Sumter County Museum's Summer of Signings continues in June with authors Susan Cushman, Signe Pike

SUBMITTED BY SUMTER COUNTY MUSEUM

Sumter County Museum's Summer of Signings will continue in June with two events to choose from.

On June 8, at 5:30 p.m., the museum will present the free Talk and Book Signing with Susan Cushman for her novel "John and Mary Margaret" in McKenzie Hall of the museum, 122 N. Washington St. The event is free and open to the public.

"John and Mary Margaret is a rare insider's look into the white privilege bubble of a young girl growing up in Jackson, Mississippi, and participating in sorority life on the Ole Miss campus in the late 1960s. It's also a candid portrayal of a young Black boy from Memphis who follows his dream to study law at the predominantly white university. What happens when their shared love for literature blossoms into an ill-fated romance? Spanning five decades of historical civil rights events in Mississippi and Memphis, John and Mary Margaret's story will challenge the status quo and give us another opportunity to examine our history and our hearts." - from https://susancushman.com

Sumter Books-A-Million will be on site with copies of the book for sale. A reception will follow; light refreshments will be served.

The second event will be Midsummer Mingle - Book Signing with Signe Pike for "The Forgotten Kingdom" at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 17, in McKenzie Hall and the green space.

The story continues in "The Forgotten Kingdom," the second book in the Lost Queen series, already hailed as "Outlander meets Camelot" (Kirsty Logan) and "The Mists of Avalon for a new generation" (Linnea Hartsuyker).

"AD 573. Imprisoned in her chamber, Languoreth awaits news in torment. Her husband and son have ridden off to wage war against her brother, Lailoken. She doesn't yet know that her young daughter, Angharad, who was training with Lailoken to become a Wisdom Keeper, has been lost in the chaos. As one of the bloodiest battles of early medieval Scottish history scatters its survivors to the wind, Lailoken and his men must flee to exile in the mountains of the Lowlands, while 9-year-old Angharad must summon all Lailoken has taught her and follow her own destiny through the mysterious, mystical land of the Picts. In the aftermath of the battle, old political alliances unravel, opening the way for the ambitious adherents of the new religion: Christianity. Lailoken is half-mad with battle sickness, and Languoreth must hide her allegiance to the Old Way to survive her marriage to the next Christian king of Strathclyde. Worst yet, the new King of the Angles is bent on expanding his kingdom at any cost. Now the exiled Lailoken, with the help of a young warrior named Artur, may be the only man who can bring the Christians and the pagans together to defeat the encroaching Angles. But to do so, he must claim the role that will forever transform him. He must become the man known to history as Myrddin." - from www.signepike.com

This event is a theme night with a celebration of the Celtic summer solstice. Specialty cocktails and food will be available. Decorations will make the scene enchanting along with the crowning of an Oak King and a Summer Maiden picked at random, music, a special gift and of course the book signing.

Cost for this event is $20 for members and $25 for the general public.

To purchase your ticket, visit www.sumtercountymuseum.org, scroll down, find the event and make your purchase; order over the phone at (803) 775-0908; or come to the Williams-Brice House to purchase in person Thursdays-Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

There are a limited number of tickets available. The first book of the series and other books by Pike will be available for sale.

Signed paperback copies of the book are included in the ticket price.

For additional information on the Summer of Signings, visit www.sumtercountymuseum.org, call (803) 775-0908 or email information@sumtercountymuseum.org.