Writers at Chimney Rock State Park, Sept. 7

From a press release:

Writers at Chimney Rock State Park, Sept. 7

On September 7 from 1-4 p.m., 10 renowned authors who have written about Appalachia will gather at Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park to autograph books, give readings and be available for one-on-one chats with fans. Diane Norman, Managing Editor of the Hendersonville Times-News, will host the event and local poet Eddie Cabbage will provide Poetry on Demand. Books will be available for sale at a table manned by event sponsor Fountainhead Bookstore of Hendersonville. Writers on the Rock is included with Park admission, which is $15 for adults, $7 for youth ages 5-15 and free for children ages 4 and under.

“Writers on the Rock give guests a unique opportunity to see their favorite authors in person and to meet new ones,” says Shannon Quinn-Tucker, Public Relations and Promotions Manager. “Appalachia is rich with history and culture, and we’ve invited authors who have made their mark in the literary world, using Appalachia as a backdrop for their stories. We’re excited to be able to offer this event to the public and give folks the chance to meet some of the authors they’ve read and loved for years.”

Bibliophiles can view the soaring cliffs and stunning valleys of Chimney Rock and the surrounding Hickory Nut Gorge as they browse dozens of titles; they can also purchase books the authors have signed. Genres ranging from memoirs to cookbooks, suspense to poetry will be available. Local poet Eddie Cabbage will provide Poetry on Demand, improvisational poems for guests typed on the spot on his trusty vintage typewriter.

Fans are encouraged to come early, as authors will begin speaking shortly after 1 p.m.

WAYNE CALDWELL: Cataloochee; Requiem by Fire
Wayne is a native of Asheville NC and is a product of Enka High School. His academic training happened at UNC-CH, Appalachian State University and Duke University. Since 1976 he has worked in the family’s furniture and interior design business, Ambiance Interiors. He is the author of prize-winning short stories and two novels, Cataloochee (2007) and Requiem by Fire (2010), the latter of which won the 2010 Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award from the WNC Historical Association. He wrote the sixth chapter of a collaborative novel, Naked Came the Leaf Peeper (Burning Bush Press, 2011). A poem, “Woodsmoke,” appeared in Appalachian Heritage (Fall 2011). “Rattlesnakes,” a short story about Asheville’s proposed 1980 downtown mall, appeared in 27 Views of Asheville (Eno Publishers, 2012). A short story, “Donation Jar,” was published in Drafthorse’s Winter 2013 issue (www.drafthorse.org). He received the James Still Award, for excellence in writing about the Appalachian South, from the Fellowship of Southern Writers in 2013. A third novel, Memoirs of an Unambitious Lawyer, was a finalist for the Lee Smith Fiction Prize from Carolina Wren Press and is seeking a publisher. In his spare time he works up firewood.

MARK DE CASTRIQUE: A Murder in Passing
Mark was born in Hendersonville, NC.  He went straight from the hospital to the funeral home where his father was the funeral director and the family lived upstairs. The unusual setting sparked his popular Barry Clayton series and launched his mystery writing career. Mark is the author of thirteen novels, most of which are set in western NC. His novels have received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and Booklist. The CHICAGO TRIBUNE wrote, “As important and as impressive as the author’s narrative skills are the subtle ways he captures the geography – both physical and human – of a unique part of the American South.” Mark lives in Charlotte, but he and his wife Linda can be often found in the mountains of NC.

TOMMY HAYS:  What I Came To Tell You; The Pleasure Was Mine; In the Family Way
Tommy’s first middle grade novel, What I Came to Tell You, was chosen as a Fall 2013 Okra Pick by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA), received starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, and was recommended by The Atlanta Constitution as one of 12 books of 2013 for younger readers. His novel, The Pleasure Was Mine, was a Finalist for the SIBA Fiction Award and has been chosen for numerous community reads. His other novels are Sam’s Crossing, which has been recently re-released, and In the Family Way, winner of the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award. He directs the Great Smokies Writing Program and is Core Faculty for the Master of Liberal Arts program at UNC Asheville. A member of the National Book Critics Circle, he received his BA in English from Furman University and graduated from the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College.  For more information please go to www.tommyhays.com.

JEREMY B. JONES: Bearwallow: A Personal History of a Mountain Homeland
Jeremy’s essays have been named Notable in Best American Essays and are published or forthcoming in Oxford American, Brevity, and Our State Magazine, among others. He received his MFA in nonfiction writing from the University of Iowa and teaches creative writing at Western Carolina University. He hails from Henderson County, NC, where his people have been digging into the soil for over two centuries. Visit thejeremybjones.com for more information.

VICKI LANE: The Day of Small Things; Signs in the Blood
Vicki is the author of The Day of Small Things and the Elizabeth Goodweather Appalachian Mysteries which include Signs in the Blood, Art’s Blood, Old Wounds, Anthony-nominated In a Dark Season, and Under the Skin. She also teaches in UNC-Asheville’s Great Smokies Writing Program. Vicki draws her inspiration from rural western North Carolina where she and her family have tended a mountainside farm since 1975.

ROBERT MORGAN: The Road from Gap Creek  
Robert is the author of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, most notably his novel Gap Creek and his biography of Daniel Boone, both of which were national bestsellers. A professor at Cornell University since 1971 and visiting writer-in-residence at half a dozen universities, his awards include Guggenheim and Rockefeller fellowships and an Academy of Arts and Letters Award for Literature. He was inducted into the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame in 2010. Find him online at www.robert-morgan.com.

HEATHER NEWTON: Under The Mercy Trees
Heather’s debut novel Under The Mercy Trees (HarperCollins 2011) won the 2011 Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award, was chosen by the Women’s National Book Association as a Great Group Reads Selection and named an “Okra Pick” by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (“great southern fiction fresh off the vine”). Her fiction has appeared in 27 Views of Asheville, The Drum, Crucible, Encore Magazine, Lonzie’s Fried Chicken and elsewhere. She is a founding member of the Flatiron Writers, a writers’ collective that sponsors workshops, salons and other events for the western North Carolina literary community. She works full time as an attorney and teaches creative writing for the Great Smokies Writing Program in Asheville, NC, where she lives with her husband and daughter. You can learn more about Heather at www.heathernewton.net.

LEANNA SAIN: Gate to Nowhere; Return to Nowhere, Magnolia Blossoms
Leanna earned her BA from the University of South Carolina and has lived in the mountains of western NC for twenty-three years with her best friend and husband. She has two grown sons whom she homeschooled and her first grandson on the way. Her Gate trilogy (Gate to Nowhere, Return to Nowhere, Magnolia Blossoms) captures readers with its strong, sometimes snarky characters, gripping dialogue, and vivid descriptions set in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina. Readers who enjoy regional fiction or suspense with a magical twist will love her books. Beginning with Emma Franklin’s journey through a rusty iron gate into the past, the saga follows the fictional Scottish emigrant-turn-apple farmer, Gavin MacKinlay and family from the early 1800’s to the Civil War. The books have received a historical stamp of approval from the North Carolina Society of Historians by winning the Clark Cox Historical Fiction award. Other awards include Foreword Magazine’s Book-of-the-Year, and nominations for the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award and the Global E-book Award. Contact Leanna by visiting her website: www.LeannaSain.com and send her an email. She especially loves public speaking and meeting with book clubs.

ROSE SENEHI: Dancing on Rocks
Rose is known for her romantic thrillers told against a backdrop of environmental concerns. The last four of her seven novels are centered around the Hickory Nut Gorge, Chimney Rock State Park and the surrounding Southern Blue Ridge Mountains. Dancing on Rocks, that takes place in the village of Chimney Rock, is the latest stand-alone book in the series, which also includes Render Unto The Valley (Winner of the 2012 IPPY Gold Medal for Fiction-Southeast), In The Shadows of Chimney Rock and The Wind In The Woods. In her Blue Ridge series of stand-alone novels, Senehi gently reveals the story of the heroic efforts of the land conservancies and the people who stand behind them. And, of course, these historically accurate novels are threaded through with suspense, romance and the unique flavor and history of the beloved mountains of the southern Blue Ridge.

Senehi, who resides in the village of Chimney Rock, very much enjoys public speaking, meeting with book clubs, and hearing from her readers, and can be contacted by email at: rsenehi@earthlink.net. She invites you to visit her two websites: www.rosesenehi.com and www.hickorynut-gorge.com.

ELIZABETH L. SIMS:  Tupelo Honey Café: Spirited Recipes from Asheville’s New South Kitchen; Tupelo Honey Café: New Southern Flavors from the Blue Ridge Mountains
Elizabeth is a communications professional with a background in strategic marketing, brand management, advertising, public relations, journalism and published writing. She began her communications company in 2009, following her role as Vice President of Marketing Communications for The Biltmore Company in Asheville, NC. She is the past president of the Southern Foodways Alliance and worked on behalf of the Blue Ridge Parkway 75th Anniversary. She is the Vice President of marketing communications for Tupelo Honey and co-authored the Tupelo Honey cookbooks with chef Brian Sonoskus. The cookbooks capture the creative and independent spirit of Asheville NC through full-color photos of the food, locals, area farmer’s markets and farms, in addition to vintage photography of the city. Tupelo Honey has expanded from two locations in Asheville to Knoxville, Johnson City, Chattanooga, Greenville SC and Charlotte and will soon open restaurants in Raleigh, Myrtle Beach, Arlington and Virginia Beach VA and Atlanta.

EDDIE CABBAGE: Poetry on Demand
Eddie Cabbage grew up in Central Florida and moved to the Blue Ridge Mountains in 2003. He splits his time between Chimney Rock/Lake Lure and Asheville. He is a nationally published freelance writer, wordsmith, and typewriter poet and can be found busking on the street or in many regular Asheville venues. He creates custom poetry for strangers and new friends with his Poetry On Demand using one of his many vintage typewriters. His poetry and prose is influenced by the mountains, travel, adventure and sometimes delicious Asheville craft beer.