Independent Bookstore Day Wrap Up

Saturday, May 2 was America's first-ever Independent Bookstore Day. Thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate at Chapters, whether you're one of the featured authors or one of those who came to meet them. For those of you unfortunate enough to be attending track meets, taking the SAT, hosting a bridal shower, or getting ready for prom, here's a taste of what you missed. Lucky for you, most of the authors left a few signed copies of their books. They won't be personalized, but they'll still make great gifts.

We started the day with presentations from Jeff McArthur, Shawn Farritor, and Sydney Olson, who provided fascinating background on their topics. Who knew Al Capone's brother was a lawman in Nebraska, or that the very last battle between the Sioux and Pawnee took place in Nebraska, or that Sydney was a pageant queen? If you're curious and want to know more, pick up one of the books by these authors!

Our second hour of authors featured Toni Morehouse, Les Williams, and Brian Hale. Toni used the picture book she wrote to illustrate interactive read-aloud strategies. I couldn't agree with her more on the importance of reading aloud with kids of all ages. Les shared the background for his collected short crime stories, and Brian reminded us all that whether we're lucky or unlucky depends a lot on how we look at circumstances. Luck is a difficult concept to pin down, and his book attempts to do so.

Saturday afternoon, we were excited to host our own Ted Kooser, who signed copies of his two newest books. Unfortunately, I forgot to mention that day that a new collection of poetry for children features one of Ted's poems. If you haven't seen Death of the Hat yet, stop in and check it out. It's currently on our "Books We Love" shelf, and you'll easily see why.  

Lucy Adkins and Anita Stohs both work with writers' groups as well as writing their own books, and they shared some information about their projects. Read Lucy's blog if you need inspiration and Anita's sweet board book if you need the perfect gift for a special baby. Lydia Kang and Tonya Kuper, authors of young adult fantasies, rounded out our hour. Their books appeal to teens and those of us adults who do most of our reading in the YA section. This photo of Tonya, Ted, and Lydia is my favorite image of the day.

Finally, we closed out the afternoon with an appearance by Stephanie Grace Whitson and Karen Shoemaker. They were the perfect pairing, as both write meticulously-researched historical novels. Stephanie's new novel is set in Missouri during the Civil War, Karen's in Nebraska just after World War I. The heroines of both books endure great challenges and provide fascinating reading that brings history to life.

You may have noticed that two of the authors who were scheduled to sign didn't make it. We'd like to offer our condolences to Mike Curd, who had to change his plans due to a death in the family. Greg Kuzma also was unable to make it Saturday. We missed you both!

Again, we appreciate all of our authors taking the time to come to Chapters. It was an honor to host you, and we hope you enjoyed the day as much as we did. For us, Independent Bookstore Day was a day to celebrate authors, our place in the Seward community, and our valued customers. Thank you all for allowing us the opportunity to do so.

The Final Few Author Biographies

In posts over the past week or so I've profiled almost all of the authors who will be at Chapters for Independent Bookstore Day on Saturday, May 2. In addition to meeting these talented authors, you'll also be able to purchase special merchandise that's only available for one day. This includes a signed Captain Underpants print, a stencil of a poem by Margaret Atwood, and a baby onesie that bears the artwork of Guess How Much I Love You. Also, for one day only, you might win a FREE copy of one of our 100 favorite books. Even the staff won't know which ones, but several of those books will ring up 100% off their cover price when you purchase them. Choose the right book, and it's yours, FREE!

Now, here are the final few authors, the ones signing from 1-2 p.m.

Stephanie Grace Whitson, who has signed at Chapters twice before and who we're excited to welcome back, has a new historical-inspirational book. Daughter of the Regiment is set in Missouri during the American Civil War and, like her other books, features a strong, upstanding female main character and in-depth research. I look forward to hearing about the research that went into this book.

Karen Shoemaker, who lives and writes in Lincoln, will be signing The Meaning of Names, this year's "Omaha Reads" title. The Meaning of Names is set in western Nebraska in 1918 and is about a woman of German descent struggling to raise her family amidst prejudice, a flu epidemic, and other hardships.

Greg Kuzma is a Nebraska poet and scholar, who taught at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for many years. Now that he's retired, he hosts poetry workshops, writes poetry, and provides feedback to writers' groups.

More author biographies for Independent Bookstore Day

Yesterday I promised to profile all of the authors who will be signing at Chapters on May 2, so here is a little information on each of the authors who will be here that morning.

Signing from 10 a.m.-11 a.m. (in no particular order):

Sydney Olson, who is a Concordia student from rural Nebraska. Sydney has written a picture book titled Curse of the Fates, which is about facing the psychological and social effects of living with alopecia, effects with which she is personally all-too familiar.

Jeff McArthur, a native Nebraskan, worked in the movie industry for fifteen years before returning to his Nebraska roots to write The Great Heist, the story of a 1930 bank robbery in Lincoln, and the nationwide search that led to the heart of Capone's organization and the return of $2.7 million.

Michael Curd, formerly a pastor in Milford, returns to Chapters to sign his book Through the Valley, a fictionalized account of a hospital chaplain in a major trauma center. Mike's a great supporter of Chapters, and we're looking forward to his return visit.

Shawn Farritor, author of novels about Native Americans in Nebraska territory before the Civil War, will make his first visit to Chapters for Independent Bookstore Day. He grew up in Ravenna, Nebraska, and now lives in Grand Island, where he works as a lawyer and author. His newest book is The Pawnee War.

Authors signing from 11 a.m.-noon on May 2 are:
Toni Morehouse, a speech-language pathologist from Lincoln, Nebraska, has written Junie's Unicorn Horn, a picture book of a unicorn's troubles on her first day of school. Happily, in the end, Junie's horn saves the day!

Les Williams, also of Lincoln, retired from his government job in 2006 and began writing short stories and newspaper columns. His collection of crime-mystery short stories is titled Justice Seekers, and he'll be signing for the first time at Chapters.

Brian Hale, a Colorado native, was injured in a chain saw accident as a youth. After hearing for years how lucky he was to survive the accident, he has written Are You Lucky? in an attempt to understand and clarify what luck is and how it works in our lives.

Independent Bookstore Day (and a shout out for Wine and Words)

 First, the "Shout Out."

Join us at Junto Winery on Thursday, April 30 at 7 p.m., for our very first Wine and Words event. Pre-register by calling or stopping by Chapters to pay and pick up your book, Wit and Wisdom from Poor Richard's Almanack, which we've chosen as our first book to discuss over wine at Junto for a very specific reason. . . . You'll have to come to the event to find out why! Join us for fellowship, wine, and fun talk about books. Cost is $25 (book and a glass of wine) or $7 (glass of wine). Your contribution includes a donation to the Seward Read to Me Program, which gives books to local children and encourages parents to read aloud with their children. Hope to see you there!

 Now, on to Independent Bookstore Day. . .

Saturday, May 2 is Seward's Prom. Almost as exciting, though, is that it's the first-ever National Independent Bookstore Day! To celebrate, Chapters will be hosting fifteen local authors for signings, as well as promoting merchandise from well-known authors that will be available ONLY on that day. We're also putting together a display of the staff's 100 favorite books of all time, and for one day only, a random selection of those books will be FREE. All you have to do is choose the correct book, and when you try to pay for it, our computer will give you a 100% discount!

While we're glad to have every single one of the authors who will be here, we're especially excited to welcome back Ted Kooser, Stephanie Grace Whitson, and Lydia Kang to sign their new books. Ted and Lydia will be here from noon-1 p.m. on Saturday, May 2, and Stephanie will be here from 1-2 p.m.

Over the next few days, I'll be providing a bit of background on each of the authors who is coming for Independent Bookstore Day, starting with those who will be signing from noon-1 p.m. The complete schedule of authors is available at www.sewardchapters.com and at the end of this post.

Ted Kooser needs little introduction. He'll be signing his two latest books, Splitting an Order, a poetry collection, and The Wheeling Year, a collection of very short prose (personally, this is one of my favorites of all of his books).

Lydia Kang, an Omaha physician and author, has written Control  and Catalyst for young adults and those who enjoy YA literature. Set in a futuristic society in what now is known as Nebraska and Iowa, her books combine medical science fiction, romance, and mystery and are thrilling reads for fans of The Hunger Games and other dystopian novels. She's also an incredibly nice person and happy to share her thoughts on ways to incorporate writing into a busy schedule.

Tonya Kuper, also a YA writer from Omaha, will make her first visit to Chapters to promote her book, Anomaly, the story of a girl who can bend reality with her thoughts. I love the cover and will let you know how wonderful this book is when I've had a chance to read it. Lydia speaks highly of both Tonya and her book, so I look forward to meeting her.

Lucy Adkins, poet, teacher, blogger, and author of Writing in Community, will be here to encourage any aspiring writers. We've used her book, which she co-wrote with Becky Breed, to form and guide our writers' group. I find it very inspiring, helpful, and comforting. The book--and Lucy--are just what you need if you're ready to take a leap of faith and start writing.

Anita Stohs lives in Kansas City, but she has relatives in the Seward area and visits frequently. Her children's books are mostly craft and activity books for Sunday school and Bible school groups, but her  Hush, Little One is a sweet board book for babies, perfect for a baptism gift or just to read with a special baby.

Stephanie Grace Whitson, of Lincoln, writes thoroughly researched historical fiction with a Christian touch. Her newest book, Daughter of the Regiment, came out in late March and is set on a Missouri plantation during the American Civil War. I enjoy Whitson's strong female characters and always learn something of the time period in which she sets her books. Her books make great Mother's Day gifts, too, especially when signed! Stephanie will sign from 1-2 p.m.