New Features At the Upstate Women's Show!

The Lee Bros.
BI-LO Cooking Stage - Saturday 1PM
"E" Stage Sponsored By HRC - Saturday 5PM & 6PM

Siblings Matt and Ted grew up in Charleston, South Carolina. When they left to attend colleges in the Northeast, they so missed the foods of their hometown that they founded The Lee Bros. Boiled Peanuts Catalogue, a mail-order catalogue for southern pantry staples like stone-ground grits, fig preserves, and, of course, boiled peanuts. When an editor of a travel magazine asked them to write a story about road-tripping their home state in search of great food, they embarked on a second career as food and travel journalists.

They currently write food stories for Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, GQ, The New York Times, and are the wine columnists for Martha Stewart Living. Their new book Simple Fresh Southern is a collection of all-new recipes for real home cooks that celebrates the South’s bounty of fresh ingredients.

“These two boys are not only great cooks, I consider them the modern day Lewis and Clark of southern cuisine.” —Paula Deen, host of Paula’s Best Dishes and author of The Deen Family Cookbook

The "Unforgettables" Fashion Show
"E" Stage Sponsored By HRC -
Friday 7PM & Saturday Noon

Join Dillard's, The Millie Lewis Agency, and Talk Magazine Friday at 7:00 and Saturday at 2:00 for exciting, spirited, 'Unforgettables' of the Fall Season.  It's a Fashion Event that will leave you begging for more!

You'll be charmed with the treasures autumn winds blow into the Upstate Woman's life in 2010.  Don't miss the party pieces, the details, and high fashion statements that make all women 'Unforgettables'!!!

The Dinner Diva
BI-LO Cooking Stage - Saturday 2PM
Creativity Stage - Saturday 11:30PM
Writer's Block

Leanne Ely, aka the "Dinner Diva", is the New York Times best selling author of the Saving Dinner series. According to Woman’s Day Magazine, she is the expert on family cooking.

Her media experience includes multi-city book tours, satellite media tours, QVC several times as well as guesting on several national television shows, including HGTV’s Simple Solutions, ABC Family’s Living the Life, Ivanhoe’s Smart Woman, Small Talk for Parents and Talk of the Town. She has been a guest chef on the cooking show, Carolina Cooks and has taught cooking classes all over the country for Bloomingdale’s.

In addition, she is a seasoned radio personality. Her current show, Saving Dinner with the Dinner Diva airs each Wednesday afternoon on BlogTalkRadio.com and is one of the top ten shows on that channel. Leanne’s weekly syndicated newspaper column, The Dinner Diva goes out to over 250 newspapers nationwide and in Canada. On the Internet, she pens the Food for Thought columnist for the immensely popular, FlyLady.net, with over a half a million readers several times a week.

She has been featured in Woman’s Day, Parents, Redbook, Self and Shape magazines to name a few. Leanne has also been featured in the Chicago Tribune, New York Times, Boston Globe, St. Petersburg Times, Orange County Register—and many other major newspapers.

Leanne will be cooking up some of her famous Garlic Lime Chicken on the BI-LO Cooking Stage and will also be onsite promoting her new book Saving Dinner: The Menus, Recipes, and Shopping Lists to Bring Your Family Back to the Table

The Carolina Ballet Theatre will perform their spirited local take on "Dancing With The Stars,” pairing well known personalities from and around Greenville with CBT company dancers for a spirited dance-off.  Performances will include Bob Howard (President, Greenville Technical College Foundation) and his partner Erica Wesselman, Myra Ruiz (Reporter, WYFF Channel 4) and Matt Harvey, and Amy Ryberg Doyle (Greenville City Council) and her partner Sam Chester.

Founded in 1972, Carolina Ballet Theatre has been a significant contributor to Greenville's vibrant arts and culture scene for more than thirty-five years. Now in its seventh season as the area's premier professional dance company, Carolina Ballet Theatre boasts nine full-time professional dancers, three dance trainees, and an entire community of supporters.

Lisa Shively
BI-LO Cooking Stage - Friday Noon
Creativity Stage - Thursday 12:30PM

Lisa Shively will be on the BI-LO Cooking Stage demonstrating her "Kitchen Helpers - No Bake Pork Chops & Rice." Lisa is from North Carolina and has written seven cookbooks.  By just flipping through them, the reader will see that Lisa only cooks with "normal" ingredients and very easy to follow directions. She has three hard-back books with 400 recipes in each and four specialty cookbooks featuring Blueberries, Sweet Potatoes, Beginner's Cooking and Crock Pot Dishes- each with 100 recipes. 

Lisa's books have been featured in the Best of the Best Cookbooks of North Carolina.   She has hosted the Celebrity BI-LO Cooking Stages at shows in Raleigh and Charlotte, NC, Birmingham, AL and Detroit, Michigan. 

For more than four years, she has had a radio cooking segment on WLOE/WMYN and online called "Cooking with Lisa".  Lisa partnered with the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, NC Sweet Potato Commission and NC Blueberry Council to help promote everyday meals at home.

Her newest products are Quick Meal Mixes that help make dinner quicker and easier than ever before.  With her background in the Chemistry lab, it was a natural step after writing her cookbooks to move into food manufacturing.  Most of the mixes are All Natural and Gluten Free.  For more information, go to www.cookingwithlisa.com. 

WHAM Auctions Appraisal Team
"E" Stage Sponsored By HRC - Thursday 5pm & Saturday 1pm

*** Wham Auctions will be onsite at the Upstate Women's Show appraising items in the Santee Room on Thursday from 12 - 4:30PM and on Saturday from 10 - 12:30PM.

*** Items to be appraised must be of a size that you can carry, no bigger than you could fit inside of an oven.

Kelly Dykes will headline "Hidden Treasures in Plain View" on the "E" Stage Saturday at 1pm, showing examples of appraisals that ended up being unexpectedly valuable treasures.

On stage Thursday, Jerry Bruce, Kelly Dykes and Patsy Robertson will be highlighting the top items that were brought in for appraisal and telling the audience a little about each item. Jerry will also have a collection of some rare collectibles from his private collection and will educate the crowd on those pieces. As a part of their presentation, the team will have a segment called "Stump The Experts." If you can stump these experts with your items, they will personally donate $5 to a charity of your choice!

Kelly Dykes hasappraised property full time for the last 13 years and is now designated as a Master Appraiser. Dykes estimates he has appraised close to $50 million in personal property and sold $13 million in art at auction in just the last three years.

Patsy Wham Robertson is the President/CEO of WHAM Auctions, Inc. She has over thirty years experience in asset liquidation and is also a certified GPPA personal property appraiser certified through the Auction Marketing Institute. Patsy is a consulting appraiser for many local probate attorneys in the Greenville area.

Jerry Bruce has been a licensed auctioneer for the last 37 years. Jerry is on the State Board of Directors for the National Wild Turkey Federation and has called their auctions for the last 15 years. Jerry has also called bids for other well known auction companies throughout the nation. Through his experience, Jerry has gained a vast knowledge of prices of almost any and everything! If he hasn’t sold it he probably has seen it.

Holly Hill and The Drunken Chef
BI-LO Cooking Stage - Saturday 11AM

Miracles, Master pieces, and Spirits with a twist….. Holly Hill, Jeremy Cooper, and special guest Mackenzie Taylor make up the Drunken Chef Cooking team. 

Holly Hill is an up and coming chef who made her début at the 2007 International Wine Festival. With some great culinary awards, and her smart and witty attitude, Holly Hill received her Sous-Chef Jacket in 2009.

Head Chef, Jeremy Cooper, is an award winning BBQ champ, show chef, and former restaurant owner.  He moved on to do in home cooking sessions and stage shows. Graduate of the Western Reserve Culinary Academy and part time molecular chef, Jeremy tries new and unusual concoctions. He prides himself on freezing alcohols, and making gourmet Jell-o shots out of top shelf wines and spirits. He also uses infusions and reductions to use spirits from around the world to create some of the greatest dishes out of the most unusual items.

With a comedic twist, a great partner (Holly Hill), and this year’s little guest chef, this will definitely be a show to remember and laugh about for a long time to come.

The Greenville Little Theatre (GLT)
"E" Stage Sponsored By HRC - Thursday 4PM

The Greenville Little Theatre (GLT) is proud to be a part of the 2010 Upstate Women's Show! Come join us as our resident improv group, The Laughing Stock, takes over the stage and provides the best medicine of all, laughter! What is improv? Improvisation is when you make it all up as you go. No scripts. No props. No sets. Improv is all about actors getting an audience suggestion, then coming together to create a scene out of basically nothing. Afterward, you're in for a treat as we present a scene from our upcoming 2010-11 season opener, Little Shop of Horrors (By Alan Menken&Howard Ashman). Be sure to come by and see the performance for a chance to win two tickets to this great, cult classic!

Enjoy professionally staged, lavish productions of musicals, mysteries, comedies, and dramas in the beautiful Charles E. Daniel Theatre on Heritage Green - The Upcountry's largest locally producing theatre since 1926. Tours and classes are offered, visit us at www.greenvillelittletheatre.org

Linda Gschnitzer of Bavarian Pretzel Factory
BI-LO Cooking Stage - Saturday 4PM

Linda Gschnitzer of Bavarian Pretzel Factory will add a European flair to the Show with her Kaesespaetzle, German Mac 'n Cheese!

Linda Sue Gschnitzer was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of German parents. At the age of 19, she took it upon herself to move to Germany on her own. Linda spent 20 years in Munich where she learned the language, culture and, of course, the kitchen. Two years ago Linda and her husband, Gottfried, returned to the US and settled here in Greenville.

Linda has been baking ever since she moved to Germany and recently opened the Bavarian Pretzel Factory in Greenville, SC. The Bavarian Pretzel Factory is an authentic European bakery which also serves a variety of deli items. The main focus of the BPF is baking fresh artesian bread on a daily basis. One of their specialties is a dark sourdough rye bread which is common in Germany. All of their products are made from scratch according to Old World tradition. Their Bavarian Pretzels are individually made by hand, so you will never find two that look alike!

Visit BavarianPretzelFactory.com!

Greenville in Harmony Show Chorus
"E" Stage Sponsored By HRC - Thursday Noon
Creativity Stage - Thursday 1:30 PM, Friday Noon, Saturday Noon

The Chorus is comprised of women of all ages who love to sing and have fun! The Greenville in Harmony Show Chorus is affiliated with Sweet Adelines International headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and was chartered on April 12, 2005.

BI-LO Demonstration: Dirk Rusthoven, CEC, CCA,
Corporate Chef, Meyer/Laura’s Lean Beef

BI-LO Cooking Stage - Friday 6PM
BI-LO Cooking Stage - Saturday 5PM

Chef Dirk Rusthoven will be cooking up a 3-part meal demonstration!

On the menu:

Appetizer

• Mini Grilled Fajitas- LLB Flank Steak
• Cilantro Lime Marinade
• Charred Peppers & Onions
• Queso Blanco
• Grilled Flour Tortillas

Salad

• Sirloin Salad with Clemson Bleu
• Marinated Grilled Sirloin Salad
• Organic Spring Mix
• Candied North Carolina Pecans
• Clemson Bleu Cheese
• Toasted Pecan Vinaigrette

Entrée

• Grilled Ribeye
• Roasted Chateau Potatoes
• Asparagus with Summer Straw Vegetable
• Madeira Jus with Wild Mushrooms

"Spa-tacular Makeovers"
"E" Stage Sponsored By HRC - Friday 1PM

The Spa at West End offers a tranquil escape into comfortable luxury. Clients relax, rejuvenate, and rediscover their better selves through The Spa’s wide variety of exclusive Spa and Salon Treatments.

As part of the Upstate Women's Show, The Spa’s highly knowledgeable and educated staff will help transform the look of select patrons of the Show. Six weeks prior to the show, these participants will begin receiving weekly facial treatments at The Spa to show how Spa estheticians can improve the quality of the skin over this time period.

During the Upstate Women's Show, The Spa will display photos to show the progression of the facial treatments and skin improvement. In addition, The Spa’s staff will makeover these women on stage - transforming their current hair and cosmetic looks to something extraordinary!

Find Our More About The Spa At West End!

Michael Moore from Cullen's Seasonal Bistro
BI-LO Cooking Stage - Friday 10:15 AM

Executive Chef Michael Moore from Cullen's Seasonal Bistro will be cooking a delicious Goat Cheese Crepe with BLT salad on Friday morning.

Michael Moore, an Eastern North Carolina native, was born to a farming family East of Raleigh in Wilson, North Carolina. His fondest childhood memories involve him planting, growing and harvesting food from the farm and gardens. First lessons in food: Before we learn to cook well, we must first learn to eat well.

Michael's rural upbringing was always inspiration for travel and after seven years in his first career as a city of Raleigh police officer, Michael decided to turn in his badge and gun for a chef's knife and relocated out West to Northern California.

He enrolled in the French Le Cordon Bleu culinary academy of San Francisco and went hard to work cutting his teeth and building foundations in the restaurants of the bay area. In early 2003, Michael has worked in many aspects of the food industry from fine dining, Michelin starred restaurants such as Aqua of San Francisco to catering events for LucasArts Limited during the filming of the newest Star Wars Trilogies in San Rafael and Beverly Hills, California. In late 2004, Michael travelled to Salon de Provence to study as a culinary externship at 'Le Petit Jardin' in Caromb, France.

In 2005, Michael returned back to his home state of North Carolina relocating to Asheville working as chef in well known restaurants such as the Grove Park Inn, The Marketplace restaurant and Lomo Grill. Again, In 2009, Michael travelled to Nancy-Lorraine France to assist with the grand opening of restaurant Rouge Et Blanc. While in Western France, Michael experienced the true cultural lessons of European farm to table cuisine as he worked closely with Western French farmers near the Champagne and Alsace region in their cultivation of seasonal winter vegetables, cheese making and preserving their native fruit, the mirabelle.

Kids Play Zone
Sponsored by McDonald's

A place for children featuring games, challenges, giveaways, and educational information.

Ronald’s Play Tent Schedule

Thursday, 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM
12:00 – 1:00 PM         McDonaldland Make-Believe Playtime
1:00 – 2:00 PM           Ronald McDonald Show:  Dive into Reading, Meet & Greet
2:30 – 3:00 PM           Photos with Ronald and McCoupe Car
2:30 – 3:30 PM           Bingo
3:30 – 5:00 PM           Arts and Crafts:
5:00 – 6:00 PM           McDonaldland Make-Believe Playtime
6:00 – 7:30 PM           Ronald McDonald Show:  Dive into Reading, Meet & Greet
7:00 – 7:30 PM           Photos with Ronald and McCoupe Car
7:30 – 8:00 PM           McHealthy Trivia

Friday, 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM
10:00 - 11:00 AM        McDonaldland Make Believe Playtime
11:00 – 12:30 PM       Arts and Crafts:
12:30 – 1:30 PM         Ronald McDonald Show:  Go Active, Meet & Greet
1:30 – 2:00 PM           Photos with Ronald and McCoupe Car
2:00 – 3:00 PM           Bingo
3:00 – 5:00 PM           Arts and Crafts:
5:00 – 6:00 PM           McDonaldland Make Believe
6:00 – 7:00 PM           Ronald McDonald Show:  Go Active, Meet & Greet
7:00 – 7:30 PM           Photos with Ronald and McCoupe Car
7:30 – 8:00 PM           McHealthy Trivia

Saturday, 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM
10:00 - 11:00 AM        McDonaldland Make Believe
11:00 – 12:00 PM       Ronald McDonald Show:  Go Active, Meet & Greet
12:00 – 12:30 PM       Photos with Ronald and McCoupe Car
12:30 – 2:00 PM         McDonaldland Make-Believe
2:00 – 3:00 PM           Ronald McDonald Show:  Go Active, Meet & Greet
3:00 – 3:30 PM           Photos with Ronald and McCoupe Car
3:30 – 5:00 PM           Arts and Crafts:
5:00 – 6:00 PM           McDonaldland Make Believe
6:00 – 7:00 PM           Ronald McDonald Show:  Go Active, Meet & Greet
7:00 – 7:30 PM           Photos with Ronald and McCoupe Car
7:30 – 8:00 PM           McHealthy Trivia

The 5 Minute Fashion Shoot
Cureton Photography Booth

Smile big when you visit the Cureton Photography booth! The husband and wife team of John and Anne Cureton will be taking free portraits on-site of you and your friends who are visiting the Upstate Women's Show.

John began his career as a graphic artist by day and musician at night. The graphic design morphed into Web development and he soon discovered he enjoyed the creative process of shooting his own photographs and videos needed for the sites. When given the offer to be the house photographer at The BI-LO Center arena in Greenville,SC he jumped at the chance to combine his two passions of music and photography. This has allowed John the opportunity to shoot such entertainment icons as Billy Joel, Motley Crue, Bruce Springsteen, KISS, Snoop Dogg, Keith Urban, Charlie Daniels, and many more. Having been in the entertainment industry on both sides of the lens for over half his life, John brings experience and a unique perspective to photo shoots.

Recently, his wife, Anne, began photographing alongside him. She worked in the newspaper industry for 15 years doing graphic design, writing, editing and photography. She enjoys bringing her unique perspective and years of journalism experience to capture the beauty and emotion of the people and events she shoots.

Together they specializes in dramatic portraits with a high fashion edge, family and children portraits that emphasize personality and character plus wedding photography with an artistic photojournalist approach to capturing the special day.

Their favorite thing to photograph? Their two-year old son Aiden who can already say "cheese."

Nancy Welch
BI-LO Cooking Stage - Thursday 1pm & 5pm

Nancy Welch, well-known media personality, will be joining the Upstate Women's Show! She'll be on the BI-LO Cooking Stage presenting her "Meals in Minutes" and "Nancy Welch Cooks For Harvest Hope Food Bank."

Nancy spent 23 years in broadcasting on the CBS affiliate in Spartanburg, S. C. She was privileged to meet and interview many of the top celebrities. Included in this elite list were Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Buddy Epson, Robert Wagner, Telly Savalas, Betty White, Andy Griffith, Sara Jessica Parker, Phil Donohue, as well as the entire casts of The Jeffersons, Dallas, Dynasty, All In The Family, Dukes of Hazzard and M.A.S.H. Nancy has fond memories of all of these interviews, and has stories to share about each of them, including sewing up Phil Donohue’s pants while they were still on him!

Nancy is also a published author with two cookbooks, a humourous book and many articles. She is a monthly contributing editor to GreerNow Magazine, whose subscribers look forward to her “At Home with Nancy Welch” segments.

Visit Nancy's website for more information: NancyWelch.net

Grits and Groceries
BI-LO Cooking Stage - Friday  5pm

Heidi and Joe Trull from Grits and Groceries will be on stage demonstrating how to cook Hattie Mays Tomato Pie and Pralines. Their restaurant is known for its delicious fresh foods and delectable desserts.

Both Heidi and Joe each bring a life-long love of homecooking to their new restaurant, Grits and Groceries. Born and raised in the Carolinas, they have traveled far and wide honing their skills.In addition to the regular menu of heaping servings of "real food, done real good," Grits and Groceries offers daily specials that combine Cajun, Creole, and Southern cooking traditions. The world-class homemade dessert menu changes daily and the Saturday Brunch is an extravaganza of special dishes that make your mouth water just reading the menu. Wherever possible Heidi and Joe use locally-grown organic produce and dairy goods (like the Happy Cow Creamery products used in the homemade ice creams). They also plant an extensive garden to provide seasonal vegetables to the restaurant.

For more information visit: http://www.gritsandgroceries.com

Adriel McIntyre
"E" Stage Sponsored By HRC - Thursday 2pm & Friday  4pm
Creativity Stage – Saturday 5pm

Adriel McIntyre has been organizing in people’s homes and offices since she was old enough to run a label maker.  From closets to kitchens, attics to basements, and even that storage unit you wish you didn’t have, she will address clutter issues that affect us all.  Find out how to develop a filing system just for your needs, organize your closet so you love to shop there, and how to tackle those out of control areas so you can feel in control again.

Traveling all over the world has led this neat freak to one conclusion; life is more fun when you live simply.  Adriel has hosted her own organizing TV show “Organize, Don’t Agonize”, been featured in Southern Living Magazine, and even organized the “Messiest Closet in America” for Cosmo Girl Magazine!  Let this Golden Circle Member of the National Association of Professional Organizers help you conquer your stuff!

For more information visit: TheIntrepidDeclutterer.com

Chief Terri Wilfong
"E" Stage Sponsored By HRC - Friday 2pm

Chief Wilfong will be onstage discussing women's self defense and how to protect yourself.

Terri Wilfong became Chief of Police for the City of Greenville, South Carolina in 2007. She directs law enforcement areas for 58,000 full time residents while serving 200,000 citizens on a daily basis. Chief Wilfong has received the Breaking Glass Ceiling Award from the National Center for Woman and Policing and Veterans of Foreign Wars Officer of the Year Award.

The Children's Museum of the Upstate will have their own space at the Upstate Women's Show! They will be offering activities and demonstrations to help children understand their opportunity to make a positive difference in the community.

Their exhibit, Greenzilla: A Monster-sized Celebration, will allow children a chance to:

· Decorate pots and plant heirloom vegetables
· Investigate biofacts like skulls and skeletons
· Explore real worm composting
· Make one-of-a-kind paper from recycled fibers
· Excavate rocks made of used coffee grounds and find a prize
· Get tips on healthy living

Monica Amburn
BI-LO Workshops

Monica Amburn will be the presenting in the BI-LO Workshop Area. She will be representing BI-LO's THRIVE!™ Wellness Program. She'll be helping attendees with ideas about taking steps towards achieving healthier lifestyle goals and will be showing that eating well, feeling great, and living life to the fullest are achievable and affordable when shopping at BI-LO®.

Growing up in Southeastern Georgia and Southwest Virginia, delicious fresh produce and tasty southern cooking were a part of Monica's everyday life. Her love for food led her to a Bachelor of Science Degree in Foods and Nutrition from Radford University. After completing her Dietetic Internship at Radford University, she began her career as a Registered Dietitian working in healthcare, and soon moved into the arenas of fitness, wellness, and nutrition marketing.

Paula Schmietendorf
BI-LO Cooking Stage – Thursday 6PM
Creativity Stage – Saturday 11AM

Paula Schmietendorf is the Executive Director with The Pampered Chef. Paula joined The Pampered Chef in October, 1995 and completed her master's degree in 1997. Since 1995 she has been Top Achiever every year. She is the number one recruiter with The Pampered Chef.  

Paula moved to Greenville from Shelby, North Carolina eight years ago with her husband of 24 years and her two children.

Paula enjoys helping others learn how to make simple, delicious meals that are quick and on a budget. Paula will demonstrate “Dinner in 29 minutes or Less - on a Budget...with The Pampered Chef” on the BI-LO Cooking stage and teach you how to create a “Veggie Tray in 10 min or less” on the Creativity Stage at this year's Upstate Women's Show.

The Writers Block

Fiction Addiction is an independent bookstore located at 1020 Woodruff Road (across from Costco) in Greenville, SC. We carry new and used books for children and adults. We are the proud sponsor of the Writer's Block at the Upstate Women's Show and Book Your Lunch (BookYourLunch.com) author event program. For more info, call us at 864-675-0540 or check out our website at: http://www.fiction-addiction.com

Emery Lee - The Highest Stakes
Writers Block

Emery Lee is a lifelong equestrienne and history buff who resides in the Upstate of South Carolina with her husband, teenage sons, a little dog with a big attitude, and two horses.

Her debut novel The Highest Stakes, is an epic tale of thwarted love, retribution, and horse racing set against the backdrop of Georgian England and Colonial Virginia.

"When the blood of the 'desert kings' ruled the turf, and fortunes might be wagered and lost at the cast of the dice or a defeat on the race course, a hero returns from war to claim the girl he has loved since he first spied her riding hell-for-leather over the Doncaster heath.  Determined to have her at any cost, he risks everything in a wager for love... "

Ms. Lee is a member of  the Historical Novel Society, Romance Writers of America, and Georgia Romance Writers. She is currently working on her second historical novel for Sourcebooks, and is represented by Kelly Mortimer of Mortimer Literary Agency. For more information and a sneak preview go to: www.authoremerylee.com

Jo Kemp - Reflections of a Caregiver
Creativity Stage - Friday 2:30 PM & Saturday 4:30 PM
Writers Block

Jo Kemp is the caregiver of caregivers. She has the tremendous gift of being able to understand, empathize, and communicate the day-to-day trials and tribulations of a caregiver.

Caregiving is like dancing on the head of a pin. We do not have to be the best dancer we just need to keep our balance. We dance to the music of days gone by. We swing with the gratitude that God has given us this time to be together. We are proud of our accomplishments and look forward to whatever challenges lie ahead. Our love grows stronger, and our commitment is forever. We delight in the knowledge that guides us through this journey. Life can be complicated…or not. The choice is really ours. We have the courage and stamina to keep this delicate balance that defines us as caregivers extraordinaire.

This book helps caregivers, especially those caring for someone with Alzheimer’s or   related dementias to work through the many problems they face daily. It also provides inspiration and validation while providing them with the comfort of knowing that they are not alone and they are doing a great job

Nan Chase - Eat Your Yard!
Writers Block

Eat Your Yard! proves that you can have your beautiful landscape and eat it too! Sure, vegetables are nice, but you don’t have to rip up your front lawn and plant scraggly squash in order to have a food-producing garden. Eat Your Yard! proposes a new way to use the garden more efficiently than ever.

Fruit trees, shrubs, vines, herbs and flowers provide beautiful blossoms, foliage, and structure, while also offering fruits, nuts, herbs, seeds and tuberous roots that you can eat fresh or preserve for year-round enjoyment.

Author Nan K. Chase gives firsthand information and advice for growing 30 plants that offer the best landscape features and culinary uses. Recipes ranging from savory cherry sauce to pickled grape leaves to mint wine to grilled yucca demonstrate the infinite culinary possibilities your yard can offer.

Nan K. Chase writes about architecture and landscape design from her home in western North Carolina. She is the co-author of Bark House Style and author of Asheville: A History.
Her work has also appeared in the New York Times, Smithsonian, Fine Gardening, Architectural Record and Southern Living. She lives in Asheville, North Carolina, where she is a contributing writer to WNC Magazine.

Mimi Keener - Best of Friends
Writers Block

Mimi Keener grew up on a farm in Iowa.  She never knew city life until she was 13.  The simplicity of rural life and the beauty of nature gave her a bundle of childhood adventures to be shared.  Mike and Marion are twins who gave themselves the playmate names of Gaylord and Gray Jack.  The Best of Friends is the first in a series depicting the lives of these playmates.

A second book, Summer Surprises, will be out in 2010.  You will read about a summer that brings many surprises for the twins -  surprises beyond anything their vivid imaginations could envision – surprises beyond the farm – surprises beyond the Rose Hill and Watch Cheer – an exciting summer of surprises when the Garrett family sells their farm and moves to California.

From the cornfields of Iowa to the redwood forests of northern California, from a one-room schoolhouse to a 52-room schoolhouse, from gravel roads to cement highways, the twins begin a new way of life in the city.

Clara O. Barnes - God's Amazing Grace
Writers Block

God's Amazing Grace is a true story of plantation life in the early 1900's. My great-grandmother, grandmother and mother are three of the central characters portrayed in the book. They are three tenacious women who overcame barriers that threatened the core values of family and the sanctity of life. When faced with burdens and opposition, each of them was challenged to remain fortified in their faith. I am blessed to be a fourth generation of these strong and courageous women, who stood the test of time regardless of their circumstances.

I have modeled my character after their beliefs and rock- solid faith in God. I am humbled by their experiences, wisdom and judgment in the best and worst of times. We will never lose sight of where we've been, where we're going and who we're striving to become. Clara O. Barnes is the founder and pastor of Living Waters Church of Worship. She is the mother of two sons, Steven and Ti; and the proud grandmother of six grandchildren. She and her loving husband of thirty-five years reside in Greenwood, South Carolina.

Tonja Evetts Weimer - Thriving After Divorce: Transforming your life when a relationship ends
Creativity Stage - Friday 4:30 PM
Writers Block

Relationship expert Tonja Evetts Weimer is an acclaimed newspaper columnist, speaker and author of the new book, Thriving After Divorce: Transforming your life when a relationship ends. This inspiring book gives people clear action steps to move toward hope and healing when a significant relationship ends. Tonja worked as an educator, award-winning children’s author, singer, performer and consultant before a vocal condition ended her singing career. She reinvented herself as a relationship coach and dating expert. Her Savvy Dating column runs in newspapers across America and Canada. In Thriving After Divorce she helps others overcome challenges through hope, action, creativity and self-empowerment.

Visit her public Web site at www.tonjaweimer.com.

Michael Cogdill - She-Rain
Writers Block

A slow and sultry story, told in Southern language forcing you to read at a Southern pace, She-Rain is an incomparable narrative, deep and difficult in emotion and topic, tear-raising and truly amazing. It will pull at your heart, pull at your soul, and make you believe. Exposing economic, racial, and physical divides; encompassed in less than 350 pages with a lifetime of experience. Not for the faint of heart, but for the true reader, the lover of literature in search of something powerful.

From a reader - While the prose of this book will captivate your imagination, its story will haunt you unto the final epilogue.

Michael was born in Asheville, North Carolina -- the son of a truck driver and a mill worker.  He is extremely proud of his working-people roots, drawing on their deep wisdom and life lessons in his reporting, writing and public speaking.  Michael is a cum laude graduate of the University of North Carolina at Asheville with a degree in communications, emphasis on the liberal arts.  He married Jill Kremer Cogdill in 1985, and together they've founded a company, Cracker the Crab LLC, publishing children's literature and extending a broad product line with emphasis on raising self-esteem in the young.  Michael currently anchors the news weeknights on WYFF News 4, NBC in the West Carolinas and Georgia.

Patt Fero - www.queenmotorhome.com
Writers Block

Patt Fero is a native South Carolinian. She resides in the mountains of upstate South Carolina. she and her husband have three grown children and one granddaughter. Patt has spent over twenty five years in the private club and hospitality industry. She enjoyed the beach, reading,walking and golf. This novel, www.queenmotorhome.com  is her first, with several sequels planned.
Patt has created two delightful female baby boomer characters who experience one life mid-life crisis and adventure after another. Readers will enjoy following the lives and escapades of Leslie and Liz with their marriages,careers, and travels. Patt’s writings are fun and fast-paced and readers will identify with her characters and relate to the stories in their own lives.

website: www.queenmotorhome.com

Peter Loewer - The Wild Gardener
Writers Block

Peter Loewer is one of the most prolific garden writers and illustrators in the Southeast. To date, he has written 34 books and provided illustrations to literally hundreds more. His book, The Wild Gardener, was named one of the best 75 gardening books of the twentieth century by the American Horticultural Society, while some of his drawings are in the permanent collections of The Hunt Institute of Botanical Documentation at Carnegie Mellon University.

He began his career studying the graphic arts with Gene Vass at the Albright School in Buffalo New York. After graduation, he entered the Brooklyn Museum School on a Max Beckmann Fellowship. There his study of painting with Reuben Tam ended abruptly when he was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1959.

After discharge he founded a studio in Manhattan devoted to scientific and botanical illustration. He worked in that field until the mid-1970s when he began writing and illustrating books on natural history and gardening. His second book, Bringing the Outdoors In, contained many intricate pen and ink drawings of various plants. It was named the best gardening book of 1974 by House Beautiful. In 1989 his self-produced book for Rodale Press, Gardens by Design, was given the award for the best-designed and illustrated book at the Philadelphia Print Show.

Having moved to the region from New York many years ago, Peter has become a consummate plantsman on all things green and growing in the Southeast. He is the host of the radio program The Wild Gardener on WCQS Public Radio in Asheville, North Carolina where he now lives with his wife, Jean, and kitty-cats, Kubin and Willow.

You can visit his website at www.thewildgardener.com.

Kate Salley Palmer
Writers Block

A native of Orangeburg, South Carolina, Kate Salley Palmer started her career while at the University of South Carolina, where she was cartoonist for the student newspaper, the Gamecock.

After graduating from USC with a degree in education, Kate took a job as an artist at Clemson University. At Clemson, she met Jim Palmer, a faculty member in the agronomy department. Jim and Kate were married in 1970. Kate began drawing political cartoons for the Greenville News, and in 1978 she became the first full-time editorial cartoonist in South Carolina. While a cartoonist at the News, Kate became one of three women members of the American Association of Editorial Cartoonists, won the National Freedom Foundation's Principal Award for Editorial Cartoonists, and was syndicated nationally in over 200 newspapers by News America Syndicate.

In 1990, Kate illustrated her first picture book, How Many Feet in the Bed?  Later that same year, Simon and Schuster published A Gracious Plenty, a book Kate wrote and illustrated about her great aunt May Zeigler in Orangeburg. In 1992, Kate illustrated Octopus Hug, written by Lawrence Pringle.

Throughout the 1990s, Kate illustrated more than two dozen books, including a number of Reading Recovery books for children.

In 2004, frustrated that many of the children she spoke to in her school visits were unfamiliar with the story of the palmetto tree and its importance to South Carolina, Kate wrote and illustrated Palmetto: Symbol of Courage. That project, which tells the story of the Revolutionary War battle that made the palmetto South Carolina's state tree, has sparked other forays into state and national history, notably Francis Marion and the Legend of the Swamp Fox (illustrated by Kate and Jim's son, James H. Palmer, Jr.) and the forthcoming Black Heroes of the Revolution.

Kate continues to enjoy writing, illustrating, drawing funny pictures of famous people, and talking to various groups about political cartooning and/or writing and illustrating picture books.

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