Join us at Page & Palette for Signing Saturday! On Saturday, February 15th at 1PM, Dr. Kenneth Starkey will be here to discuss his independently published book, Indiana Boy. Enjoy a cup of coffee or a glass of wine as you visit Dr. Starkey’s table and connect with the author of this memoir of a sphychologist. We hope to see you there!

Indiana Boy

Indiana Boy: Memoir of A Psychologist is the refreshingly candid account of one’s search for inner peace and a life of meaning amidst a world of personal challenges, social change, and cultural upheaval.

Dr. Kenneth Starkey

Dr. Starkey was born and raised in the small Midwestern town of Columbus, Indiana.  He completed his bachelor's studies through Indiana University-Purdue University of Indianapolis (Indiana) and received his master's degree from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania).  He completed his doctoral training through the School of Professional Psychology at Wright State University in Dayton (Ohio).  His predoctoral internship was completed through the Veteran's Administration Medical Center of Lexington (Kentucky) and his postdoctoral training through the Baptist Regional Medical Center of Corbin (Kentucky).  Dr. Starkey has served as a mental health professional for over forty years and currently works as a licensed clinical psychologist alongside his wife, Dr. Pamela Starkey, through their private offices in Mobile (Alabama).

Join us in the reading of Shrimp on Parade, Morgan Cunningham’s newest children’s book on Saturday February 15th at 10AM!

Join us on Thursday, February 13th at 6 PM in the Latte Da for a discussion with Sonny Brewer and the moving of the Tolstoy House. For more information, check out this link!

Help Move Tolstoy Park - Tolstoy Park Committee

About the Book:

FROM 8,000 MILES is the true story of internet danger and the lengths one family had to go to save their daughter. Victoria left her home in the middle of the night, without telling anyone, to get on a plane for India to meet a man she had been talking to online. (Watch the book trailer on YouTube at this link: https://youtu.be/mt3Hbgc1qFY?si=myrwTBK0eyySmg1G)

Destiny Harris recounts in vibrant and gut-wrenching detail the journey to rescue her twenty-one-year-old daughter who had never lived away from home before. It was a rescue that involved Homeland Security, Human Trafficking agencies, their congressman, family, friends, and an arena of social media followers who became aware of the story…some rooting for them and others siding with the love-struck couple who was “being oppressed.”

The betrayal and intrigue went deeper as the Harrises flew to and from India, expecting to bring their daughter home. They saved her life, but six years later, they have not received a single text or call from Victoria.

Destiny felt strongly that she needed to write her story, knowing how it could educate and serve to save other loved ones from falling into such an easy and sinister trap. Predators no longer need to come through the door, the window, or even our country, they slip in through the screens of our children and into their hearts and minds.

From 8,000 Miles is a story of loss and tragedy, but also a testament to the many miracles God provided. Destiny felt God’s closeness amid her pain as He gave her the strength and love it takes to save someone who doesn’t want to be saved.

From all that she has learned, Destiny started a YouTube channel, Destiny Dawn, where mothers come together to support each other and ease the pain and suffering in the world. It is a space where stories can be shared and wisdom gained because motherhood can be so joyful and, at the same time, break our hearts. Brokenheartedness is a journey and does not have to be a permanent stay. Destiny says, “We will get through it together, and you CAN come out on the other side… better.” Learn more at www.DestinyDawnOfficial.com.

Join us at Page & Palette for Signing Saturday! On Saturday, February 8th at 2PM, Sharon LaCour will be here to discuss her independently published book, The Meeting of Air and Water. Enjoy a cup of coffee or a glass of wine as you visit Sharon's table and connect with the author of this lyrical novel set in Louisiana. We hope to see you there!

The Meeting of Air and Water

The setting is Cocodrie, a small town on the disappearing Louisiana coastline in 1923, where a sensitive young girl receives the gift of a camera that offers her a window into an otherwise frightening world. The haunting, mythical culture of the Acadians feeds her imagination until her move to the volatile city of New Orleans where societal expectations and religious conventions inhibit her artistic yearnings. Motherhood and her misunderstood mental challenges lead to tragic circumstances.

Sixty years later, her granddaughter Elaine, reeling from a divorce, returns to New Orleans to care for Dolores’s feisty husband, Earl, in a wheelchair, who lives in a fishing camp on Lake Pontchartrain. Earl is dismayed by the similarities between Elaine and his deceased wife, Dolores, as is Elaine’s mother, Charlotte, who fears for her daughter’s mental health and well-being. Elaine starts out on a path of self-destruction with an abusive city prosecutor while a former lover pursues her. Meanwhile her restless grandfather decides to pursue a love life of his own. When Elaine discovers that her grandmother’s gifts and tragic life have been kept secret, she goes on a mission to learn all she can about Dolores and her mysterious photographs. Family wounds that have been deepening for decades come to the surface and must be confronted in light of Elaine’s discoveries.

Steeped in the exotic atmosphere of southern Louisiana, The Meeting of Air and Water explores the nature and fragility of the human need to create, as well as the complications and struggles that arrive when this need is denied. With insight and humor the novel reveals the dangers of kept family secrets and the healing that can occur when truth comes to light.

Sharon LaCour

Sharon LaCour grew up in New Orleans listening to her father and his siblings share stories in their Louisiana French language of their lives as the children of sharecroppers in central Louisiana and their dramatic move to New Orleans during the Depression. Most of Sharon’s writing takes place in Louisiana and around the Deep South.

Her interest in writing began with her mother narrating a new bedtime story every night, some of which she recorded on a Royal classic typewriter. Sharon went on to study music and completed a master’s degree in piano. She began writing fiction in earnest during long winters she spent in Minnesota. Her stories and essays have been published in the Xavier, Sheepshead, Chautauqua and Arkansas Reviews among others. Although her writing is for adults, her stories often feature children and young adults in challenging situations. She also writes about women and the contradictions of motherhood and creativity; historic and current issues of racism and sexism; the influence of spirituality and belief; and the unique spirit of her cultural heritage.

Sharon’s debut literary novel, The Meeting of Air and Water, was a novel-in-progress finalist in the William Wisdom-William Faulkner novel competition in 2019. The novel was inspired by the photographs of Fonville Winans, a Baton Rouge photographer who documented Louisiana Cajun life in the 1920s. It follows the lives of two women artists, one grandmother to the other, who struggle against societal and cultural expectations that threaten their need to create. The intense atmosphere of the novel functions as a contributing character that enhances the compelling narrative. The novel makes use of Sharon’s experiences of summer vacations on Lake Pontchartrain in an area of lake camps in east New Orleans called Little Woods. Sadly, none of these camps so beloved by many New Orleanians remains, having been destroyed over the years by hurricanes. The book also unfolds in Cocodrie, a small coastal fishing town.

Sharon lives in Lafayette, Louisiana with her husband and pets. She works as a pianist and piano teacher. She is working on an historical novel set in the late 18th century along Bayou Lafourche.

Join us on Thursday, February 6th, at 6 PM for an exciting event featuring Kate Alice Marshall and her latest thriller, A Killing Cold, in conversation with our very own staff member, Stacy. This is a free event—no ticket required—though limited copies will be available if you’d like to secure your own! You can pre-order here: A Killing Cold Pre-Order/Signed Copy

A FREEZING COLD

A woman invited to her wealthy fiance’s family retreat realizes they are hiding a terrible secret—and that she’s been there before, by the bestselling author of What Lies in the Woods.

A whirlwind romance.
When Theodora Scott met Connor—wealthy, charming, and a member of the powerful Dalton family—she fell in love in an instant. Six months later, he’s brought her to Idlewood, his family’s isolated winter retreat, to win over his skeptical relatives.

Stay away from Connor Dalton.
Theo has tried to ignore the threatening messages on her phone, but she can’t ignore the footprints in the snow outside the cabin window or the strange sense of familiarity she has about this place. Then, in a disused cabin, Theo finds something impossible: a photo of herself as a child. A photo taken at Idlewood.

I’ve been here before.
Theo has almost no recollection of her earliest years, but now she begins to piece together the fragments of her memories. Someone here has a shocking secret that they will do anything to keep hidden, and Theo is in terrible danger. Because the Daltons do not lose, and discovering what happened at Idlewood may cost Theo everything.

KATE ALICE MARSHALL

Kate Alice Marshall is the bestselling author of thrillers and horror for kids and adults. Her middle grade books include the Secrets of Eden Eld trilogy and Extra Normal. In YA, she’s written the survival thriller I Am Still Alive, as well as supernatural suspense including Rules for Vanishing and The Narrow. She made her adult thriller debut with What Lies in the Woods, followed by the USA Today bestseller No One Can Know.

She lives outside Seattle with her family, two very friendly (but not very smart) golden retrievers, and a growing collection of fancy pens. 

BOOK TALK REVIEWS

The book will be released on February 4th, so you’ll have a couple of days to get a head start on this thrilling read! This book is also featured in our quarterly Book Talk, if you’d like to hear what we have to say about the book on February 4th at 6PM! Here’s a sneak peak of what our staff has to say:
”Gripping, unexpected twists, suspenseful, and fast-paced, this book is the perfect winter thriller! A simple holiday trip to meet the future in-laws turns out to be anything but cozy -- creepy text messages, mysterious footprints in the snow and buried secrets revealed. Filled with truly detestable characters and an endearing protagonist, A Killing Cold is an atmospheric cat-and-mouse game I could not put down!” - Anderson

“I was easily sucked into this mystery/thriller. Thrillers are a bit of a hit or a miss for me, because of characters and plotline. A solid thriller that kept me guessing and suspecting everyone.” - Tyler

“As the snow hit Fairhope, I grabbed this book, a quilt, and went along for the ride.  All that Anderson said!  Such a fun read.  I never knew what was happening and I loved it!”  - Stacy

Need a few book recommendations? Join us for BOOK TALK on Tuesday, February 4th at 6 pm!

Anderson, Tyler, Stacy & Carolyn will share their favorite Autumn reads and upcoming releases. We look forward to seeing you!

Missed the last Book Talk? Click here to see what was recommended!

Book Talk — Page & Palette (pageandpalette.com)

Join us at Page & Palette for Signing Saturday! On Saturday, February 1st at 12PM, Debby Hackbarth will be here to discuss her independently published book, Dynamic Debby. Enjoy a cup of coffee or a glass of wine as you visit Sharon's table and connect with the author of this memoir. We hope to see you there!

Dynamic Debby: Overcoming Prematurity and Poor Vision

This memoir is a remarkable compilation of prose, poetry, and a plethora of precious photographs. It tells my story and it is meant to be an encouragement for all people who struggle with visual disabilities and low vision as well as those who are smaller than most through premature birth or heredity. The font used is best for folks with challenged vision.
Over the past several years, I have been able to gather photographs of my parents and their families. Many photos have already been passed onto our children and grandchildren. However, many remaining snapshots are included here to assist in telling my tale.
I have recalled stories and information to the best of my memory as both of my parents and their families have passed away. If I have made errors or misrepresentations, I apologize and hope you may gather inspiration from my trek through time.

Debby Hackbarth

Debby Hackbarth is a retired teacher, learning specialist, and administrator. Debby's fifty years in various educational settings helped her understand that all students enjoy using their imaginations. Debby is a survivor as she was born six weeks early and developed R.O.P., so she has low vision. She knows what it means to overcome tough situations in life. First of all, Debby is a professional author who has written the Glisten Trilogy - three separate books highlighting the Fairhope Dragon - along with the companion coloring book. Debby believes people around the work are captivated by the dragons around us. The Glisten books feature the challenges and adventures of Glisten, a tiny dragon, born very early, who thrived in the beautiful climate of Baldwin County, AL. The exciting books are for sale at Page and Palette in Fairhope, AL where Debby has had author signings. She has also published poetry. Secondly, Debby is a professional artist. At Melt and More in Fairhope, she sold gnomes and other art - canvases that featured black and white sketches of animals and coastal scenes. She uses recycled wood in her creations. Finally, through her business - HAART, LLC - Debby provides private professional tutoring sessions. She is well qualified to work with students of all ages because she has been working in the field since 1972 and she has two separate Master's Degrees in Education: Special Education (Learning Disabilities) and Curriculum/Instruction (Literacy). She sells Memory Magic - a supplemental program to enhance reading, writing, and spelling skills for students of all ages.

Sometimes family is found in the most unlikely of places . . .

In the small college town of Troy, Alabama, amidst the backdrop of 1967, Katia Daniels lives a life steeped in responsibility. At the Pike County Group Home for Negro Boys, she pours her heart into nurturing the young lives under her care, harboring a longing for children of her own. Katia's romantic entanglement with an older man brings comfort but also stirs questions about the path she's chosen.

The weight of her family's history bears down on her; a twin brother is missing in action in the heart of the Vietnam War. Having lost her father to cancer, Katia took up the mantle of caretaker, ensuring her mother and brothers were looked after. Her sense of duty extends to the boys at the group home, creating a web of obligations that stretches her emotional bandwidth thin.

Amidst a power struggle at work with the board, Katia finds solace in the pages of romance novels and the soothing melodies of Nina Simone. When Seth Taylor, a familiar face from her high school days, reenters Katia's life, he brings with him a breeze of nostalgia and a reminder of a time when her dreams felt less tethered. As their friendship rekindles, Katia grapples with the idea of making choices for herself, even as the realization that she can no longer have children weighs heavily on her.

This novel is a poignant tale of a woman torn between the demands of her heart and the responsibilities she's shouldered for so long. Set against the backdrop of a changing South, this novel delves into the complexities of love, family, and self-discovery in a time of transformation and upheaval.

"Jackson-Brown (THE LIGHT ALWAYS BREAKS) delivers a touching story of a middle-aged Black woman and the burdens she shoulders during the Vietnam War . . . Jackson-Brown ably captures Katia's indomitable spirit and devotion to her family. This is worth a look." --Publishers Weekly

Born in Bosnia, a boy was uprooted by civil war and thrust into a life displaced. Arriving in a new country, not once, but twice, he faces challenges of language barriers, cultural differences, and starting over. Always an outsider, always looking for a community, a resting place, a home. The young refugee finds solace in the beautiful game. Determined to pursue his quest for identity, he searches across continents for a football club that he sees himself in and will help him realize his dream of finding a community of like-minded people. The story explores themes of hope, perseverance, and the power of football to unite people from different backgrounds.

Carla Ray, an ambitious college journalist, is given the electrifying opportunity to cover the meteoric rise of an up-and-coming rock band that is set to take the world by storm. But everything changes the moment she lays eyes on David Wells, the captivating and enigmatic lead singer of the Knights of Darkness. With his magnetic presence and fierce passion for music, David is everything she didn’t know she craved.

As they embark on a whirlwind journey filled with late-night rehearsals and adrenaline-pumping performances, Carla finds herself drawn deeper into David’s world—and into his heart. But beneath his rugged charm lies a tempest of vulnerability, and Carla is determined to peel back the layers of his tough exterior to uncover the sensitive soul yearning to break free.

Caught in a tumultuous dance of romance and excitement, Carla and David must confront their pasts. Can David mend the scars that have left Carla hesitant to love again? Will he be the one to make her feel cherished, adored, and finally free to embrace her true self? With passion igniting every moment, their connection deepens, leading them to a pivotal night that will change the course of their lives forever.

Counting on Freedom is a three-part work of historical fiction set during the U.S. Civil War.

Part I (Old Dogwood) introduces Sarah, Hani and Joseph, three slaves from Old Dogwood, a cotton and rice plantation on the Charleston road. Hungering for freedom and a better life, Sarah’s talents for counting, her love for Hani, the Bible lessons she’s learned from Joseph, and the looming approach of Sherman’s army make Sarah the catalyst for a daring plan to escape Old Dogwood by sea to the Union-occupied South Carolina Sea Islands, where Hani was born. Hani's plan involves making a small sailboat from the parts of the large supply wagon that Hani has made to bring Old Dogwood’s harvest of cotton and rice to the Charleston Harvest Market. Launching this sailboat into the Cooper River at Charleston Harbor, they float unnoticed past Confederate forts and a Union fleet into the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean.

Part II (Hani's Ocean) finds this small sailboat too far offshore to see land. Hani teaches Joseph and Sarah how to sail and survive at sea. Just as Hani catches a big fish and is trying to bring the fish onboard by hand, they are caught by a terrible, fast moving winter storm, filled with blowing snow, rising seas, contrary winds, and freezing cold. They have no choice but to run out to sea with the storm, sailing day and night deeper into the Atlantic Ocean, until the storm finally abates and Hani can use the night stars to steer a course back to land.

When they finally make landfall at Saint Helena Island in sheltered waters that Hani has known since his youth, they make their way on foot to find Hani’s Uncle Balan, seeking to avoid the Union forces that have occupied the South Carolina Sea Islands since the early part of the Civil War.

In Part III (The Sea Islands), Sarah, Hani and Joseph discover a land of Milk and Honey on Saint Helena Island and a clear feeling of effective freedom in the South Carolina Sea Islands. It is a Union stronghold in the heart of the Confederacy where ten thousand plantation slaves had their first taste of freedom more than a year before Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. And yet, freedom does not come easily, even in a Promised Land. For this is the true story of the Port Royal Experiment where hundreds of northern civilians and benevolent associations, “the Gideons”, travelled south to the South Carolina Sea Islands with the U.S. Army and Navy to help uplift the lives and education of these former slaves, to help the Union win the war and finance its cost by growing and selling southern cotton, and to make their fortunes.

Among the first “Gideons” that Sarah, Hani, and Joseph meet on Saint Helena Island are three members of a troubled family of Jewish merchants from Philadelphia, Rebecca, Aaron and David Van Ryn. As Hani joins the Union Army’s troop of black soldiers, and Joseph works the island’s cotton fields, Sarah begins working in the Van Ryn family’s general store, which supplies the needs of the military and the planters. Sarah and Rebecca are the same age and grow very close, very quickly, depending on each other, since they can’t depend on Rebecca’s bereaved father or her strange but talented uncle. She observes the Van Ryns and their friends conducting a Passover Sedar that celebrates the same Exodus story of Moses and the Jewish people that inspired her escape with Hani and Joseph from slavery.

As the Civil War continues to rage towards its inevitable conclusion on the mainland, Sarah’s remarkable talent for counting uncovers a terrible secret of grievance, revenge, blackmail, and treason that will threaten the Van Ryns’ lives. The only hope for their salvation is to outwit a formidable adversary from Sarah’s past through a brilliant “con game” that is creatively devised from the same unforgettable Bible stories that Sarah first learned as a young slave from Hani and Joseph.

Join us Friday, January 10th to listen to Fiona Davis talk about her newest book, THE STOLEN QUEEN, along with Patti Callahan Henry. The book is available for pre-sales and will come out on January 7th! This is a ticketed event, each book sale is a ticket and will guarantee a seat within the Book Cellar.

The Stolen Queen

From New York Times bestselling author Fiona Davis, an utterly addictive new novel that will transport you from New York City’s most glamorous party to the labyrinth streets of Cairo and back.

Egypt, 1936: When anthropology student Charlotte Cross is offered a coveted spot on an archaeological dig in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, she leaps at the opportunity. But after an unbearable tragedy strikes, Charlotte knows her future will never be the same.

New York City, 1978: Nineteen-year-old Annie Jenkins is thrilled when she lands an opportunity to work for iconic former Vogue fashion editor Diana Vreeland, who’s in the midst of organizing the famous Met Gala, hosted at the museum and known across the city as the “party of the year.” Though Annie soon realizes she’ll have her work cut out for her, scrambling to meet Diana’s capricious demands and exacting standards.

Meanwhile, Charlotte, now leading a quiet life as the associate curator of the Met’s celebrated Department of Egyptian Art, wants little to do with the upcoming gala. She’s consumed with her research on Hathorkare—a rare female pharaoh dismissed by most other Egyptologists as unimportant.

That is, until the night of the gala. When one of the Egyptian art collection’s most valuable artifacts goes missing . . . and there are signs Hathorkare’s legendary curse might be reawakening.

As Annie and Charlotte team up to search for the missing antiquity, a desperate hunch leads the unlikely duo to one place Charlotte swore she’d never return: Egypt. But if they’re to have any hope of finding the artifact, Charlotte will need to confront the demons of her past—which may mean leading them both directly into danger.

Fiona Davis

F  I  O  N  A D A V I S is the New York Times bestselling author of seven historical fiction novels set in iconic New York City buildings, including The Spectacular, The Magnolia Palace, The Address, and The Lions of Fifth Avenue, which was a Good Morning America book club pick. Her articles have appeared in publications like The Wall Street Journal and the Oprah magazine.

She first came to New York as an actress, but fell in love with writing after getting a master's degree at Columbia Journalism School. Her books have been translated into over twenty languages and she's based in New York City.

“If you do not desist your opposition to the British Arms, I shall march this army over the mountains, hang your leaders, and lay waste your country with fire and sword.” – British Major Patrick Ferguson in 1780 [“Battle of King's Mountain" by Isaac Shelby, a pamphlet published 1823]

It’s the year 1774, and the American Revolution is just beginning to break out in faraway Massachusetts. Seeking adventure and an escape from an oppressive family life, Caleb Anders leaves home and heads south into the wilderness of the American frontier, west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. He meets Nate Daniels along the way, and they become fast friends and business partners.

Caleb and Nate soon discover that they must choose their own destiny – should they remain in the beautiful but rugged mountainous wilderness of Virginia, protecting their friends and neighbors from the rampaging Cherokee Indians… or ride north and strike a blow for freedom with General George Washington? Will the rigors of frontier life prepare Caleb and Nate for what lies to the east, beyond the towering mountain range that looms, deep and dark, over their shoulders?

Crossing the Blue Ridge is a sprawling and inspirational Revolutionary War historical fiction novel that reintroduces the forgotten American Patriots who fought against superior British Tory forces in one of the most decisive battles in the American Revolutionary War at The Battle of King's Mountain.

“The crude, spirited, hardy, determined volunteers who crossed the mountains served as proof of the spirit and resources of the country." - George Washington

DO YOU HAVE AGING PARENTS AND THE STRESS OF KNOWING YOU WILL BE SETTLING THEIR ESTATE SOMEDAY? DID YOU KNOW THERE ARE STRATEGIES AVAILABLE THAT YOU CAN IMPLEMENT WHILE THEY’RE ALIVE TO SAVE TIME AND MONEY?

In the delicate balance of aging parents and looming inheritance, the responsibilities of managing their finances can be overwhelming. But what if these duties could be transformed into a proactive game plan that benefits not only your parents but your entire family?

The Inheritance Playbook explores the nuances of serving as power of attorney, sharing insights you can apply to your own family’s unique circumstances. Author and expert Chad Holmes weaves complex tax-saving strategies into relatable, entertaining parables, making advanced financial concepts accessible and easy to comprehend. The strategies shared here aren’t reserved for the ultra-wealthy; they are tailored for any family navigating the emotional journey of losing a loved one and the fear of wasting the inheritance on unnecessary taxes and expenses.

In this engaging, occasionally humorous narrative, you will learn:

• What probate is and why you would typically want to avoid it

• The benefits of being proactive before your parents pass away

• What information you need to know now to avoid stress and headaches later

• The tax strategies that can be done for free and don’t require a fancy trust

• Simple hacks to maximize your inheritance and avoid unnecessary money loss

The time to act is now. Embark on a transformative journey that guides your family to take advantage of less-known tax laws to save money and simplify the estate settling process. Keep the torch of your parents’ legacy shining brighter for longer. Get a copy now!

Digging All Night and Fighting All Day

The bloody two-week siege of Spanish Fort, Alabama (March 26–April 8, 1865) was one of the final battles of the Civil War. Despite its importance and fascinating history, surprisingly little has been written about it. Many considered the fort as the key to holding the important seaport of Mobile, which surrendered to Maj. Gen. Edward R. S. Canby on April 12, 1865. Paul Brueske’s “Digging All Night and Fighting All Day”: The Civil War Siege of Spanish Fort and the Mobile Campaign, 1865 is the first full-length study of this subject.

General U. S. Grant had long set his eyes on capturing Mobile. Its fall would eliminate the vital logistical center and put one of the final nails in the coffin of the Confederacy. On January 18, 1865, Grant ordered General Canby to move against Mobile, Montgomery, and Selma and destroy anything useful to the enemy’s war effort. The reduction of Spanish Fort, along with Fort Blakeley—the primary obstacles to taking Mobile—was a prerequisite to capturing the city.

After the devastating Tennessee battles of Franklin and Nashville in late 1864, many Federals believed Mobile’s garrison—which included a few battered brigades and most of the artillery units from the Army of Tennessee—did not have much fight left and would evacuate the city rather than fight. They did not. Despite being outnumbered about 10 to 1, 33-year-old Brig. Gen. Randall Lee Gibson mounted a skillful and spirited defense that “considerably astonished” his Union opponents. The siege and battle that unfolded on the rough and uneven bluffs of Mobile Bay’s eastern shore, fought mainly by veterans of the principal battles of the Western Theater, witnessed every offensive and defensive art known to war.

Paul Brueske

Paul Brueske, a graduate student of history at the University of South Alabama, marshaled scores of primary source materials, including letters, diaries, reports, and newspaper accounts to produce an outstanding study of a little known but astonishingly important event rife with acts of heroism that rivaled any battle of the war. It will proudly occupy a space on the bookshelf of any serious student of the war.

This memoir captures the essence of light tackle fishing in its prime from Palm Beach to the Florida Keys, from the Everglades to the Ten Thousand Islands. In short, the best snook-fishing spots on the planet. Author chronicles his fishing adventures from Sanibel to the tarpon capital of the world—Boca Grande—to rivers like the Manatee River and the Little Manatee in Manatee County, the Myakka River in Sarasota County...

About Jim:

Jim Stenson attended Florida State University and has a bachelor’s degree in Information Science and a master’s in Library Science and Information Studies. He has written numerous articles and columns about fly-fishing, surfing, and the unique culture of South Florida. He was managing editor and publisher of The Contemporary Sportsman and The Contemporary Wing Shooter magazines, and the founder of Sweet Waters Adventure, an international adventure travel company catering to fly fishermen and wing shooters. He owns Integrated Digital Publishing, an outdoor marketing company specializing in graphic design, photography, web design, and video development. He lives in Mobile, Alabama.

Join us and Martie Duncan for a delicious event in the Book Cellar on Tuesday, December 17th at 6pm!! This is not a ticketed event.

“I went out on the road during the 2024 Year of Alabama Food to find the best recipes from restaurants across Alabama. My new book, The Alabama 100 Best Recipes, Restaurants & Road Trips features 100 favorite restaurant recipes plus my road trip tips on where to go and what to eat when you get there.” -Martie Duncan

About Martie (Via her Website):

My story? I have a love of food, weddings, travel, and the interesting people you meet along the way. I learned to cook beside my mother who was the best cook I've ever known, hands down. Although I lost her years ago, I still talk to her in the kitchen, especially when I'm using her old rolling pin or magical cast iron skillet. I was a devoted daughter to my sweet ballroom-dancing dad; I lost him recently and miss him every single day.

I am a person of great faith. God is my co-pilot in life, giving me the courage to put myself out there and try new things.

When I auditioned for Food Network Star Season 8, I don't know what made me think I could do it; I have no formal culinary training nor restaurant experience. I simply knew I wanted to help people celebrate life's occasions without stress and anxiety and I thought a show on Food Network would be the best way to make that happen. I was selected by Alton Brown after a months-long audition process. The show aired Summer 2012. While I did not win, the incredible moment on Food Network Star when Susie Fogelson told me "Martie, we want to see a pilot from you, too" absolutely changed my life. Since then, I have toured the state of Alabama many times to write books about Alabama food. I won an episode of Guy’s Grocery Games with my buddy Justin Warner from Food Network— where I can sometimes be seen judging episodes of Beat Bobby Flay.

What's new? My fifth book will be out soon! It can be found in bookstores, restaurants, or shops across the state of Alabama. Get more info here.

All my best,

Martie

Kelli: My life was fine. I worked, went home, and spent time with my best friend. Until I gained some unwanted attention, that is. To keep me safe, my childhood crush hides me away with him and his two roommates, who are also ridiculously attractive. Can I stay here for weeks without falling for one of them... or all of them?

Brian: She's my brother's best friend and the love of my life. I've been keeping an eye on her from afar for years. But when her life is in danger, I do the only thing I can... keep her safe and hidden with me. Can my heart handle having her so close, yet not having her to myself?

Josh: I've always been the quiet one who prefers to be alone. Then she came along. She's a ray of sunshine in my darkness and a woman I shouldn't want. The need to keep her safe is ingrained in me, I just need to separate those feelings. Can I manage that when she is burrowing her way into my heart?

Logan: Our home has been missing something for a while. We've been doing the bare minimum, surviving, but not really living. Then we took Kelli in and she pulled on all of our heartstrings. Now all I can see is her. If we keep her safe, can we just keep her?

“The more you transform your life from the material to the spiritual domain, the less you become afraid of death.” Leo Tolstoy spoke these words, and they became Henry Stuart’s raison d’etre. The Poet of Tolstoy Park is the unforgettable novel based on the true story of Henry Stuart’s life, which was reclaimed from his doctor’s belief that he would not live another year.

Henry responds to the news by slogging home barefoot in the rain. It’s 1925. The place: Canyon County, Idaho. Henry is sixty-seven, a retired professor and a widower who has been told a warmer climate would make the end more tolerable. San Diego would be a good choice.

Instead, Henry chose Fairhope, Alabama, a town with utopian ideals and a haven for strong-minded individualists. Upton Sinclair, Sherwood Anderson, and Clarence Darrow were among its inhabitants. Henry bought his own ten acres of piney woods outside Fairhope. Before dying, underscored by the writings of his beloved Tolstoy, Henry could begin to “perfect the soul awarded him” and rest in the faith that he, and all people, would succeed, “even if it took eons.” Human existence, Henry believed, continues in a perfect circle unmarred by flaws of personality, irrespective of blood and possessions and rank, and separate from organized religion. In Alabama, until his final breath, he would chase these high ideas.

But first, Henry had to answer up for leaving Idaho. Henry’s dearest friend and intellectual sparring partner, Pastor Will Webb, and Henry’s two adult sons, Thomas and Harvey, were baffled and angry that he would abandon them and move to the Deep South, living in a barn there while he built a round house of handmade concrete blocks. His new neighbors were perplexed by his eccentric behavior as well. On the coldest day of winter he was barefoot, a philosopher and poet with ideas and words to share with anyone who would listen. And, mysteriously, his “last few months” became years. He had gone looking for a place to learn lessons in dying, and, studiously advanced to claim a vigorous new life.

The Poet of Tolstoy Park is a moving and irresistible story, a guidebook of the mind and spirit that lays hold of the heart. Henry Stuart points the way through life’s puzzles for all of us, becoming in this timeless tale a character of such dimension that he seems more alive now than ever.

A sumptuously illustrated and vivid account of the deep ties that bridge the histories and cultures of two colorful and storied port cities.

Mobile and Havana: Sisters across the Gulf presents a beautifully written and illustrated survey of the many historic linkages between these exotic port cities. Through an effortless blending of word and image, John S. Sledge, Alicia García-Santana, Chip Cooper, and Julio A. Larramendi, historians and photographers from each side of the basin, share a colorful, complex, and sometimes difficult story never before fully told.

Over twenty years ago, Mobile’s visionary municipal archivist Jay Higginbotham remarked, “Mobile, Alabama, and Havana, Cuba, have only three things in common. The past, the present, and the future.” This book demonstrates just how much that is the case.

Chase Gordon has the life.
The former Marine works part-time as a bartender to support his life island-hopping on his 40-foot sailboat. When the pretty young wife of one of his fellow Marines shows up looking for her husband, Chase steps in to help her out.
Immediately, he finds himself in a stand-off between one of South Florida's most dangerous drug dealers and the D.E.A. Now, he's left wondering what kind of trouble his friend might be facing.
Can Chase even save his fellow soldier?
Filled with action and adventure, Chase Gordon is the next Travis McGee.

On Saturday, December 7th at 10:00 AM, join us for a fun-filled photo op and storytime with the Pigeon from Mo Willems’ new Christmas Classic, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Sleigh!

You’ll snow want the special Pigeon Christmas activities and yummy treats, too.

From #1 New York Times bestselling, award-winning author and illustrator Mo Willems comes a new holiday classic.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year—for driving a sleigh! ’Tis also the season—for driving a sleigh! Oh, and joy to the—driving a sleigh! The Pigeon has made a list and checked it once. Can his holiday dream come true? Or will The Pigeon be left out in the cold?

You’ll share some HO-HO-HOs and HA-HA-HAs finding out in three-time Caldecott Honoree Mo Willems’ ninth Pigeon book, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Sleigh!

Join us on Thursday, December 5th at 6PM to meet Signe Pike and hear all about to her newest book in the Lost Queen series, The Shadowed Land. Ms. Pike will be in-conversation with P&P’s Anderson McKean.

The Shadowed Land

Scotland, AD 580: A queen has risen. A battle has been won. Loved ones who were lost have been reunited. But in a land of power-hungry kings, peace is precarious and cannot last for long. All too soon, circumstance pulls both Britons and Scots back to their own destinies. The warrior Artúr receives a mysterious summons from his father in Dalriada. Queen Languoreth and her brother must return to Strathclyde with the dangerous former bishop Mungo in tow, determined to maintain the fragile balance between the Christians and the people of the Old Way. Meanwhile, the young priestess Angharad must travel deep into the shadowed land of the Picts, hoping to become the initiate of Briochan, a druid who practices the secret Celtic art of weather work. As they rise to meet their fates, they are pushed to impossible new frontiers: each must decide whether they are willing to do what it takes to become the heroes their harrowing days demand. Set in the sprawling historical landscape of early medieval Scotland, Pike’s critically acclaimed retelling of the Arthurian saga thrusts readers into a world of ambition, loyalty and love, revealing truths that have for too long been buried by legend.

“A legend-steeped story of the real King Arthur and his contemporaries, The Shadowed Land is full of mystery and Celtic magic, shimmering lochs and verdant glens, snow-cloaked mountains and deep forests, fierce battles and fragile love. Deeply researched, sweeping, and utterly compelling, The Shadowed Land is this winter’s can’t-miss historical epic.”

—Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Daughter

Signe Pike

Signe Pike is the author of The Lost Queen series, which has been optioned for television, and the travel memoir Faery Tale. The series (originally a trilogy) is being developed as a television series by Made Up Stories after Bruna Papandrea won the rights in a competitive Hollywood auction in 2018.

Signe Pike was born in Ithaca, NY, and graduated from Cornell University with her Bachelor of Science in Communication.  She worked as an acquisitions editor at Random House and then Penguin before leaving to write her first book, a travel memoir entitled Faery Tale: One Woman's Search for Enchantment in a Modern World. Pike has researched and written about Celtic history for the past fifteen years.

Come by Page & Palette for a story time event with Beth Chapman Rabren and her book, Eyes Shining.

There's a special secret that many people do not know...

The animals come out at night!

They come out to eat, and to enjoy the stars and the moon.

They come out to have a safe time to play and be

with their friends and family!

Join us for a Keeper of Lost Cities Fan Gathering! On Tuesday, December 5th at 5pm, we're celebrating the release of Book 9.5, UNRAVELED! Meet other Keeper fans, participate in themed activities, and test your knowledge on all things Keeper of the Lost Cities!

Get ready for our fan event by pre-ordering your copy of UNRAVELED. Visit the following link or stop by P&P!

Keeper Of The Lost Cities Pre-Sale

ABOUT THE BOOK

The past and present unravel into staggering truths in this can’t-miss installment of the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling Keeper of the Lost Cities series told entirely from Keefe’s point of view.

Please be careful. Please be happy. And PLEASE forget all about me. It’ll be better for everyone that way.

Those were the last words Keefe Sencen wrote to Sophie Foster before he ran away to the Forbidden Cities. He didn’t want to leave, but it was the only way to keep his friends safe while he figured out how to control his scary new powers and searched for answers about his past.

What he found was so much more than adventures in Humanland.

Where did he go? What did he do? And who did he meet while the rest of his friends worked to solve the mystery of Stellarlune? The answers go far beyond anything anyone could have ever imagined and give Keefe the power to change his destiny.

Join Fred, a very forgetful heron, as he embarks on an important mission tonight! With the help of his friend, Sandi Piper, Fred is tasked with lighting the Fairhope Christmas tree. Experience the magic and wonder of this special celebration in the charming town of Fairhope!

Come by Page & Palette on Saturday, November 30th at 1pm to meet and talk to David Preston with his books!

Unknown Soldier: World War I

Ever wondered what the lives of the unidentified soldiers buried at the Tomb of the Unknown in Arlington National Cemetery were like? In 1917, the United States entered World War. I, the war to end all wars. One of the most famous American divisions in the war was the 42nd Rainbow Division. An integral part of that division was the 167th Alabama. This story follows what could have been the experiences and lives of those men that fought galliantly and bravely in some of the fiercest fighting along the Western Front. This coming of age story follows a young man from a small Southwest Alabama town that goes out into the world to find adventure and finds himself and his friends in the middle of the fighting.

David Preston

David was born in Gurden, Arkansas. He lived there a whole week and then his family moved to the Dallas, Texas area. While living in the Dallas area suburb of Plano, his mother pased away when he was 11 months old. At the age of 5 and a half, his family moved to the Memphis, Tennessee suburb of Hernando, Mississippi.At the end of middle school, his family moved to the Mobile, Alabama area, where he has resided ever since.

David graduated “Thank The Lurd” from Daphne High School in Daphne, Alabama in 1999. He attended Faulkner State Community College (now Alabama Coastal Community College) and the University of South Alabama, where he majored in Political Science.

David has been a Business Owner, political columnist and Reporter. He ran for Daphne C ity Council in Daphne, Alabama at age 19 in 2000, loosing to an entrenched incumbent by less than 200 votes.

David currently resides in Mobile, Alabama with his four dogs, Moonpie (a Yorkie and the boss of the house), Sampson Beauregard, Starla Grace, and Ziva (all Weimaraners).

For fun, David likes to write and visit historical places and about knew people.

Come by Page & Palette to meet our local authors and artists - Alan Samry from 1-3pm and JD Crowe from 3-5pm on Open House!