Favorite Bookstore Series: LIZ KELLER WHITEHURST
LIZ KELLER WHITEHURST: My Favorite Bookstore: Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, VA
All bookstores are magical but visiting my favorite, Fountain Bookstore, is like stepping back in time. Restored warehouses and quaint storefronts greet you as you wind along cobblestone- streets in 18th century Shockoe Slip, then walk through the door to a book-lover’s paradise.
Kelly Justice, RVA phenom and bibliophile extraordinaire, has owned the store since 2008, but Fountain has been a bookstore for over 40 years. Kelly’s experience and passionate love of books and authors shine through every aspect of the Fountain Bookstore experience. Kelly and her staff members’ enthusiasm and expertise greet each and every customer in-store, on their weekly Friday Reads Instagram videos, and through their significant online presence. In addition to a comprehensive variety of books and a substantial children’s section, Fountain boasts a witty selection of cards, gifts, and more—from doggie chew toys to fancy-dress socks.
The best part for me as a debut author is—Fountain hosts the most author events in the state, including Book Clubs galore. When Kelly heard my novel, Messenger, was being published, the first words out of her mouth were, “How can we help?” An event was soon planned. Fountain’s tagline says it all: “The quirkiest, heartwarmingest bookstore on the planet.”
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Liz Keller Whitehurst is the author of the novel Messenger, and author/creator of the serial podcast MESSENGER: A NOVEL IN 16 EPISODES, which she launched in 2020.
MESSENGER
Messenger tells the story of twenty-something journalist, Alana Peterson, who is convinced she’s found her big break when she meets Messenger, a mysterious old woman who delivers life-changing messages to seemingly random people all over New York City.
Alana investigates, trying to determine if Messenger is a crazy homeless woman, a shaman, an angel, or the prophet the planet needs to save it. Messenger channels her messages and knows exactly to whom to deliver them. How? Alana realizes it’s not always the content of the message but the timing in a person’s life that creates the Clinamen– the slight swerve-that changes everything. Can a few words change a life? A city? The world?
Through a series of mistakes, Alana bends the trajectory of the story to tragic results. Finally, Alana discovers what her journey with Messenger has really been all about..
Category: On Writing
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