- Author Rhonda McKnightGwinnett County Public Library - Snellville Branch, Snellville, GA
Join author Rhonda McKnight in conversation with Vanessa Riley as she discusses her new novel, Bitter and Sweet, a dual-timeline tale of family, grief, secrets, and the sweet redemption that lies within the bonds of sisterhood.
From the beloved author of The Thing About Home comes a dual-timeline tale of family, grief, secrets, and the sweet redemption that lies within the bonds of sisterhood.
-The Present- When summoned to Georgetown, South Carolina, sisters Mariah Clark and Sabrina Holland both assume their ailing grandfather's health has gotten worse. Neither expects their grandmother's undeniable request--save the family restaurant.
Mariah is at a crossroad in her life. After being dumped by her husband and forced to walk away from the diner that she helped rescue from bankruptcy, bitter feelings consume her. Even though the restaurant has been in the family for eighty-six years, giving her all to another struggling business isn't something she wants to do.
Living out of her van and striving for a fresh start, Sabrina yearns for stability for herself and her daughter and a chance to turn her baking hustle into a bona-fide business. The family restaurant may be just the blessing she needs--but as old tensions and angry disagreements resurface, Sabrina wonders if her sister will let her have a say.-The Past- After falling victim to a love she thought would last a lifetime, Tabitha Cooper finds herself away from home and struggling to survive in Charleston in the early twentieth century. She is determined to turn corn into cornbread and to take care of her children the best way she knows how--by serving food that's good for the soul--and along the way forges a path that leaves a legacy of success for generations to come.
Through letters that reveal Tabitha's complicated past, the sisters discover truths that just might be the right recipe to mend their hearts--if they can find a way to savor the blessing of today and leave the bitter aftertaste of old memories behind them.Rhonda McKnight is the author of 27 books, including The Thing About Home and An Inconvenient Friend. She is the winner of the 2015 Emma Award for Inspirational Romance of the Year for her title, Unbreak My Heart. She has been nominated thrice for the African American Literary Award. She writes inspirational book club fiction and Christian romance stories about complex characters in crisis. Her goal is to touch the heart of women with the themes of faith, forgiveness, and hope.
Moderating the talk will be acclaimed author Vanessa Riley, known for historical fiction and romance novels such as Island Queen, a Good Morning America Buzz Pick, and Queen of Exiles, an ABC View Lit Pick. She was honored as the 2023 Georgia Literary Fiction Author of the Year for Sister Mother Warrior. Her craft highlights hidden narratives of Black women and women of color, emphasizing strong sisterhoods, diverse communities, and power across historical fiction, romance, and mystery genres. Her works have received praise from esteemed publications like the Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, NPR*, Publisher Weekly,* and the New York Times.
Books will be available for sale and signing from The Book Celler
- Bestselling Author Elle CosimanoGwinnett County Public Library - Duluth Branch, Duluth, GA
Enjoy an evening with New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Elle Cosimano as she discusses her newest witty mystery, Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice.
- Registration is required. Please register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/an-evening-with-author-elle-cosimano-tickets-886509713417.
Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice - Finlay Donovan and her nanny/partner-in-crime Vero are in sore need of a girls’ weekend away. They plan a trip to Atlantic City, but odds are - seeing as it’s actually a cover story to negotiate a deal with a dangerous loan shark, save Vero’s childhood crush Javi, and hunt down a stolen car - it won’t be all fun and games. When Finlay’s ex-husband Steven and her mother insist on tagging along too, Finlay and Vero suddenly have a few too many meddlesome passengers along for the ride.
If Finlay can juggle a jealous ex-husband, two precocious kids, her mother’s marital issues, a decomposing loan shark, and find Vero’s missing boyfriend, she might get out of Atlantic City in one piece. But will she fold under the pressure and come clean about the things she’s done, or be forced to double down?
Elle Cosimano is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, an International Thriller Award winner, a Bram Stoker Award finalist, and an Edgar® Award nominee. Her acclaimed young adult novels include Nearly Gone, Holding Smoke, The Suffering Tree, and Seasons of the Storm. Elle’s debut novel for adults, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, kicked off a witty, fast-paced contemporary mystery series, which was a PEOPLE Magazine Pick and was named one of New York Public Library’s Best Books of 2021. In addition to writing novels for teens and adults, her essays have appeared in The Huffington Post and Time.