A Gathering of Authors

by Paula Gail Benson

When a book fair in Aiken, South Carolina, had to be rescheduled, I spoke with three of the participants and asked if they would be willing to come to Columbia for a similar event. They agreed. Consequently, the Palmetto Chapter of Sisters in Crime will be hosting a multi-genre, mini-book festival on Saturday, October 21, from 1:30 until 4:00 pm at All Good Books. We are fortunate to have this very accommodating, relatively new, independent bookstore. All Good Books, which is providing space for our program and sales for our authors, is located at 734 Harden Street, Columbia, S.C. 29205.

The authors will be available for signings and appear in panels, moderated by Paula Gail Benson and Carla Damron. Here is the schedule:

1:30 - 1:35       Welcome

1:35 - 2:05       Romance fiction with Paula Gail Benson, Elaine Reed, and HM Thomas

2:10 - 2:40       Mystery fiction with Paula Gail Benson, Candace Carter, and Carla Damon

2:45 - 3:15       Historical and Speculative fiction with Mary Beth Gibson and Steve Gordy

3:20 - 3:50       Poetry with John Starino and Arthur Turfa

If you happen to be in Columbia on October 21, come join our gathering and meet our participating authors:

A legislative lawyer and former law librarian, Paula Gail Benson’s mystery and romance short stories have appeared online and in print anthologies. She is a proud member of the Palmetto Chapter of Sisters in Crime and the Lowcountry Romance Writers.

From growing up in a one-horse town (literally) to working for the National Park Service, Candace J. Carter has walked many paths in life. She's always shared a love of western movies with her father. Muddy Waters is her first traditional mystery, featuring former range detective Henry "Whispering" Smith. The novel received a Carrie McCray Memorial Literary Award and was a finalist for the 2020 Indies Today Awards. Candace is now retired, and reconnecting with her inner cowboy.

 

Carla Damron is a social worker, advocate, and author whose novel, The Stone Necklace (about grief and addiction) won the 2017 Women’s Fiction Writers Association Star Award for Best Novel and was selected as the One Community Read for Columbia SC. Damron is also the author of The Orchid Tattoo (which delves into the disturbing world of human trafficking), and the Caleb Knowles mystery novels (the latest is Justice Be Done), and has published numerous short stories, essays, and op-eds.

 

Mary Beth Gibson writes the award-winning DUNCULLEN SAGA that follows two Irish families through four generations of struggles. It is a haunting trilogy of love, murder, and betrayal. You’ll be swept up in this fast-paced saga based on actual events that rocked eighteenth-century Ireland followed by an emotionally powerful story of the Revolutionary War along the Savannah River’s frontier.

 

Steve Gordy is a retired educator and a long-time member of the South Carolina Writers Association. In addition to his writing, he is an active volunteer in several local and regional organizations and an aficionado of travel, particularly to foreign countries. His current works in progress are a dark novel about a small town under the control of corrupt big-shots (Town Behind a Veil) and a tribute volume to a championship athlete who died young after a valiant battle with cancer (Meredith's Song). He and his wife live in Aiken, SC.

Robert McCready has a MFA in Creative Writing from Queens University in Charlotte, N.C. He interviews authors in a podcast called Evening Magic.

Elaine Reed lives in South Carolina’s Lowcountry. When she isn’t writing contemporary romance, she can be found exploring Charleston, taking in live music and searching for shark teeth on the beach with her family.

John M. Starino is an award-winning published and performance poet. He has four books. They are Onion Season Pt. 1, Onion Season Pt. 2, They Are Only Spoons, and Full Circle. He can be heard during local and regional Open Mic programs, especially during the month of April, National Poetry Month. Like many of his Activist Friends who have won awards, he appreciates the recognition and there is so much work yet to be done.

 

HM Thomas grew up in a southern town creating worlds bigger and more dramatic than her own. She credits her dad’s nightly story times for her love of the written word and her mom’s devotion to Days of Our Lives for her love of dramatic fiction. After graduating from Clemson University, HM got her own Happily Ever After and decided to start writing them for her characters as well, focusing on romance, most often mixed with suspense. When not writing, HM enjoys traveling and hiking with her husband, three children and rescue dog.

 

Arthur Turfa is a poet/writer living in Lexington, SC. His writings are inspired by his native Pennsylvania, places where he has lived and traveled, people he has met, and his careers. Arthur is an adviser to the Board of the South Carolina Writers Association. He has six books of poetry, one novel, and one short story in national and international print and on-line publications.