Two writers to sign books Jan. 21

SALISBURY — Literary Bookpost will host a pair of authors for the Saturday Salon on Jan. 21, 1-3 p.m.

Both authors bring cutting edge new fiction into the shop, and the novels are debut writings by each of these North Carolina-based authors.

L.C. Fiore has published stories in Folio, MAKE Magazine, Michigan Quarterly Review and Wascana Review, among others. An award-winning short-story writer and editor, his work has also appeared on NPR, TriQuarterly Review and in various baseball annuals. He and his wife live in Durham. He will be visiting Literary Bookpost with his new novel from Livingston Press, University of West Alabama, titled “Green Gospel.”

In “Green Gospel,” we see eco-terrorist Edie Aberdeen fleeing the FBI and escaping to the small, rural town of Arcadia, Fla. She hopes to reinvent herself and forget her criminal past. But when she falls in with a mega-church whose pastor preaches a fiery brand of environmental fundamentalism, she must choose between abdication and one final, radical act to save the church from financial ruin.

Several unforgettable characters narrate this vivid debut novel that examines the roots of fundamentalism, the powerful sway of community, and cuts to the heart of the question of whether people change.

“Green Gospel” has received glowing reviews from a wide range of literary and general interest publications, from the New York Journal of Books and the Southern Literary Review to the Greensboro News and Record. It has been nominated for at least one literary award.

Gretchen Hummel has an MFA degree in creative writing and an MS degree in psychiatric nursing. Her publishing credits include short stories in The Potomac Review, Confrontation and Shades. She lives in North Carolina with her spouse and two furry, four-legged editorial assistants. Hummel's debut novel is titled “Dreamer’s Island.”

In the post-apocalyptic “Dreamer’s Island,” in a post-plague, baby-hungry world, Blair searches for her kidnapped daughter. She works as a tour guide on what mainlanders call Devil’s Island — all that’s left of a future San Francisco. The island is infamous for its high rate of plague survivors, its lively, thriving arts community and its suspect spirituality.

Islanders are fascinated by mysterious “plague-gifts” — knowledge and skills acquired by surviving the plague, and are covertly experimenting with the virus. Mainlanders abhor the mere mention of anything plague-related.

The island is quarantined, yet mainlanders Dr. Lourdes and his daughters insist on a visit. Their stated agenda is to shop the arts district and to adopt a child. But Lourdes’ curiosity about rumored plague virus experiments has Blair worried about the true purpose of their visit.

When the doctor’s youngest daughter contracts the plague, Blair must call on all her plague-gifts to help her survive. The girl’s fight for her life and Blair’s search for her own daughter dovetail in a startling conclusion that is beyond Blair’s wildest dreams.

Literary Bookpost is located at 110 S. Main St., downtown Salisbury. For additional information about this event or future events at Literary Bookpost, call 704-630-9788 or visit www.literarybookpost.com.