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February 20, 2015
Bookreporter.com Reader Nancy Bader Talks About the Savannah Book Festival
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The Savannah Book Festival took place last weekend, from Thursday, February 12th through Sunday, February 15th. The Festival is a free annual event that celebrates the written word and its role in the human experience. Lucky for us, Bookreporter.com reader Nancy Bader attended the event and was kind enough to share with us some highlights, including favorite panels, most colorful speaker, and the books she absolutely cannot wait to read.
Not only is Lynne Hinton a New York Times bestselling author, she’s also a former hospice chaplain and church pastor. Her latest book, SISTER EVE, PRIVATE EYE, is the first in Lynne’s Divine Private Detective Agency mystery series --- where God is not the only thing that’s mysterious. In this season's last Holiday Author Blog, Lynne shares a more solemn holiday story from her time as hospice chaplain: a story of grief and hope; brokenness and unity; and some ill-chosen, well-intentioned gold glitter that unexpectedly illuminated a somber memorial service.
Jennifer S. Holland’s deep love for animals is apparent in all her work: bestsellers UNLIKELY FRIENDSHIPS, UNLIKELY LOVES and, most recently, UNLIKELY HEROES, which includes 37 amazing stories about the inspiring heroism of animals. Also apparent is her deep love for writing. Here, Jennifer shares that, although she was thrilled to get all kinds of books when she was a kid, the best book she ever got was one with blank pages inside it.
Not only is Judy Chicurel an esteemed playwright, her debut collection of short stories, IF I KNEW YOU WERE GOING TO BE THIS BEAUTIFUL, I NEVER WOULD HAVE LET YOU GO, was published earlier this year. The coming-of-age stories are set in 1972 in a working-class Long Island community, and capture the universal experience of being poised between the past and the future. Here, Judy tells a different coming-of-age story --- one that is lovely, heartbreaking and entirely personal --- about one difficult holiday season and how a book saw her through it.
Award-winning author/illustrator Cynthia Copeland has a gift for discovering simple, timeless lessons. She did it when her children were younger with REALLY IMPORTANT STUFF MY KIDS HAVE TAUGHT ME and, more recently, in the tender, funny and irresistibly charming REALLY IMPORTANT STUFF MY DOG HAS TAUGHT ME. Turns out, Cindy’s life lessons don’t only come from her family. Here, she shares the impact one book about the amazing accomplishments of some pretty exceptional women --- written by a woman who is pretty exceptional herself --- has had on her own life and her daughter’s.
Jessica Hagy’s book, HOW TO BE INTERESTING (In 10 Simple Steps), is a charming and uniquely inspirational how-to that combines fresh and pithy lessons with deceptively simple diagrams and charts. And Jessica really does know a thing or two about being interesting; not only is she an author and an illustrator, she’s also an award-winning blogger and an Internet sensation. In her Holiday Author Blog, she talks about something else that’s interesting: how a book can sometimes be more than just a book.
Erin Healy has written nine books, most recently MOTHERLESS, a haunting tale of a mother's struggle to rekindle a connection with her estranged children. Not only is Erin a talented author and an award-winning fiction editor, she also happens to be an expert gift giver. Whether it's THIS BOOK JUST ATE MY DOG! for her four-year-old niece or ARE YOU MY MOTHER? for her own mother, Erin knows how to choose the perfect book for every person on her list. If only they could figure out what to give her!
In her first Holiday Author Blog for Bookreporter.com, Sukey Forbes (author of THE ANGEL IN MY POCKET: A Story of Love, Loss, and Life After Death) meditates on the power of a single book --- THE GIVING TREE. How does this children's book continue to surprise, teach and inspire over the course of a lifetime? Can we really learn something as complex as selflessness from a few dozen hallowed pages and pictures? Sukey's experience says yes.
Sheila Roberts is the bestselling author of 13 books. THE LODGE ON HOLLY ROAD --- the sixth installment in her fan-favorite Life in Icicle Falls series --- is about a recent widower and a single mom who get dragged to Olivia Wallace’s lodge on Holly Road, where unexpected romance is around every corner. Sheila’s granddaughters may still be too young to enjoy her fiction, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t already voracious readers! Here, Sheila talks about her little “book bugs” and the joy reading has brought to her life and theirs.
Cara Putman is the award-winning author of 19 books, including the acclaimed SHADOWED BY GRACE. In her latest, WHERE TREETOPS GLISTEN --- co-authored with Tricia Goyer and Sarah Sundin --- three stories chart the path of romance through one Christmas season during 1940s wartime. It comes as no surprise that Cara has a deep appreciation for the holiday season. Here, she shares what Christmas means to her family and why traditions are so important, no matter how you celebrate.
