Main Street Reads

Reader Meet Writer: The Fortunate Ones with Ed Tarkington (Virtual)
2021-02-18 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Join us for an engaging discussion with author Ed Tarkington. Email us at mainstreetreads@gmail.com for your free link to attend this special virtual event!

A Winter 2021 Read This Next Title! at The Southern Bookseller Review
“The Fortunate Ones feels like a fresh and remarkably sure-footed take on The Great Gatsby, examining the complex costs of attempting to transcend or exchange your given class for a more gilded one. Tarkington’s understanding of the human heart and mind is deep, wise, and uncommonly empathetic. As a novelist, he is the real deal. I can’t wait to see this story reach a wide audience, and to see what he does next.” —Paula McLain, author of The Paris Wife
When Charlie Boykin was young, he thought his life with his single mother on the working-class side of Nashville was perfectly fine. But when his mother arranges for him to be admitted as a scholarship student to an elite private school, he is suddenly introduced to what the world can feel like to someone cushioned by money. That world, he discovers, is an almost irresistible place where one can bend—and break—rules and still end up untarnished. As he gets drawn into a friendship with a charismatic upperclassman, Archer Creigh, and an affluent family that treats him like an adopted son, Charlie quickly adapts to life in the upper echelons of Nashville society. Under their charming and alcohol-soaked spell, how can he not relax and enjoy it all—the lack of anxiety over money, the easy summers spent poolside at perfectly appointed mansions, the lavish parties, the freedom to make mistakes knowing that everything can be glossed over or fixed?
But over time, Charlie is increasingly pulled into covering for Archer’s constant deceits and his casual bigotry. At what point will the attraction of wealth and prestige wear off enough for Charlie to take a stand—and will he?
The Fortunate Ones is an immersive, elegantly written story that conveys both the seductiveness of this world and the corruption of the people who see their ascent to the top as their birthright.
Ed Tarkington’s debut novel Only Love Can Break Your Heart was an ABA Indies Introduce selection, an Indie Next pick, a Book of the Month Club Main Selection, and a Southern Independent Booksellers Association bestseller. A regular contributor to Chapter16.org, his articles, essays, and stories have appeared in a variety of publications including the Nashville Scene, Memphis Commercial Appeal, Knoxville News-Sentinel, and Lit Hub. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

Illicit Intent Launch Party: Hot Romantic Suspense for Valentine's Day Weekend Kickoff! (Virtual Event)
2021-02-13 10:30 - 11:30 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Meet best-selling author Debbie Baldwin with the virtual launch of the second in the Bishop Securities romantic suspense series, Illicit Intent! Learn about the series and a sneak peek of what’s coming next! Books are available from either our online Bookshop (click on each image for a direct link) or at the store for 10% off the cover price.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86034534250?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 860 3453 4250
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Meet the Authors: Fundamentals of Marriage (Virtual)
2021-02-11 19:00 - 20:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, a virtual free workshop and Meet the Authors for The Fundamentals of Marriage by Howard and Danielle Taylor.
This virtual event takes place at 7 pm on Thursday, February 11th. Join us via the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwpceGoqjkuHdw9dta-b3emVMpSWKkTQtdO
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the event.
Based on biblical principles, The Fundamentals of Marriage is an engaging, insightful and interactive workbook that explores 8 essential practices vital to marital success.
There’s no fancy formulas or hoops to jump through to understand the roles, responsibilities and expectations outlined in the Bible to take your relationship to the next level. The chapters in this workbook will help you:

• Master your communication by learning how to speak & understand the language of your spouse
• Champion & bring out the best in each other
• Conquer grudges and resentment through utilizing effective forgiveness techniques
• Manage and direct your finances as a team; and then,
• Discover and work towards the purpose and vision God blessed you with so you can become the Power Couple he intended you to be.

Each chapter presents:

• A short reading
• Personal reflection
• Discussion questions
• His & her perspectives
• Case studies highlighting real stories from real couples.

Howard and Danielle Taylor are certified marriage coaches with the American Association of Christian Counselors, executive producers on the Christian Television Network, serial entrepreneurs and the founders of Marriage on Deck, a marriage media ministry that has served over 4,000 couples through teaching the fundamentals of marriage. In addition to their marriage workbook The Fundamentals of Marriage, the Taylor’s also have a marriage talk show on Tuesdays and Thursdays 3 p.m. PST/6 p.m. EST on CTN and an eight-part video bible study on Right Now Media.

Reader Meet Writer: Race Against Time with Jerry Mitchell
2021-02-11 19:00 - 20:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Join us via Zoom for another fabulous Reader Meet Writer event (email us for your personal link to attend this event free from Main Street Reads):
“For almost two decades, investigative journalist Jerry Mitchell doggedly pursued the Klansmen responsible for some of the most notorious murders of the civil rights movement. This book is his amazing story. Thanks to him, and to courageous prosecutors, witnesses, and FBI agents, justice finally prevailed.” —John Grisham, author of The Guardians
On June 21, 1964, more than twenty Klansmen murdered three civil rights workers. The killings, in what would become known as the “Mississippi Burning” case, were among the most brazen acts of violence during the civil rights movement. And even though the killers’ identities, including the sheriff’s deputy, were an open secret, no one was charged with murder in the months and years that followed.
It took forty-one years before the mastermind was brought to trial and finally convicted for the three innocent lives he took. If there is one man who helped pave the way for justice, it is investigative reporter Jerry Mitchell.
In Race Against Time, Mitchell takes readers on the twisting, pulse-racing road that led to the reopening of four of the most infamous killings from the days of the civil rights movement, decades after the fact. His work played a central role in bringing killers to justice for the assassination of Medgar Evers, the firebombing of Vernon Dahmer, the 16th Street Church bombing in Birmingham and the Mississippi Burning case. Mitchell reveals how he unearthed secret documents, found long-lost suspects and witnesses, building up evidence strong enough to take on the Klan. He takes us into every harrowing scene along the way, as when Mitchell goes into the lion’s den, meeting one-on-one with the very murderers he is seeking to catch. His efforts have put four leading Klansmen behind bars, years after they thought they had gotten away with murder.
Race Against Time is an astonishing, courageous story capturing a historic race for justice, as the past is uncovered, clue by clue, and long-ignored evils are brought into the light. This is a landmark book and essential reading for all Americans.
Jerry Mitchell has been a reporter in Mississippi since 1986. A winner of more than 30 national awards, Mitchell is the founder of the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting. The nonprofit is continuing his work of exposing injustices and raising up a new generation of investigative reporters.

Reader Meet Writer: Code Name Hélène with Ariel Lawhon
2021-02-09 19:00 - 20:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Email mainstreetreads@gmail.com by 3pm on Tuesday February 9th to get the free link to attend. Based on a true story, the newest feat of historical fiction from the New York Times bestselling author of I Was Anastasia tells the thrilling story of socialite spy Nancy Wake, one of the most decorated women in WWII.
In 1936 Nancy Wake is an intrepid Australian expat living in Paris who has bluffed her way into a reporting job for Hearst newspapers when she meets the wealthy French industrialist Henri Fiocca. No sooner does Henri sweep Nancy off her feet and convince her to become Mrs. Fiocca than the Germans invade France and she takes yet another name: a code name.
Told in interweaving timelines organized around the four code names Nancy used during the war, Code Name Hélène follows Nancy’s transformation from journalist into one of the most powerful leaders in the French Resistance, known for her ferocious wit, her signature red lipstick, and her ability to summon weapons straight from the Allied Forces. But with power comes notoriety, and no matter how careful Nancy is to protect her identity, the risk of exposure is great—for herself and for those she loves.
Code Name Hélène is a spellbinding and moving story of enduring love, remarkable sacrifice, and unfaltering resolve that chronicles the true exploits of a woman who deserves to be a household name.
ARIEL LAWHON is a critically acclaimed, New York Times bestselling author of historical fiction. Her books have been translated into numerous languages and have been Library Reads, One Book One County, Indie Next, Costco, and Book of the Month Club selections. She lives in the rolling hills outside Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband, four sons, and a deranged cat.

World Read Aloud Day!
2021-02-03 08:00 - 17:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Wednesday, February 3rd is World Read Aloud Day and we’ll have a special Stories on the Square event that day plus watch our social for tons of free book lists and activities!
Learn more at https://www.litworld.org/worldreadaloudday

Pulpwood Queens Book Club: Spellbound Under the Spanish Moss
2021-01-28 18:30 - 20:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
The PQ bookclub meets on the 4th Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m. On January 28th we’re discussing: Spellbound Under the Spanish Moss: A Southern Tale of Magic by Connor Judson Garrett and Kevin N. Garrett
Join us live in the store at 6:30 OR via Zoom. ALL ARE WELCOME!
Here are login details:
Time: Jan 28, 2021 06:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81086275258?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 810 8627 5258
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Young Gareth Greyfin must find a way to save his father Edward after he is bitten by a one-eyed snake. With little time before the venom will reach his father’s heart, Gareth follows his father’s instructions to bring him to a cabin in the swamps outside of Savannah, Georgia – the home of a witch with a fearsome reputation. The witch sends the fearful young man on a quest for five ingredients for the potion that offers the elder Greyfin’s only hope.
Accompanied by the witch’s Raven as a guide, Gareth’s desperate journey leads to encounters with a cast of characters that defy imagination. He slowly discovers that he is stronger and braver than he realized. He also forms an unlikely alliance with Raven. The duo is joined by an old banjo player, and they learn that heroes come in unexpected forms. Along the way, Gareth learns a family secret, and a deception may cost the life of his father.
Will his bargain with the witch Evangeline pay off or will Gareth be the one to pay the price?
The book is available at the book club discount price at Main Street Reads! Prefer to order the book online? Use our easy link! https://bookshop.org/shop/mainstreetreads

Booksigning: Children's Book Author Peter Cotton
2021-01-23 10:30 - 12:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
We’re thrilled to have award-winning children’s book author Peter Cotton visiting with us LIVE at Main Street Reads on Saturday, January 23 at 10:30 a.m. Come hear the latest in the popular “Fred the Snake” series! Weather permitting, we’ll do a reading out on the square. Refreshments served… see you then!

Reader Meet Writer: Wilmington's Lie with David Zucchino
2021-01-14 19:00 - 20:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Email us for your personal link to attend this event FREE!
From Pulitzer Prize-winner David Zucchino comes a searing account of the Wilmington riot and coup of 1898, an extraordinary event unknown to most Americans.
By the 1890s, Wilmington was North Carolina’s largest city and a shining example of a mixed-race community. It was a bustling port city with a burgeoning African American middle class and a Fusionist government of Republicans and Populists that included black aldermen, police officers and magistrates. There were successful black-owned businesses and an African American newspaper, The Record. But across the state—and the South—white supremacist Democrats were working to reverse the advances made by former slaves and their progeny.
In 1898, in response to a speech calling for white men to rise to the defense of Southern womanhood against the supposed threat of black predators, Alexander Manly, the outspoken young Record editor, wrote that some relationships between black men and white women were consensual. His editorial ignited outrage across the South, with calls to lynch Manly.
But North Carolina’s white supremacist Democrats had a different strategy. They were plotting to take back the state legislature in November “by the ballot or bullet or both,” and then use the Manly editorial to trigger a “race riot” to overthrow Wilmington’s multi-racial government. Led by prominent citizens including Josephus Daniels, publisher of the state’s largest newspaper, and former Confederate Colonel Alfred Moore Waddell, white supremacists rolled out a carefully orchestrated campaign that included raucous rallies, race-baiting editorials and newspaper cartoons, and sensational, fabricated news stories.
With intimidation and violence, the Democrats suppressed the black vote and stuffed ballot boxes (or threw them out), to win control of the state legislature on November eighth. Two days later, more than 2,000 heavily armed Red Shirts swarmed through Wilmington, torching the Record office, terrorizing women and children, and shooting at least sixty black men dead in the streets. The rioters forced city officials to resign at gunpoint and replaced them with mob leaders. Prominent blacks—and sympathetic whites—were banished. Hundreds of terrified black families took refuge in surrounding swamps and forests.
This brutal insurrection is a rare instance of a violent overthrow of an elected government in the U.S. It halted gains made by blacks and restored racism as official government policy, cementing white rule for another half century. It was not a “race riot,” as the events of November 1898 came to be known, but rather a racially motivated rebellion launched by white supremacists.
In Wilmington’s Lie, Pulitzer Prize-winner David Zucchino uses contemporary newspaper accounts, diaries, letters and official communications to create a gripping and compelling narrative that weaves together individual stories of hate and fear and brutality. This is a dramatic and definitive account of a remarkable but forgotten chapter of American history.
David Zucchino is a contributing writer for The New York Times. He has covered wars and civil conflicts in more than three dozen countries. Zucchino was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for his dispatches from apartheid South Africa and is a four-time Pulitzer Prize finalist for his reporting from Iraq, Lebanon, Africa, and inner-city Philadelphia. He is the author of Thunder Run and Myth of the Welfare Queen.

Pulpwood Queens Girlfriend Weekend Zoomathon and Book Fair!
2021-01-14 14:00 - 2021-01-17 20:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
OFFICIAL PROGRAM: PULPWOOD QUEENS AND TIMBER GUYS BOOK CLUB 2021 GIRLFRIEND WEEKEND ZOOMATHON SLUMBER PARTY JANUARY 14-17, 2021

Email: thepulpwoodqueen@gmail.com Website: www.thepulpwoodqueens.com

All attendees, including featured authors, presenters, special guests, and keynotes are encouraged to wear their pajamas. Please note that Zoom meeting links will be posted and sent to each paid individual attendee’s registered email early morning prior to the launch of each day’s events and are not to be shared. At the conclusion of the event, each paid attendee will be given access to all panels and keynotes, which will be recorded, so that participants can watch GFW in its entirety at their leisure. Later in 2021, segments will be made public on Kathy L. Murphy’s Pulpwood Queen Channel on YouRube.

Main Street Reads is our official independent book seller for this event. Please support independents and order our Official 2021 Book Club Selections from here. She also carries picks from 2019 and 2020. All members of International Pulpwood Queen and Timber Guys, who order books through Main Street Reads are entitled to a 10 percent discount. Identify yourself as a member of the biggest meeting-and-discussing book club in the world, our International Pulpwood Queens and Timber Guys Book Club Reading Nation.

THURSDAY, January 14, 2021

2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m EST
Author/Playwright David Valdes will be giving an Author Workshop on Writing.Three Little Words: Write Your Story in Any Genre Join me for a hands-on workshop to jumpstart your story idea, using character, conflict, and motion–the three words at the heart of every novel, memoir, creative nonfiction book, play, or movie script. We’ll play with all three concepts in writing exercises and leave with the core of a new narrative in mind. This workshop is appropriate for all levels, whether it’s your first story or your fortieth! David Valdes is the author of three nonfiction books (Homo Domesticus, A Little Fruitcake, and The Rhinestone Sisterhood), as well as two young adult novels, Revengers and Spin Me Right Round (coming from Bloomsbury in 2021). An award-winning playwright, he is the author of more than 20 plays that have been produced coast to coast, including The Mermaid Hour and Full Code. He has written columns for the New York Times, Boston Globe, Huffington Post, and Medium. He teaches writing at both Tufts University and Boston Conservatory at Berklee, and lives outside Boston with his teenage daughter.

The Pulpwood Queen Presents:

3:15 p.m. EST Jeannette Brown “The Illusion of Leaving: A Novel”
3:30 p.m. EST Joy Ross Davis “The Madwoman of Preacher’s Cove: A Novel”
4:00 p.m. EST llene English “Hippie Chick: Coming of Age in the ‘60s”
4:15 p.m. EST Steven Manchester “The Menu”
4:30 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. EST Isla Morley “The Last Blue: A Novel” and “Come Sunday: A Novel”
5:00 p.m. EST Jess Montgomery “The Widows”, “The Hollows” and “The Stills”
5:15 p.m. EST Richard Schwartz with Wendy Carter “Pearl River Mansion: A Novel”
5:30 p.m. EST Mary Helen Sheriff “Boop and Eve’s Road Trip: A Novel” and “Bookish Road Trip!”
5:45 p.m. EST Steve Wiegenstein “Scattered Lights”
6:00 p.m. EST Marci Henna “When We Last Spoke” and “What Lies Ahead” in her Fireside series.

THURSDAY NIGHT 7:00 p.m. EST
Kim Harwanko, author of “Novel Women,” moderates a panel of her Just Between Friends Book Club Members, who helped author their first book “Novel Women” and its sequel to be announced.

FRIDAY, January 15, 2021

9:30 a.m. EST
A Royal Welcome to our IT’S ALL ABOUT THE STORY-themed Girlfriend Weekend Zoomathon Slumber Party Book Club Convention from The Pulpwood Queen KATHY L. MURPHY, CEO and Founder of The International Pulpwood Queens and Timber Guys Book Club Reading Nation; author of “The Pulpwood Queens’ Tiara Wearing, Book Sharing Guide to Life” and her latest book “The Pulpwood Queens Celebrate 20 Years” edited by Susan Cushman (published by Brother Mockingbird); and Director of Acquisitions for Lucid House Publishing.

10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. EST
Keynote Speaker/Book Club Comedian Marilyn Simon Rothstein “Husbands and Other Sharp Objects” and “Lift and Separate” with NEW book to be announced.

10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. EST
Keynote Speaker/Author Janet Skeslien Charles of “The Paris Library: A Novel” joins us from Paris, France, courtesy of Simon & Schuster Publishing.

11:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. EST
Keynote Speaker/Author Mary Morris “All the Way to the Tigers: A Memoir”

11:45 a.m – 12:00 p.m EST
Author Boo Walker “An Unfinished Story: A Novel” reports in from Spain!

12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. EST
Keynote Speaker/Author Reavis Z. Wortham “Hawke’s Fury: A Sonny Hawke Thriller”

12:30 p.m. EST
Keynote Editor at Grand Cent2al Publishing/Author Lauren Marino of “Bookish Broads: Women Who Wrote Themselves into History” and “What Would Dolly Do?”

1:00 p.m. EST
Keynote Speaker Adriana Trigiani of “The Shoemaker’s Wife: A Novel”

1:30 p.m. EST LUNCH INTERMISSION

2:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EST
Keynote Speaker/Author Cary J. Broussard, Founder of the Cinderella to CEO Awards “From Cinderella to CEO: How to Master the 10 Lessons of Fairy Tales to Transform Your Work Life”

2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. EST
Moderator Susan Peterson of Sue’s Reading Neighborhood and her featured authors:

Barbara Davis “Last of the Moon Girls”
Jax Frey “The Gumbeaux Sistahs” and”Gumbeaux Love: A Novel”
Marjorie Herrera Lewis “When the Men Were Gone: A Novel”
Deborah Mantella, “My Sweet Vidalia: A Novel”

3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. EST
Moderator Shari Stauch of Main Street Reads and her featured authors:

Scott Boyer “Temple of Eternity: Book 2 Bobby Ether Series” and Bobby Ether and The Jade Academy: Book 1 Bobby Ether Series”
Joe Palmer “A Mariner’s Tale: A Novel”
Ruthie Landis “Acting Lessons for the Living: Play the Scenes of Your Life with Intention, Presence, and Pure Potential: Living, Acting and Enneagram Master Class”
Gregory Enrich Phillips “A Season in Lights: A Novel in Three Acts”

4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. EST
Author/Blogger Eileen Harrison Sanchez “Freedom Lessons” of Prose and the Pandemic moderates this authors panel:

Meryl Ain “The Takeaway Men: A Novel”
Johnnie Bernhard “Sisters of the Undertow: Novel”
Mandy Haynes “Sharp as A Serpent’s Tooth: Eva and Other Stories” and “Walking the Wrong Way Home”
Debra DiFulvio Thomas “Luz: A Novel”
Valerie Taylor “What’s Not Said”

6:00 p.m.
A MIGHTY BLAZE Keynote Speaker/ Author Caroline Leavitt “With or Without You: A Novel”

6:30 p.m.
A MIGHTY BLAZE Keynote Speaker/ Author Jenna Blum “The Lost Family: A Novel” and “Those Who Save Us: A Novel”

7:00 p.m. EST Intermission

FRIDAY EVENING 7:30 p.m. EST
Author/Publisher/Moderator Echo Montgomery Garrett, co-publisher Lucid House Publishing with her authors’ panel (15 minutes each):

Connor Judson Garrett and Kevin N. Garrett “Spellbound Under the Spanish Moss: A Southern Tale of Magic” (the first of a trilogy)
Marilyn Kriete “Paradise Road: A Memoir”
G. Claire “Dreaming in a Time of Dragons”
Andrea Faye Christians “Suspension: A Novel”
Joseph Marshall III “The Cowboy and the Indian: A Novel”
Tamra McAnally Bolton “The Art of Story Keeping: Saving History – One Family at a Time”
Douglas Thompson with Echo Montgomery Garrett “Knock! Knock! Lessons Learned and Stories Shared – A Ride Along with Sales Superstar Douglas Thompson”

KEYNOTE Vince Spinnato with Mickey Goodman “My Pursuit of Beauty: A Cosmetic Chemist Reveals The Glitz, The Glam, and the Batsh*t Crazy” (30 minutes)

SATURDAY, January 16, 2021

10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. EST
KEYNOTE SPEAKER/Executive Director of the Pat Conroy Literary Center Jonathan Haupt with Holland Perryman, the center’s intern and a published writer, give a presentation on Pat Conroy’s reverence for teaching.

11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. EST
Moderators Annie McDonnell of The Write Review joined by Mike Eberhardt present:

Michelle Cox “A Child Lost: A Henrietta and Inspector Howard Novel Book 5”
Bette Lee Crosby “A Million Little Lies: A Novel”
Claire Fullerton “Little Tea: A Novel”
Laura Kemp “Evening in the Yellow Wood”
Nola Nash “Crescent City Moon: Book 1″ and “Crescent City Sin: Book 2”
Patricia Sands “Drawing Lessons: A Novel”
Diane Zinna “The All-Night Sun: A Novel”

12:30 p.m. EST
Keynote Speaker Julie Perkins Cantrell, author of “Crescendo: The Story of a Musical Genius Who Forever Changed a Southern Town” and four award-winning, bestselling novels including her debut “Into the Free,” shares the story behind the story of her TEDTALK.

1:00 p.m. EST Intermission

1:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. EST
Keynote Speaker/Author Michael Farris Smith of “Nick: A Novel”

2:00 pm to 2:30 p.m. EST
Keynote Speaker Johnnie Bernhard, author of “Sisters of the Undertow: A Novel” reveals the story behind the story of her TEDTALK.

2:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EST
Keynote Speaker/Actress Mary Deese Hampton speaks about her husband/actor, film director James Hampton’s book “What? And Give Up on Show Business?”

3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST
Author Juliette Kobani Hagglund “Raising A Healthy Eater: Quick and Easy Recipes for Babies, Toddlers and Kids” gives a cooking demonstration.

The Pulpwood Queen Presents Authors:

4:00 p.m. EST Stephanie Chance of “Mamma Mia: Saints, Sinners, & Escapades” and her Decorate Ornate Tours, the Official Tour Guide to Italy and Beyond of The Pulpwood Queens and Timber Guys Reading Nation.
4:15 p.m. EST Sara Dahmen “Copper, Iron, and Clay: A Smith’s Journey”
4:30 p.m. EST Richard Fifield “The Small Crimes of Tiffany Templeton”
4:45 p.m. EST Carolyn Haines “A Visitation of Angels”
5:00 p.m. EST Pamela Fagan Hutchins of “Live Wire,” the first in a trilogy, and also the Host of Wine, Women, and Writing!
5:15 p.m. EST R.J. Lee “Cold Reading Murder”
5:30 p.m. EST Leslie Lehr “A Boob’s Life: How America’s Obsession Shaped Me…And You”
5:45 p.m EST Judithe Little “The Chanel Sisters”
6:00 p.m. EST J.L. Oakley “The Quisling Factor”
6:15 p.m. EST Kathleen M. Rodgers “The Flying Cutterbucks: A Novel”
6:30 p.m. EST Rebecca Rosenberg “Champagne Widows: Veuve Clicquot and Napoleon”

7:00 p.m. EST Intermission

7:30 p.m. EST
Award presenters include past recipients of The Doug Marlette Award Jonathan Haupt, executive director of the Pat Conroy Literary Center and Marly Rusoff of Marly Rusoff Literary Agency; 2019 Pulpwood Queen Book of the Year Author Jesse Montgomery; and 2019 Bonus Book of the Year Author Michael Farris Smith. These distinguished literary figures conduct the Awards Presentation to the following:

2020 Pulpwood Queen Bonus Book of the Year to Kim Michele Richardson “The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek: A Novel”
2020 Pulpwood Queen Book of the Year to Leila Meacham “Dragonfly: A Novel”
Special Presentation: THE DOUG MARLETTE AWARD presented to an individual for the Lifetime Achievement of Promoting Literacy to Annie McDonnell of The Write Review!

8:00 p.m. EST
Silent Auction winners announced. The auction site can be accessed at www.charityauctionstoday.com/auctions/PQ-PCLC2021-19645 , Bids will be accepted between noon on Jan. 14 and end at 6:00 p.m. Jan. 16 CST. All proceeds go to The Pat Conroy Literary Center and all your winning bid item(s) will be shipped to YOU with the cost of shipping and handling added to the cost based on the item(s) you win.

Remarks from KATHY L. MURPHY, who will announce the theme for 2022 Girlfriend Weekend event and conclude the presentation of 2021 International Pulpwood Queen and Timber Guys Official Book Selections Authors! Congratulations to all of those whose work garnered the Pulpwood Queen Kathy L. Murphy’s 2021 Official Seal of Approval out of more than 600 books that were submitted.

SUNDAY, January 17, 2021

An Inside Look at the State of Publishing Today

11.15 EST, 10:15 a.m. CST, 9:15 MST, 8:15 PST.
Senior Pastor Henry G. Brinton, author of “City of Peace,” of the Fairfax Presbyterian Church in Fairfax, Virginia, leads a worship service. His sermon entitled “Unexpected Calls,” is based on God calling Samuel to lead in 1 Samuel 3:1-19. Here is the link to the church’s YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUObEveHAJhWXUVGYYv_WkQ

Following the Worship Service is an Intermission for Sunday Lunch/Dinner.

2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. EST
Kathy L. Murphy in conversation with Special Guest Robert Gray, editor of Shelf Awareness, the online publisher insider daily blog on the book publishing world.

2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. EST
Carol Fitzgerald of The Book Reporter interviews bestselling author Cassandra King Conroy “Tell Me A Story: My Life with Pat Conroy”

3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. EST
Marly Rusoff of Marly Rusoff Literary Agency gives a talk on the landscape of publishing today from a top New York literary agent’s perspective.

4:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. EST
Annie McDonnell of The Write Review speaks on the importance of book reviews and how to secure them.

5:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. EST
Author Douglas Thompson of “Knock! Knock!: Lessons Learned and Stories Shared – A Ride Along with a Sales Superstar Douglas Thompson” gives authors advice on how to craft the perfect elevator pitch for their books.

5:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. EST
Pulpwood Queen Kathy L. Murphy discusses her new partnership with Kristine “Hall” Ways of Lone Star Literary Life and their shared mission of getting great books in the hands of great readers.

5:30 p.m. EST
Publisher Echo Montgomery Garrett gives a presentation on the story behind her writer-centric, bespoke Lucid House Publishing along with Director of Acquisitions Kathy L. Murphy; Co-Publisher/ Co-Founder Connor Judson Garrett; Director of Design and Technology Jawad Mazhir; YouTube Hostess and Translator Kristel al Issa; and Emmy-nominated screenwriter Jeanette Collins, who wrote the screenplay for “Spellbound Under the Spanish Moss.”

Our official hashtag is #PQGirlfriendWeekend for social media posts.

Reader Meet Writer: The Uncollected Stories of Allan Gurganus
2021-01-12 17:00 - 18:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Email us for your personal link to attend this event FREE!
One of “the best writers of our time” (Ann Patchett) offers this hilarious yet haunting cycle of stories—all previously uncollected.
Since the explosive publication of Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All, Allan Gurganus has dazzled readers as “the most technically gifted and morally responsive writer of his generation” (John Cheever). He has been praised as “one of America’s preeminent novelists, our prime conductor of electric sentences” (William Giraldi). Above all, Allan Gurganus is a seriously funny writer, an expert at evoking humor, especially in our troubled times.
Now he offers nine classic tales—never before between covers. They attest to his mastery of the short story and the growing depth of his genius.? Offering characters antic and tragic, Gurganus charts the human condition—masked and unmasked—as we live it now. “Once upon a time” collides with the everyday. We meet a mortician whose dedication to his departed clients exceeds all legal limits. We encounter a seaside couple fighting to save their family dog from Maine’s fierce undertow. A virginal seventy-eight-year-old grammar school librarian has her sole erotic experience with a polyamorous snake farmer. A vicious tornado sends twin boys aloft, leaving only one of them alive. And, in an eerily prescient story, cholera strikes a rural village in 1849 and citizens come to blame their doomed young doctor who saved hundreds.
These meticulously crafted parables recall William Faulkner’s scope and Flannery O’Connor’s corrosive wit. Imbuing each story with charged drama, Gurganus, a sublime ventriloquist, again proves himself among our funniest writers and our wisest.
Allan Gurganus is widely translated, a Guggenheim Fellow, and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Adaptations of his fiction have earned four Emmys, and his stories have been appearing in The New Yorker since 1974. He lives in a small town in North Carolina.

Book Launch Party: Bernard Mansheim's Still a Doctor
2021-01-09 10:30 - 12:00
Acclaimed author Dr. Bernard Mansheim will be at Main Street Reads Saturday, January 9th to celebrate the release of his third novel, Still a Doctor. Social distance rules will apply and safe treats will be served!

Reader Meet Writer: The Wife Upstairs with Rachel Hawkins
2021-01-07 19:00 - 20:00
You don’t need to be a scholar of Brontë to appreciate this “compulsive, irresistible retelling of Jane Eyre with a modern, noir twist” (Samantha Downing) perfect for fans of Jessica Knoll, B.A. Paris, and Bravo TV. “Eddie” Rochester is the handsome, charming widower living in a gated community of McMansions called Thornfield Estates; Jane is the new dog-walker from the wrong side of the tracks; and Mrs. Rochester is a self-made millionaire and creator of a Southern lifestyle company à la Draper James.
With delicious suspense, incisive wit, and a fresh, feminist sensibility, The Wife Upstairs flips the script on a timeless tale of forbidden romance, ill-advised attraction, and a wife who just won’t stay buried. In this vivid reimagining of one of literature’s most twisted love triangles, which Mrs. Rochester will get her happy ending?
RACHEL HAWKINS is the New York Times bestselling author of multiple books for young readers, and her work has been translated in over a dozen countries. She studied gender and sexuality in Victorian literature at Auburn University and currently lives in Alabama. The Wife Upstairs is her first adult novel.

Booksigning: Ruthie Landis with Acting Lessons for Living
2020-12-19 10:30 - 12:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
On Saturday, December 19th, Ruthie will be here LIVE to answer questions and sign her books, including Acting Lessons for Living, the new companion Guided Journal, and her Beyond the Bookclub! Perfect for last-minute holiday gift giving. Refreshments will be served.
About Acting Lessons for Living
Imagine that your life is a hit play, one that you produce and direct, a show where you get to pick all the parts, from your leading role to the bit players. You get to choose the sets, the lighting, the costumes, and even who gets a front row seat, right up to the final curtain call.
In fact, you don’t need to imagine it because your life is exactly that: a long-running adventure created for your life’s stage by you!
Best selling author Ruthie Landis weaves her decades of experience in the theatre and as a psychotherapist, teacher and coach, with insightful personality concepts found in the Enneagram used by actors and successful “players” the world over, to guide you through your own hero’s journey – your life’s calling.
Whether you’re in “pre-production” or wanting to make sure your final bow will invite a standing ovation, Acting Lessons for Living will engage you, change you, and support you in playing the scenes of your own life with crystal clear intention, full presence, and a finale that will knock your socks off.
We’re also pleased to invite you to a free “Acting Lessons for Living” workshop with Ruthie on Tuesday, December 15th, prior to Saturday’s live signing. Time will be allowed after the talk for Q&A.

Wednesday Stories on the Square
2020-12-16 09:30 - 10:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Join us for the LAST storytime of 2020 — After this week’s event we’ll resume on Wednesday, January 6th, 2021!
WEDNESDAY morning at 9:30 a.m. “Stories on the Square is our outdoor storytime adventure with reading by Colleen Rackleff – kids of all ages welcome! Treats served and student discounts to ALL attendees!
Colleen’s Storytime at Main Street Reads has become one of our featured events, held outside to ensure proper social distancing. We have lots of chairs for younger listeners, hoola-hoops for distancing and plenty of juice boxes and fruit snacks to munch while they listen.
In case of inclement (or just plain COLD) weather, storytime moves inside – we move the furniture and place the hoops and chairs on the floor – we ask that strollers park outside!

Ruthie Landis FREE Virtual Workshop
2020-12-15 19:00 - 20:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Imagine that your life is a hit play, one that you produce and direct, a show where you get to pick all the parts, from your leading role to the bit players. You get to choose the sets, the lighting, the costumes, and even who gets a front row seat, right up to the final curtain call.
In fact, you don’t need to imagine it because your life is exactly that: a long-running adventure created for your life’s stage by you!
Best selling author Ruthie Landis weaves her decades of experience in the theatre and as a psychotherapist, teacher and coach, with insightful personality concepts found in the Enneagram used by actors and successful “players” the world over, to guide you through your own hero’s journey – your life’s calling.
Whether you’re in “pre-production” or wanting to make sure your final bow will invite a standing ovation, Acting Lessons for Living will engage you, change you, and support you in playing the scenes of your own life with crystal clear intention, full presence, and a finale that will knock your socks off.
We’re pleased to invite you to a free “Acting Lessons for Living” workshop with Ruthie on Tuesday, December 15th! Time will be allowed after the talk for Q&A.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83295969914?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 832 9596 9914
Passcode: [REDACTED]
And on Saturday, December 19th, Ruthie will be here LIVE to answer questions and sign her books, including Acting Lessons for Living, the new companion Guided Journal, and her Beyond the Bookclub! You won’t want to miss this special event, just in time for the holidays and before you begin setting those New Year’s goals.

Summerville Christmas Parade
2020-12-13 14:00 - 16:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Sunday December 13th (rain date December 20th) will be the annual Christmas parade in historic downtown Summerville! Join us for the festivities and free treats and perhaps a surprise or two… We will have a LIMITED number of seats outside the store, we encourage you to arrive early!
The Summerville Christmas Parade is designed to promote positivity throughout the Town of Summerville while capturing the “spirit of the Christmas holiday.” The parade is a family-friendly, non-political event that aims to bring the community together to celebrate the season while representing the local traditions and Summerville hospitality.
Masks will be required at the store and among our guests. Join us to celebrate the season…

Booksigning: Signe Pike with The Forgotten Kingdom!
2020-12-06 12:30 - 14:30 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
We’re super excited to have the amazing Signe Pike grace Main Street Reads on Sunday, December 6th for a special event and book signing. Her best-selling books have been making waves. The Forgotten Kingdom is the second in a trilogy; we’ll also have the first in the trilogy, The Lost Queen, on hand to be personally signed.
Refreshments will be served, including a special brew of spiced cider to set the mood. Let us know if you plan to attend so we set aside the book(s) for you as this event is expected to sell out.
The Forgotten Kingdom: AD 573. Imprisoned in her chamber, Languoreth awaits news in torment. Her husband and son have ridden off to war against her brother, Lailoken. She doesn’t yet know that her young daughter, Angharad, who was training with Lailoken to become a Wisdom Keeper, has been lost in the chaos. As one of the bloodiest battles of early medieval Scottish history abandons its survivors to the wilds of Scotland, Lailoken and his men must flee to exile in the mountains of the Lowlands, while nine year-old Angharad must summon all Lailoken has taught her to follow her own destiny through the mysterious, mystical land of the Picts.
In the aftermath of the battle, old political alliances unravel, opening the way for the ambitious adherents of the new religion: Christianity. Lailoken is half-mad with battle sickness, and Languoreth must hide her allegiance to the Old Way to survive her marriage to the next Christian king of Strathclyde. Worst yet, the new King of the Angles is bent on expanding his kingdom at any cost. Now the exiled Lailoken, with the help of a young warrior named Artur, may be the only man who can bring the warring factions together to defeat the encroaching Angles. But to do so, he must claim the role that will forever transform him. He must become the man known to history as “Myrddin.”
“Intrigue, rivalry, and magic among the mists of old Britain–The Forgotten Kingdom is an enchantment of a read! (Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author).
Take a look at the book trailers below and learn more at https://www.signepike.com/.

Signe Pike was born in Ithaca, NY, and graduated from Cornell University with her Bachelor of Science in Communication. She worked as an acquisitions editor at Random House and then Penguin, before leaving to write her first book, Faery Tale: One Woman’s Search for Enchantment in a Modern World. Pike has spent the past ten years researching and writing about Celtic history, myth, folklore and tradition. Her love of history, the great outdoors, early medieval and ancient archeology, and her dedication to historical accuracy has made her social media feeds an informative delight to her readers.
Signe teaches seminars and workshops internationally on writing and publishing, as well as on folklore and tradition. Her writing has been published by Salon, Charleston City Paper, Book Riot and NPR.org.

Booksigning: Christina Sinisi with Christmas on Ocracoke
2020-12-05 10:30 - 12:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Join us on December 5th as we kick off a big holiday month with Christina Sinisi’s Christmas on Ocracoke. You may remember Christina signing with us last year for her first novel, Christmas Confusion! Both will be available to be signed… a perfect Christmas gift!
Reeling from the upheaval of a failed marriage, Annie Hanahan is desperate for a new start—and when she inherits a cottage on Ocracoke Island, she may finally get it. Without a second thought, she packs up and leaves everything behind: her first name, her job, and her ex-husband, because more than anything, she wants to get her son away from his father’s partying and neglectful ways.
But when she arrives in the Outer Banks, she finds the island—and her promised refuge—ravaged by Hurricane Dorian. When their parents died in a tragic car accident, Trey Kingsley dropped out of college to raise his sister. Now that she’s grown and moved away, it’s his turn to find a life of his own. As a contractor who has given so much of his time to helping Ocracoke recover from the devastation of Hurricane Dorian, it surprises no one when he offers to help the beautiful newcomer, but something is holding her back.
Life keeps throwing them together, though, or perhaps God’s hand is giving them a nudge. Will a little bit of divine intervention be enough for a Merry Christmas on Ocracoke?
Don’t have Christmas Confusion yet? Grab ’em both!

Reader Meet Writer: Ingram presents #BlackVoices Sponsored by HarperCollins!
2020-12-03 19:00 - 20:00
CLICK HERE register for this special event, including these authors and books:
An electrifying first novel from a riveting new voice in American fiction (George Saunders): A young woman returns to her childhood home in the American South and uncovers secrets about her father’s life and death
Billie James’ inheritance isn’t much: a little money and a shack in the Mississippi Delta. The house once belonged to her father, a renowned black poet who died unexpectedly when Billie was four years old. Though Billie was there when the accident happened, she has no memory of that day–and she hasn’t been back to the South since.
Thirty years later, Billie returns but her father’s home is unnervingly secluded: her only neighbors are the McGees, the family whose history has been entangled with hers since the days of slavery. As Billie encounters the locals, she hears a strange rumor: that she herself went missing on the day her father died. As the mystery intensifies, she finds out that this forgotten piece of her past could put her in danger.
Inventive, gritty, and openhearted, The Gone Dead is an astonishing debut novel about race, justice, and memory that lays bare the long-concealed wounds of a family and a country. —Publishers Weekly

In the tradition of Notorious RBG, a lively, beautifully designed, full-color illustrated celebration of the life, wisdom, wit, legacy, and fearless style of iconic American Congresswoman Maxine Waters.
“Let me just say this: I’m a strong black woman, and I cannot be intimidated. I cannot be undermined. I cannot be thought to be afraid of Bill O’Reilly or anyone.”–Maxine Waters
To millions nationwide, Congresswoman Maxine Waters is a hero of the resistance and an icon, serving eye rolls, withering looks, and sharp retorts to any who dare waste her time on nonsense. But behind the Auntie Maxine meme is a seasoned public servant and she’s not here to play. Throughout her forty years in public service and eighty years on earth, U.S. Representative for California’s 43rd district has been a role model, a crusader for justice, a game-changer, a trailblazer, and an advocate for the marginalized who has long defied her critics, including her most vocal detractor, Donald J. Trump. And she’s just getting started.
From her anti-apartheid work and support of affirmative action to her passionate opposition to the Iraq War and calls to hold Trump to account, you can count on Auntie Maxine to speak truth to power and do it with grace and, sometimes, sass. As ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee and one of the most powerful black women in America, she is the strong, ethical voice the country has always needed, especially right now.
Reclaiming Her Time pays tribute to all things Maxine Waters, from growing up in St. Louis “too skinny” and “too black,” to taking on Wall Street during the financial crisis and coming out on top in her legendary showdowns with Trump and his cronies. Featuring inspiring highlights from her personal life and political career, beloved memes, and testimonies from her many friends and fans, Reclaiming Her Time is a funny, warm, and admiring portrait of a champion who refuses to stay silent in the face of corruption and injustice; a powerful woman who is an inspiration to us all.

“There was no greater friend to the poor, to the lost, to the left out, and to the left behind. If you want to understand this great man, read his historic, important book and learn the lessons and values from his ‘moral voice crying in the wilderness’ on behalf of our American democracy.” –Rep. John Lewis (D-GA)
Known for his poise, intellect, and influence until his death in October 2019, Elijah Cummings was one of the most respected figures in contemporary politics, a politician who held fast to his beliefs but was not afraid to reach across the aisle in the name of friendship and progress. Since his earliest days in government through his time as a representative and chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, he proved his abilities as a politician who could operate at the highest levels of democracy, serving the people of Baltimore and illustrating the importance of working with the underdog.
Yet in his final years of life, Cummings recognized that democracy was the underdog. We’re Better Than This draws from Cummings’s own life to show the formative moments that prepared him for the disturbing first years of the Trump presidency and spurred him to hold the administration accountable for their actions. Weaving together the urgent drama of modern-day politics and character-defining stories from his past, Cummings offers a never-before-told perspective on how his personal history, coming of age in South Baltimore, laid the foundation of a life spent fighting for justice. He goes behind the scenes with the House Democratic leadership, offering an eye-opening chronicle of the grim realities of holding the Trump administration to account. Detailing this moment of unprecedented obstructionism by both the president and Republicans, Cummings presents a vital defense of how government oversight defines our collective trust, examining the dangerous precedent for both parties that exists if the executive branch remains above public scrutiny.
Part memoir, part call to action, We’re Better Than This is the story of our modern-day democracy and the threats that we all must face together, as well as a retrospective on the life and career of one of our country’s most inspirational politicians. As we approach another test of our democracy, the next race for the White House, We’re Better Than This reminds people that in this country we don’t elect kings, and we cannot afford four more years of this false one.

“The Kindest Lie is a deep dive into how we define family, what it means to be a mother, what secrets we owe to those we love, and what it means to grow up Black. This beautifully crafted debut will keep you asking these questions and more.” –Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Two Ways
The Kindest Lie examines the heartbreaking divide between Black and white communities and plumbs the emotional depths of the struggles faced by ordinary Americans in the wake of the financial crisis, perfectly capturing the profound racial injustices and class inequalities roiling society.
A promise could betray you.
It’s 2008, and the inauguration of President Barack Obama ushers in a new kind of hope. In Chicago, Ruth Tuttle, an Ivy-League educated Black engineer, is married to a kind and successful man. He’s eager to start a family, but Ruth is uncertain. She has never gotten over the baby she gave birth to–and was forced to leave behind–when she was a teenager. She had promised her family she’d never look back, but Ruth knows that to move forward, she must make peace with the past.
Returning home, Ruth discovers the Indiana factory town of her youth is plagued by unemployment, racism, and despair. As she begins digging into the past, she unexpectedly befriends Midnight, a young white boy who is also adrift and looking for connection. Just as Ruth is about to uncover a burning secret her family desperately wants to keep hidden, a traumatic incident strains the town’s already searing racial tensions, sending Ruth and Midnight on a collision course that could upend both their lives.
The Kindest Lie examines the heartbreaking divide between Black and white communities and plumbs the emotional depths of the struggles faced by ordinary Americans in the wake of the financial crisis. Capturing the profound racial injustices and class inequalities roiling society, Nancy Johnson’s debut novel offers an unflinching view of motherhood in contemporary America and the never-ending quest to achieve the American Dream.

Old Time Summerville Christmas Celebration!
2020-12-01 17:30 - 20:00
Join us for the 2020 Old Time Summerville Christmas Celebration event on Tuesday, December 1 from 5:30 – 8 p.m. This event will be a modified version of the Town’s traditional tree lighting ceremony. We’ll have treats at Main Street Reads of course, as will many of our neighbors:
In an effort to provide a safe event that does not promote gathering the town will forego the ceremony and countdown of the tree lighting. This year the tree will be lit prior to the event starting. Attendees will be able to stop by anytime during the event to see the lights, enjoy the tree, and take photos!

The South Carolina Department of Commerce requires attendees over the age of 3 to wear masks at the event and practice social distancing.

Pictures with Santa (Hutchinson Square Bandstand): 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Bring your cameras and smiles for socially distant pictures with Santa. The line will close at 7:30 p.m.

Live Window Displays (Various Streets – Map will be Provided): 5:30 – 8 p.m.
A variety of downtown businesses will prepare gorgeous live displays in their store windows for the public to view and vote on. Below are the businesses that are currently confirmed to participate (list updated as businesses are confirmed):
Hippie Soul – 120 Central Ave.
Four Green Fields – 117 Central Ave.
People, Places & Quilts – 129 W. Richardson Ave.
Sweetwater 123 & 123 Etc. – 123 W. Richardson Ave.
Fly Modern Apparel -114 Richardson Ave.
Lowcountry Olive Oil – 103D S. Main St
Hanebrink Jewelers – 112 S. Main St.
Nailed it DIY – 116 S. Main St.
Main St. Reads – 115 S. Main St.
Eva’s On Main – 129 S. Main St.
Everything Chic – 126 S. Main St.

Holiday Craft at the Public Works Art Center (135 W. Richardson Ave.) 5:30 – 8:00 p.m.
As you walk around and check out the live window displays, stop by the Public Works Art Center for a creative holiday art activity.

Letters to Santa – (Short Central Ave): 5:30 – 8 p.m.
The mailbox and letter writing station will be located on Short Central Ave.

Grab Dinner (Downtown Summerville Restaurants & Food Trucks on Little Main St.) 5:30 – 8 p.m. Visit one of our downtown restaurants or choose from a few food trucks and enjoy dinner at the event.

Children's Book Signing: Rebecca Dwight Bruff's Stars of Wonder
2020-11-25 09:30 - 11:30 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Join us Wednesday morning, 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. when Rebecca Dwight Bruff joins us for story time and a booksigning following for her new highly praised children’s book: Stars of Wonder. Storyteller Colleen Rackleff will read the book for story time and Rebecca will be on hand for Q&A and signing afterwards (hint: makes the perfect Christmas gift!)

In Stars of Wonder, five brave and curious children follow a star, and discover more than they ever imagined: strength, trust, love, boldness, courage, and wonder… all the things kids need to know they possess in order to be resilient in this ever-changing world.
Beautifully illustrated, STARS OF WONDER will delight children and adults alike in this story of whimsy and wonder, curiosity and courage, and great love.
Rebecca Bruff heard the story of Robert Smalls on her first visit to South Carolina. She was so captivated that she left her job and moved across the country to research and write this novel. Bruff earned her Bachelors degree in education (Texas A&M) and Master and Doctorate degrees in theology (Southern Methodist University). In 2017, she was a scholarship recipient for the prestigious Key West Literary Seminar. She volunteers at the Pat Conroy Literary Center in Beaufort, South Carolina. She’s published non-fiction, plays a little tennis, travels when she can, and loves life in the lowcountry with her husband and an exuberant golden retriever. Learn more at rebeccabruff.com

Pulpwood Queens 4th Tuesday This Month: Trouble the Water
2020-11-24 18:30 - 20:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Join us live or via Zoom for an engaging discussion about the historical fiction hit Trouble the Water by Rebecca Dwight Bruff!
“Before this decisive night, I’d not fully appreciated the subtle line between inspiration and insanity. But now, with all our lives at risk, I found myself navigating that most perilous edge…”
Inspired by the life of an unsung American hero and slave, Trouble the Water navigates the rich tributaries of courage, betrayal, and redemption. In his inspiring journey, Robert Smalls witnesses great privilege and suffering alongside his owner’s daughter and the dangerous son of a firebrand secessionist. At the age of twelve, he’s sent to work in Charleston, where he loads ships and learns to pilot a cotton steamer. When the Civil War erupts and his cotton steamer becomes a confederate warship, Robert seizes the opportunity to pursue freedom for himself and the people he loves.
Rebecca Dwight Bruff is the author of the award-winning debut novel, Trouble the Water, published June 2019, and the non-fiction book, Loving the World with God, published 2014. Bruff earned her Bachelors degree in education at Texas A&M University and Master and Doctorate degrees in theology, both from Southern Methodist University. In 2017, she was a scholarship recipient for the prestigious Key West Literary Seminar. She volunteers at the Pat Conroy Literary Center in Beaufort, South Carolina. She plays a little tennis, travels when she can, and loves life in the lowcountry with her husband and an exuberant golden retriever. www.rebeccabruff.com
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83728696253?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 837 2869 6253
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Booksigning: Rebecca Dwight Bruff's Trouble the Water
2020-11-24 16:30 - 18:30 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Join us between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, November 24th when Rebecca Dwight Bruff will be signing American Fiction award-winning Trouble the Water. Stick around for a discussion of the book afterwards as the featured Pulpwood Queen book club read this month!

Deeply moving and illuminating, TROUBLE THE WATER reveals the little-known real-life story of Robert Smalls. Born enslaved before the Civil War, Smalls witnesses great privilege and immense suffering alongside his owner’s daughter and the dangerous son of a firebrand secessionist.
At the age of twelve, he’s sent to work in Charleston, where he loads ships and learns to pilot a cotton steamer. When the war erupts and his cotton steamer becomes a confederate warship, Robert attempts a harrowing escape to freedom for himself and the people he loves.

“With this stunning debut novel, Rebecca Bruff establishes herself as an exciting new voice in historical fiction.” – Cassandra King Conroy

Rebecca Bruff heard the story of Robert Smalls on her first visit to South Carolina. She was so captivated that she left her job and moved across the country to research and write this novel. Bruff earned her Bachelors degree in education (Texas A&M) and Master and Doctorate degrees in theology (Southern Methodist University). In 2017, she was a scholarship recipient for the prestigious Key West Literary Seminar. She volunteers at the Pat Conroy Literary Center in Beaufort, South Carolina. She’s published non-fiction, plays a little tennis, travels when she can, and loves life in the lowcountry with her husband and an exuberant golden retriever. Learn more at rebeccabruff.com

Living Large Bookclub: November Pick - Caste
2020-11-17 18:30 - 20:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Join us November 17th live or via Zoom (details below) when our “Living Large” book club discusses the best-selling book Caste.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER – OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK – The Pulitzer Prize-winning, bestselling author of The Warmth of Other Suns examines the unspoken caste system that has shaped America and shows how our lives today are still defined by a hierarchy of human divisions.
LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD – “An instant American classic.”–Dwight Garner, The New York Times
“As we go about our daily lives, caste is the wordless usher in a darkened theater, flashlight cast down in the aisles, guiding us to our assigned seats for a performance. The hierarchy of caste is not about feelings or morality. It is about power–which groups have it and which do not.”
In this brilliant book, Isabel Wilkerson gives us a masterful portrait of an unseen phenomenon in America as she explores, through an immersive, deeply researched narrative and stories about real people, how America today and throughout its history has been shaped by a hidden caste system, a rigid hierarchy of human rankings.
Beyond race, class, or other factors, there is a powerful caste system that influences people.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84550929622?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 845 5092 9622
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Reader Meet Writer: Embrace Your Southern, Sugar with Julia Fowler
2020-11-12 19:00 - 20:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Join us Thursday, November 12th for some giggles with Julia Fowler, celebrating the release of Embrace Your Southern, Sugar!

More irresistible stories and sayings from the creator of YouTube’s Southern Women Channel.
Ms. Julia Fowler is back, and this time she’s goin’ to talk her lipstick off about even more things Southern. If you’re not from the South, we hope to learn ya a thing or two that you can tote back into your own culture. If you are from the South, then you’re ’bout to be happier than a mule in a pickle patch: Julia’s laugh-out-loud essays cover the dadblame weather, your obsession with football, your Southern fried palate, comin’ and goin’, your health, and bein’ country, all complemented by a list of sayings you will only ever hear in the South. Julia says to embrace it all, as there is nothing purdier than authenticity: Embrace Your Southern, Sugar!
Julia Fowler is the creator and actor of the Southern Women Channel, a popular YouTube channel that celebrates Southern sayings, humor, and stories. After her first video went viral, her work has been featured in major national media, from CMT to The Today Show. Julia was born and raised in Gaffney, South Carolina, and now resides in Venice Beach, California.
To register and join the Zoom call, visit this link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_x5WcXWU1RzSsitEaiwHEhA

Young Adult Book Club: November Pick - Cinder!
2020-11-12 18:30 - 20:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Join us Thursday, November 12, live in the bookstore OR via Zoom (details below), for a fun discussion of NY Times bestselling book by Marissa Meyers, Cinder!
The first book in the #1 New York Times– and USA Today-Bestselling Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer. See where the futuristic YA fairytale saga all began, with the tale of a teenage cyborg who must fight for Earth’s survival against villains from outer space.
An interesting mash-up of fairy tales and science fiction . . . a cross between Cinderella, Terminator, and Star Wars. —Entertainment Weekly
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl…
Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.
With high-stakes action and a smart, resourceful heroine, Cinder is a Cinderella retelling that is at once classic and strikingly original.
Cinder is available at Main Street Reads at the 10% off bookclub discount!
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87584739941?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 875 8473 9941
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Thrill in the Ville: November Book Pick - Invisible Girl
2020-11-10 18:30 - 20:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
THIS MONTH: the thriller book club is reading the hot new thriller from Lisa Jewell, Invisible Girl. The book is available at the 10% book club discount in the store through November…
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Then She Was Gone returns with an intricate thriller about a young woman’s disappearance and a group of strangers whose lives intersect in its wake.
Owen Pick’s life is falling apart. In his thirties and living in his aunt’s spare bedroom, he has just been suspended from his job as a teacher after accusations of sexual misconduct–accusations he strongly denies. Searching for professional advice online, he is inadvertently sucked into the dark world of incel forums, where he meets a charismatic and mysterious figure. Across the street from Owen lives the Fours family, headed by mom Cate, a physiotherapist, and dad Roan, a child psychologist. But the Fours family have a bad feeling about their neighbor Owen. He’s a bit creepy and their teenaged daughter swears he followed her home from the train station one night. Meanwhile, young Saffyre Maddox spent three years as a patient of Roan Fours. Feeling abandoned when their therapy ends, she searches for other ways to maintain her connection with him, following him in the shadows and learning more than she wanted to know about Roan and his family. Then, on Valentine’s night, Saffyre disappears–and the last person to see her alive is Owen Pick. With evocative, vivid, and unputdownable prose and plenty of disturbing twists and turns, Jewell’s latest thriller is another “haunting, atmospheric, stay-up-way-too-late read” (Megan Miranda, New York Times bestselling author).
Join us live or via Zoom:
Join Zoom Meetinghttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/82608148897?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 826 0814 8897Passcode: [REDACTED]

Monday Main Street Writes
2020-11-09 18:30 - 20:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
For the inner writer in all of us, our regular Monday evening writers group that’s growing every week! Come on out any/every Monday at 6:30 p.m. and bring a few pages with you to share with fellow scribes, or just listen in and learn!
Anyone wanting to join in via Zoom instead, use the following credentials:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83115591753?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 831 1559 1753
Passcode: [REDACTED]
If you’d prefer to send your pages in advance (no more than 2 single-spaced or 4 double spaced, you can email them to mainstreetreads@gmail.com —
See you soon — and Write ON!

Booksigning: Joe Palmer with A Mariner's Tale
2020-11-08 12:00 - 14:00 | Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St., Summerville, SC, 29483, United States
Join us Sunday, November 8th, from noon ’til 2 pm for a very special signing with Joe Palmer, hot on the heels of his feature appearance at the Pat Conroy Literary Festival in Beaufort on Saturday!
We’ll have refreshments and Joe will chat about his amazing novel. Copies will be on sale at the book club price (10% off) and can be personalized by the author for yourself or the perfect holiday gift. Here’s what other amazing authors are saying about this rich and rewarding tale:
“A Mariner’s Tale is a stunning debut: a seafaring novel rich with lush imagery and colorful characters from an exciting new voice in Southern fiction. With deft narrative skill, the author takes the protagonist, a cynical middle-aged mariner, and his protege, a troubled young man, on a voyage of self-discovery that begins on an island in Florida and ends in an Irish fishing village. You don’t want to miss this beautifully crafted page-turner!”
– Cassandra King, bestselling author of Tell Me a Story: My Life with Pat Conroy
“Hard-edged and gripping. An intriguing mix of hope and fear. Fans of Pat Conroy’s evocative novels are going to love this stirring debut.”
– Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of The Warsaw Protocol
“A Mariner’s Tale is a richly rendered story scented with sea spray and filled with salty characters seeking grace, mercy and second chances. Palmer writes with heart and authenticity, bringing to life an unfortgettable crew worthy of the love and redemption we each hope to find in this life.” –
Nicole Seitz, author of The Cage-Maker
“A beautifully drawn sea-faring tale built around a marina full of lovingly flawed characters who have, in different ways, been floundered by life; who in rescuing each other, manage to rescue themselves. Set in the lush beauty of the inlets, streams and maritime world of North Florida, A Mariner’s Tale is told with great heart and uncommon compassion by an author who knows the life of tide and salt and of the sea.”
Janis Owen, author of American Ghost
Part nautical yarn, part romance, and part coming-of-age story, A Mariner’s Tale is a page-turner, but Joe Palmer’s beautiful prose slows the pace to a perfect rhythm, allowing the reader to participate in the wonders of nature and the resilience of the human heart on a barrier island just off the northeast coast of Florida.
—Susan Cushman, author of Friends of the Library and Cherry Bomb, and editor of Southern Writers on Writing
