975 Paoli Pike • West Goshen Center • West Chester, PA 19380 • 610-696-1661(p)
Upcoming Author Signings and Events
| Saturday, May 17, 2008 (1:00 PM) WENDELIN VAN DRAANEN  WENDELIN VAN DRAANEN, the award-winning author of books for middle-grade and young adult readers, visits to sign and discuss her latest volume, CONFESSIONS OF A SERIAL KISSER, at 1:00 PM. Her notable books include the highly acclaimed Shredderman series, the Sammy Keyes series, and the popular novels FLIPPED, RUNAWAY, SWEAR TO HOWDY, and HOW I SURVIVED BEING A GIRL. Sunday, May 18, 2008 (1:00 PM) Thursday, May 22, 2008 (7:00 PM) Friday, May 23, 2008 (7:30 PM) Monday, June 02, 2008 (7:00 PM) Wednesday, June 04, 2008 (7:00 PM) Thursday, June 05, 2008 (7:30 PM) Monday, June 09, 2008 (7:30 PM) Wednesday, June 11, 2008 (7:30 PM) Thursday, June 12, 2008 (7:30 PM)
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Direct from London, celebrated author PENNY VINCENZI visits us to sign and discuss her newly released trade paperback, SHEER ABANDON, at 1:00 PM. A number-one bestseller from one of Britain’s most popular novelists, this work is an all-consuming story revolving around the consequences of a desperate act. Martha, Clio, and Jocasta meet by chance at Heathrow airport in 1985 as they are starting off on separate backpacking adventures, and they decide to spend the first few days of their trips together in Thailand. When they go their separate ways, they vow to get together in London the following year. But many years pass before the three cross paths again, and the once-capricious, carefree girls now all have thriving careers. One of them, however, harbors a terrible secret: On her return from her pre-college excursion, she abandoned her just-born daughter at Heathrow. Clio has fulfilled her ambition of becoming a doctor, only to find herself trapped in a marriage to an arrogant surgeon who belittles her and her professional achievements. Martha is a highly paid corporate lawyer, just embarking on a political career. Dedicated to her job, she has had little time for personal relationships and lives a busy, but lonely life. Jocasta, a tabloid newspaper reporter with an infallible instinct for the big story, is in love with a charming colleague who can’t make the permanent commitment she longs for. The infant abandoned at Heathrow has grown up under the loving care of her adoptive family. Now a beautiful teenager named Kate, she sets out to find her birth mother – a quest that unexpectedly brings the women together and exposes the secret buried so many years before. Impossible to put down, SHEER ABANDON is top-notch women’s fiction, and a perfect volume for reading groups. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to meet a charming and gifted writer.
Award-winning author MARIAH STEWART visits to sign and discuss her latest novel, MERCY STREET, at 7:00 PM. Stewart is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of nineteen novels and three novellas and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal. She is a RITA finalist in romantic suspense and the recipient of the Award of Excellence for contemporary romance, a RIO Award for excellence in women's fiction, and a Reviewers Choice Award from Romantic Times Magazine. A three-time winner of the Golden Leaf Award presented by the New Jersey Romance Writers, Stewart was recently awarded their Lifetime Achievement Award (which placed her in their Hall of Fame along with former recipients Nora Roberts and Mary Jo Putney – very excellent company indeed!
ROBERT K. TANENBAUM, a master of the legal thriller, visits to sign and discuss his latest novel, ESCAPE, at 7:30 PM. Tanenbaum is one of the country's most successful trial lawyers – he has never lost a felony case. He has been homicide bureau chief for the New York District Attorney's Office and deputy chief counsel to the congressional committee investigations into the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Most recently, he has taught Advanced Criminal Procedure at the University of California at Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law. His previous works include the novels FURY, HOAX, RESOLVED, ENEMY WITHIN, and ABSOLUTE RAGE and two true-crime books, THE PIANO TEACHER; THE TRUE STORY OF A PSYCHOTIC KILLER and BADGE OF THE ASSASSIN.
JEFF SHAARA, America’s premier author of military historical fiction, visits to sign and discuss his new volume, THE STEEL WAVE, at 7:00 PM. Shaara is the New York Times bestselling author of TO THE LAST MAN, THE GLORIOUS CAUSE, RISE TO REBELLION, and GONE FOR SOLDIERS, as well as GODS AND GENERALS and THE LAST FULL MEASURE – two novels that complete the Civil War trilogy that began with his father’s Pulitzer Prize- winning classic THE KILLER ANGELS. Jeff’s volumes have captivated readers with vivid and compelling tales covering the American Revolution, the Civil War, the U.S. Mexican War, World War I, and World War II. His latest, THE STEEL WAVE, a fictional account of D-Day and the Allied invasion of Europe, chronicles the events of the World War II campaign and the personalities who took part, from the ordinary soldiers on the land and in the air, to such leaders as Dwight Eisenhower, George Patton, and Omar Bradley, as their efforts changed the course of the war.
Acclaimed historian and bestselling novelist ALLISON WEIR visits to sign and discuss her new fiction work, THE LADY ELIZABETH, at 7:00 PM. Following the tremendous success of her debut novel, INNOCENT TRAITOR, Weir turns her masterly storytelling skills to the early life of young Elizabeth Tudor, who would grow up to become England’s most intriguing and powerful queen. Before she is three, Elizabeth learns of the tragic fate that has befallen her mother, the enigmatic and seductive Anne Boleyn, and that she herself has been declared illegitimate, an injustice that will haunt her all her life. What comes next is a succession of stepmothers, bringing with them glimpses of love, fleeting security, tempestuous conflict, and tragedy. The death of her father puts the teenage Elizabeth in greater peril, leaving her at the mercy of ambitious and unscrupulous men. Like her mother two decades earlier, she is imprisoned in the Tower of London – and fears she will also meet her mother’s grisly end. Power-driven politics, private scandal and public gossip, a disputed succession, and the grievous example of her sister, “Bloody” Queen Mary, all cement Elizabeth’s resolve in matters of statecraft and love, and set the stage for her transformation into the iconic Virgin Queen. Sweeping in scope, this volume is a fascinating portrayal of a woman far ahead of her time – whose dangerous and dramatic path to the throne shapes her future greatness. An accomplished researcher, Weir is also the author of the notable historical biographies HENRY VIII, ELEANOR OF AQUITAINE, THE LIFE OF ELIZABETH I, and THE SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII.
PATRICK CREED visits to sign and discuss his compelling, non-fiction narrative, FIREFIGHT: INSIDE THE BATTLE TO SAVE THE PENTAGON ON 9/11, at 7:30 PM. Amid all the stories of tragedy and heroism on September 11, there is one tale that has yet to be told – the gripping account of ordinary men and women braving the inferno at the Pentagon to rescue friends and co-workers, save the nation’s military headquarters, and defend their country. Pentagon firefighters Alan Wallace and Mark Skipper had just learned the shocking news that planes had struck the World Trade Center when they saw something equally inconceivable: a twin-engine jetliner flying straight at them. It was American Airlines Flight 77, rushing toward its target. In his Pentagon office, Army major David King was planning a precautionary evacuation when the room suddenly erupted in flames. Arlington firefighters Derek Spector, Brian Roache, and Ron Christman, among the first responders at the scene, were stunned by the sight that met them: a huge flaming hole gouged into the Pentagon’s side, a lawn strewn with smoking debris, and thousands of people, some badly injured, stumbling away from what would become one of the most daunting fires in American history. For more than twenty-four hours, Arlington firefighters and other crews faced some of the most dangerous and unusual circumstances imaginable. The size and structure of the Pentagon itself presented unique challenges, compelling firefighters to devise ingenious tactics and make bold decisions – until they finally extinguished the fire that threatened to cripple America’s military infrastructure just when it was needed most. Granted unprecedented access to the major players in the valiant response efforts, Patrick Creed take us step-by-step through the harrowing minutes, hours, and days following the crash of American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon’s western façade. Providing fascinating personal stories of the firefighters and rescuers, a broader view of how the U.S. national security command structure was held intact, and a sixteen-page insert of dramatic photographs, FIREFIGHT is a unique testament to the fortitude and resilience of America.
SANDRA GULLAND, the author of the internationally acclaimed Josephine Bonaparte trilogy, returns with another irresistible historical novel, this one based on the life of Louise de la Vallière, who, against all odds, became one of the most mysterious consorts of France's Louis XIV, the charismatic Sun King. Set against the magnificent decadence of the seventeenth-century French court, MISTRESS OF THE SUN begins when an eccentric young Louise falls in love with a wild white stallion and uses ancient magic to tame him. This one desperate action of her youth shadows her throughout her life, changing it in ways she could never imagine. Unmarriageable, and too poor to join a convent, Louise enters the court of the Sun King, where the king is captivated by her. As their love unfolds, Louise bears Louis four children, is made a duchess, and reigns unrivaled as his official mistress until dangerous intrigue threatens her position at court and in Louis's heart. A riveting love story with a captivating mystery at its heart, MISTRESS OF THE SUN illuminates both the power of true and perfect love and the rash actions we take to capture and tame it. This author visit and signing event will begin at 7:30 PM.
Educator, author, and horse enthusiast LINDA HANNA visits to sign and discuss her book, BARBARO, SMARTY JONES & RUFFIAN: THE PEOPLE’S HORSES, at 7:30 PM. Most people appreciate Smarty Jones for his dynamic pursuit of the 2004 Triple Crown. They admire Barbaro for his dramatic fight for survival after breaking his leg during the 2006 Preakness Stakes. They recall the legendary filly Ruffian’s fatal injury during the Great Match Race against 1975 Kentucky Derby winner, Foolish Pleasure. Everyone remembers these equine stars, but Hanna’s research provides new and previously unpublished information. Through exclusive interviews with owners, trainers, jockeys, equine veterinarians, pedigree specialists and racing officials, she carries fans to another level of knowledge and appreciation. In BARBARO, SMARTY JONES & RUFFIAN, Hanna brings a new perspective to the private and public lives of these three horses.
JOHN DEDAKIS, an editor and staff writer at CNN’s The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, visits to sign and discuss his fiction volume, FAST TRACK, at 7:30 PM. This work is a suspense novel about a young, strong-minded woman’s quest to find purpose in life as she unravels the mystery of her parents’ deaths 25 years earlier when she was an infant. The backdrop is journalism and the compelling tale deals with several issues including suicide, journalistic integrity, anonymous sources, and mentoring relationships. It’s also a great book club read!