Saturday at the Grove

Yours truly and Marion Higgins in front of Marion's PT Cruiser
Photo by Wayne Scank

Saturday I went to Rocky Mount, where a couple of authors were doing book-signings at the Grove, the pre-Civil War home of Blue Lady Bookshop owner Ibby Greer and her husband, Keister. The Greers are also authors: Keister writes area history (The Great Moonshine Conspiracy Trial of 1933 and Genesis of a Virginia Frontier) and Ibby has written a novel (Moving Day: A Season of Letters) and her memoir (Paper Faces). My fellow lake writers Marion Higgins and Bruce Rae were going to be there signing Marion’s book (When Men Move to the Basement) that Bruce had illustrated. Bruce is also the illustrator for Ferradiddledumday, my Appalachian version of Rumpelstiltskin that I really hope I can sell to a commercial publisher before long.

I came home with a copy of Peggy Shifflett’s Appalachian memoir, Red Flannel Rag, which I can’t put down. Good book!

For her events, Ibby always has interesting authors and great food, so a day at the Grove is enjoyable in many ways. You can read more about it on Marion’s blog.