From the Land of SIBAA message from SIBA to its membership
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First Things First...
3/11: Reader Meet Writer - When the Apricots Bloom with Gina Wilkinson 3/17- 3/18: IndieCommerce Institute (info) 3/23-3/25: NVNR March Madness: Social Media Retreat (register) 3/23-3/25: NVNR March Madness: Author Series (register) 3/30: Reader
Meet Writer - A Town Called Solace with Mary Lawson 3/31: How to Resist Amazon and Why with Danny Caine (register) 4/1: Reader
Meet Writer - Wild Women and the Blues with Denny S. Bryce 4/5: Sure I'll Be Your Black Friend: A conversation with Ben Philippe and Luis Correa (register) 4/8:
Reader Meet Writer - Whisper Down the Lane with Clay McLeod Chapman
(via NAIBA) Doug Robinson of Eagle Eye Books in GA brilliantly presents how they "Cook the Books" for their in-store cooking demo events.
Approximately 70 bookstore owners, managers, and event planners from NAIBA & SIBA have taken the time to create and upload press kits and are now pitching their stores to more than 115 publicists over the course of 3 and a half
days. Publicists have access to all the press kits of presenting stores.
Reader Meet Writer Spring Season
Reader Meet Writer Spring 2021
“The Reader Meet Writer events have been a fantastic way for my store to sell books that we most likely would not have sold, and to stay present in the minds of our customers, especially since we have not been curating our own online author events until recently.”
- SIBA Bookseller, submitted via anonymous member survey.
It was nearly a year ago that SIBA launched its first Reader Meet Writer virtual author event, on March 31, 2020, with Taylor Branch, who spoke about his (then) new book, The Pride of Eden. Since that time, Reader Meet Writer
--now hosted by New York Times bestselling author Wiley Cash -- has held 57 author events featuring "A-list" authors like Sarah Broom, Lee Smith, Alan Gurganus, and TJ Klune; breakout and debut
writers such as Odie Lindsay, Yaffa Santos and Genevieve Hudson; Southern favorites like Lisa Wingate, Silas House, and Jill McCorkle; and media personalities and social media influencers like Julia Fowler and Miles McKenna.
I came to enjoy the Allan Gurganus interview, which was a beautiful example of the moderator trying to keep the philosopher from telling the entire story of humankind in one answer...
but seriously, thanks for making this a significant part of the legacy of the great Southern and American author. -- RMW attendee
What a great event! -- Deb Seager, Grove/Atlantic, on RMW with David Zucchino
We were thrilled to be a part of this program. --Jessica Dorman, The Historic New Orleans Collection, on RMW with Fatima Shaik
Originally started to help bookstores whose event programs had been canceled due to the pandemic, Reader Meet Writer has established itself as a premier author series with an excellent reputation among booksellers, publishers, and
most importantly, readers. It was cited as one of SIBA's most popular and valuable programs by booksellers in 2020.
That trend has continued in 2021. Of the eight RMW events hosted far this year, the average attendance has been over 100 people. (109.5, to be exact!). Post-event videos on YouTube are averaging 100 views and climbing.
At the age of eleven, Mel Smith’s life found its purpose when she met Sarah Ross. Ten years later, Sarah’s sudden death threatens to break her. To fulfill a final promise to her best friend, Mel travels to an idyllic small
town nestled in the shadows of the Appalachian Mountains. Yet Morgan’s Gap is more than a land of morning mists and deep forest shadows.
There are secrets that call to Mel, in the gaze of the gnarled and knowing woman everyone calls Granny, in a salvaged remedy book filled with the magic of simple mountain traditions, and in the connection she feels to the
Ross homestead and the wilderness around it.
With every taste of sweet honey and tart blackberries, the wildwood twines further into Mel’s broken heart. But a threat lingers in the woods—one that may have something to do with Sarah's untimely death and that has
now set its sight on Mel.
The wildwood is whispering. It has secrets to reveal—if you're willing to listen…
Marvin 'Popcorn' Sutton was raised in an Appalachian mountain community steeped in tradition, with a strong disposition towards independence and self-sufficiency. He was raised in the ways of the past and learned to make moonshine
at an early age. Simultaneously, exposed to the flow of tourism that came to drive the regional economy, he developed a natural flair for performance. Through documentaries and television appearances, he ultimately earned a following
by emulating the master moonshiners he had known as a child and demonstrating the craft of moonshine. Behind the scenes, however, Sutton was the authentic version of the role he performed in public—a talented craftsman and an outlaw,
making and selling vast quantities of high-quality, high proof illegal liquor. Now remembered as a folk hero who would literally live free or die, The Moonshiner Popcorn Sutton reveals the true story of the man behind the myth
in a celebration of craft, heritage, and irrepressible character. With extensive interviews with Popcorn Sutton, a foreword by award-winning author David Joy, and writing and photographs by Emmy award-winning documentary filmmaker
Neal Hutcheson.
"This book paints Sutton as a man fully human and flawed... Thanks to that honesty, we not only get one man’s story but an insight into something greater. In his life, we see the lives of others. In his words, we hear what came before.” — David Joy, author of When These Mountains Burn, The Line That Held Us, and The Weight of This World
Fountain Bookstore is hiring: Fountain Bookstore is seeking a full-time bookseller and a part-time bookseller/events assistant. The store emphasizes, "We work very, very hard here. This is not an easy job."
Anyone interested can click here to read detailed job descriptions and instructions on how to submit a resume.
Franklin Fixtures Workshops Merchandising expert Lisa Uhrik is offering a pair of free, two-part workshops for Winter Institute attendees. These workshops will take place on March 16 & 23 or March 18 &
25 from 10-11:30am Central. Space is limited. If interested, email joy@franklinfixtures.com with your class selection (Tuesdays or Thursdays) along with your contact information.
Reader Meet Writer: Upcoming Events
Are you interested in joining the circle of bookstores
sending invites to their customers? Please email Linda-Marie and we'll discuss what's involved.
When the Apricots Bloom by Gina Wilkinson Thu Mar 11th 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Gina Wilkinson is an award-winning journalist, author, former foreign correspondent, and documentary maker who’s reported from some of the world’s most intriguing and perilous places for the BBC, NPR,
ABC, and other renowned public broadcasters. During two decades living and working in hotspots across the globe, she spent more than a year in Baghdad under Saddam Hussein. At that time, Iraq was virtually sealed off from the
outside world, and Gina lived under tight surveillance. One of her closest Iraqi friends even worked as a secret police informant, reporting on her every move. Gina now works in international development, supporting efforts
to end poverty in the developing world. She lives in Australia and can be found online at ginawilkinson.net.
A Town Called Solace with Mary Lawson Tue Mar 30th 6:00pm - 7:00pm | REGISTER
Mary Lawson was born and brought up in a small farming community in Ontario. She is the author of three previous nationally and internationally bestselling novels, Crow Lake, The Other Side of the Bridge,
and Road Ends. Crow Lake was a New York Times bestseller and was chosen as a Book of the Year by The New York Times and The Washington Post, among others. The Other Side of the Bridge was
longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Lawson lives in England but returns to Canada frequently.
This week on Circle of Sites
Read more about SIBA's Circle of Sites Program (aka the "banner for dues" program) and find out whether your store is eligible to participate and
receive free membership dues.
Spotlight on Who Is Maud Dixon? by Alexandra Andrews
In his blurb for Andrew's debut psychological thriller, James Patterson says "by the end of the book, you'll start wondering if author Alexandra Andrews is a murderer herself." Andrews, on the other hand, admits that
her own frustrations with her life was a driving force in writing the novel. ") I finally set out to write this novel in my early thirties while pregnant with my first child, and all that pent-up frustration became
the premise of my plot." she says in an interview with The Nerd Daily.
A deeply creepy story about how far into the dark any of us might go to be able to live the life we want, Who Is Maud Dixon? has been called "a modern day Ripley" by bookseller fans.
What booksellers are saying about Who Is Maud Dixon?
This book is completely addicting to read and I loved the genuinely unpredictable plot twists. Who Is Maud Dixon? really delivers with compelling character development. If you've ever wished to be in someone else's
shoes, this will be a fun read. --Caida Stanelle, Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, NC
Maud Dixon is the nom de plume of the writer of a literary sensation, but only a handful of people know her real identity. Florence Darrow, a middle-class Florida girl who works for a New York publishing company, becomes entangled
in the mystery of Maud Dixon in this cleverly written thriller that is full of twists, turns, and captivating characters.. --Anne Peck, Righton Books,
St. Simon's Island, GA
I really liked this book until the ending and then I absolutely loved it. You will ask yourself several times who is the victim and who is the villain. --Nancy McFarlane, Fiction Addiction in
Greenville, SC
For those who loved Social Creature and Gone Girl. Florence Darrow, our desperately dark, protagonist has been fired from her editing job and taken on the position of an assistant to the infamously anonymous
Maud Dixon. What should be a privileged position turns into something completely the opposite after a horrible work trip to Morocco. Who Is Maud Dixon? will keep you guessing till the end and even after you'll
still be asking questions (in the absolute best way possible). -- Olivia Schaffer, The Bookshelf,
Thomasville, GA
About Alexandra Andrews
Alexandra Andrews has worked as a journalist, editor and copywriter in New York and Paris. Who Is Maud Dixon? is her first novel. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and children.
Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney On Edelweiss | Buy
I adored this fun and impressive debut! Quinn is one of the few black students at a prestigious private school; she finds refuge in writing and making lists in her journal. Her journal goes missing and someone begins to blackmail
her with her deepest and darkest secrets. Quinn freaks out, and has to begin working with Carter, a fellow black student who she has never gotten along with. Soon, the hate they had for one another dissolves as they connect
to retrieve her journal while being forced by Quinn’s blackmailer to complete Quinn’s lists. This book is about facing your fears, being honest, and falling in love.
Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney (List Price: $17.99, HarperTeen, 9780063024793, 5/4/2021) Reviewed by Deanna Bailey, Story on the Square in
McDonough, Georgia
This was pretty intense. Right from the get-go, you’re plunged into the life of a very troubled 8 year girl who manipulates, steals, and cheats her way through life until she is sent off to reform school until she’s
18. Now she’s trying to put her life together. She has a young girl of her own who she loves her with a passion that her own mother never felt, but forces are conspiring against her, her past rising to trip her up
unless she fights back with all her will. This is a real knuckle-biter!
The First Day of Spring by Nancy Tucker (List Price: $27, Riverhead Books, 9780593191569, 5/18/2021) Reviewed by Pete Mock, McIntyre’s Fine Books in
Pittsboro, North Carolina
Linda-Marie: Reading:Looking for Alaska by John Green (haven’t laughed this hard in a long while, though it’s also full of poignant and painful teen moments) and Allies and Advocates: Creating an Inclusive and Equitable Culture by Amber Cabral Listening: Pandora’s Relaxation Station (it’s Publicity Speed Dating Week at SIBA/NAIBA!), Watching: The Great British Baking Show (may it never run out of episodes)
SP: Reading: Not a good week for reading unless Airtable support articles count! Listening: I listened to the new Celeste album, Not Your Muse. Watching: I didn't actually watch much, but I had my all-time favorite movie on in the background a lot this week: Douglas Sirk's Techni-melo-color-ultra-drama All That Heaven Allows. It has everything:
Rock Hudson falling off a cliff, Jane Wyman never speaking above a breathy whisper, horrible selfish adult children, Agnes Moorehead, broken Wedgwood teapots as a metaphor for repressed sexuality--you name it..
Lucy: Reading:Anne of Manhattan by Brina Starler - A funny, engaging, and utterly charming modern take on ANNE OF GREEN GABLES. I both cried and laughed out loud in the first 50 pages. Listening:Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier - A haunting tale with expertly rendered characters which is absolutely dripping with gothic aesthetic. I can only listen to this at night or when it’s raining because
it’s so atmospheric. Watching:For All Mankind - “The acting in this character driven show (which asks the question, “What if the Russians landed on the moon first?”) is absolutely phenomenal. Basically the entire main cast
deserves awards.
Nicki: Reading:Secrets of the Flesh: A Life of Colette by Judith Thurman (still), The Snow Ball by Brigid Brophy (book club pick), and A Time of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermor, which is less
like a travel book and more like a really really huge landscape painting. Listening: Haiti mon amour, from Celimene Daudet. (I googled "women pianists 2021" and landed on this). Watching:Good Omens because it makes me laugh.
1. Klara and the Sun Kazuo Ishiguro, Knopf, $28, 9780593318171 2. The Four Winds Kristin Hannah, St. Martin's, $28.99, 9781250178602 3. The Committed Viet
Thanh Nguyen, Grove Press, $27, 9780802157065 4. The Lost Apothecary Sarah Penner, Park Row, $27.99, 9780778311010 5. We Begin at the End Chris Whitaker, Holt,
$27.99, 9781250759665
HARDCOVER NONFICTION
1. Dusk, Night, Dawn: On Revival and Courage Anne Lamott, Riverhead Books, $20, 9780593189696 2. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse Charlie Mackesy, HarperOne, $22.99,
9780062976581 3. A Swim in a Pond in the Rain George Saunders, Random House, $28, 9781984856029 4. Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life Jordan B. Peterson, Portfolio,
$29, 9780593084649 5. Four Hundred Souls Ibram X. Kendi, Keisha N. Blain (Eds.), One World, $32, 9780593134047
Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance Supporting independent bookstores in the South SIBA | 51 Pleasant Ridge Drive | Asheville, NC 28805
Thank you for your interest in SIBA, Nicki Leone SysAdmin
nicki@sibaweb.com
THANKS TO OUR INKREADIBLE SPONSORS:
SIBA | 51 Pleasant Ridge Drive | Asheville, NC 28805 You have received this email because you are currently subscribed to receive general correspondence. Please click @@unsubscribe_url@@ if you
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Booksellers Shine!
Reader Meet Writer Spring 2021
Wildwood Whispers by Willa Reese
The Moonshiner Popcorn Sutton
Are you interested in joining the circle of bookstores
sending invites to their customers? Please 
When the Apricots Bloom by Gina Wilkinson
A Town Called Solace with Mary Lawson
