Joint Bookclub Luncheon–January 15
Every year, the Sandcastle Book Club and the Kiawah Island Club Book Club hold a joint luncheon. The clubs alternate the responsibility of planning the lunch and getting an author to speak. This year, the Sandcastle hosted at the River Course thanks to a Kiawah Island Club member Kit McMurray. Instead of having one author talk about his or her book, the program featured four authors, three of whom were Kiawah Island residents. Take a look at the panel members, their books and a bit about them as authors.
Panelists from left to right: Margaret Seidler, David Schaeffer, Karen Brothers and Wylie Small
Margaret Seidler wrote Payne-ful Business. During the panel discussion, she stated that the purpose of her book was to promote racial healing. Her ancestors profitted greatly from the slave trade in Charleston before the Civil War, and Seidler has documented their business aided by John Jones’ drawings of newspaper ads.
David Schaeffer’s Letters from Sweden contains letters his father wrote to his mother during and after World War II. The book is a love story, really, and Schaffer’s emotional investment in the project is evident when he reads from the actual letters. Schaeffer has written two other books about his mountain climbing adventures.
Karen Brothers obviously has ‘moxie.’ One can tell by listening to her lively discussion of her book Moxie Matters. The book is a memoir of her growing up years in Oak Park, Illinois. Brothers is the only author in the group that I had not featured in previous blog entries. (picture depicts book club member Barbara Quinn and author Karen Brothers)
Wylie Small’s dedication to authentic research is evident when one hears her speak. To write A Knight’s Duty, she went back to ancestor Thomas Gray, who lived in England during the days of Henry XIII. Small has since written a trilogy and will soon publish a book about the plague. She is a member of The Historical Writers Association.