In this edition…
Celebrating 8!;
Community goodbyes;
Rounding up good stuff;
Books headed your way;
Upcoming events
Eight years ago, Caroline and I turned a passing idea from a dream into reality (scary! fun!).
Before: standing behind the counter at Malaprop’s—a job we both loved—trying to offer our knowledge of the industry in bite-sized pieces to customers, authors, writers, and dreamers who asked for it.
After: sitting at our table or desks or in our couches or chairs or at a coffee shop consulting with and assisting all those folks with focus and time and feeling like we were truly helping.
What a gift! Along the way, we’ve met so many amazing people and continued relationships we value. I still shake my head in disbelief that this is real!
So here we go, off into the beautiful new ninth year of Gold Leaf. We’re hoping it means cocktails and coffees with many of you, great book-related events, and, of course, a full TBR pile waiting to carry us off to places and people we haven’t even thought of yet!
As always, if there is anything we can do for you, or to support you, please reach out. We’re dreaming up what our ninth and tenth years in business will look like and we’d love to have any input you want to share.
—Lauren
Goodbye-ing
As Boyz II Men sang, it’s so hard to say goodbye to yesterday. We were very lucky to have Carolyn Schweitz walk into our office in the Spring of 2019. We needed extra help and she was full of fire about joining the publishing world. Over the 5 years in between, she helped us keep going through personal loss, a pandemic, and other unforeseen transitions. She brought ideas, energy, and kindness to our meetings and all the work that she did. We’re going to miss the heck out of her, but we hope that in a few years, we’ll be celebrating one of her incredible stories hitting shelves. Whatever she does, we know it’s going to be great.
Our friends at Charlotte Readers Podcast are about to share their 400th and final episode on July 16th. We’ll miss the community that they’ve created and sustained, but there are two bits of great news that come with this announcement.
First, they will keep the podcast site up and the episodes available. So, if you missed the one about how literary agents work, the double feature with C.J. Box and Rebecca Makkai, or the one where Lauren talked book promotion, fear not! You can still listen in. Second, Landis, Sarah, and Hannah seem to be cooking up something new behind the scenes. We’ll be watching and waiting to see what it is!
Good Stuff
We’re always excited about good things happening for our authors, our community, and deserving folks in general. Here are some we want to share:
Dale Neal’s launch for Kings of Coweetsee at Citizen Vinyl! As a former Asheville Citizen-Times journalist, Dale spent many hours writing in this very same space. On Tuesday, July 23rd at 7pm, we’ll be enjoying some Session cocktails while he discusses his brand-new novel with Terry Roberts and listening to some incredible ballads from the one-and-only Sheila Kay Adams. Malaprop’s and Blue Ridge Public Radio are co-sponsors. It’s free, so join us by registering here!
Plus, these reviews of Kings of Coweetsee in Library Journal and Still: The Journal (where Tommy Hays says Dale has earned his spot among “the most complex and nuanced” of WNC’s writers!)
This GREAT review of Zackary Vernon’s Our Bodies Electric in The Southern Review of Books calling the novel “a celebration of the eccentric ones, of youth’s exuberances and disappointments, and of the unexpected places where one finds the acceptance they need to become who they truly are.”
The Southern Festival of the Book author reveal coming NEXT WEEK!
The general amazingness that Kate McKean shares about writing and publishing over at Agents & Books.
The fun Alan Gratz is having at The Moon Journal. (Any other Moonlighting fans out there?!)
For She is Wrath, The Count of Monte Cristo retelling we didn’t quite know we needed, but definitely do!
The Night School for Young Mystics. We LOVED The Night School and think this companion volume for young adults is pretty swoon-worthy.
Malaprop’s extended their hours!
August & September Titles
Bulletproof
by Mickey Dubrow
With the sharp-eyed satire of Carl Hiaasen, Mickey Dubrow takes on gun culture point blank in his new novel that Kirkus calls “refreshingly unpredictable.” A portion of all book sales will be donated to Everytown for Gun Safety.
Coming August 6, 2024
Where Dark Things Grow
by Andrew K. Clark
“As haunting as all fireside stories should be. Where Dark Things Grow will make you sleep with the lights on.”—Jason Mott, National Book Award-winning author of Hell of a Book
Coming September 10, 2024
Finding Plymm
by Christopher Brookhouse
“In Brookhouse’s novel, the history of a small Southern town comes alive as a newcomer searches for answers about a lost ancestor. . . . an intricate, engaging, and cohesive page-turner.”—Kirkus Reviews
Coming September 10, 2024
Upcoming Events
All times are Eastern, and all events free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.
Denise Kiernan’s CRAFT: Authors in Conversation featuring Stuart Connelly
Little Jumbo, Asheville, NC
Sunday, July 14 @ 4:30pm
C. L. Willis in conversation with Jo Ann Croom
Blue Moon Books, Canton, NC
Saturday, July 20 @ 2pm
Dale Neal in conversation with Terry Roberts + Sheila Kay Adams
Citizen Vinyl, Asheville, NC
Tuesday, July 23 @ 7pm
Zackary Vernon Reading
City Lights Bookstore, Sylva, NC
Saturday, August 3 @ 3pm
Lauren Yero Signing
The Hop, Asheville, NC
Saturday, August 3 @ 2-3pm
Mickey Dubrow in conversation with Andisheh Nouraee
Wild Heaven West End (for A Cappella Books), Atlanta, GA
Tuesday, August 6 @ 7pm
Maia Toll Signing
The Hop, Asheville, NC
Saturday, August 10 @ 2-3pm
Denise Kiernan’s CRAFT: Authors in Conversation featuring Julie Satow
Little Jumbo, Asheville, NC
Sunday, August 11 @ 4:30pm
Nathan Ballingrud in conversation with Polly Schattel
Malaprop’s, Asheville, NC
Tuesday, August 27 @ 6pm
As always, please feel free to share this with anyone you think would enjoy it. We appreciate you and our lush literary ecosystem so much!
Connect with us on social media! @goldleafliterary
“One benefit of summer was that each day we had more light to read by.” —Jeanette Walls