Harvest Tour of Homes to feature local authors
This weekend’s Harvest Tour of Homes, benefitting the Berkeley County Library on Daniel Island, will offer a unique, behind-the-scenes look at some of Daniel Island’s most beautiful properties. But that’s not the only perk provided to ticket-holders.
To give the tour a distinct, literary feel, each home will also feature a Lowcountry author, who will not only be on hand to answer questions from guests but also sell and autograph copies of his or her books.
Taking part in the 2016 event, to be held on Saturday, October 22, from 1 to 4 p.m., will be authors Owen Duffy, Mike Ferrara, Mike Glasgow, Becca Bessinger and illustrator Kris Manning. Check out the information below to learn more about each featured writer.
Owen Duffy
Charleston resident Owen Duffy will share the inspirations behind his first novel, “The Artichoke Queen,” a story that takes readers into the fast lane of race car driving.
“(The book) was inspired by the colorful people involved in early car racing in America,” explained Duffy. “Writing the book was like taking a time machine to an era where anyone could buy a car and enter a race across Mexico the next day. It was a fun trip!”
Duffy, who holds a master of fine arts in writing from Rutgers-Newark, was thrilled to receive an invitation to take part in the Harvest Tour of Homes on Daniel Island.
“I was pleased to have been chosen from so many great Charleston authors,” he said. “I have family and friends on Daniel Island and enjoy so many of the great events there, many of which serve worthwhile causes. This one serves a cause very dear to me: books! My wife works in libraries so I know what a crucial role they and the Daniel Island Library have in a community, as a center for learning and sharing information, culture and arts.”
Mike Ferrara
Mike Ferrara’s love for writing began in 1974, after the U.S. Air Force put him in the space program. He took a writing course at UCLA and wrote several chapters of the beginnings of a thrilling spy novel and submitted them to an agent in New York.
“He sent it back basically telling me it stunk and not to waste his time,” recalled Ferrara, now a Daniel Island resident. “I never tried to write again until 2014, after I retired from a career with the Wall Street firm Morgan Stanley.”
The book Ferrara started all those years ago was called “The Land of the Million Elephants” and it was eventually published in 2015. According to a description of the novel on Amazon.com, the story mixes “action, adventure, and mystery in the Laotian theatre of the Vietnam War.”
“It chronicles the secret CIA war in Laos that was concurrent with the Vietnam War,” noted Ferrara. “I was an Air Force officer serving in Thailand and was very familiar with events there, so it was easy for me to portray actual events with fictional characters.”
As Jim Greenho wrote in a February 2016 article about Ferrara in The Daniel Island News, the book takes place between 1971 and 1972. At the time, Ferrara was stationed in the Province of Ubon, which is 40 miles outside of Laos. The story includes many of his personal experiences. When asked about his reaction to being included as a featured author in this year’s Harvest Tour of Homes, Ferrara said he is honored to participate.
“We love Daniel Island and are strong supporters of the library,” he added.
Mike Glasgow
Mike Glasgow is no stranger to written expression. He makes his principal living doing business writing for companies, but, as he explains, that work led him to pen several books on other subjects that interest him.
“I have had two literary agents that have sold my manuscripts to both New York and California publishers on a broad range of subjects from careers to Nashville’s most notorious murder case (which was profiled on CBS’s 48 Hours) to the trial of an American for murder in Nicaragua (which was profiled on CNN’s Anderson Cooper’s 360) to community gardens,” said Glasgow.
He describes his sixth book, “Feeding Charleston,” as a labor of love that originated as a way to give to those who suffer from what he calls “food insecurity.”
“The theme of the book is ‘Dine Local / Give Local,’ and a portion of the proceeds from the sale of each copy is donated to the Lowcountry Food Bank,” said Glasgow. “In 2014, I released ‘Feeding Memphis,’ and since that date have donated $10,000 to the Mid-South Food Bank, which has provided for 30,000 meals to those in need.”
Glasgow said his goal with “Feeding Charleston” is to provide 60,000 meals to those who face food insecurity in the Lowcountry. He looks forward to sharing information about his books with those taking part in the upcoming Harvest Tour.
“It is an honor to participate in the Harvest Tour of Homes in support of the Daniel Island Library,” he said. “Libraries are passports to unlimited possibilities. The famous author John le Carre has been quoted as saying, ‘I’m really a library man.’”
Becca Bessinger & Kris Manning
Children’s book duo Becca Bessinger and Kris Manning pack one powerful, creative punch. Their first literary collaboration, entitled “My Own Little Bit of Sky,” was written by Bessinger and illustrated by Manning, who is also co-owner of Black Tie Music Academy. The story takes readers on a journey led by a young girl named “U,” and her dog, “Fleas.” Together, they ride into the night sky on the back of a firefly with their celestial friends.
Bessinger said although she doesn’t have any formal training in creative writing, it’s something she has engaged in for most of her life. She started writing poetry at a young age and has been an avid songwriter for over 25 years, with a focus on lyrics that tell stories.
“The idea of writing a children’s book is one that swirled around my brain on and off since I became a mom almost 11 years ago,” said Bessinger. “And when I finally sat down to do it, the inspiration came from an image I’d written into a song many years ago: ‘in the playground of the sky.’ Once I had the setting, the main character, U, took over and told her story.”
The collaboration with Manning as an illustrator provided “invaluable energy and inspiration through the rewriting process,” added Bessinger.
“Her drawings informed and shaped the evolution of the way I saw U and thus the way I fine-tuned her story.”
“This girl can write some amazingly beautiful music and her storytelling through her lyrics struck me as something very special about her,” said Manning, who first met Bessinger while gigging in the Charleston music scene. “When Becca approached me to illustrate her book I was honored and thrilled! What an opportunity. U, the main character in the book, is a strong independent young girl and my goal going in was to be true to her spirit and capture her feisty nature in the illustrations. I think we captured her essence and we’re working on more books chronicling U’s adventures. Becca has even written a lullaby we’re going to include as a free digital download.”
Bessinger said she is both “honored and excited” to be a part of this weekend’s Harvest Tour. Manning was also invited to be a featured guest at the 2015 tour, when she joined author and Daniel Island resident Ben Pogue as the cover illustrator of his book “In the Shadow of the Songbird.”
“I know what an honor it is to part of such a special event,” said Manning. “We have such a fantastic library here on Daniel Island and this fundraiser is a significant way to raise funds. I encourage everyone to buy your tickets now and support the library. You get to meet the authors, illustrators and poke around in gorgeous homes. It’s a blast!”
“Libraries are cornerstones of education and community,” added Bessinger. “Benefits such as the Harvest Tour of Homes help the Daniel Island Library to continue its mission of informing and inspiring lives in the Daniel Island community.”
Manning will also have copies of her latest children’s book “I Have an Opinion and So Do You” to share at the tour.
“We’ll have a pile of books with us and can’t wait to share our stories one-on-one with tourists!” said Manning.
For additional information on the tour, including how to purchase tickets, please visit www.harvesthometours.com.