ALL BOOKED UP | Library gets read-y for unveiling of new section Saturday

Feel free to judge the book by its cover Saturday – after all, the authors put a lot of thought into it.
By all means, don’t stop there: Some of those same independent authors are going to be nearby at Lee-Bardwell Public Library March 14, waiting and hoping that new readers will dive into their labors of love.
When it comes to something like the local library’s new Texas, Local and Independent Author section, there’s a very good chance the writer behind the book in-hand is, perhaps, a neighbor or fellow East Texan. At the very least, they’ll be someone’s who’s published in the Lone Star State.
The section itself is a passion project of Library Director Brandy Winn and her staff, and they’re itching to officially cut the ribbon at 2 p.m. to open the Meet the Authors! event, and they’re anticipating 14 of the many authors in the section will be in attendance to interact with eager readers.
“I have already received quite a lot of feedback expressing excitement about this event from those who live in the area,” Winn wrote in a counting-down message to her participating authors. They’ll each have a dedicated space at the event, and she’s hoping a large crowd will be waiting to learn more about their myriad works: “I’ve gotten over 6,000 views for the event on Facebook. That’s a huge amount of people as compared to what we normally get and tons of shares.”
The plan is for a bit of a ‘book convention’ atmosphere – authors will be selling and signing their books while also fielding questions and swapping tales with each other and visitors.
The quick celebration of the new section will be at 2 p.m. followed by introductions of each of the participating authors. The Local, Texas and Independent Authors section was funded in large part by a grant from the J. Frank Dobie Library Trust, quickly becoming the largest collection of its kind.
“We have such a wealth of creative talent in the area, and all of Texas,” Winn said.
The working roster of authors Saturday includes Eric Butler (Horror), Stephanie Chance (Nonfiction/Travel), Shannon Christensen (Children’s Fiction), April Coker (Christian, Romance, Mystery), Kristi Copeland (Paranormal, Romance, Mystery), Nathan Crockett (Dark Fantasy), M. Ennenbach (Speculative Fiction, Horror), Rocky Hawkins (Biographic), Patrick C. Harrison III (Horror), Chris Miller (Horror, Thriller), J.L. Moore (Mystery, Thriller), Glenna Riddle (Paranormal, Romance), Bart Tilton (Christian Fiction) and Anita Thomas (Children’s Fiction).
“The library closes at 6, but if there are any attendees still there buying books, we will not close the doors until they are done.”