Eden's Ember Bookshop Grand Opening — A Sizzling Success

Photo by Eugene Smith

In my years of experience as a writer (which is a pretty big number because I am not so young), I've found book signings to be hit or miss. I've participated in some that, by all rights, should have been resounding successes but flopped, and others that seemed doomed to disappoint, yet doubled and tripled my most optimistic expectations. I felt pretty good about today's grand opening event at Eden’s Ember Bookshop in nearby Eden, NC; because, although Eden is a small town in a fairly rural county, from the beginning, owners Stephanie Lynn and her husband, Shawn, as well as several dedicated helpers, went all out to organize and promote both the event and the store itself. Plus, this region is home to an impressive number of successful writers. So, going in, it felt like all the building blocks for a decent day were in place. Authors Delphine McClelland, Val Neiman, and Al Sirois and I were set to sign books on the first shift (12:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.), with another four — Maddy Butler, Ellen Ceely, Olivia Piervincenti, and Britta Threshie — at 3:00 p.m.

And...oh, yeah. From the moment the doors opened, a steady flow of patrons came in, and many — or maybe even most — took advantage of the opportunity to check out us local folks, conveniently set up in the vestibule in front of the main entrance. I sold out of my copies of The House at Black Tooth Pond and Blue Devil Island, and I diminished my stock of all the other books I had on hand. So, yes, I'd say this one more than met my expectations, and I hope this bodes well for the store in general.

 

The bookshop is located in the basement of Kings Mill Coffee Shop, and before the signing started, I paid them a visit to have breakfast. I killed a wonderfully spicy western omelette, and I can safely say this was one of the best omelettes I've ever had — bacon, sausage, onion, jalapenos, and habanero ghost jack cheese. And their coffee is great.

Eden's Ember Bookshop and Kings Mill Coffee Shop are located at 729 South Van Buren, Eden, NC. If you're in the area, I highly recommend paying them a visit. 

Eden's Ember Bookshop Grand Opening — Saturday, April 4

Next weekend — Saturday, April 4 — is the grand opening of Eden’s Ember Bookshop in Eden, NC, starting at noon, with several local authors — including me! — on hand to sell and sign books. The store will be carrying Blue Devil Island, Fugue Devil Resurgence, and The House at Black Tooth Pond, but I'll have a larger selection at my table, including The Lebo Coven, The Nightmare Frontier, Gods of Moab, and several of my Ameri-Scares series titles.

Eden's Ember Bookshop is located at 729 South Van Buren Rd., Eden, NC 27288 (see map below), in the basement of the Kings Mill Coffee building. (Note that parking and the entrance are at the back of the building.)

 

I'd love to see you at Eden's Ember's grand opening. If you're within traveling distance, please stop in, so I won't have to hurl a bunch of insults at you. I will, you know.

Author Updates Interview

On April 4, a new bookshop, called Eden's Ember, is set to open in nearby Eden, North Carolina. Along with several other authors, I'll be there for the grand opening event, with plenty of books to sell and sign (see "The Creeps Are Back, Eden's Ember, and More," Friday, March 13, 2026). To promote local authors, writer and podcaster Eugene Smith has launched a new podcast called Author Updates, and yesterday, he was kind enough to interview me about my books, stories, and writing in general. It was a very enjoyable conversation, so give it a look. It runs about 25 minutes.

Eden's Ember Bookshop is located at 729 South Van Buren Rd., Eden, NC 27288, in the basement of the Kings Mill Coffee building. The grand opening event is from 12 p.m.–4:00 p.m. (I'll be signing between 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.).