Joanne Harris, author of “Chocolat,” will be the featured speaker at the 22nd annual Brady Author’s Symposium at Catawba College on Thursday, April 24.
Tickets are now on sale for the lecture, luncheon and writing question-and-answer session.
Harris, whose other works include “Five Quarters of the Orange,” “Gentleman and Players” and others, has a new book, “The Girl With No Shadow,” which picks up the story of “Chocolat” five years later. In the United Kingdom, it was published as “The Lollipop Shoes.”
Cost of the lecture is $15; the lecture and luncheon is $30; the writing Q&A is $20. For a ticket to all events, the cost is $50.
Tickets are available by calling 704-637-4393, or through the Public Relations Office at Catawba, 2300 W. Innes St.
In a Q&A on Harris’ Web site, www. joanne-harris.co.uk, she responds to the question:
“It sounds a lot darker than ‘Chocolat.’
“That’s right; if ‘Chocolat’ was milk chocolate, then ‘Lollipop Shoes’ (‘The Girl with No Shadow’) is seventy percent. There’s still quite a lot of humor there, but it’s quite black humor n closer in tone to ‘Gentlemen and Players’ than to its predecessor.”
First children’s book
Cathy Eller of Salisbury has published her first children’s book, “Carnella Caterpillar: Jeepers Creepers.”
She will have her first reading and signing on Friday, April 18, 6:30-8:30 p.m., at the F&M Trolley Barn during the Night Out on the Town. Books will be available for purchase at the event.
Eller had talked for years about writing children’s books, but it was not until after she retired in 2006 from Duke Energy that she got serious.
“Carnella Caterpillar” is a story about a special needs caterpillar and how her buggy buddies put their heads together to help her. Eller says it shows kindness is contagious and “how we can all work together to make someone’s life a little better.”
She wrote most of the story during a 14-hour ride to Chicago.
She plans to have a series with each “buggy buddy” having an adventure. Her husband and a friend have also created the “buggy buddies” out of wood; she will use them in her readings.
The books are also available at Barnes & Noble, Borders and any other book store and Amazon.com.
‘Fat Into The Fire’ published
David P. Morrow of Rowan County has published a fitness book, “Fat Into The Fire,” which he says “contains the simple missing links to maximize metabolism, energy and yourself.”
He presents three links to health and fitness success that he says create an unbreakable chain.
“Whether your goal is to burn fat off your body, obtain higher energy and better health, become fit and tone your muscles, ‘Fat Into The Fire’ has all the answers. 
Morrow shares his own findings about losing weight and burning off fat and maximizing your metabolism.
Morrow is a former champion bodybuilder with an education in exercise physiology.  One of his inspirations in putting his expertise into a book was so that it would be available to all people. He has experience as a personal trainer and offers a free monthly online newsletter at www.FatIntoTheFire.com.
To order the book, go to the above Web site, call 1-888-280-7715 or order from Amazon.com.
Copies may also be found at the GNC at Innes Street Market and Simply Good Natural Foods on East Innes Street.