Fans have a chance to meet authors

Local readers had a chance Saturday to meet the area's home-grown writing talents with a Local Author Festival at The Book Stall.

Liz Stewart, Ed Heffelfinger, James Nestor, Debi Toporoff, Regina Ridgell and Ashley Putnam Evans spent the day at tables at The Book Stall chatting with customers and selling and signing copies of their books. Their subject matter ranged from baby turtles to the immigration debate.

"I'm looking for 'Princess Prissypants Wishes the World Pink.' My granddaughter loves everything pink. It's funny; she's so outdoorsy, but she wants everything pink," said shopper Phoebe Walters.

"We're really pleased with the turnout today," said bookstore owner Ann Carlson. "We thought if we combined all these authors, there would be serendipitous discoveries - people could see other books by other authors. For first-time authors especially, it can be hard to build a following."

Nestor was one of those first-timers out to build a following for his first book, "The Role of Fiction: How Our Imaginations Enrich Our Lives."

"I watched the movie 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,' and I asked myself what would make a girl open a wardrobe like that, and I realized it's because her imagination had no limits. In fiction, there are no limits except the ones we create," he said of his book. "I asked myself what role fiction plays in our lives, and what role our lives play in creating it, and that became the book."

Heffelfinger has two books to his credit, "Has America's Melting Pot Become Tarnished?" and "Will the United Nations Fail in its Role as Protector of World Peace?"

"It's just an opportunity to talk to people about my books," he said. "My books are related to history, and I enjoy talking about that subject."

For information about local authors' works or upcoming events, call The Book Stall at 644-0604 or visit the shop on Hayne Avenue.

Contact Suzanne Stone at sstone@aikenstandard.com.