Award-winning historical fiction author invited to Va. Festival of the Book

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) March 4, 2009 -- The author of a book that is set entirely in northern Virginia during the Civil War has been invited to participate in the Virginia Festival of the Book on Thursday, March 19, at The Gravity Lounge.
Jessica James will take part in the discussion “Begin with a Period: Historical Fiction” at noon, and will be available to sign copies of her award-winning book, Shades of Gray: A Novel of the Civil War in Virginia, following the presentation. James, a former newspaper editor, penned the novel from her home in Gettysburg after living in northern Virginia in the 1980s.

Released in January 2008, Shades of Gray is the recipient of two prestigious Best Regional Fiction awards and is already in its second printing. The book has been widely praised by historians for its balanced portrayal of the War Between the States, and by romance readers for its emotional description of the love that develops between the two main characters.
In addition to being named the FAVORITE BOOK of 2008 by three book review sites, Shades of Gray has climbed to #3 on Amazon’s Best-Seller list in the romance/historical category, competing with a book it is often compared to, Gone with the Wind.
The Book Connection says in its review, “Shades of Gray explores the War Between the States in a Way that will touch you like no other work of fiction. If you only read one book in 2009, make it this one.”

The Festival of the Book runs from March 18 through 23 at locations throughout Charlottesville. The discussion at the Gravity Lounge, located at 103 S. First St., is free and open to the public. For more information 434-977-5590 or http://www.jessicajamesbooks.com.
http://www.vabook.org/site09/participants/view.php?pageno=2&catNum=1&orderby=LastName&orderby=LastName

civil war novel     historical fiction     Jessica James     Shades of Gray     va. festival of the book