Three writers to discuss their work Aug. 23

Three local writers – authors of books that focus on SciFi, romance and memoir – will discuss their work at 7 p.m. tonight (Thursday, Aug. 23, 2018), at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon, Metairie.

This event is free and is open to the public.

Settling Darkness By Paul Heingarten

Ana Crucinal and Nelson Forrester find themselves even deeper in the fight than they could've ever imagined. The Action, now joined up with Lebabolis again as the Coalition, faces down the mysterious Omegans, an alien race that seems only bent on raiding Earth for one of her last remaining resources. Ana is being tormented by strange telepathic messages, and Nelson feels ever pulled toward Cataclysm, the weapon that could finally turn the tide of the fight. But others have their sights on Cataclysm too, and the race is on to get the upper hand and retake control. Will the Coalition get what they need to stop the Omegans? Will Ana learn just who this strange voice is, and just how important she is to restoring order in the world?

Paul Heingarten writes science fiction and fantasy, with the occasional detour into general fiction. His novel Cataclysm Epoch was selected as a semi-finalist in the 2017 William Faulkner-William Wisdom Writing Competition in New Orleans. His short stories include The Harvest, The Monitor, and Natural Election. He is an IT professional and a musician.  

Can Everybody Swim? By Bruce Snow

We stood chest deep in water as we watched the female police officer remove the man from his wheelchair restraints. Steadying the man, she turned to us and asked, "Can Everybody Swim?" News coverage surrounding Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath captured America's rapt attention and swelled our hearts. Stories of lawlessness and violence still abound from the flooded City. Who can forget the Louisiana Superdome? Can Everybody Swim? A Survival Story from Katrina's Superdome takes readers on a journey through the maelstrom. A shortage of cash combined with a fierce loyalty to protect the Gentilly neighborhood family home purchased by his Ecuadorian immigrant grandparents led the then 25-year-old author and his family to remain in their city to weather the storm, including enduring six days in the infamous Superdome.

Bruce Snow fills his spare time with writing and various musical endeavors. He is currently working on several fiction projects. Bruce earned a BA in History from the University of New Orleans, and lived in Little Rock from 2008 until returning to New Orleans in the fall of 2016.

Waiting for You at Midnight by Vicki Salloum

In the months following her husband's death, Arabella Joseph realizes she has no one with whom to share her most intimate thoughts and feelings. So she begins writing to her best friend--her dead husband--in a spiral notebook, telling him about her days and nights in the aftermath of his death. She describes in detail how she feels about the three men she variously meets while attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. In words funny, naughty, and moving, she re-lives the scenes of her romantic encounters and jiltings and crushes that go nowhere as well as beautiful nights spent with one of the men. In the course of her writings, she exposes her ferocious love for her dead husband even as she searches for someone to take his place. This "manuscript with no identity," as Arabella calls it, is not only a celebration of her husband's life but a deeply felt journey into the forbidden territory of an older woman's sexuality, grief, and alcoholism and her efforts to find enduring love while mourning the loss of her greatest love.

Vicki Salloum was born and raised in Gulfport. Vicki was a staff writer for three newspapers, including The Miami Herald. She began writing fiction when she was in her late 30s. Her three other published novels are Candyland (2016), Faulkner & Friends (2014), and A Prayer to Saint Jude (2012). Her short fiction has been included in the anthologiesWhen I Am An Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple, Pass/Fail: 32 Stories About Teaching, Voices From the Couch, andUmpteen Ways of Looking at a Possum: Critical and Creative Responses to Everette Maddox. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Louisiana State University.

For more information regarding this presentation, contact Chris Smith, Manager of Adult Programming for the library, at 504-889-8143 or wcsmith@jefferson.lib.la.us.

Louisiana Book News is written by award-winning author Chere Dastugue Coen, who writes Louisiana romances and mysteries under the pen name of Cherie Claire. Her first book in each series is FREE to download as an ebook, including "Emilie," book one of The Cajun Series, "Ticket to Paradise," book one of The Cajun Embassy series and "A Ghost of a Chance," the first Viola Valentine mystery.