By Michelle Kinsey—
MUNCIE, IN —The E.B. and Bertha C. Ball Center will have its first Local Author Fair Friday, Sept. 8, at the center, 400 W. Minnetrista Blvd.
The event, from 2 to 6 p.m., is free and open to the public.
More than 20 local authors are scheduled to participate. Ink Drinker’s Anonymous, an independent bookstore located in downtown Muncie, will have a booth as well.
“The E.B. and Bertha C. Ball Center has a rich history of promoting literature and fostering a community of avid readers,” said Diane Watters, Associate Director of the center. “Hosting a book fair that supports local authors and an independent bookstore, and aligns with the center’s mission, is a win-win for everyone.”
Authors will be set up on all three floors of the historic mansion and each will sell their own book(s). Guests are encouraged to bring cash, just in case an author can’t take credit cards on site.
Authors include: Jill Christman, Cathy Day, Katy Didden, Chris Flook, Andy and Shelly Gage, Mary Pieroni Harper, Mark Herbkersman, Andrew Hoesman, Ruth Jefferson, Marie Jefferson Jones, Laurie Lunsford, Jim Martindale & Sarah Lamberson, Lylanne Musselman, Mark Neely, Lee Pierce, Marta Stephens, Makyla Thompson, Kelsey Timmerman, Roy Weaver, and J. Wolf Scott.
Shelly Gage, a self-proclaimed Sherlockian, writes and edits books with her husband as part of a few Sherlock Holmes societies.
“We write as if Holmes and Watson were real,” she said, adding that they will have the latest in their “Case Notes” series at the fair.
Other new releases include one from Chris Flook about graverobbing (“Indianapolis Graverobbing: A Syndicate of Death”) and Laurie Lunsford’s new book for children about the solar eclipse on April 8, 2024 (“The Solar Eclipse Is Coming”).
In fact, book topics at the fair will span several genres – science fiction, historical fiction, poetry, self-help, memoirs, essays and travel.
“I don’t think people realize how many writers are in this area,” Gage said. “Bringing everyone together like this is a fun idea and I am really glad the center is doing it!”
For more information about the Author Fair or the E.B. and Bertha C. Ball Center, go to https://www.bsu.edu/academics/centersandinstitutes/eb-bertha-c-ball or contact Diane Watters at dbuck@bsu.edu.
