Chapter 16
A Community of Tennessee Writers, Readers & Passersby

Airing It Out

Inman Majors discusses his grand, ambitious new novel—and his role as black sheep of the Majors football dynasty

In an interview with Chapter 16, Inman Majors discusses his work as a writer, his life as an ex-pat Tennessean, and his ambitious new novel, The Millionaires. Recently released in paperback, it’s set in the fictional East Tennessee town of Glennville—a city much like Knoxville—and centers on the Cole family’s troubled foray into Tennessee politics, especially the determination of two wealthy Cole brothers, J.T. and Roland, to bring a World’s Fair to town by any measures necessary.

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Be Careful What You Pray For

Be Careful What You Pray For

Be Careful What You Pray For

By Kimberla Lawson Roby
William Morrow
288 pages
$23.99

“Since her debut, Roby has refined her winning recipe for whipping up page-turners … served up hot and irresistible to readers.”

Essence

A Real Fine Place to Start

With her new novel, country star Sara Evans tries her hand at collaborative fiction

Sara Evans‘s debut novel, The Sweet By and By, written with Rachel Hauck, is a story of faith, forgiveness, and redemption. While inspirational, the novel is never preachy, and the characters, no matter their faults, are treated with sympathy and even-handedness. In an interview, Sara Evans talks with Chapter 16 about the book, the writing process, and the role faith plays in her own life. She will be performing and signing copies of The Sweet By and By at Davis-Kidd Booksellers in Nashville on January 11 at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

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Hold the Garlic

Sherrilyn Kenyon’s soul-sucking vampires have earned her a million fans

Before Americans were hooked on True Blood, before Twilight sank its teeth into millions of readers and moviegoers, Spring Hill’s Sherrilyn Kenyon was swiftly and quietly building her vampire-lit empire. “Kenyon’s writing is brisk, ironic and relentlessly imaginative,” notes The Boston Globe. “These are not your mother’s vampire novels.”

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Isle of Dreams

With her magical first novel, songwriter Amy Foster has another hit on her hands

In Amy S. Foster‘s debut novel, When Autumn Leaves, a female healer catches lightning in a bottle because the island town of Avening is a place where events defy logical explanation. The novel, like its setting, is a cozy one. The citizens of Avening, who long ago grew “to accept the bizarre anomalies as normal,” always have a warm cup of peppermint tea at the ready for a visiting neighbor or friend. This is a book about the miraculous, the magical, and the vibrantly hopeful, and its charm lingers long after the book is closed.

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The Christmas Juggernaut

Franklin novelist Donna VanLiere explains why people are nicer during the holidays—and how her faith in human nature has made her books consistent bestsellers

When Donna VanLiere writes about single mothers struggling to have Christmas for their children, or a small-town department store owner with a heart of gold, she knows whereof she speaks. The Franklin, Tennessee, writer has become the queen of Christmas with a series of holiday heart-warmers that continues with her new novel, The Christmas Secret. VanLiere will be reading from and discussing her new novel on Sunday, December 13, at 3 p.m. at Landmark Booksellers in Franklin (114 East Main St.) That day, the Lifetime network will also air a marathon of holiday films based upon earlier VanLiere books. The series will culminate in the premiere of Christmas Hope at 8 p.m.

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