Over the past weekend, I attended (with a few of my friends) a local author event sponsored by one of the area’s more prominent indie bookstores. We’re all creative writing majors and avid readers, so it seemed like a good bonding event that we would all be interested in.
Several of these kinds of showcases happen every year, at least where I live, and I have made it a habit of mine to go whenever my schedule allows for it. Aside from adding new books to my near-infinite TBR, it’s also a great opportunity to talk with the writers about their craft and the particular books they are advertising at the time.
The time slot my friends and I went to didn’t have a huge selection of authors, but it was still a very insightful and enjoyable experience. All of the authors that were present live relatively close to our city, which means we had the opportunity to talk to them not just about their books but also about our shared experiences of living in this state. Even though I’m studying at university to become a proper writer, I tend to think of authors as fancy, successful people who are disconnected from inexperienced folk like me. But every time I go to one of these types of showcases, I’m reminded that these authors are just normal people whose only difference from me is a few extra years of life.
My friends and I spoke with almost every author at their table as we made our rounds, but we ended up spending more time at Shawntelle Madison’s table in particular. For one, the event ticket came with a free book of our choice, and we were all interested in picking up her novel The Fallen Fruit – I’ll tell you about that in a minute. But she was also a genuinely enjoyable person to converse with. We spent about fifteen minutes cracking jokes with each other, discussing our writing experiences and reading preferences, and even sharing (short) stories about our lives. She was the second table we encountered, and it completely eliminated my anxiety for the rest of the evening about having to talk to strangers. If she ever does another event in this city, I’m definitely going to make time to attend.
And I did end up taking The Fallen Fruit home with me.
The Fallen Fruit by Shawntelle Madison
On a rainy day in May 1964, history professor Cecily Bridge-Davis begins to search for the sixty-five acres of land she inherited from her father’s family. The quest leads her to uncover a dark secret: In every generation, one offspring from each Bridge family unit vanishes—and is mysteriously whisked back in time. Rules have been established that must be followed to prevent dire consequences:
Never interfere with past events.
Always carry your free Negro papers.
Search for the survival family packs in the orchard and surrounding forest. The ribbon on the pack designates the decade the pack was made to orient you in time.
Do not speak to strangers unless absolutely necessary.
With only a family Bible and a map marked with the locations of mysterious containers to aid her, Cecily heads to the library, hoping to discover the truth of how this curse began, and how it might be ended. As she moves through time, she encounters a circle of ancestors, including Sabrina Humbles, a free Black woman who must find the courage to seize an opportunity—or lose her heart; Luke Bridge, who traverses battlefields, slavery, and time itself to reunite with his family; Rebecca Bridge, a mother tested by an ominous threat; and Amelia Bridge, a young woman burdened with survivor’s guilt who will face the challenge of a lifetime—and change Cecily’s life forever. It is a race through time and against the clock to find the answers that will free her family forever.
AMBER BUDD - Author 