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Authors evening cooks up good menu of writers

For the 13th annual event, there are 13 authors on the program on Friday (it's okay, it's the 18th) representing almost every genre.

CLEARWATER - It seems appropriate that at least one cookbook author would be among those appearing at "An Evening with the Authors" on Friday at the Clearwater Main Library.

After all, the fundraiser offers selections from a varied menu of writers and material.

"It's our 13th year of doing this, so we invited 13 authors," said Mary Jane Robbins, former chairwoman of the Clearwater Community Women's Club, which is sponsoring the event. "It's quite a diverse group."

The range of subjects is evident in the two 45-minute breakout sessions. Tampa photographer-travel writer Bruce Hunt, the author of Florida's Finest Inns and Bed & Breakfasts, will show slides of photos from that book and his latest, the revised Visiting Small Town Florida, snapshots of some of the state's most, er, eclectic little burgs with names like Ozello, Sopchoppy, and Two Egg.

"Some people think it's a myth, but Two Egg really exists," said Hunt. "It's at a crossroads in the north-central part of the Panhandle and it's just one building, a general store with a post office and a sign that says "Town of Two Egg.' "

The other breakout session will feature Michelle Passoff, author of Lighten Up! Free Yourself From Clutter and founder of a service by the same name, who will present "Paper Filing SOS," tips for creating a portable file of important papers to carry with you in case of, say, a hurricane.

The idea came to Passoff last summer as she and her husband were moving into their new Tampa home from New York. They were ordered to evacuate when Hurricane Charley approached. Unsure what to do when, they checked around the neighborhood.

"Everybody was loading their cars with beer and ice," recalled Passoff, who says having a plan for protecting valuable papers, like insurance policies, would likely help reduce stress in emergencies. "It's always comforting to be proactive rather than reactive when life throws you a curve."

All 13 authors will sign their books and discuss their work, which ranges from true crime, (Cigar City Mafia: A Complete History of the Tampa Underworld by St. Petersburg marine biologist Scott Deitche), suspense (Bitter End, the third in a series by Christine Kling about a mystery-busting, female tugboat captain), and history (Dishonorable Few, the fourth in the nautical Civil War-era Honor series by Robert Macomber) to baseball (7000 Clams, Eckerd College professor Lee Irby's potboiler about 1920s St. Petersburg, Babe Ruth and a troublesome IOU).

Barbara Birenbaum, of Clearwater, will sign her new book, Groundhog Phil's Message, which won the 2005 Best Juvenile Book award from the Florida Publisher's Association. The book tells the story of Punxsutawney Phil and other weather-predicting groundhogs through her copyrighted "story-within-a-story" style. "It's basically two stories in one on the same page, which can either be read separately or together," said Birenbaum.

Other authors at the event include Wayne Ayers, whose new book, Florida's Grand Hotels from the Gilded Age includes the history of the Belleview Biltmore, and Roger Bansemer (Southern Shores, Journey to the Titanic, Bansemer's Book of Florida Lighthouses and Carolina & Georgia Lighthouses). William Leavengood, well known for his locally themed plays Webb City: the Musical and Crossing the Bay, has created an imaginative children's book, Cat Moon Do, with artist Michelle Feulner-Castro.

And then there's that cookbook, The Habana Cafe Cookbook, which won the 2005 Gourmand Cookbook Award. The book was written by Josefa Gonzales-Hastings, head chef and owner of the Habana Cafe in Gulfport.

Hors d'oeuvres and wine will be available and proceeds benefit the Clearwater Library.

"Last year we drew 400 people and raised $16,000," said Robbins. "We're hoping to do as well for the library this year."

The 13th annual "An Evening with the Authors" will be Friday from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at the Clearwater Main Library, 100 N Osecola Ave. A $15 donation is requested.