Friday with the Writers

I am back from a nice trip to Charleston. Yesterday was the main reason for the visit and this is sorta how it went.

Lori and I arrived at Fish, a local restaurant on King Street, by noon in time to get settled before lunch. We sat in the narrow dining room at one of the white cloth covered tables for four and were soon joined by a nice woman whom we learned is a writer and working on a non-romance but definitely for women novel. All forty of us attendees were served either vegetarian or braised beef moo shu with miso cucumber salad. It was new to me but light and refreshing with that distinct gingery Asian flavor. As we were tasting our last bites, Nicole Seitz was introduced and then spoke to the group. She told a little about the inspiration for her third book A Hundred Years of Happiness that was being released that very day, and then read from it. It touched me, and I was smitten with this mature, insightful, talented yet humble young woman. Then the popular author of seventeen novels Anne Rivers Siddons came to the podium and charmingly read some from her latest book Off Season. I listened and watched, and in ways besides the shape of her face and the red lipstick...what was it that reminded me of my mother? Aha! Mother read to me also in my adulthood, usually her most recent poem or dream.

After the luncheon we walked in the blustery cold about a block down King to Blue Bicycle Books, a sponsor of the event. Right inside there were stacks of fancy little sweets, brie and crackers, and bottles of champagnes in copper buckets of ice. Anne and Nicole were seated to the right already signing stacks of newly purchased books. (Photo here.) The bookstore, like the restaurant, had a narrow shop front but went deep into the back, and it was lined with books of all sorts. Not a big spender, I did buy a total of four, one an old bio of Dorothea Dix that may get even dustier before I get around to reading it. I was watching for Anne Siddons to come back to the table but got so engrossed in my conversation with Nicole that I missed her exit from the store. Lori and I bolted out and spotting her red and black jacket up from us on the busy sidewalk called "Anne!" but she was talking with her companion and didn't turn around. Lori caught up with her first, practically having to tackle her, but Mrs. Siddons graciously signed my books.


We tried walking around the city some after that but it was uncommonly chilly, and since we had accomplished what we set out to do, we headed back. It was a lot of fun.