Hello, everyone. We're a few days out from the election and it's hard to know the right thing to say. I'm going to try but I'm not perfect and I'm not immune to my own emotions on the topic. So, here goes. 

There are a lot of different emotions roiling around your hearts and minds. I know a lot of you are scared right now. Or angry. ​However, I want to take this time to make sure everyone knows they are loved and accepted at Foggy Pine. We don't tolerate hate speech and we support the rights of EVERY person. If you are scared, you can come be among the books and feel less afraid. If you are angry, you can come run your fingers along the spines and let the rows and rows of letters pressed together to make stories calm your mind. Books don't judge you. They don't ask who you voted for. They aren't going to debate with you. (Neither will I.) They will educate, entertain, and aid in your escape from this reality. They will expand your mind. They will deepen your empathy. Books, honestly, are a sanctuary and a weapon. You can choose what you need right now. Our doors are open. 

For me, books have always been a sanctuary and that's the place I've fled to in my mind the last few days. I've been thinking a lot about Harry Potter, which makes sense if you're a Potterhead like me. The theme that keeps returning to me over and over again is to not give up HOPE. Hope is the only thing that sustains us through dark times and, while it may be hard to grasp (or even reach!), we need it as much as we need love and acceptance. So, keep your wands on Lumos because we're going to need the light. 

I do have other updates. 

We have a lot of events going on this month and we'd love for you to be involved. Tomorrow, 11/12, we have Baby Storytime at 6pm. Bring your child that's 2 years old or younger and we'll read a story together, sing songs and maybe play a game. There will be free coffee for parents. We'll have Toddler Storytime on 11/19 at 6pm with a similar program: story, songs, play, free coffee. This event is for children age 2 -5 years old. Also, this month is National Family Literacy Month and all children's books are 10% off!! Perfect time to get a little holiday shopping done!

We have an author reading and signing this month on 11/18 at 6pm. We will be hosting Sara Rich, our Spotlight local author, as she reads from her novel, Ligatures. You can read my review of it here. We'd love to see you at the event and you definitely won't want to miss Sara's reading. 

This month is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and we are hosting a write-in on 11/21 from 11am-2pm for any local participants that are looking to meet up with other writers or just have a space to write outside of their home for a while. We are hosting this on a Monday so the store will be closed and you can spread out, relax, and get some work done without worrying that you might bother shoppers or be in the way. It's being held during lunchtime so, if you still have your day job, you can come over during your lunch and add to your word count! That evening, we are also hosting a closed write-in for 4th, 7th, & 8th grade students from Two Rivers Community School who are participating in NaNoWriMo. This will be held from 4:30pm-7pm so parents have plenty of time after work to come by with their kid. There will be drinks & snacks during both events. We are *so* looking foward to it!

We're wrapping up the month with a couple things on the weekend after Thanksgiving, for which we'll be closed. First, we have Small Business Saturday on 11/26. We'll be opening early that day (and Black Friday!) at 10am to give you extra time to shop with our store-wide 25% off discount! Plus, the first 10 people to make a purchase will get a free reusable tote! The Black Friday discount changes throughout the day. 20% off for the first 3 hours and then 15% off during the rest of the day. Plus, we'll have a giveaway for a $25 gift card that you can sign up for all day! We'll do the drawing before we close Friday night. You don't want to miss these deals for your holiday shopping. 

Finally, our last event is this month's book club meeting. We are discussing Stuart O'Nan's West of Sunset, a book about F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. We'll be meeting on Sunday, November 27 at 6:30pm. We'll have drinks & snacks to share around and plenty of fun as we discuss this month's book. You can read more about it and RSVP here. 

The last thing I'd like to mention is that we now carry Out of Print literary themed socks for just $10/pair. Stay up-to-date by following us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. 

The leaves are changing color rapidly and the peepers are in town in full force to witness the beauty that is the Blue Ridge Mountains in the fall. If you haven't had a chance to go outside and enjoy the unseasonably warm weather we've been having, I highly suggest you take a breather from whatever you're doing and feast your eyes upon the glory that surrounds you. If you don't live here, well, you should probably come for a visit before all these colors fall to the ground and are blown away by winter winds. 

We have a lot going on this month and shared some of that in our newsletter. If you haven't signed up for our newsletter already, you can do so here. 

Finally, all our fall related and horror books are 15% off for the rest of the month! We look forward to seeing you around the store and hope you'll join us for #patconroyweek and all our other various events. 

​Read on!

P.S.--If you wanted to nominate Mary, the store's main bookseller, for one of the James Patterson Bookseller Grants, that would be totally cool. You can do that here. 

This weekend is a very special one. A new Harry Potter story will be released for the first time in 9 years on Harry's birthday, July 31st. Being HUGE Harry Potter fans, we couldn't pass up this opportunity to celebrate! So, we partnered with Galileo's to bring you a super dank release party for Harry Potter & The Cursed Child, Parts 1 & 2. Starting at 9pm on Saturday, July 30th, we will be celebrating the magical world of Harry Potter and the release of a new story after almost a decade of waiting and hoping. There will be a trivia contest, a costume contest, themed cocktails (virgin & nonalcoholic), activity sheets, a Muggle wall (to express what HP means to you), and SO MUCH MORE. Plus, we'll have tons of Harry Potter merchandise there for you to snag, including house candles, journals, and coloring books. Then, at midnight, we'll bring it all to a stop and those who have preordered their copy can pick up their book! We will (well, should) have a limited number of copies for people to buy after midnight as well. We have also ordered more copies for those who aren't able to make it to the release party that will be available when we open on Tuesday, after the weekend. We are still accepting preorders for the midnight release though. All you need to do to reserve your copy is call or come by the store to give us your information and payment! We can't wait to see you on Saturday night! It's going to be a fantastic time. Don't forget to RSVP on Facebook if you're going to make it!

​As you know, we are passionate about our role in helping local authors succeed. That's why we started our Local Author Spotlight and are continuously seeking new talent. We are very excited to present our VERY FIRST local author to grab the Spotlight here at Foggy Pine. 

Lisa Muir is a Watauga County resident who also teaches at Wilkes Community College. She has been an active member of the literary community for many years but this is her first fiction release. Her collection of short stories, Taking Down the Moon, was picked up and published by 67 Press, an independent press out of Winston Salem which is also dedicated to fringe voices. Mary has written a review for the collection in the Reviews blog and there's even more information about the author and book on the Spotlight page. We highly recommend grabbing a copy at the store, only $9.99! Lisa will also be speaking and signing books at the Watauga County Library on Wednesday, August 3rd at 5:30pm. You definitely won't want to miss this, even if you haven't read the book! 

It's taken some work to get to this point but we finally have some good news for you. In the next few days, we'll be introducing you to our first featured local author, Lisa Muir. We are so excited to be a part of her journey as an author and can't wait to share more about her and her wonderful book of short stories. Join us on social media to get the most up-to-date news about what's happening at Foggy Pine Books--Twitter usually sees everything first! Stay tuned!

We are over-the-moon excited about our new local author but since it's not quite time to release the book, and we're jonesing for more local artists, we thought you might be too! So, we've compiled a list of excellent authors from or working in North Carolina. This state has played host to some really remarkable talent over the years and I have the fortune of being able to connect you with these incredible writers. This list consists of Appalachian literary fiction, nonfiction, young adult, science fiction, and short stories--summer reads for everyone. Click each book cover to view it's Goodreads page and discover a new favorite author. Now, without further ado, 15 books by NC authors you just HAVE to read:

What an incredible first week it's been. 

When I decided to open this bookstore, I was worried that the town of Boone would be mildly suspicious of us as a new business. After all, many people take their bookstores very personally. Once you begin to shop at a particular shop, you become connected--to the space, the owner, the vibe. It becomes YOUR bookstore. So, I expected some trepidation on the part of Boone's, typically introverted, bibliophiles. However, I have been quite wrong AND surprised. 

Boone has welcomed me with open arms and I am so grateful for the support of the community. I have no advertisements out right now, save social media, yet everyone who has come in this week has heard about the store from somewhere. Granted, the article in The Mountain Times was a wonderful help in this field, but most people report that they've heard of the store from someone else. So, for everyone who is talking my store up to your friends, colleagues, customers, family members, and random strangers in the grocery line: Thank you so much. Your actions are making a positive impact. Keep it up and remember that local businesses depend on the support of their locals. Without you, we would soon be gone. 

The Grand Opening party is coming next week, next Friday to be exact. We will be staying open late that day, until 9pm, to accommodate all the Art Crawl people out and about. We plan on being a part of Art Crawl every month, with extended hours and featuring some sort of artist--musical or otherwise. 

I also want to mention that I am seeking local artists to put work up on my walls. I have lots of space and work on a 70/30 commission scale. You hang up your work with a price tag and title plate; I call you when it sells, keeping 30% for myself. Mostly I just want to provide a space for local artists of all kinds to show off and, hopefully, sell their work. If you know any talented, local painters, photographers, or sculptors, please send them my way. 

Which leads me to remind everyone that I am still seeking local authors for my Local Author's Spotlight. If you know a writer that you think is amazing and they live in North Carolina, send me their contact information and I can take care of the rest!

Thank you again everyone. Keep being amazing! I look forward to meeting all of the local book worms so, if you haven't had a chance to come out yet, please come introduce yourself!

Enjoy the weekend...I know what I'm doing...


PS: I have also created an employment section on this site. If you, or someone you know, is interested in a job at Foggy Pine Books, please direct them to that page. It's under the ABOUT section and includes an application. While I am not currently hiring, I will keep all applications on file for 6 months and review them all before hiring. Much love! 

PPS: You should check us out on social media, if you haven't already. We are on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest! I try to share interesting book related links and memes--basically we strive to be a haven for bibliophiles on the interwebs. 
Ok, I'm really done now! Have a great weekend!

Hello, Boone. Nice to meet you. We're Foggy Pine Books are we're so excited to serve downtown Boone. 

As you click around and explore this website, you will hopefully notice one thing: we love to read. Not only that, we want to share our love of reading with this amazing community.
We offer fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels, children's, teen, local writer's, regional information, including bestsellers and gifts for your favorite book worm. Unfortunately, at this time, we are not going to sell used books. 
​
We will be cultivating a busy schedule of events in the coming months, which will be featured on our Events page. Right now, however, we want to introduce a program that is near and dear to our hearts: the Local Authors Spotlight. We know that breaking into the writing business is incredibly difficult. This fact, however, does not mean that your (or your friend's, mom's, boyfriend's) work isn't creative, interesting, and sellable. Think of Virginia Woolf, who created her own publishing house to be able to work independently and published her own works this way. Just like her Hogarth Press, we want to give the little person a chance. We want to read and promote the small, local authors who might otherwise have a difficult time garnering the attention of consumers, media outlets, and publishers. We desire to provide a space for the creative Appalachian voice and think that Boone will turn out some incredible works. We know there's so much talent in this area; it simply needs a light shined on it, hence Local Authors Spotlight. 

So, if you know a talented local author, please send them our way. We would love to connect and discuss how best to accommodate our community artists. There is plenty of information in the Local Authors Spotlight menu, however, please feel free to contact Mary through any of the media buttons at the top left of the page. 

Please note that we will not be accepting applications or payments until May 23rd. These pages are up simply for reference until that date. 

Speaking of Monday, MAY 23rd this will be our first day open at 444 W. King St, Boone, NC. We hope that you will be patient with us as we work out the kinks that many small businesses face in the beginning of operation. Please let us know how we can improve your book buying experience. We will be hosting a Grand Opening Party on Friday, June 3rd. 

Can't wait to meet you, fellow readers of Boone!

​-Foggy Pine Books