Book signing season is getting ripe this week with three signings, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Literary Bookpost, 110 S. Main St.
Wilmington humorist Celia Rivenbark will have a special early afternoon author chat and book signing Thursday, Oct. 6, 1-3 pm. Refreshments will be available.
Rivenbark is a much sought-after speaker across the Southeast, an author who, as Deal Safrit of Literary Bookpost says, “we have been trying to get for years. This time, we were fortuitous enough to be in the right place at the right time, as Literary Bookpost will be a stopoff point for Rivenbark as she heads to Hickory for a speaking engagement with the N. C. Library Association. We’re thrilled to host her with her new book, and anticipate a crowd.”
Rivenbark’s new book, “You Don’t Sweat Much for a Fat Girl: Observations on Life from the Shallow End of the Pool,” follows five books which have all been huge Southern bestsellers, beginning with “Bless Your Heart, Tramp,” published in 2000 by the now defunct Coastal Carolina Press. Fortunately, Rivenbark’s current publisher, St. Martin’s Press, has re-issued this first title, so all six of her books remain in print and will be available at the signing on Thursday.
“Bless Your Heart, Tramp” was nominated for the James Thurber Prize, and her second book, “We’re Just Like You, Only Prettier,” was a finalist for the Thurber.
Since that time, Rivenbark has consistently had her books nominated for accolades and awards, including best title in 2006 by Entertainment Weekly for “Stop Dressing Your Six-Year-Old Like a Skank” and SIBA Non-Fiction Book of the Year nominations for “Belle Weather” and “You Can’t Drink All Day If You Don’t Start in the Morning.”
“You Don’t Sweat Much for a Fat Girl” continues the Rivenbark humorist tradition. With 28 essays covering everything from menopause to high school science fairs, yoga, marriage and several animal tales, her Southern ability to foist side-splitting humor upon her readers continues unabated. There is more than one reason Rivenbark has been called a female reincarnation of Dave Barry, and she has been referred to as such by more than one critic.
Rivenbark was born and raised in Duplin County. Her grandmother’s house, just across the street from where she grew up, had the first indoor plumbing in Teachey, an oddity that at one time actually attracted sightseers to observe the toilet flushing.
The weekly Wallace Enterprise was the first newspaper she wrote for, from which she moved on to the Wilmington Morning Star and now works for the Sun News in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Rivenbark and her husband Scott live in Wilmington, N.C., with her daughter, Sophie.
Something for the kids
Two children’s authors make return appearances to Literary Bookpost for the October Night Out on the Town. Beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 7, Dicy McCullough will read from and sign her new illustrated book on the children’s floor of the Bookpost.
“Tired of School,” the followup to her previous book, “Tired of My Bath” and the second in the John Allen series, continues the story of the little boy who is tired of many things. In this tale, told in simple and rhyming text perfect for small children, John Allen is tired of going to school. Once he begins to see all of the positive “extras” that school offers (new friends, good grades, etc.), John Allen realizes that school just might be fun.
McCullough, a frequent contributor to the Salisbury Post, is a published poet and a member of a writing group, the Salisbury Scribblers. She has degrees in education and is a teacher.
At 7 p.m., children’s author Kathleen Churchyard joins McCullough in the children’s section for a repeat visit with her novel for young girls aged 8-12, “Bye for Now,” a Literary Bookpost staff pick.
“Bye for Now” is the new novel for young readers by North Carolina resident Churchyard where 11-year-old “Wishers” from all over the world are in a Freaky Friday kind of mix-up.
Robin, from Concord, suddenly finds herself in the body of Fiona, in London, but the real Fiona is in Japan; and the girl in Robin’s body in North Carolina is actually from India. Robin only has a couple of weeks to try to get everyone sorted out so that the girls can try to get home. In the meantime, she has to use all of her strengths to maintain Fiona’s perfect life. Luckily, past and current “Wishers” are there to help, as well as email and the Internet (thank you Google and Facebook).
Churchyard, who has lived all over the world, now calls Concord her home. She lives there with her husband and two daughters (one of whom inspired “Bye for Now”).
How about a little Punk-Goth?
Literary Bookpost will introduce a new talent to Salisbury when it hosts Stephanie L. Schmitz signing her novel “Let It Bleed” on Saturday, Oct. 8, 1-3 p.m. Schmitz lives in Charlotte with her husband, son and four cats. As a teenager in Chicago in the 1980s, Schmitz was heavily influenced by the punk, gothic and industrial music scenes of the period. These influences carry over heavily in her writing.
“Let It Bleed” is Schmitz’s debut novel, a somewhat stream-of-consciousness work based upon the punk-goth scene of middle America. It has variously been described as a Madonna and Christ tale and as a Goth retelling of the Gospel. There are two central characters in the book, the Razorblade Boy, lead singer with an obscure industrial band, and the Dead Girl, a wandering, bruised waif living on the edge of madness. One’s the voice of youth, the other, the mother of the next savior of the human race. But, there is a problem — the Dead Girl was only meant to produce the savior, not fall in love with the Razorblade Boy.
“Let It Bleed” is populated with remarkable characters with names such as Corporate Boy and Dolphin Boy; but, there are also characters with names such as Sophia. The industrial bands of the period and beyond are quite prominent. The prose is often poetic and quite mesmerizing, and often the action moves at the pace of a thriller.
“Let It Bleed” is an excellent addition to the punk-goth genre which is far too often dominated by romance-heavy novels. Schmitz should develop a good following if she continues to write in this genre.
For additional information about these events, call 704- 630-9788 or visit www.literarybookpost.com.