10:00 to 10:45 am
Featured Author
Forrest Church - So Help Me God
In his latest book So Help Me God-The Founding Fathers and the First Great Battle Over Church and State, Forrest Church looks at today's fight over the divide between church and state (or the lack thereof). In a revelatory look at the birth of our nation, Forrest Church recreates our first great culture war-a tumultuous yet nearly forgotten conflict that raged from George Washington's presidency to James Monroe's. Would we be a nation under god, or with liberty and justice for all?

Denise Swanson - Murder of a Botoxed Blonde
National Bestselling author, Denise Swanson gives heroine, Skye Denison ‘the treatment’ in her ninth book in the popular Scumble River Mystery series. A health spa complete with tofu turkey and "Dress for Sexcess" lectures is the last place school psychologist Skye Denison wants to spend Thanksgiving. But when her best friend, Trixie Frayne, convinces her to take a complimentary weekend at the new Scumble River Spa, Skye accepts her fate and prepares to be slathered, wrapped and roasted. "With its endearing hero, terrific cast of realistically quirky secondary characters, and generous soupçon of humor, Murder of a Botoxed Blonde, the ninth in Denise Swanson's charming series set in the small Illinois town of Scumble River, is a delight."— John Charles Chicago Tribune

James Swain - Midnight Rambler
James Swain, the bestselling author The Wall Street Journal hails as “one terrific writer,” will read from Midnight Rambler, his breakout thriller of the year–a brawny, brainy novel of suspense that pairs James Swain’s trademark smooth-as-silk prose with a plot bigger and bolder than anything he’s done before.

Tom Stanton - Ty and the Babe
Tom Stanton has been a journalist for nearly thirty years – and a baseball fan for ten more. “ Stanton’s story of rivalry-turned- friendship of Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth is as splendid as a sunny spring day at the ballpark… Stanton portrays them sympathetically as exceptionally talented men with complex flaws.” Starred Review, Publishers Weekly.

John Heidenry - The Gashouse Gang
With The Gashouse Gang, John Heidenry delivers the definitive account of one the greatest and most colorful baseball teams of all times, the 1934 St. Louis Cardinals, filled with larger-than-life baseball personalities like Branch Rickey, Leo Durocher, Pepper Martin, Casey Stengel, Satchel Paige, Frankie Frisch, and-especially-the eccentric good ol' boy and great pitcher Dizzy Dean and his brother Paul.

2:15 to 3:00 pm
Featured Author
Rick Atkinson - A Day of Battle
Three-time Pulitzer Prize wining author Rick Atkinson’s A Day of Battle, follows the American and British armies as they invade Sicily in July 1943, attack Italy two months later, and then fight their way, mile by bloody mile, north toward Rome. The Italian campaign's outcome was never certain; in fact, President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill and their military advisors bitterly debated whether an invasion of the so-called soft underbelly of Europe was even wise. But once underway, the commitment to liberate Italy from the Nazis never wavered, despite the agonizing price. Drawing on extensive new material from a wide array of primary sources, and written with great drama and flair, A Day of Battle is narrative history of the first rank.

3:15 to 4:00 pm
Contemporary African-American Fiction
moderated by Cherlyn Michaels

Kimberla Lawson Roby - Love and Lies
New York Times Bestselling author, Kimberla Lawson Roby returns with another fabulous tale featuring the beloved scoundrel Curtis Black. At long last, the Reverend Curtis Black appears to be living the straight life. The all-too-human preacher is a bestselling author now, and he and wife, Charlotte, are raising two adorable children. But the ever-suspicious Charlotte doesn’t trust that Curtis has put his womanizing past behind him. While’s he on the road promoting his latest book, she knows that there just needs to be one extra-devoted fan in his flock for him to stray

Victor McGlothin - Ms. Etta's Fast House
In his latest release, Miss Etta’s Fast House, Essence bestselling author Victor McGlothin gives us a stirring novel about a player who's down on his luck only to receive help from the most unlikely source--the very women whose hearts he broke... The year is 1947, and Ms. Etta's Fast House, located in St. Louis, MO.'s the Ville, is the hottest nightclub this side of Chicago. The city's fastest-talking street hustlers rub elbows here with the rich and famous, and anyone with enough cash in their wallet can drink like a king and dance the night away.

4:15 to 5:00 pm
Featured Author
Amy Dubois Barnett - Get Yours: The Girlfriends Guide to Having Everything You've Ever Dreamed Of
Award-winning journalist, fiction writer and television commentator, Amy Dubois Barnett, presents her new book, Get Yours! The Girlfriends' Guide to Having Everything You Ever Dreamed of and More. With humor and honesty, Amy shares her own story of transformation from awkward, insecure people-pleaser to strong, independent woman. She reveals the personal philosophy that allowed her to look and feel amazing, find love and achieve history-making professional success. Amy also includes intimate interviews with celebrities to get their perspective on topics ranging from career and finance to health and spirituality to style and creativity to friends and family. Weaving together intimate anecdotes, exclusive celebrity interviews, thought-provoking quizzes, and brilliant-but-basic tips and tricks and tools. Get Yours! is your personal guidebook to a lifetime of happiness, love, success and fulfillment.