Harvin Clarendon County Library welcomes author Bemis

MANNING - The author of The Wooden Prince and The Nine Pound Hammer, John Claude Bemis, will read from his books and share special tips to help writers and readers of all ages at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 29 at Weldon Auditorium, 7 Maple St.

The event is sponsored by Manning Elementary School in partnership with Harvin Clarendon County Library.

"We are excited to partner with Manning Elementary School on this project," library director Charlotte Johnson said. "We are excited for him to come to Manning and for the children to have an opportunity to meet him and learn about how he writes."

Johnson said Bemis' visit will offer the children a chance to ask a published author how he formulates story ideas and how they can become better writers.

Bemis is famous for his fantasy adventure novels that are popular with both boys and girls. His new series from Disney-Hyperion Books is "an exciting, action-packed retelling of the Pinocchio story that begins with The Wooden Prince and continues with his brand new book Lord of Monsters."

Bemis' novel The Nine Pound Hammer won the North Carolina Juvenile Literature Award. It is also a New York Public Library Best Book 2009, and it is frequently on the North Carolina Battle of the Books list.