12 works of art for Rosebrock Parks 1.5 mile hiking trail and completed a large tribute to Saul Alexander arriving in Summerville, invited to display her complete collection by the Charleston Co Library for a Gallery Showing. She has competed Internationally for the Archdiocese of Michigan and has won juried competitions. She was last year’s People’s Choice Award and second place winner in Summerville Artist’s Guild City Gallery competition in 2018. She is currently competing in this year’s show thru Nov 30 at N Charleston Coliseum.

Dr. Ed West: Dr. West is a knowledgeable and eloquent historian for Dorchester County as well as the town of Summerville. He is often a frequent speaker as part of the museum’s series on local people and historical events. He also consults on many of the exhibits and artifacts on display in our museum. Ed West “EW” had a truly wonderful art teacher in high school and then suppressed his muse for fifty years. He now enjoys developing paintings depictiing aspects of American history, particularly pertaining to Summerville. He has been influenced by N.C. Wyeth and Norman Rockwell and thinks of himself more as an illustrator than as an artist.

Frank DeLoach: In summer 2000, the Field Museum in Chicago unveiled the largest, best preserved and most complete T-rex ever found. Frank DeLoach was working in the Paleontology prep lab on specimens from Madagascar, but spent free time sketching the new exhibit. He was surrounded by large groups, who wanted to ask questions about the dinosaur. Museum admin transferred Frank from Paleontology to Education, where he was appointed “Artist-on-floor,” a 6-week reassignment that lasted over three years. This was the beginning of a new occupation away from the sciences. Frank began painting in other locations, such as Millennium Park, Chicago Botanical Gardens and the Chicago Bears Soldiers Field. Frank and Andrea moved to Charleston and Frank continues to work in locations in the city and Angel Oak. Frank is presenting three small canvases of Angel Oak and the beautiful homes on the Battery. His paintings are in museums and private collections throughout the U.S., Asia, and Europe. Frank is not currently represented by any galleries or studios in the Low Country.
As always, we’ll also be featuring the artistic guitar stylings of Summerville’s own Michael Kaltofen, so come enjoy some art, books, music and local history with us! And yes, refreshments will be served…

Booksigning: C. Hope Clark Introducing Edisto Tidings!
2019-11-16 10:00 - 13:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Get ready for the amazing C. Hope Clark to return to her hometown of Summerville (she graduated from SHS) when she visits Main Street Reads to celebrate the launch of her newest book, Edisto Tidings (Book 6 of the Edisto Island Mysteries, October 2019 release). We’ll also have plenty of Hope’s other popular books on hand!

Hope is known for writing award-winning mysteries steeped in South Carolina humidity and personalities. The Carolina Slade Mysteries cover Slade’s investigations under the umbrella of Agriculture, covering the rural reaches of SC. Crime is a completely different animal in the country! And the Edisto Island Mysteries follow the trials of a female police chief on well-known Edisto Beach.

Having grown up in Summerville, and graduated from Summerville High School, Hope now lives on Lake Murray in central SC and vacations on Edisto. In addition to being a mystery author, Hope educates writers via speaking and counseling. Her website FundsforWriters.com was chosen by Writer’s Digest for its 101 Best Websites for Writers for the past 18 years. Her newsletter for writers reaches 35,000 readers each week. www.fundsforwriters.com / www.chopeclark.com

Edisto Tidings: Edisto Island Mysteries Book 6

When the discovery of a body on a vacant lot puts an end to Police Chief Callie Morgan’s surprise birthday party, Christmas week loses some of its charm. Not only does she know the dead man, he’s a relation . . . of sorts. Soon she’s juggling a murder investigation and a rash of burglaries that may have been committed by the mythical Edisto Santa—a holiday secret Santa, who may have taken a page from Robin Hood’s book and begun robbing from the tourist rich and giving to the local poor.
Since the suspects for both crimes are Edisto residents, no matter how delicately Callie treads, this holiday season will pit Callie against her beloved Edisto and leave her feeling like the Grinch, Scrooge, and Old Man Potter rolled into one. But she has no choice. Murder trumps Santa. This year Callie is making a list and checking it twice.
Praise for C. Hope Clark: “A sparkling Edisto Island setting, a flawed heroine, a riveting mystery.”—Karen White, New York Times bestselling author.
Hope Clark’s books have been honored as winners of the Epic Award, Silver Falcion Award, the Daphne du Maurier Award.

Join us for this very special event and celebrate one of Summerville’s own!

Book Launch Party: Janice Neal Meyer's A Low Country Advent
2019-11-10 13:00 - 15:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Come join author Janice Neal Meyer for the official launch of her book, A Low Country Advent on Sunday, November 10th!
A Low Country Advent is a guided daily devotional inviting all to engage together in reflection, meditation, conversation and prayer. It is an invitation to the opportunity to begin the new church and calendar year reaching out across all divisions of faith, denominations, cultural or other walls to consider our one humanity toward true love, peace and hope for all.
South Carolina native Janice Neal Meyer serves as a hospice chaplain. She holds a MDiv., including studies in Ethics, Theology and Public Policy and post-graduate residencies in Clinical Pastoral Care. She is active in her local church and other ecumenical community ministries. Her published articles have appeared in The Post and Courier and All About Seniors.

Booksigning: E.D. Baker with The Power of a Princess
2019-11-09 10:00 - 13:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Come join us on November 9th for a special booksigning with beloved children’s author E.D. Baker, highlighting the brand new release of The Power of a Princess, an adventurous tale about a princess who is more than what she seems — and a kingdom whose fate rests in her hands.
Aislin is more than just a princess. Born to a fairy king and pedrasi queen, she’s strong, smart, and brave, with magical gifts she’s only beginning to discover. Aislin has spent her whole life keeping her family’s gifts hidden from the non-magic folk who surround her kingdom, and is shocked to find out the humans knew about these enchantments all along. But when the fairies decide to move back onto human territory, it soon becomes clear that some will not be happy about this change.
As she sets out to restore the balance, Aislin chooses a surprising group of young women to join her – girls she knows are brave and loyal, but who don’t have the qualities of typical guards or princess confidantes. Things only get more complicated when an old foe appears, surely up to no good. The princess knows she has the power and ingenuity to stand up for herself and her kingdom, especially with her friends by her side – will that be enough to set things right?
E. D. Baker is the author of many beloved books for young readers, including The Frog Princess, which was the inspiration for Disney’s The Princess and the Frog. A classic and original fairy tale that celebrates goodness in all shapes and sizes, More than a Princess will resonate with readers who love magic, suspense, girl power, and adventure.

Spooktacular Halloween Booksigning: Haunted Summerville!
2019-10-31 17:00 - 19:30 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
On Thursday, October 31, Halloween Night, Main Street Reads will have treats, free book bucks to anyone in costume AND we’ll host Bruce Orr, author of several books about the south, including:

Six Miles to Charleston – The True Story of John and Lavinia Fisher
Haunted Summerville, South Carolina
Ghosts of Berkeley County, South Carolina
Ghosts of the USS Yorktown – The Phantoms of Patriots Point
Lost in Legend – South Carolina’s Coastal Ghosts and Lore

Bruce has consulted with the Travel Channel’s “Ghost Adventures” and “Mysteries at the Museum,” the Biography Channel’s “My Ghost Story,” and Syfy Channel’s “Ghost Hunters.” His first work, Six Miles to Charleston, was featured in the 2011 finale on Ghost Adventures.
Come out and meet this famed author and get your signed copy of Haunted Summerville or Lost in Legend (we’ll also have a limited number of his other books on hand for fans!)

Booksigning: Julian Buxton with The Ghosts of Charleston!
2019-10-26 10:00 - 12:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Just in time for Halloween at Main Street Reads in Spooky Summerville – the definitve book on The Ghosts of Charleston!
Our near neighbor Charleston is one of the most haunted cities in North America. Julian Buxton (owner, with Polly Buxton of Charleston’s Buxton Books) will be on hand to tell chilling stories about the ghosts that inhabit Charleston’s historical buildings. Timeless legends and recent accounts of spirits abound in this wonderful book, which you’ll have the opportunity to have signed and personalized by Julian!
Stories include: the Gentleman Ghost and Headless torso of the Battery Carriage House Inn, the despairing ghost in the beautiful Aiken-Rhett House, the tragic death of a young doctor and his return to a house on Church Street, and the ghost car on the imposing Cooper River Bridge, among many others. These are the stories behind the haunts of the Holy City.
Julian Buxton III is also the owner of Tour Charleston and an ambassador for the city to thousands of people discovering it for the first time. His popular ghost tours have become a model for ghost tours around the country.

Booksigning: Pass the Legacy with Catherine Jacobs
2019-10-20 14:00 - 16:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Join author Catherine Jacobs for a book signing and discussion about grandparenting on Sunday, October 20th!
Pass the Legacy: 7 Keys for Grandparents Making a Difference is a book to encourage, inform and equip you in your important role while living in a culture that tells you your purpose is minimal. But being a good grandparent is key to making a difference in the next generation! Never has there been a more important job to do. Never has the need been more urgent.
Catherine Jacobs worked as the Director of the Children and Family ministry at her home church, St. Paul’s Summerville for fourteen years. Upon retirement, she founded an independent ministry, Pass the Legacy. As Executive Director, Catherine speaks and writes to impact grandparents. She is a charter member of Legacy Coalition, a founding member of Grandmas with Heart and a team member of Gospel Shaped Family. The joy of her life is when her five grandkids crash at her house for a sleep-over.

Third Thursday: Booksigning with Millie West!
2019-10-17 17:00 - 19:30 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
On Third Thursday in October we’ll be welcoming author, aviator (she’s a licensed pilot!) and adventurer Millie West! Millie’s love of adventure has taken her between the clouds and into the woods. She and her husband are avid hunters and hikers.
Millie is a collector of regional art—especially from Charleston, SC and the low-country. The covers of EACH of her novels feature renowned Charleston artist, Rick Reinert. This will be your chance to get your hands on a signed copy of Millie’s work!
A South Carolina history buff, Millie has spent countless hours exploring the rich historical vestiges of her home state. Her love of the fascinating, complex, and compelling history of the South is expressed in her writing. She resides with her family near Columbia, South Carolina.
Setting the festive mood on guitar, Summerville’s own Michael Kaltofen, a regularly featured performer at the Summerville Porch Jams! (Little known bit of trivia – Michael’s wife, artist Karin Kaltofen, designed the Main Street Reads logo as well as our “Believe in Your Shelf” t-shirts emblems!
We promise an early evening of fun, beginning at 5 pm October 17th. Refreshments will be served…

Booksigning: Brandy Vallance and The Covered Deep
2019-10-12 10:00 - 13:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Thrilled to welcome historical romance author Brandy Vallance to Main Street Reads this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Her acclaimed novel (featured in USA Today!) takes place in the year 1877 and tells the tale of an incurably romantic bookworm from Appalachia, who wins a contest and travels to England and the Holy Land in search of the perfect romantic hero.
Brandy Vallance fell in love with the Victorian time period at a young age, loving the customs, manners, and especially the intricate rules of love. Since time travel is theoretically impossible, she lives in the nineteenth century vicariously through her novels. Unaccountable amounts of black tea have fueled this ambition. Brandy’s love of tea can only be paralleled by her love of Masterpiece Theater Classics, deep conversations, and a good book.
Brandy is the 2013 Operation First Novel winner and the 2012 winner of the ACFW Genesis Contest for historical romance. Her critically acclaimed novel, The Covered Deep, has been featured in USA TODAY and Writer’s Digest. You can connect with Brandy via her website www.brandyvallance.com, Facebook, Goodreads, Pinterest, YouTube, or Twitter @BrandyVallance.
Refreshments will be served!

Thrill in the 'Ville: Thriller & Mystery Book Club
2019-10-08 18:30 - 20:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
For mystery and thriller readers, we meet on the third Tuesday of each month. Our first stunning read was The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, and we’re following that up with a psychological thriller titled, A Nearly Normal Family by M. T. Edwardsson. Those ordering/purchasing the book from Main Street Reads will enjoy a special price of $22.99 (normally $26.99).
Hailed as a stunning psychological thriller, A Nearly Normal Family is told from three differing viewpoints – father, mother and daughter – and asks the question: ‘What would you do if your child was accused of murder?’. This is a thriller everyone is talking about this summer!
Upcoming Meetings:

November 19, 2019
December 17, 2019

Have a book you’d like on the list? Let us know!

Booksigning and Discussion: The Dog Went Over the Mountain by Peter Zheutlin
2019-10-05 10:30 - 12:30
We’re super excited to host Peter Zheutlin, author of the New York Times bestseller Rescue Road: One Man, Thirty Thousand Dogs and a Million Miles on the Last Hope Highway this Saturday! Peter will be at Main Street Reads to discuss his eighth book release: THE DOG WENT OVER THE MOUNTAIN: Travels with Albie: An American Journey

In his latest book, Peter embarks on a journey to take the measure of America with a loyal friend. On the cusp of turning sixty-five, Peter and his beloved Albie, a rescue dog of similar vintage, take a poignant, often bemusing, and keenly observed journey across America and discover a big-hearted, welcoming country filled with memorable characters.

They come away with a newfound appreciation for the life they temporarily left behind, and a determination to live more fully in the moment as old age looms.

Inspired by John Steinbeck, this 9,000-mile odyssey allows Zheutlin to experience all that America is and means today, and having Albie by his side opens up people and pockets of this country (and a few new smells). Similar in approach and tone to Bill Bryson’s bestselling travel classics, but with an endearing canine sidekick, The Dog Went Over the Mountain will delight dog lovers, baby boomers, and anyone who seeks to experience life on the open road with a four-legged companion.

“Peter Zheutlin has written a lovely, moving, important book about a subject that is both heartbreaking and joyful. [Dogs] are one way God tests our compassion.” —Dean Koontz

“Heartwarming doesn’t suffice to describe it: this tale of stray, unwanted, and abandoned dogs, and the people who devote their lives to saving them, restores faith in humanity.” —Alexandra Horowitz, New York Times bestselling author of Inside of a Dog

“Peter Zheutlin takes us on a dog lover’s ultimate road trip. A canine caravan with heart and soul.” —Teresa Rhyne, author of the #1 New York Times bestselling The Dog Lived, And So Will I

Book Discussion Followed by Signing

Peter will have a Power Point presentation at 11 a.m., followed by signing of his work. Seating is limited so we suggest you get here early! REFRESHMENTS WILL BE SERVED!

Peter Zheutlin

Peter Zheutlin is a freelance journalist and author whose work has appeared regularly in The Boston Globe and The Christian Science Monitor. Mr. Zheutlin has also written for The Los Angeles Times, Parade Magazine, AARP Magazine and numerous other publications in the U.S. and abroad.

He is the author of The New York Times best seller Rescue Road: One Man, Thirty Thousand Dogs and a Million Miles on the Last Hope Highway (Sourcebooks, 2015), Around the World on Two Wheels: Annie Londonderry’s Extraordinary Ride (Citadel Press, 2007) and Rescued: What Second Chance Dogs Teach Us About Living with Purpose, Loving with Abandon, and Finding Joy in the Little Things (TarcherPerigee, October, 2017). His newest book is The Dog Went Over the Mountain: Travels with Albie, An American Journey (Pegasus Books, September, 2019), inspired by a re-reading of John Steinbeck’s beloved classic, Travels With Charley: In Search of America.

Booksigning: Dorothy St. James To Appear During Dessert Stroll!
2019-10-04 17:00 - 20:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Dorothy St. James, author of the popular Southern Chocolate Shop Mystery series, will be on hand during Friday’s Dessert Stroll from 5 – 8 p.m. Here’s your chance to grab a signed copy of one of her sweet sensations!
PLUS — For our dessert stroll treat at Main Street Reads, and in keeping with the “chocolate” theme of Dorothy’s books, we’ll be featuring homemade BROWNIE BITES from your favorite southern comfort restaurant in town, Eva’s on Main!

Booksigning: Give, a Novel by Erica Witsell
2019-09-28 10:00 - 12:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Join author Erica Witsell on Saturday and grab a signed copy of her debut novel, Give. Signed copies will be available at Main Street Reads after the event as well!

Third Thursday with Memphis Author Susan Cushman!
2019-09-19 17:00 - 19:30 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Join us for a special third Thursday featuring Memphis author Susan Cushman, stopping at Main Street Reads during her southeast book tour launching Friends of the Library!
“Friends of the Library is the book I have long hoped that someone would write—a beautifully wrought hymn of praise to readers and book-lovers in the most sacred of places, the libraries where we find both. Rich in character, keen insight, and local color, this heartwarming collection celebrates the surprising power of story to bring us together.” —Cassandra King, author of the best-selling novels The Sunday Wife and The Same Sweet Girls and the upcoming memoir Tell Me a Story.
“Friends of the Library is a love letter to southern readers and writers that also manages to tackle serious social issues. In a world of Twitter and twaddle, Susan Cushman gives us a timely reminder of the simple pleasures of your local library. Find this book and check it out!” —Jim Dees, author of The Statue and the Fury and host of the Thacker Mountain Radio Show
About the Book
When Adele Covington becomes an author in her sixties, she goes on a book tour to speak to the Friends of the Library groups in ten small towns in her home state of Mississippi. Chasing her personal demons through the Christ-haunted South of her childhood, Adele befriends an eclectic group of wounded people and decides to tell their stories. From Eupora to Meridian, from a budding artist with an abusive husband to a seven-year-old with a rare form of cancer, each story contains elements of hope and healing and honors the heart, soul, and history of the Magnolia State.

Booksigning: Kathryn Smith Celebrates the Launch of Gertie!
2019-08-31 10:00 - 13:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Join us Saturday, August 31st for the Summerville launch celebration of:
Gertie: The Fabulous Life of Gertrude Sanford Legendre, Heiress, Explorer, Socialite, Spy
Gertie lived a 20th century life full of fun, adventure, derring-do and drama. Read all about her Gilded Age girlhood, explorations on three continents, hijinks on the French Riviera with the Lost Generation, work for the OSS – the original American spy agency – during World War II, and her imprisonment by the Nazis. And that’s less than half the story!
Gertrude Sanford Legendre was a woman whose adventurous life spanned the twentieth century, beginning in Aiken, S.C. in 1902 and ending at her plantation outside Charleston in 2000. She was a daring and fearless woman whose adventures included being the first American woman in uniform held as a POW by the Germans during World War II.
She also partied on the Riviera with the Murphys, the Fitzgeralds and Harpo Marx in the 1920s, undertook numerous challenging expeditions for natural history museums (and lead four) and befriended some of the greatest personalities of the 20th century, including Dr. Albert Schweitzer, General George S. Patton, Lilly Pulitzer, and Bing Crosby. In her later years, she became an ardent conservationist, fighting for habitat preservation on the South Carolina coast and leaving her 7,000-acre plantation in a conservation easement, a place where “the beasts can grow old and die.”
“Gertie” is a rollicking read about a woman who was not afraid to say yes to life!
Kathryn Smith is author of the critically acclaimed biography of Marguerite LeHand, FDR’s private secretary and advisor, “The Gatekeeper: Missy LeHand, FDR and the Untold Story of the Partnership that Defined a Presidency” (Simon & Schuster, 2016).
Publisher: Evening Post Books Release date: August 15, 2019

Booksigning: Katie Sullivan's Rocks, Paper, Flowers
2019-08-24 10:00 - 13:00
Join us Saturday morning when local author Katie Sullivan takes the stage to talk about her debut novel and sign copies of the book! The clothes may not make the woman, but they certainly help! Katie Sullivan’s Rocks, Paper, Flowers is the story of one woman’s life-changing journey to overcome grief and loss and a testament to a daughter’s love for her mother and the unique bond between siblings. The endearing and comical relationship between four women, and the love they share, proves to be the greatest gift their mother gave them, and they come to find that if you have salt in your life, you can make it through anything.
Pat Conroy’s literary endorsement:
“Katie Sullivan’s first novel, Rocks, Paper, Flowers, tells a heartbreaking story of the loss of an extraordinary woman. The book is also wild, hilarious, and a compendium of hard wit and wisdom. Those lucky enough to read the novel Rocks, Paper, Flowers have ‘salt’—all the salt you could possibly need.”
Katie Sullivan was raised in the Midwest and grew up in a large, close-knit Irish Catholic family. Katie is the mother of three teenagers and lives in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, where she has worked for Charleston County School District for eleven years. She graduated from Wright State University with a degree in History. Rocks, Paper, Flowers is her first novel.

Author W.F. Walsh Book Launch: Uncle Danny
2019-08-18 13:00 - 16:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
You may know him as meteorologist Bill Walsh… But to readers he’s always known as W.F. Walsh, and we’re thrilled to announce he’ll be at Main Street Reads SUNDAY, August 18, from 1-4 p.m. for the launch of his new novel, Uncle Danny!
We’ll have books available for purchase while Bill will be on hand to sign the fascinating new release, plus his other popular books, Red Carpet Ransom and The Umbrella Option!
W.F. Walsh is a two-time Emmy Award-winning television personality and has spent over twenty years in television news and entertainment. As a producer, Walsh has been awarded five Telly Awards for his work on various programs, from news to reality. He is also a lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force Reserve and has served on military missions to both Iraq and Afghanistan, among many other locations around the world. He has been awarded two Meritorious Service Medals, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, the Air Force Achievement Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, among others.

Booksigning: City of Peace with Henry G. Brinton
2019-08-17 10:00 - 13:00
Virginia-based author Henry G. Brinton will be in the lowcountry for a special “two-fer” event! On Friday, August 16th, Henry will be signing his debut novel, City of Peace, at Buxton Books’ new location at 160 King Street in downtown Charleston. Then on Saturday, Henry will be at Main Street Reads from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Two chances to meet the author and grab your own copy of this important work!
Today’s news is full of immigration bans, fear of terrorism, and widespread suspicion of Muslims. Split into competing faiths and ideologies, Americans are feeling anxious, fearful, and deeply suspicious of their neighbors.
City of Peace is a gripping and fast-paced mystery story that will engage people politically and spiritually, leaving them with fresh insight into how they can overcome polarizing divisions today.
Henry G. Brinton is an author and a Presbyterian pastor who has written on religion and culture for The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, and Huffington Post. His interfaith work and appreciation for the wisdom of the ancient world began on an archaeological dig in the Galilee region of Israel, while he was a college student. In his writing and ministry, Henry is committed to building bridges between people of diverse cultures, religions, and political positions.

Booksigning: Meet Jewel Sweeney and The Fire Breathing Dragon!
2019-08-16 15:30 - 18:30 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Local author Jewel Sweeney’s newest installment in the Bugaboo and the Ladybug series will be at Main Street Reads on Friday, August 16, just in time for our Back to School weekend celebration!
Here’s Jewel’s full lineup of her popular children’s book series:

Up, Up, & Away: Join Bugaboo & Ladybug as they take a trip in the bright blue skies. Watch them soar like the birds of the air. As the storm approaches, will they be okay?
Out of This World: Bugaboo & Ladybug have a long trip to take. They will join the space team to blast off to Planet Mormorfar! Join them as they meet out of this world friends.
The Fire Breathing Dragon: Oh no! The fire breathing dragon has awakened and is making his way through Buggleland. Knight Bugaboo must defeat the dragon to save Princess Ladybug.

Jewel is also the author of adult titles: A Time to Walk, The Path Unseen, Running 101 and Conditioning 201, which will also be available for signing at her book event!
Read more in this Summerville Journal Scene profile by arts columnist Mary Regan!
