Words and Images by Jenny Lynn Davis
USA Today Bestselling Author Mandi Blake recently visited the Carbon Hill Public Library for a meet-and-greet and book signing event. The Lupton-area native is known for her uplifting and clean romance novels that revolve around themes of love, redemption, and Christian faith.
Mandi has self-published a total of 18 books across three different series and has contributed to four books in two multi-author series. Her next book is set to be released in July.
The event was part of the Carl Elliott Regional Library System’s celebration of National Library Week, a yearly initiative of the American Library Association focused on celebrating our nation’s libraries and the contributions of library workers, as well as the promotion of library use and support.
During the event, attendees had the chance to participate in a Q&A session with the author. Many interesting topics were discussed, including Mandi’s journey to becoming a writer and her motivations to write. She also shared insights into her writing processes and routines, such as where she finds inspiration for her stories, when and where she prefers to write, and the challenges and rewards of self-publishing.
“Through events like this one, we not only want to support local authors and get their names out there, but also we want to encourage people to be interested in literature and in reading, and even writing,” said Sandra Underwood, Director of the Carl Elliott Regional Library System. “I also want to acknowledge librarian Nancy Stewart and the Carbon Hill Library Board for their commitment to providing these types of opportunities to the community.” WL
To learn more about the Carl Elliott Regional Library System, visit one of the six public library branches, located in Arley, Carbon Hill, Double Springs, Haleyville, Jasper, and Sumiton.
