Sun, Sea, Sand and Stories

Sun, Sea, Sand and Stories

The eighth annual Amelia Island Book Festival in the heart of historic downtown Fernandina Beach is a booklover’s dream getaway. There's something for every reading taste — from novels to nonfiction, history, mystery, adventure, suspense, science fiction, Southern literature, romance, poetry and children's books.

The Book Festival is October 2-4 and will feature more than 30 selected authors of a wide variety of genres. The festival includes author chats, readings, workshops and exciting programs with book signings, luncheons and great parties.

This year’s special guest is Steve Berry. Berry lives on the Georgia coast. He still practices a little law, and also serves as one of five members of the Camden County Board of Commissioners. He has six books in print, The Amber Room, The Romanov Prophecy, The Third Secret, The Templar Legacy, The Alexandria Link, and The Venetian Betrayal which have been New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher’s Weekly bestsellers. His next one, The Charlemagne Pursuit, comes December, 2008. Steve is also an international bestseller. His books appear in 43 countries and 42 languages. Nearly 7,000,000 copies are in print worldwide.

The weekend starts on Thursday, October 2, with a Vintage and Rare Wine Auction from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Palace Saloon.

On Friday, October 3, from 7 to 9 p.m. is the time for "Rock N Roll Readings!" Enjoy a fun evening with featured authors, writers and poets as they read short, witty, edgy, entertaining excerpts.

On Saturday, October 4, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can meet the featured authors at the campus

of St. Peter's Church at 8th and Atlantic and have a chance to purchase books and get them autographed in the Book Marketplace.

Featured authors include:

Louis Bayard is the author of The Pale Blue Eye, a national bestseller nominated for both the Edgar and Dagger awards, and Mr. Timothy, a New York Times Notable Book and one of People magazine's 10 best books of 2003. Louis' novels have been translated into eight languages, including Spanish, French, Portuguese and Russian.

Laura Moriarty received her master’s degree in Creative Writing from the University of Kansas and was awarded the George Bennett Fellowship for Creative Writing at Phillips Exeter Academy. Her first novel was The Center of Everything. Her latest book is titled The Rest of Her Life.

After 35 years working in public broadcasting and as the producer of the Jacksonville Jazz Festival, Vic DiGenti turned to his first love - writing. He found inspiration in his household of feline critters and wrote three adventure/fantasies with a feline protagonist. His first two novels, Windrusher and Windrusher and the Cave of Tho-hoth have won multiple awards and attracted readers of all ages. His third book in the series is Windrusher and the Trail of Fire.

Marianne Berkes is the author of seven award-winning picture books, all inspired by her love of nature. A former teacher, librarian and children's theater director, Marianne's works include Over In The Arctic, Where the Cold Winds Blow and Going Around the Sun, Some Planetary Fun.

Grady Thrasher is a graduate of both Georgia Tech and Emory Law School. He ran his own law firm in Atlanta for more than 30 years before starting a second career as a children's author. His works include Tim & Sally's Beach Adventure and Tim & Sally's Vegetable Garden.

Jane Wood is the author of three juvenile fiction books, all of which take place in northeast Florida: Voices in St. Augustine; Adventures on Amelia Island: A Pirate, A Princess and Buried Treasure; and Trouble on the St. Johns River.

Shannon Greenland is an award-winning young adult author whose latest works in her series entitled "The Specialists" include Native Tongue and Down to the Wire.

Pam Henn is a former Walt Disney feature animation artist who is now the head of White Wolf Studio. She is the author of Nick & Slim: The Legend of the Falcon Mine and Nick & Slim: The Secret of Smuggler's Cove.

Betsy S. Lee is a recipient of The Royal Palm Literary Award for 2007 and a five star rating from The Midwest Book Review for her book Off The Track.

Kathleen Walls is the author of several books, the latest of which is Wild About Florida, the first of a three-part series about natural Florida.

Michelle Monkou was nominated for the 2003 Emma Award for Favorite New Author for her debut novel Open Your Heart. She later became part of the launch of Harlequin's new African American romance line, Kimani Romance, with her Masterson family series. Her latest works are No One But You and Gamble On Love.

Nancy Schleifer is the author of A Warrant for Mrs. Lincoln, an historical fiction about the insanity trial of Mary Todd Lincoln. Nancy is a Miami attorney and child advocate and has headed legal departments for the Guardian Ad Litem Program and the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services.

Rodney Hurst is the author of It Was Never About a Hot Dog and a Coke, which recently won the Runner-up Award in the Biography/Autobiography Category at the 2008 Beach Book Festival and Honorable Mention in the same category at the 2008 New York Book Festival.

Other authors include:

• Darrell House - Miller the Green Caterpillar and Makes Me Feel Like Singing
• Jerry "Pop" Bishop and Dr. Gail Bishop Dugger - Peter the Pelican
• Hank and Jan Racer - Marky the Barking Bullfrog and The River Rats
• Patsy Smith Roberts - Rory: The Adventures of a Lion Cub and Kabelo: The Adventures of a Baby Giraffe.
• Ron Kurtz and Roger Moore - Arfie on Amelia and Arfie Finds a Job.
• Diane Till - Here's What I Know So Far
• J.L. Miles - Divorcing Dwayne
• Lucy Beebe Tobias - 50 Great Walks in Florida
• Marsha Dean Phelts - The American Beach Cookbook
• Mike Brewster - Driving Change: The UPS Approach to Business

For a complete list and the most up-to-date information on the Amelia Island Book Festival, please visit www.bookisland.org.