BBB Author Series

Have Lunch with Three Great Authors Thursday at Halls Signature Events! Karen White, Lauren Willig and Beatriz Williams

Have lunch with three of our favorite authors, Karen White, Lauren Willig and Beatriz Williams, Thursday Sept. 6 at High Cotton as we celebrate their new collaboration: "The Glass Ocean"

From the New York Times bestselling authors of The Forgotten Room comes a captivating historical mystery, infused with romance that links the lives of three women across a century, two deep in the past, one in the present, to the doomed passenger liner, RMS Lusitania. It's The Glass Ocean. The three-course luncheon with the authors at High Cotton, 199 East Bay Street, is $61 and includes a signed book. Or, you can choose a two-lunches/one-book ticket for $94. Additional books will be available for purchase at the event.   Click Here for Tickets   About the Book May 2013 Her finances are in dire straits and bestselling author Sarah Blake is struggling to find a big idea for her next book. Desperate, she breaks the one promise she made to her Alzheimers-stricken mother and opens an old chest that belonged to her great-grandfather, who died when the RMS Lusitania was sunk by a German U-Boat in 1915. What she discovers there could change history. Sarah embarks on an ambitious journey to England to enlist the help of John Langford, a recently disgraced Member of Parliament whose family archives might contain the only key to the long-ago catastrophe. . . .   April 1915 Southern belle Caroline Telfair Hochstetters marriage is in crisis. Her formerly attentive industrialist husband, Gilbert, has become remote, pre-occupied with business . . . and something else that she can't quite put a finger on. She's hoping a trip to London in Lusitanias lavish first-class accommodations will help them reconnect but she can't ignore the spark she feels for her old friend, Robert Langford, who turns out to be on the same voyage. Feeling restless and longing for a different existence, Caroline is determined to stop being a bystander, and take charge of her own life. . . .   Tessa Fairweather is traveling second-class on the Lusitania, returning home to Devon. Or at least, that's her story. Tessa has never left the United States and her English accent is a hasty fake. Shes really Tennessee Schaff, the daughter of a roving con man, and she can steal and forge just about anything. But shes had enough. Her partner has promised that if they can pull off this one last heist aboard the Lusitania, they'll finally leave the game behind. Tess desperately wants to believe that, but Tess has the uneasy feeling there's something about this job that isn't as it seems. . . .   As the Lusitania steams toward its fate, three women work against time to unravel a plot that will change the course of their own lives . . . and history itself. About the Authors Karen White is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 20 novels, including the Tradd Street series, The Night the Lights Went Out, Flight Patterns, The Sound of Glass, A Long Time Gone, and The Time Between.   She is the coauthor of The Forgotten Room with NY Times bestselling authors Beatriz Williams and Lauren Willig. Karen’s roots run deep in the South where many of her novels are set. Her intricate plot lines and compelling characters charm and captivate readers with just the right mix of family drama, mystery, intrigue and romance. She grew up in London but now lives with her husband near Atlanta, Georgia.   Beatriz Williams is the New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author of The Summer Wives, The Secret Life of Violet Grant, A Hundred Summers, A Certain Age, and several other works of historical fiction. A graduate of Stanford University with an MBA in Finance from Columbia University, Beatriz worked as a communications and corporate strategy consultant in New York and London before she turned her attention to writing novels that combine her passion for history with an obsessive devotion to voice and characterization. Beatriz’s books have won numerous awards, have been translated into more than a dozen languages, and appear regularly in bestseller lists around the world.   Lauren Willig is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Pink Carnation series and several stand alone works of historical fiction, including The Ashford Affair, That Summer, The Other Daughter, and the collaborative novel, The Forgotten Room. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages, awarded the RITA, Booksellers Best and Golden Leaf awards, and chosen for the American Library Association’s annual list of the best genre fiction. After graduating from Yale University, she embarked on a PhD in English History at Harvard before leaving academia to acquire a JD at Harvard Law while authoring her Pink Carnation series of Napoleonic-set novels. Click here for tickets. About the Bookseller Books are provided by Blue Bicycle Books, sponsor of Charleston Author Series and an independent bookstore and staple in the downtown Charleston community selling new, used and rare books in the fashionable Upper King Street District.   Doors open at 11:30 a.m. and lunch is served at noon. Limited seating provides an intimate experience with the author. In addition to three creative courses by Halls Executive Chef Mathew Niessner, the cash bar will feature specialty cocktails and wines.   About High Cotton From conversation and laughter in our bar to our stylish dining rooms of heart pine floors and antique brick, you’ll come to understand true Charleston hospitality. That is, there’s always cause for celebration – of our neighbors, our food and drink and each other. It’s our great pleasure to share it with you.   High Cotton, 199 East Bay Street, Charleston, SC 29401

Blue Bicycle Books Charleston Author Series August 9 with Kristan Higgins "Good Luck with That"

Join us for Blue Bicycle Books Charleston Author Series with Kristan Higgins for lunch Thursday, August 9th at High Cotton in downtown Charleston, as she discusses her newest novel and one issue every woman deals with, loving themselves just the way they are. Click Here for Tickets

About Kristan Higgins Kristan Higgins is the New York Times, USA TODAY, Wall Street Journal and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of 18 novels, which have been translated into more than two dozen languages and have sold millions of copies worldwide.   Her books have received dozens of awards and accolades, including starred reviews from Kirkus, The New York Journal of Books, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and Booklist. She is a five-time nominee for The Kirkus Prize for Best Work of Fiction, and her books regularly appear on the lists for best novels of the year of many prestigious journals and review sites.   The three-course lunch with Kristan is $50 and includes a book signed by the author. Or, you can choose a lunch ticket for $32. Books will be available for purchase at the event.

Click here for tickets.

About the Book One of Purewow's Best Beach Reads of Summer 2018. ~ books that make you laugh, cry and laugh again ~   New York Times bestselling author Kristan Higgins is beloved for her heartfelt novels filled with humor and wisdom. Now, she tackles an issue every woman deals with: body image and self-acceptance.   Emerson, Georgia, and Marley have been best friends ever since they met at a weight-loss camp as teens. When Emerson tragically passes away, she leaves one final wish for her best friends: to conquer the fears they still carry as adults.    For each of them, that means something different. For Marley, it's coming to terms with the survivor's guilt she's carried around since her twin sister's death, which has left her blind to the real chance for romance in her life. For Georgia, it's about learning to stop trying to live up to her mother's and brother's ridiculous standards, and learning to accept the love her ex-husband has tried to give her.    But as Marley and Georgia grow stronger, the real meaning of Emerson's dying wish becomes truly clear: more than anything, she wanted her friends to love themselves.    A novel of compassion and insight, Good Luck With That tells the story of two women who learn to embrace themselves just the way they are.

About the Bookseller Books are provided by Blue Bicycle Books, sponsor of Charleston Author Series and an independent bookstore and staple in the downtown Charleston community selling new, used and rare books in the fashionable Upper King Street District.   Doors open at 11:30 a.m. and lunch is served at noon. Limited seating provides an intimate experience with the author. In addition to three creative courses by Halls Executive Chef Matt Greene, the cash bar will feature specialty cocktails and wines.

About the Venue High Cotton is located at 199 East Bay Street, just across from S.N.O.B. and Halls Signature Events. From conversation and laughter in the bar to to stylish dining rooms of heart pine floors and antique brick, you’ll come to understand true Charleston hospitality. That is, there’s always cause for celebration – of our neighbors, our food and drink and each other.   High Cotton, owned and operated by the Hall Family, uses the finest quality ingredients and expertly crafts them into the most delicious Lowcountry dishes.

The Secret Token: Myth, Obsession, and the Search for the Lost Colony of Roanoke at Charleston Author Series July 20

Andrew Lawler's sensational new book, The Secret Token: Myth, Obsession, and the Search for the Lost Colony of Roanoke, is for lovers of history, mystery and current events, with sobering truths about race, gender, and immigration---exposed by the Lost Colony of Roanoke.   Join author Andrew Lawler for lunch Friday, July 20 at Halls Signature Events, 5 Faber Street in downtown Charleston, as he discusses one of the oldest and greatest mysteries in our history.   Click Here for Tickets

About Andrew Lawler Andrew Lawler is an award-winning journalist and author of two books including is newest The Secret Token: Myth, Obsession, and the Search for the Lost Colony of Roanoke, a Southern Independent Best Seller, and Why Did the Chicken Cross the World: The Epic Saga of the Bird that Powers Civilization.    As a journalist, he has written more than a thousand newspaper and magazine articles from more than two dozen countries. His byline has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, National Geographic, Smithsonian, and many others. He is contributing writer for Science and contributing editor for Archaeology. Andrew’s work has appeared several times in The Best of Science and Nature Writing.   The three-course lunch with Andrew is $62 and includes a book, signed by the author. Or, you can choose a lunch ticket for $32. Books will be available for purchase at the event.

Click here for tickets.

About the Book A sweeping account of America's oldest unsolved mystery, the people racing to unearth its answer, and the sobering truths--about race, gender, and immigration--exposed by the Lost Colony of Roanoke    In 1587, 115 men, women, and children arrived at Roanoke Island on the coast of North Carolina. Chartered by Queen Elizabeth I, their colony was to establish England's first foothold in the New World. But when the colony's leader, John White, returned to Roanoke from a resupply mission, his settlers were nowhere to be found. They left behind only a single clue--a "secret token" carved into a tree. Neither White nor any other European laid eyes on the colonists again.   What happened to the Lost Colony of Roanoke? For four hundred years, that question has consumed historians and amateur sleuths, leading only to dead ends and hoaxes. But after a chance encounter with a British archaeologist, journalist Andrew Lawler discovered that solid answers to the mystery were within reach. He set out to unravel the enigma of the lost settlers, accompanying competing researchers, each hoping to be the first to solve its riddle. In the course of his journey, Lawler encounters a host of characters obsessed with the colonists and their fate, and he determines why the Lost Colony continues to haunt our national consciousness.   Thrilling and absorbing, a national bestseller, The Secret Token offers a new understanding not just of the first English settlement in the New World but of how its disappearance continues to define--and divide--America.   Books are provided by Blue Bicycle Books, sponsor of Charleston Author Series and an independent bookstore and staple in the downtown Charleston community selling new, used and rare books in the fashionable Upper King Street District.   Doors open at 11:30 a.m. and lunch is served at noon. Limited seating provides an intimate experience with the author. In addition to three creative courses by Halls Executive Chef Matt Green, the cash bar will feature specialty cocktails and wines.

Pulitzer Prize Winning Author Rick Bragg With His New Book "Tales From My Momma's Table" Monday, June 25

From Pulitzer Prize-winning author Rick Bragg comes a delectable, rollicking food memoir The Best Cook in the World: Tales From My Momma’s Table. It's a cookbook and loving tribute to a region, a vanishing history, a family, and, especially, to his mother. Join us Monday, June 25 at Halls Signature Events at 5 Faber Street, just behind SNOB off East Bay Street.

Special guest David DiBenedetto, senior vice president and editor in chief of Garden & Gun will be "in conversation" with Bragg. Halls Chefs will prepare a luncheon inspired by the book. The three-course luncheon is $62 and includes a book, signed by the author. Or, you can choose a two tickets/one book option.

Click Here for Tickets.

About Rick Bragg

Rick Bragg is an American journalist and writer known for non-fiction books, especially those about his family in Alabama. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1996 recognizing his work at The New York Times. Bragg is the author of seven books, including the best-selling Ava's Man. He is also a regular contributor to Garden & Gun Magazine. He lives in Alabama. 

 

About the Book

Bragg's mother Margaret Bragg does not own a single cookbook. She measures in "dabs" and "smidgens" and "tads" and "you know, hon, just some." She cannot be pinned down on how long to bake cornbread ("about 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the mysteries of your oven"). Her notion of farm-to-table is a flatbed truck. But she can tell you the secrets to perfect mashed potatoes, corn pudding, redeye gravy, pinto beans and hambone, stewed cabbage, short ribs, chicken and dressing, biscuits and butter rolls. 

 

The irresistible stories in The Best Cook in the World: Tales From My Momma’s Table are of long memory -- many of them pre-date the Civil War, handed down skillet to skillet, from one generation of Braggs to the next. In The Best Cook in the World, Rick Bragg finally preserves his heritage by telling the stories that framed his mother's cooking and education, from childhood into old age. Because good food always has a good story, and a recipe, writes Bragg, is a story like anything else.

 

"Wonderful, rollicking, poignant, sometimes hilarious tales about how generations of Bragg's extended family survived from one meal to the next." USA Today (four stars)

 

"This book is a tribute, a monument, to his mother and her people, captured here in solid recipes for good food... All the stories in this book... gleam with a special luster; they've been polished by time, and no one is meant to get hung up on the details." The Wall Street Journal

 

"A beautifully written memoir... For readers who crave soul with their recipes, this is a fitting tribute to food ways that are fast escaping." Library Journal (starred review)

 

Books are provided by Blue Bicycle Books, an independent bookstore and staple in the downtown Charleston community selling new, used and rare books in the fashionable Upper King Street District.

 

Doors open at 11:30 AM June 25 and lunch is served at noon. Limited seating provides an intimate experience with the author. In addition to three creative courses by Halls Executive Chef Matt Green, the bar will feature specialty cocktails and wines.

 

About the Venue

Halls Signature Events is located at 5 Faber Street, just off East Bay Street directly behind S.N.O.B. There is a city-owned parking garage right next door, with an entrance on Cumberland Street for your convenience

 

In the heart of historic downtown Charleston on a cobblestone street, Halls Signature Events is a 6,900 square-foot space, perfect for corporate meetings, cocktail and dinner receptions, welcome parties, weddings, rehearsal dinners and holiday parties for up to 250 guests.

 

Charleston's Own Mary Alice Monroe Joins Fans for Lunch and Discussion of her Newest Novel "Beach House Reunion" June 15

Join us Friday, June 15 at noon for Blue Bicycle Books Author Series luncheon at Halls Signature Events as perennial favorite and NY Times Bestseller Mary Alice Monroe Introduces "Beach House Reunion"   Enjoy a lovely three-course luncheon at Halls Signature Events and meet the bestselling author. Tickets are only $32 for the author luncheon, or $60 for a signed, hardcover, first edition book and delicious luncheon with Mary Alice at Halls Signature Events. Of course, there is a full-service cash bar for your enjoyment. Click here for tickets.

Click here for tickets

About The Book Whisking you back to the shores of her bestselling Beach House series, Mary Alice Monroe weaves together a tale of the struggles and triumphs of the historic Rutledge family of Charleston, South Carolina. Beautifully wrought and rich with keen insight, this is an illuminating tale of new beginnings, resilience, and one family's enduring love.   Cara Rutledge returns to her Southern home on the idyllic Isle of Palms. Everything is comfortingly the same, yet each detail is rife with painful memories. Only through reconnecting with family, friends, and the rhythms of the lowcountry can Cara release the hold of the past and open herself to the possibility of a new love, career, and hope for the future.   Meanwhile, her niece Linnea, a recent college graduate who doesnt know where her life will take her, leaves her historic home in Charleston, with all its entitlement and expectations, and heads to her aunts beach house. On the island, she is part of the freer, natural ocean lifestyle she loves, rejoining the turtle team, learning to surf, and falling in love. Remembering the lessons of her beloved grandmother, Lovie, the original turtle lady, Linnea rediscovers a meaningful purpose to her life and finds the courage she needs to break from tradition.   In this heartwarming novel, three generations of the Rutledge family gather together to find the strength, love, and commitment to break destructive family patterns and to forge new bonds that will endure long beyond one summer reunion.

About the Author New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe found her true calling in environmental fiction when she moved to coastal South Carolina. Already a successful author, she was captivated by the beauty and fragility of her new home. Her experiences living in the midst of a habitat that was quickly changing gave her a strong and important focus for her novels.   Mary Alice Monroe writes richly textured books that delve into the complexities of interpersonal relationships and the parallels between the land and life. Monroe's novels are published worldwide.   Books are provided by Blue Bicycle Books, an independent bookstore and staple in the downtown Charleston community selling new, used and rare books in the fashionable Upper King Street District. Support your local bookseller.

About the Venue Halls Signature Events is located at 5 Faber Street, just off East Bay Street directly behind S.N.O.B. There is a city-owned parking garage right next door, with an entrance on Cumberland Street for your convenience   In the heart of historic downtown Charleston on a cobblestone street, Halls Signature Events is a 6,900 square-foot space, perfect for corporate meetings, cocktail and dinner receptions, welcome parties, weddings, rehearsal dinners and holiday parties for up to 250 guests.

Pulitzer Prize + Garden & Gun + Halls Lunch! The Best Cook in the World June 25

From Pulitzer Prize winning author Rick Bragg comes a delectable, rollicking food memoir, cookbook, and loving tribute to a region, a vanishing history, a family, and, especially, to his mother. Special guest David DiBenedetto, senior vice president and editor in chief of Garden & Gun will be "in conversation" with Bragg. Halls Chefs will prepare a luncheon inspired by the book. Click here for tickets.

About Rick Bragg Rick Bragg is an American journalist and writer known for non-fiction books, especially those about his family in Alabama. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1996 recognizing his work at The New York Times.   Bragg is the author of seven books, including the best-selling Ava's Man. He is also a regular contributor to Garden & Gun Magazine. He lives in Alabama.   In conversation with Rick Bragg will be David DiBenedetto, senior vice president and editor-in-chief of Garden & Gun.   The three course lunch is $62 and includes a book, signed by the author. Or, you can choose a two tickets/one book option.

About the Book From the best-selling author of All Over but the Shoutin' a delectable, rollicking food memoir, cookbook, and loving tribute to a region, a vanishing history, a family, and, especially, to his mother. Special guest David DiBenedetto, senior vice president and editor in chief of Garden & Gun will be "in conversation" with Bragg.   Margaret Bragg does not own a single cookbook. She measures in "dabs" and "smidgens" and "tads" and "you know, hon, just some." She cannot be pinned down on how long to bake cornbread ("about 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the mysteries of your oven"). Her notion of farm-to-table is a flatbed truck. But she can tell you the secrets to perfect mashed potatoes, corn pudding, redeye gravy, pinto beans and hambone, stewed cabbage, short ribs, chicken and dressing, biscuits and butter rolls.    The irresistible stories in this audiobook are of long memory -- many of them pre-date the Civil War, handed down skillet by skillet, from one generation of Braggs to the next. In The Best Cook in the World, Rick Bragg finally preserves his heritage by telling the stories that framed his mother's cooking and education, from childhood into old age. Because good food always has a good story, and a recipe, writes Bragg, is a story like anything else.

"Wonderful, rollicking, poignant, sometimes hilarious tales about how generations of Bragg's extended family survived from one meal to the next." USA Today (four stars)   "This book is a tribute, a monument, to his mother and her people, captured here in solid recipes for good food... All the stories in this book... gleam with a special luster; they've been polished by time, and no one is meant to get hung up on the details." The Wall Street Journal   "A beautifully written memoir... For readers who crave soul with their recipes, this is a fitting tribute to food ways that are fast escaping." Library Journal (starred review)   Books are provided by Blue Bicycle Books, an independent bookstore and staple in the downtown Charleston community selling new, used and rare books in the fashionable Upper King Street District.   Doors open at 11:30 AM June 25 and lunch is served at noon. Limited seating provides an intimate experience with the author. In addition to three creative courses by Halls Executive Chef Matt Green, the bar will feature specialty cocktails and wines.

About the Venue Halls Signature Events is located at 5 Faber Street, just off East Bay Street directly behind S.N.O.B. There is a city-owned parking garage right next door, with an entrance on Cumberland Street for your convenience   In the heart of historic downtown Charleston on a cobblestone street, Halls Signature Events is a 6,900 square-foot space, perfect for corporate meetings, cocktail and dinner receptions, welcome parties, weddings, rehearsal dinners and holiday parties for up to 250 guests.

Charleston Favorite Karen White Releases Her Newest Novel "Dreams of Falling" Monday, June 11

Join us Monday, June 11 at noon for Blue Bicycle Books Author Series luncheon at Halls Signature Events with Karen White. Karen will talk, entertain and sign copies of her just-released novel, Dreams of Falling. Karen is always one of our liveliest and most fun authors. You don't want to miss it!   Tickets are only $32 for the author luncheon, or $60 for a signed, hardcover, first edition book and delicious luncheon with Karen at Halls Signature Events. Of course, there is a full-service cash bar for your enjoyment. Doors open at 11:30.   Click here for tickets. About Karen White Karen is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author and currently writes what she refers to as 'grit lit'--Southern women's fiction--and has also expanded her horizons into writing a mystery series set in Charleston, South Carolina, "The Tradd Street Mysteries."   Dreams of Falling is her 25th novel. Her last novel, The Night the Lights Went Out, debuted at #15 on the New York Times hardcover bestseller list.   Karen hails from a long line of Southerners but spent most of her growing up years in London, England and is a graduate of the American School in London. When not writing, she spends her time reading, scrapbooking, playing piano, and avoiding cooking. She currently lives near Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and two children, and two spoiled Havanese dogs. About the Book On the banks of the North Santee River stands a moss-draped oak that was once entrusted with the dreams of three young girls. Into the tree's trunk, they placed their greatest hopes, written on ribbons, for safekeeping--including the most important one: Friends forever, come what may.   But life can waylay the best of intentions....   Nine years ago, a humiliated Larkin Lanier fled Georgetown, South Carolina, knowing she could never go back. But when she finds out that her mother has disappeared, she realizes she has no choice but to return to the place she both loves and dreads--and to the family and friends who never stopped wishing for her to come home.   Ivy, Larkin's mother, is discovered badly injured and unconscious in the burned-out wreckage of her ancestral plantation home. No one knows why Ivy was there, but as Larkin digs for answers, she uncovers secrets kept for nearly fifty years--whispers of love, sacrifice, and betrayal--that lead back to three girls on the brink of womanhood who found their friendship tested in the most heartbreaking ways.   About the Venue Halls Signature Events is located at 5 Faber Street, just off East Bay Street directly behind S.N.O.B. There is a city-owned parking garage right next door, with an entrance on Cumberland Street for your convenience   In the heart of historic downtown Charleston on a cobblestone street, Halls Signature Events is a 6,900 square-foot space, perfect for corporate meetings, cocktail and dinner receptions, welcome parties, weddings, rehearsal dinners and holiday parties for up to 250 guests.

An Exceptional First Novel from Talented Cinelle Barnes, Monsoon Mansion

Join us Thursday, May 31 at noon for Charleston Author Series lunch at Halls Signature Events with Cinelle Barnes. Barnes will present her just-released memoir Monsoon Mansion at this Blue Bicycle Books and Piccolo Spoleto Event.   Doors open at 11:30 AM and lunch is served at noon. Limited seating provides an intimate experience with the author. In addition to three creative courses by the renowned Halls Chefs, the bar will feature specialty cocktails and wines.   Tickets are $31 for the luncheon and $56 for lunch + book.   Click here for tickets.   About the Author Cinelle Barnes is a creative non-fiction writer and educator from Manila, Philippines. She writes memoirs and personal essays on trauma, growing up in Southeast Asia, and on being a mother and immigrant in America.    In 2014, she was nominated for the AWP Journal Intro Award for Creative Non-Fiction, and in 2015 received an MFA from Converse College. She was part of the inaugural Kundiman Creative Non-Fiction Intensive in New York City and is an alum of the VONA/Voices workshop for political content writing at the University of Pennsylvania. Barnes was a presenter and panelist on Diversity in Literature at the Creative Writing Studies Organization Conference in 2016 (Warren Wilson College, Asheville, NC) and a founding member of the C.D. Wright Women Writers Conference.   Her writing has appeared or is forthcoming in Literary Hub, South85, Skirt!, West Of, Your Life Is A Trip, the Piccolo Spoleto Fiction Series, Itinerant Literate's StorySlam, and Hub City Press's online anthology, Multicultural Spartanburg.   About the Book Told with a lyrical, almost-dreamlike voice as intoxicating as the moonflowers and orchids that inhabit this world, "Monsoon Mansion" is a harrowing yet triumphant coming-of-age memoir exploring the dark, troubled waters of a family's rise and fall from grace in the Philippines. It would take a young warrior to survive it.   Cinelle Barnes was barely three years old when her family moved into Mansion Royale, a stately ten-bedroom home in the Philippines. Filled with her mother's opulent social aspirations and the gloriously excessive evidence of her father's self-made success, it was a girl's storybook playland.    But when a monsoon hits, her father leaves, and her mother's terrible lover takes the reins, Cinelle's fantastical childhood turns toward tyranny she could never have imagined. Formerly a home worthy of magazines and lavish parties, Mansion Royale becomes a dangerous shell of the splendid palace it had once been.   In this remarkable ode to survival, Barnes creates something magical out of her truth-underscored by her complicated relationship with her mother. Through a tangle of tragedy and betrayal emerges a revelatory journey of perseverance and strength, of grit and beauty, and of coming to terms with the price of family-and what it takes to grow up.   Books are provided by Blue Bicycle Books, an independent bookstore and staple in the downtown Charleston community selling new, used and rare books in the Upper King Street neighborhood of Charleston. Owner Jonathan Sanchez is Charleston's book muse and the originator of the Charleston Author Series.     About the Venue Halls Signature Events is located at 5 Faber Street, just off East Bay Street directly behind S.N.O.B. There is a city-owned parking garage right next door, with an entrance on Cumberland Street for your convenience   In the heart of historic downtown Charleston on a cobblestone street, Halls Signature Events is a 6,900 square-foot space, perfect for corporate meetings, cocktail and dinner receptions, welcome parties, weddings, rehearsal dinners and holiday parties for up to 250 guests.

Annual "Lunch With Dottie" Thursday May 15th. She's Launching Her Newest Novel "By Invitation Only"

Join us Tuesday, May 15 for lunch at Halls Signature Events as Dorothea Benton Frank launches her newest book By Invitation Only. Charleston's favorite author examines what happens when a young sophisticated Chicagoan falls for the owner of a farm on Johns Island, a lush Lowcountry paradise off the coast of South Carolina--trading the bustle of a city for a small Southern town.

Tickets to "Lunch With Dottie" are $62 which includes a signed, hardcover copy of By Invitation Only. Additional signed books will be available for purchase at the luncheon.

Click Here to Purchase Your Tickets

About Dottie Frank
We adore Dottie and she's one of the most cordial, entertaining authors around. It's an honor to help her launch her newest book.

"I am the author of 18 novels placed in and around the Lowcountry of South Carolina and thanking God for my chance to speak. When I'm not writing, I'm reading or gardening or cooking. Love to travel, shoot the breeze with people and most of all, be with my husband and children - not always necessarily in that order. And by the way, serious huge gushing thanks for everything - your kind words, posts and emails. Writing saves me, but without your support it wouldn't mean as much."

Dottie Frank was born and raised on Sullivans Island, attended Bishop England High School in Charleston and graduated from General William Moultrie High School in 1969. She is the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from The College of Charleston and a Doctorate of Fine Arts from Bloomfield College.

About the Book

By Invitation Only begins at a lowcountry barbecue party thrown by Diane English Stiftel, her brother Floyd, and her parents to celebrate her son's engagement. On this gorgeous, magical night, the bride's father, Alejandro Cambria, a wealthy power broker whose unbelievably successful career in private equity made him one of Chicago's celebrated elite, discovers the limits and possibilities of cell phone range.

 

While the mother of the bride, Susan Kennedy Cambria, who dabbles in the world of public relations and believes herself deserving of every square inch of her multimillion-dollar penthouse and imaginary Carrara marble pedestal, learns about moonshine and dangerous liaisons.

 

Soon By Invitation Only zooms to Chicago, where the unraveling accelerates. Nearly a thousand miles away from her comfortable, familiar world, Diane is the antithesis of the bright lights and super-sophisticated guests attending her son Fred's second engagement party. Why a second party? Maybe it had been assumed that the first one wouldn't be up to snuff? Fred is marrying Shelby Cambria, also an only child. The Cambrias' dearest wish is for their daughter to be happy. If Shelby wants to marry Frederick, aka Fred, they will not stand in her way although Susan does hope her friends won't think her daughter is marrying more than a few degrees beneath her socially. At the same time, Diane worries that her son will be lost to her forever.

 

By Invitation Only is a tale of two families, one struggling to do well, one well to do, and one young couple the privileged daughter of Chicago's crème de la crème and the son of hard -working Southern peach farmers.

Dorothea Benton Frank's first novel, SULLIVANS ISLAND, debuted on the NY Times list at number nine and went back to press over 25 times, has well over one million copies in print and can be found in ten foreign languages. Her subsequent novels PLANTATION, ISLE OF PALMS, SHEM CREEK, PAWLEY'S ISLAND, FULL OF GRACE, BULL'S ISLAND, THE CHRISTMAS PEARL and LAND OF MANGO SUNSETS, LOWCOUNTRY SUMMER, RETURN TO SULLIVANS ISLAND, FOLLY BEACH, PORCH LIGHTS, THE LAST ORIGINAL WIFE, and ALL SUMMER LONG were all NY Times bestsellers and may also be found in various foreign languages.

Dottie is an avid cook, enjoys fly-fishing, reading and travel and is a frequent speaker on the creative process for students of all ages. She divides her time between the Lowcountry of South Carolina and New Jersey.

Holly Herrick Has a New Book

Join us Friday, May 4, at noon for lunch at Halls Signature Events with local author and chef Holly Herrick. Holly is one of our most entertaining chef/author/food writers and it's certain to be a fun time for all at the big reveal of The New Charleston Chef's Table.   Click here for tickets.   About the Book  When the original Charleston Chef's Table was published in December, 2009, Charleston's food scene was hot. In the book, author Holly Herrick referred to the period as a second culinary renaissance.   Since that time, Charleston has become an even hotter food town, indeed, one of the hottest, ranked the #1 most popular tourist destination in The United States, according to Conde Nast Traveler Magazine. The primary reason people come here is for the food.   Charleston, which hosts more than 6 million visitors annually, has matured into a world-class culinary destination. Now, this book allows locals and visitors alike to take a bit of the city's incomparable flavor home, with profiles of the city's best restaurants and a signature recipe from each.    From roadside dives to upscale eateries, Southern to Chinese, Holly Herrick leaves no stone unturned as she winnows Charleston's 1,500 restaurants down to her top picks. From fried chicken to sautéed duck livers, The Charleston Chef's Table delivers all the goods that make Charleston such an exciting place to visit, live, and dine. Complementing the text are full-color photographs, as well as sidebars that highlight this Southern gem's 300-year history.   About the Author Holly Herrick is a Cordon Bleu-trained chef, national award-winning food writer and restaurant critic, and longtime Charleston resident and booster. After stints in Paris, Minneapolis, and Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Herrick landed in Charleston, where she worked for seven years at The Post and Courier, before leaving to focus on her freelance career in 2006.   That same year she received a First Best Place Award for Newspaper Series, Special Sections, and Special Projects from the American Association of Food Journalists. Her work has appeared in Bon Appetit, Gourmet, Southern Living, and her column, Delectable Delights, appears regularly in Lowcountry Living Magazine. Herrick is the author of more than eight cookbooks, most recently Mashed: Beyond the Potato.   About the Venue Our location for the luncheon is Halls Signature Events, located at No. 5 Faber Street just behind S.N.O.B. off of East Bay Street. Halls Signature Events is a private events facility located in the heart of the French Quarter in Downtown Charleston, SC. The renovated historic space is the perfect venue for all types of events, from business lunches to weddings. Parking is available in the garage at Cumberland and Concord Streets, or at meters on the street.

Caitlyn, America's Dog, has a new book! Come to lunch at High Cotton to hear about it.

Join us Friday, April 20 for lunch at High Cotton, as we discuss and support Charleston's own Caitlyn: America's Dog. It's a story about how a national community came together to recognize and correct an extreme case of animal cruelty.   You'll support Charleston Animal Society's Caitlyn Anti-Cruelty Fund with your purchase of her book, and your kindness will be rewarded with treats from our favorite Woof Gang Bakery. Sit. Stay. Eat. Drink. Read.   Click here for tickets.   About the Book  While Caitlyn's story is still being written, this book captures the most difficult part of her life, her journey from abuse to recovery. Found in North Charleston with her muzzle taped shut with electrical tape, Caitlyn nearly died. But thanks to a community who cared, Charleston Animal Society, local veterinarians, detectives and prosecutors Caitlyn's story became an inspiring tale of triumph over adversity. This beautiful animal put a face on animal cruelty and in the process, she inspired people around the world.   The book is dedicated to everyone connected to Caitlyn's discovery, treatment and recovery, as well as those who saw justice served, those who helped spread her story, and all those who helped by donating to Charleston Animal Society to fund her recovery and new life.   When you purchase this book, you are helping future Caitlyns get the help they need through the Caitlyn Anti-Cruelty fund at Charleston Animal Society. We know you'll enjoy this book and want to share it with your friends and family as a lesson to all of us about the power of good over evil.   Swag bags and raffle sponsored and supported by Woof Gang Bakery, 341 King Street.    About the Venue Our location for this luncheon is High Cotton 199 East Bay Street, Refined eatery with daily live music and Lowcountry fare cooked using ingredients from nearby farms. Owned and operated by Hall Management Group.   Parking is available in the garage at Cumberland and Concord Streets, or at meters on the street.

Coming Up: Food, Best Sellers and Fun, Join Us!   Friday, April 27 A special event featuring Assouline Books newest luxury publication Bulova: A History of Firsts edited by luxury historian Aaron Sigmund and held at the Restoration Hotel, home of Charleston's only Assouline Library. Luncheon in the beautiful Exchange Suite at the Restoration Hotel. Click here for tickets.     Tuesday, May 15 for lunch at Halls Signature Events as Dorothea Benton Frank launches her newest book By Invitation Only. Charleston's favorite author examines what happens when a young sophisticated Chicagoan falls for the owner of a farm on Johns Island, a lush Lowcountry paradise off the coast of South Carolina--trading the bustle of a city for a small Southern town. Click here for tickets.   Thursday, May 31 Cinelle Barnes releasesMonsoon Mansion at lunch at Halls Signature Events. Told with a lyrical, almost-dreamlike voice as intoxicating as the moonflowers and orchids that inhabit this world, Monsoon Mansion is a harrowing yet triumphant coming-of-age memoir exploring the dark, troubled waters of a family's rise and fall from grace in the Philippines. It would take a young warrior to survive it. Click here for tickets.   Monday, June 11 Karen White Dreams of Falling at lunch at Halls Signature Events. On the banks of the North Santee River stands a moss-draped oak that was once entrusted with the dreams of three young girls. Into the tree's trunk, they placed their greatest hopes, written on ribbons, for safekeeping--including the most important one: Friends forever, come what may. But life can waylay the best of intentions....Click here for tickets.   Friday, June 15 Mary Alice Monroe Beach House Reunion Whisking you back to the shores of her bestselling Beach House series, Mary Alice Monroe weaves together a tale of the struggles and triumphs of the historic Rutledge family of Charleston, South Carolina. Beautifully wrought and rich with keen insight, this is an illuminating tale of new beginnings, resilience, and one family's enduring love. Click here for tickets.   6/29 Susan Jane Rivers The Second Mrs. Hockaday 7/20 Andrew Lawler The Secret Token 8/9 Kristan Higgins Good Luck With That     Less screen time, more book time and more art timemakes us healthy, wealthy and wise. Join us at Blue Bicycle Books Charleston Author Series events this year for a perfect start, and watch how Charleston Library Society fills your cultural calendar with rich, rewarding events.