Bestsellers Discussed 

Written By: Deena Bouknight | Issue: 2021/07 – July

Susan Meissner

The Highlands-Cashiers area is privileged to be a draw for New York Times best-selling authors. Scheduled to visit the Plateau throughout the summer into fall are authors who not only present their latest works and sign books, but who also explain their distinct approaches to the writing process. 

Karen White, whose latest release is The Last Night in London, will be at The Village Green Commons Hall on Frank Allen Road next to the Cashiers Post Office at 3:00 P.M. Friday, July 9.  This event is by reservation as seating is limited – call Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library at (828) 743-0215.

Ms. White will be at the Hudson Library in Highlands, the following day, July 10. (See her profile in the June Laurel.) You’ll need to make reservations for this, also – (828) 526-3031.

Author Susan Meissner will discuss The Nature of Fragile Things, at the Village Green Commons Hall at 3:00 P.M., Friday, July 30. Once again, reservations may be made by calling the Cashiers Library – (828) 743-0215.  

She’ll follow with an appearance at Hudson Library the next day. Be sure to call Hudson Library for reservations – (828) 526-3031

In June, The Laurel had a chance to speak to Meissner and learn a little about her life and writing career. Usually an author’s premise for a book begins with a question, consideration, or curiosity. Meissner pondered: “When disaster happens, what do we do? How are we transformed when we are compelled to go through cataclysmic change? How is our character refined or redefined by it? These musings got me started on what would become (The Nature of Fragile Things) with the 1906 San Francisco earthquake as a backdrop. The more I thought about it, the more I also wanted to write a story that would feature strong women at a time when they had little autonomy or agency. I wanted to suppose they would nevertheless rally together, as women have always done, to protect those they love, and that even though tough circumstances would try their mettle, they would not be undone by them.”

Every author also has a specific writing process. Meissner will talk about hers at the library events, but she shared a glimpse of how she gets started, “Since settling into the historical fiction lane in 2008, I’ve begun each new book with a historical event in mind first, and then decided what kind of story would fit that impactful backdrop. I do the research first, and oftentimes it’s when I dive into the archives that I discover not only what kind of characters would dovetail nicely with that setting, but also what those characters want and what stands in their way – that’s always the heart and soul of a novel.”

Visiting North Carolina is near and dear to Meissner’s heart. Although she resides in California, her son, daughter-in-law, and two granddaughters live in Jacksonville, North Carolina, where her son is stationed at Camp Lejeune. “I have fallen in love with the beauty of North Carolina in our visits to see them. There’s a pastoral splendor here that is both soothing and inspiring.” 

Each of these events are free to the public.