Book signing September 17, 2011

New Bern author Karen Dodd returns to Southport on Friday, September 16 to discuss the difference between writing romance and love-story novels. “Romance novels have a happily-ever-after ending, not true for love stories,” Dodd says, “but there are similar elements that must be included in both stories.” Dodd will discuss her Southport island romance, “Shifting Sands” with the Southport Book Club at a covered dish supper hosted by Vonceal Kubler. Dodd brings a collage of pictures she made to identify her characters and weave her plot. She will also read a portion of her book. She said she woke up with the lines in her head and wrote them down before they melted into a dream.
On Saturday, September 17 the Duck Duck Goose crafters store will be hosting a signing open to the public from 10AM-2PM. Local residents and visitors to the area are invited to visit the store and talk with the writer about any of her books. Duck Duck Goose is located at 106 East Moore Street, downtown Southport. To reserve your personal copy of the Southport novel call (910) 454-0643.
Dodd grew up in coastal North Carolina, the daughter of a Coast Guardsman. She writes what she knows. Author of eight books that deal with people and places on the NC coast, she has two non-fiction short story books, four mysteries and two romance novels currently available for readers. “They are easy weekend reads with a hint of salt air,” the writer says. “I like reading quick, feel- good stories, so that’s what I write. Don’t laugh, but when my older sister read my first novel she told me, ‘Karen, it’s not War and Peace.’” She chuckles at that memory. “My stories leave you with a smile.”
Her last trilogy of mysteries are about New Bern, NC. Ken Grubel, Sun Journal book reviewer, wrote after finishing her first book, “I think this is the first mystery I’ve read that would double as a guidebook” to New Bern and its history. The series was inspired by the recent 300th anniversary of the town. Each book highlights a different century of New Bern, while the present day sleuth, a retired schoolteacher and local historian, works to find the killer lurking in her hometown.
Come to Duck Duck Goose and meet Karen Dodd on Saturday, September 17th