Wednesday 05/15/2024 at 11:00 AM
Roger Jones
(The Final Victory) at The Village House
Based on true events, "The Final Victory" is an exhilarating debut novel that acts as a "metaphor not only for the struggle to survive but also a pathway for redemption." After he is diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer, Tripp Avery feels like all is lost. He finds himself coaching a team of twelve men and eight women with cancer diagnoses of their own, hoping to qualify for the Mixed Masters Dragon Boat national championship and defy their prognoses. If they win, they will represent the United States at the International Dragon Boat races in Hong Kong. But soon things get complicated, as four of Tripp's teammates struggle with physical limitations and the psychological weight of their conditions. Members of the team collapse under the pressure and one is hospitalized. Faced with confronting his own failings and struggling to find a way forward, Tripp begins to question his motives, wondering if the win is worth the trauma. Despite the odds, he resolves to rally the team toward a comeback that seems impossible, if only for one final victory. In author Jones' case, the businessman, philanthropist, humanitarian and avid athlete completed his first novel – a goal set during a 2012 trip to East Germany to receive an intensive radiation treatment for neuroendocrine cancer – after attending many writing classes and conferences and by following the oft-voiced advice: Write what you know. Pre-publication accolades from Mary Alice Monroe, Cassandra King, Bill Curry, Patti Henry and Jeffrey Blount ring with heartfelt praise for Roger Jones' debut.
$35

Tuesday 05/21/2024 at 11:00 AM
Deb Richardson-Moore
(Through the Window) at Hot Fish Club
Riley Masterson has moved to the vibrant city of Greenbrier, SC, anxious to escape the chaos that has overwhelmed her life. Questioned in a murder in Alabama, she has spent eighteen months under suspicion by a sheriff's office unable to make an arrest. But things in gentrifying Greenbrier are not as they seem. Her cousin has an ulterior motive for inviting Riley into her home, and pieces of Riley's past shadow her. As she struggles to forge a new life, forces are gathering in the tension-plagued neighborhood where glitzy new homes rise alongside crumbling mill houses, and everyone, it seems, is able to peer into a neighbor's window. When murder explodes, someone unexpected is caught in the crossfire. Detectives are left to ponder: Are the deaths personal or the result of rich and poor living in such close proximity? And will Riley take the blame as someone so meticulously planned? Author of five fiction titles and a memoir, "The Weight of Mercy," about her early years as a pastor at the Triune Mercy Center in Greenville, S.C., Deb is a former national award-winning reporter for "The Greenville (SC) News" and a popular speaker at book clubs, universities and churches. She has won numerous awards for community involvement, including the 2020 Humanitarian Award by Upstate Housing Connections and the 2017 Leadership Greenville Distinguished Alumni Award.
$35

Wednesday 05/29/2024 at 11:00 AM
C. Hope Clark
(Edisto Bullet and Edge of Edisto) at Quigley’s Next Door
In Book 10 of this mystery series, when a storm blows out power to half the beach, all hell breaks loose on Edisto Beach. Police Chief Callie Morgan is called to investigate a break-in at El Marko's, the restaurant owned by the man who's unexpectedly become a real part of her life. Then she sees Mark slide an unspent .41 caliber bullet from the bar into his pocket. A bullet seemingly left as a calling card. A bullet he has no intention of mentioning to her. Before they got involved, Callie knew ex-SLED agent Mark Dupree had a past, one he kept carefully buttoned-up and private around her. She understood, but now that past has come calling and his secrets could get someone killed. Suddenly, the man she thought she knew so well is disappearing, lost in secrets he won’t share. Soon more bullets are left as warnings, all on the doorsteps of people in Mark's life. Adding to the uncertainty and chaos is a new-to-town physic, warning anyone who will listen that she sees danger around Mark, vowing that within six days someone will die. The hell of it is, Callie isn't certain the psychic is wrong. She's got six days to unearth a past Mark doesn't want her to know and to protect the town she loves from whatever blew in with the storm. Then, in Book 11, Police Chief Callie Jean Morgan's hope for a day of nothing but traffic tickets is shattered when one of five women who regularly vacation together on Edisto Island is reported missing. Hours later, a body washes up on the sand — but not the body of the missing young lady. Unable to identify the dead woman, leaving her with a possible murder on her hands, Callie worries the clock might be ticking down to yet another tragedy. She has no choice but to dig into the secrets of the women's group, who now seem unconcerned about their missing member. Tracking down information on the ladies is like chasing air. Even the older residents of Edisto are unwilling to talk about the well-established, yet evasive group known as "The Summer Ladies." Edisto is heating up, and so is Callie Jean Morgan.
$35

Wednesday 06/05/2024 at 11:00 AM
Caroline Cleveland
(When Cicadas Cry) at The Village House, Litchfield
As the founding partner of the Charleston law firm Cleveland & Conley, LLC, Caroline Cleveland represents private and public employers, including law enforcement. A native South Carolinian, she inevitably writes from a Southern perspective. She gravitates – both as a writer and a reader – toward mystery and suspense, unable to resist a character with a dark secret. In this stunning debut by a South Carolina attorney, Zach Stander, a lawyer with a past, and Addie Stone, his indomitable detective and lover, find themselves entangled in secrets, lies, and murder in a small Southern town. A high-profile murder case—A white woman has been bludgeoned to death with an altar cross in a rural church on Cicada Road in Walterboro, South Carolina. Sam Jenkins, a Black man, is found covered in blood, kneeling over the body. In a state already roiling with racial tension, this is not only a murder case, but a powder keg. A haunting cold case—Two young women are murdered on quiet Edisto Beach, an hour southeast of Walterboro, and the killer disappears without a trace. Thirty-four years later the mystery remains unsolved. Could there be a connection to Stander's case? A killer who's watching - Stander takes on Jenkins' defense, but he's up against a formidable solicitor with powerful allies. Worse, his client is hiding a bombshell secret. When Addie Stone reopens the cold case, she discovers more long-buried secrets in this small town. Would someone kill again to keep them? Ideal for fans of mystery, suspense, and thrillers in the vein of Karin Slaughter's "Pretty Girls" and Stacy Willingham's "A Flicker in the Dark," as well as for readers who followed the high-profile Murdaugh murder trial, held in the same small town as in "When Cicadas Cry."
$35

Tuesday 06/11/2024 at 11:00 AM
Zackary Vernon
(Our Bodies Electric) at Caffe Piccolo
Welcome home a native son … graduate of Waccamaw High School and a precocious art, lit and film student who used to visit the chocolate shop next door to Art Works when it was home to the Moveable Feast and so much more for 20+ years. These days, Zackary Vernon is a writer and scholar based in Boone, NC, an Associate Professor of English at Appalachian State University. His work has appeared in a range of magazines and journals, including "The Bitter Southerner," "Carolina Quarterly," and "Southern Cultures," and he received the Alex Albright Creative Nonfiction Prize from the "North Carolina Literary Review." In his debut novel, a Southern teenager struggles to understand his gender and sexuality amongst a conservative, religious family, but he finds comfort in the writings of Walt Whitman and support from a cast of eccentric small-town characters. Our Bodies Electric is a coming-of-age story (“Poignant and comic,” says Ron Rash, the acknowledged arbiter of quality Southern writing) that celebrates the exuberance of youth, the individual quest for sexual identity, and the joy of finding connections in the most unexpected of places.
$35

Wednesday 06/12/2024 at 11:00 AM
Nicholas Callaway, editor
(The Unconquerable Game by Ely Callaway) at DeBordieu Colony Clubhouse
Celebrate Father's Day Week with this rare event as a famous son shares the posthumous memoir of his golf legend father, weeks prior to the book's public release. Among the 40 million active golfers in the world today, Callaway is recognized by touring pros and amateurs alike for having created the most compatible golf equipment ever made. Indeed, Callaway's revolutionary approach to research and manufacturing changed the game, and how people approached it, for the largest subset of players in history. However, not many know that the company was founded by one man, Ely Callaway (1919-2001) who, at the age of 65 — after enjoying successful careers in textiles and wine — began it as a garage start-up in southern California. Within ten years, Ely (Ee-lee) built the Callaway Golf Company into the largest golf club company in the world and one of the sport's most prestigious brands. Golf was Ely's passion project: he had spent 50 years playing the game as an amateur; following the example of his hero and first cousin, Grand Slam winner Bobby Jones; analyzing the golf industry; and reflecting on the true meaning of the game. The success of the Callaway Golf Company was a direct result of its charismatic leader, who made a deep impression on everyone he met. Ely was beloved by millions around the world, from golfers to presidents, pop stars, to corporate titans, and most importantly, the weekend players who often struggled with their game. In the last years of his life, Ely wrote a book about the secrets of his success. He wanted to share his outlook on life with others, and why he kept at "the unconquerable game" for as long as he did. Ely died in 2001 however, before he was able to publish the book. Now, a generation later, the "lost book" of Ely Callaway is finally edited and compiled by his son, Nicholas Callaway. Here for the first time are Ely's stories from his lifetime in the game of golf, the people he met along the way, as well as vignettes from his career in business. Ely was a man who loved his work and sport and life, and the wisdom embedded in these pages offers promising life lessons for all. $80 single with book; $150 for two with books. Additional copies available at the Moveable Feast.
$80

Wednesday 06/19/2024 at 11:00 AM
Margaret Seidler, author, and John W. Jones, artist
(“Payne-ful” Business: Charleston's Journey to Truth) at Litchfield Country Club
This recent release coincided with an exhibit at the Charleston City Gallery displaying the original artwork created by Jones to illustrate the shocking discovery of ancestral ties by Seidler, a native and eighth generation Charlestonian. Instead of the medical genetic markers that were her object, the author discovered her Payne ancestors' bustling slave brokerage business on Broad Street, which supported the city's deep-seated and undeniable role in promoting the economic system of slavery. "'Payne-ful' Business: Charleston's Journey to Truth" follows Margaret Seidler's mission to learn and process her family's genealogical past. Using extensive research and personal experience, Seidler discusses the realities of Charleston's racial history while highlighting the historians, journalists, and community members who work to reconcile those truths. The book features authentic, historic slave advertisements brought to life by vivid paintings by artist John W. Jones (previously acclaimed for his pioneering book, "Confederate Currency, the Color of Money") that uncover the humanity hidden beneath the detached advertisement descriptions. Never has anyone taken the stilted, chattel-based text of human beings advertised for sale or rent and redefined them into living, conscious individuals depicting both their humanity and poignant familial relationships. Seidler hopes that acknowledging a more complete truth about our past will motivate us to bridge today's racial divide.
$35

Wednesday 06/26/2024 at 11:00 AM
Lee G. Brockington
(Pawleys Island: Stories from the Porch) at Pawleys Plantation
More than two decades after the Pawleys Island Civic Association published this treasured book of memories and years after the passing of many of the 40 stories' authors, a new edition – with an updated introductory note and island history by contributing author and book editor Lee G. Brockington; fresh nostalgic photos from the extensive collection PICA contributed to the Georgetown County Library Archives; and a heartwarming new cover painting by artist Maura Kenny – is available to become your treasured book of porch stories. As "Walter Edgar's Journal" recounted: "Nature is a dominant presence in almost every single account. For most, one of the greatest attractions is the benevolent landscape – ocean, sand, sun, and marsh. You need to understand that this island is not simply a vacation spot. It is an experience. In today's busy world where people resort to aroma therapy and other fads in an attempt to relax and unwind, those who get to Pawleys need no treatment. Just being on the island is enough to rejuvenate an obsessed workaholic. Screen porches are still the location of choice for reading, napping, visiting, and swapping tales. Despite Hugo and beachfront development, Pawleys is still Pawleys. It is a place; it is a lifestyle; it is memorable; 'it's still glorious.'"
$35

Tuesday 07/09/2024 at 11:00 AM
Robert Elder
(Calhoun: American Heretic) at Quigley’s Next Door
A new biography of the intellectual father of Southern secession — the man who set the scene for the Civil War, and whose political legacy still shapes America today. John C. Calhoun is among the most notorious and enigmatic figures in American political history. First elected to Congress in 1810, Calhoun went on to serve as secretary of war and vice president. But he is perhaps most known for arguing in favor of slavery as a "positive good" and for his famous doctrine of "state interposition," which laid the groundwork for the South to secede from the Union — and arguably set the nation on course for civil war. Calhoun has catapulted back into the public eye in recent years, as some observers connected the strain of radical politics he developed to the tactics and extremism of the modern Far Right, and as protests over racial injustice have focused on his legacy. In this revelatory biographical study, historian Robert Elder shows that Calhoun is even more broadly significant than these events suggest, and that his story is crucial for understanding the political climate in which we find ourselves today. By excising Calhoun from the mainstream of American history, he argues, we have been left with a distorted understanding of our past and no way to explain our present. Clemson and Emory educated, Elder is an associate professor at Baylor University whose research focuses on the cultural, intellectual, and religious history of the American South in the 19th century. His first book examined the influence of honor culture on evangelical religion in the early 19th century South, and linked this interaction to the origins and progress of modern identity in the region. His second book examines the life and thought of one of the country's most controversial historical figures, South Carolina Senator John C. Calhoun.
$35

Thursday 07/18/2024 at 11:00 AM
Kimberly McCreight
(Like Mother, Like Daughter) at Pawleys Tap House & Grill
Kimberly McCreight's newest "shocking, propulsive, gripping, bingeable" novel is a thrilling work of emotional suspense that questions the damaging fictions we cling to and the hard truths we avoid. Above all, it's a love story between a mother and a daughter, each determined to save the other before it's too late. The New York Times bestselling author of seven novels – with nominations for Edgar, Anthony, and Alex Awards, Entertainment Weekly’s Favorite Book of the Year, and a TV option by HBO for "Reconstructing Amelia"; and Best Book of the Summer by the New York Times, People, and Publishers Weekly, Amazon Best Mystery of the Month, and a TV adaptation coming soon from Amazon and Nicole Kidman's Blossom Films for "A Good Marriage" – McCreight's last book, "Friends Like These," was named a Good Morning America Buzz Pick, an Amazon Best Book of the Month, and will be adapted for TV by Amblin Television. All indications are that Kimberly's new book will enjoy a similar fate!
$35

Tuesday 07/23/2024 at 11:00 AM
Quitman Marshall
(Swampitude: Escapes with the Congaree) at Caffe Piccolo
A song of praise for swamps and twice a finalist for the River Teeth Literary Nonfiction Book Prize, "Swampitude" is a meditation on the nature of this terrain, its meaning, its mystery, its fearfulness, its shelter, and its healing power. The book celebrates the survival, the stories, and the continuance of swamps in general, and a particular swamp, the Congaree in the center of South Carolina, which has been designated a United Nations Biosphere Reserve and is now Congaree National Park. Marshall tells stories that intersect with swamp-linked lives, making literature of the place, a place in the middle into which things flow and come out changed. Born in South Carolina, Quitman Marshall grew up in the swamp. He has published five books of poetry, including "You Were Born One Time" (2014), which won the SC Poetry Archives Book Prize. A winner of the Writers Exchange Award sponsored by Poets and Writers, Inc., and the founding coordinator of the Literary Series at the Spoleto Festival, USA, he lives in Beaufort, SC, with his family where he works as a writer, editor, translator, and teacher. Photography for the book is the work of Peggy Peattie, a multiple award-winning photo-journalist for The State.
$35