Lorelei ramps up spring book-signing season

Published 8:06 pm Friday, March 7, 2014

 

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If you go
Lorelei Books, 1103 S. Washington St.  has book signings and poetry readings beginning Wednesday.
For more information, call 601-634-8624 or visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/Lorelei-Books/259078851713.

The schedule:
• Wednesday — 11 a.m.-1 p.m. — “Heart Wide Open” — Shellie Rushing Tomlinson
• March 22 — 5 p.m. — Poetry reading by Julie Kane and Gail White
• April 2 — 11 a.m.-1 p.m. — “The Reading Circle” — Ashton Lee
• April 5 — 2-4 p.m. — “The B.T.C. Old-Fashioned Grocery Cookbook”—Alexe Van Beuren and Dixie Grimes
• April 15 — 7 p.m. — “He Said, She Said” tour — Mark Parsons and Wendelin Van Drannen
• May 10 — 2-4 p.m. — “Shape Up Sisters!”— Linda Fondren
• May 31 — 2-4 p.m. — “The True Gospel Preached Here” — Bruce West

Laura Weeks has been offering locals the opportunity to meet and greet with authors both noted and obscure since she opened her book store in 2006 — and the independent book seller shows no signs of letting up with her schedule of events for spring.
“I’m usually happy if I can get a couple of events in a month,” said Weeks, who is the owner of Lorelei Books, which is located on Washington Street.
Weeks said it is very typical that spring is busy since most publishers release new books in the spring and fall.
“It does have a seasonal flow,” she said.
Shellie Rushing Tomlinson is scheduled for a book signing from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday.
Tomlinson, who is the author of “Sue Ellen’s Girl Ain’t Fat, She Just Weighs Heavy” and “Suck Your Stomach In & Put Some Color ON!”is releasing her first faith book, Weeks said, “Heart Wide Open.”
In Tomlinson’s book, she invites readers to answer the call of their restless heart and refuse to settle for anything less than the intimate friendship of God, said Weeks. The book will also offer practical inspiration, to help exchange a “just enough Jesus” mindset for an all-out pursuit of salvation, add inspiration to Bible study and trade formulaic devotions for a devoted life.
At 5 p.m. March 22, an evening of poetry is planned for the Lorelei Loft.
“Poets, Julie Kane and Gail White will focus on their light verse, so the audience should prepare for lots of laughs,” said Weeks, “but with both women respected formalist poets, who write poetry which delivers a serious punch, I’ve also asked them to read a couple of poems which do not fall in the “light verse” category.”
Both women reside in Louisiana and Kane was the 2011-13 Louisiana Poet Laureate.
Ashton Lee, author of “The Cherry Cola Book Club,” which debuted in 2013, will be signing his latest installment of the series, “The Reading Circle” from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 2.
As stated in the book’s press release, Lee’s novel revisits the quirky fictitious town of Cherico, Mississippi, where potluck meetings are held at the local library. “The Reading Circle” reveals stories with twists and unexpected heroes as the Cherry Cola Book Club tries to hang on to their financially strapped library.
Born in Natchez, Lee said he comes from a large extended Southern family, which has given him much fodder for his fiction later in life.
From 2 to 4 p.m. April 5, “The B.T.C. Old-Fashioned Grocery Cookbook” signing is scheduled and Weeks said, she is expecting some of Vicksburg’s highest officials to turn out.
“This is more than a cookbook,” she said, “it is also a story that speaks to Main Street America.”
Alexe Van Beuren and Dixie Grimes will be on hand to sign the cookbook and share their story of how the B.T.C. Old-Fashioned Grocery has played a role in helping revive the small town of Water Valley.
B.T.C. is the acronym of the store’s motto, “Be the Change.”
The B.T.C. Old-Fashioned Grocery strives to works with local farmers and uses grassfed ground beef, local eggs, and glass-bottled milk. They also offer a café, which serves breakfast and lunch. Best known for their sausage gravy and grits, other specialties include Tex-Mex pimento cheese, hand-pulled chicken salad and hoop & havarti macaroni. Customers can also take home casseroles and deli salads.
B.T.C. Grocery Store has been included in publications of the Mississippi Magazine, the New York Times, Food & Wine and the Wall Street Journal.
The cookbook shares 120 of the store’s best recipes and stories that have brought the community together.
On April 15 Lorelei Books will host the “He Said, She Said” tour beginning at 7 p.m.
This is not a typical book signing, said Weeks, Authors Mark Parsons and Wendelin Van Drannen, who are married, will not only sign and talk about the books the couple have written independently, but they will also discuss their writing process, how they stay motivated and their “pact” that helps them be more creative and productive. Books featured on the tour include Van Draanen’s best-selling Sammy Keyes mystery series and a selection of her popular novels including “The Running Dream” and “Flip.”
One of Vickburg’s own will usher in the first book-signing in May.
From 2 to 4 p.m. May 10,  Linda Fondren, owner of Shape Up Sisters will be on hand to sign Shape Up Sisters! The story of how Fondren opened an all-female gym in her hometown of Vicksburg with the mission to “positively reshape women.”
Fondren’s book includes strategies on how to interject exercise into daily activities, recipes and menus for eating healthfully on a budget. She also shares her personal story and those of women who have changed their lives by following her simple strategies.
Bruce West’s color photos highlight his book entitiled “The True Gospel Preached Here” which he will sign from 2 to 4 p.m. May 31.
West’s photographs document the more than 20 years of spiritual and creative work of the Rev. D. Dennis and his wife Margaret’s conversion of the nondenominational church that locals know as Margaret’s Grocery. West’s images are a product of 20 years of work and multiple visits as he captured the couple’s love of God and one another.
Weeks said she was excited about all of the upcoming events and promised that more are in the works. Lorelei is at 1103 Washington St. For more information, call 601-634-8624 or visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/Lorelei-Books/259078851713.

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

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