Fair to showcase local writers, illustrators

Sherry Thurston, a well-known local artist, has made the short leap from illustrating books to writing one — and the title says it all.

“Sneads Ferry” will incorporate photos dating as far back as possible in the town’s history, and Thurston will write accompanying captions to explain the events surrounding each photo. The book will be published by Arcadia Books, which has already put out similar works about Jacksonville, New Bern and other nearby cities and towns.

Although the book will not be released until next year, Thurston hopes to get locals excited about it at the Author Fair scheduled for Sept. 18 at the Jacksonville Mall.

“This town has been my home for 30 years,” she said. “It has such a strong history. I’m trying to work with the pictures I’m getting from people to give an introduction to the community and its ancestry, and show the development of the people and town to the present day.”

Thurston, a former teacher at Dixon High School, owns Thurston’s Art Gallery in Sneads Ferry. She has long been known for her artwork, which is inspired mainly by her town.

“This is my first attempt at writing versus illustrating, and I’m really excited,” she said. “Maybe I’ve got the writing bug, I don’t know. I thought about doing another type of book, but this has been really inspirational to hear people tell about their life and why they live here.”

Betty Schiefelbein, a local writer who organized the Author Fair, said Thurston is an example of the local talent she hopes to showcase at the event.

“In the past two years since I’ve written my book, I’ve met so many wonderful local authors,” she said. “There’s an awful lot of talent here in the town that’s kind of untapped.”

She has written two children’s books to date, one on the topic of patriotism and the other, “The Shingle Nail,” based on one of her father’s sermons.

The Author Fair, she hopes, will bring book enthusiasts, writers, publishers and illustrators to a single location, where they can network and possibly sell a few books.

“We’ve got some poetry coming, some children’s books, some history-oriented books — hopefully we’ll have a good variety,” she said.

Thurston said while she wouldn’t mind selling a few copies of “Three Wishes,” a children’s book she illustrated, she is more interested in meeting people who may be able to help with “Sneads Ferry.”

“I’m hoping just to meet people and maybe bump into someone who also has some information or can help me in some way,” she said. “I’m really looking for a picture of Robert Snead, the namesake of Sneads Ferry.”

She will also be taking names of those interested in purchasing a copy of the book when it is released, she said.

“This is really special, and a lot of people love Sneads Ferry because it’s like a little place tucked back in time,” she said.

Authors, illustrators and publishers have until Friday to register for the event, Schiefelbein said. Each author will be responsible for setting up and monitoring his or her own display table. Registration is free.

The Author Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 18 in the Center Court area of Jacksonville Mall.

For more information, contact Betty Schiefelbein at fschiefelbein@ec.rr.com or Jacksonville Mall Marketing Director Anastasia Paszkiewicz at 910-353-2477 or paszkiea@preit.com.