(Holly) A book in our reach is like a handshake to the connection we all need, because through them we gain friends, family and those characters we never even knew we needed in our lives until we start turning those pages.

Hi, I'm Holly Jackson, your host for Books by the River.

I want to say thanks to you for joining us on this journey, where we sit beside the writers who tell these stories that sometimes feel like our own, or they give us a glimpse of the experiences of someone we need to know.

(♪) (♪) (♪) (♪) (Announcer) Major funding for Books by the River is brought to you by the ETV Endowment of South Carolina, the proud partner of South Carolina ETV and Public Radio.

With the generosity of individuals, corporations and foundations.

The ETV Endowment is committed to sharing southern storytelling and compelling conversations with viewers across the nation.

This program is supported by Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina.

This program is made possible by the support of Peters Zamuca and Lynn Baker.

Additional funding for Books by the River is provided by Visit Beaufort, Port Royal and Sea Islands and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at USC, Beaufort.

(Holly) Here to talk to us today is Jennifer Moorman, author of The Charmed Library.

Thank you so much for joining us.

(Jennifer) Thank you for having me.

(Holly) Yeah.

So tell us a little bit about this book.

What is the Charmed Library all about?

(Jennifer) The Charmed Library is pretty simple for what it sounds like it's a charmed library.

It is about an assistant librarian named Stella.

And she has a way with words.

She can see them.

They pop out of surfaces.

They'll come out of people.

They'll bounce over objects and she's seen them her whole life.

But words really start to change when she burns her journal.

It's full of love letters and poetry she wrote to her ex, and she's never burned a book in her life.

But she decides this is the way I'm going to move on.

She's going to burn this book.

And then the words become really urgent and demanding.

She doesn't know what they mean.

And about the same time, she sees strange people in the library after hours, and one of them looks like her first fictional crush.

And that's how he introduces himself as.

And so he reveals that there are some hidden secrets in this charmed library that the head librarian has been bringing characters out of their books for years, and she doesn't, I mean, she's skeptical, who would believe that?

(Holly) Yeah, right.

(Jennifer) Even if you wanted your characters to come to life, who would believe that?

But she decides, okay, I'm going to bring out this character.

She decides to bring out a villain because she doesn't think it'll work, but it does.

And so then total chaos ensues in the library.

You've got fictional characters, you've got a villain, and so on.

She's trying to protect this magic inside the library.

She gets to know Jack.

You know this is her first fictional crush, and now he's here in real life.

But you know, you've heard magic comes at a price, so all magic has to end.

And Jack has only 14 days.

Because that's as long as you can check out a library book.

(Holly) Yes.

(Jennifer) 14 days.

And then he has to go back in.

And so these words that she's been seeing, they keep coming, she doesn't know what they mean.

And so she's also trying to solve the mystery of this word, this gift that she has.

Like what is it trying to tell her and what's going to happen?

What's going to happen with her.

And Jack?

I can't tell you.

I don't want to spoil it.

(Holly) No, no, no.

(Jennifer) But it is just a fun adventure story.

It's a love letter to libraries.

I love libraries, they still feel magical to me.

They feel safe.

Like just a haven that anybody can go to and, you know, at any time.

And so it's just fun for book lovers who have ever fallen in love with a fictional character or a book bestie.

It's just it's an adventure of just living in the library.

And what would happen if you could bring out your favorite characters.

(Holly) Oh, tell me about how you, as a writer, balance the the magical, fun, whimsical side and those really strong themes.

What is that like for you?

(Jennifer) You know, I just see the world in a magical, enchanted way all the time so that, it feels easy to me because I think there's there's a lot of magic and there's a lot of harder things that you go through.

The magic helps me get through the tougher time.

So it feels like an easier balance to me because it's real life, you know you've got things that happen to you that you're working your way through.

And for me, it's not just about looking for the silver linings, as though, you know, I'm naive or childish, but I think they're there.

I think if you look for the synchronicities and the enchantment in life, you can find it anywhere and everywhere.

So when it comes to writing the books, that part just comes really naturally because I feel like, you know, life is full of ups and downs, but I am always looking for the sparkle.

(Holly) Hm hmm.

(Jennifer) It's just it's just how I think.

It's just how my brain works.

(Holly) When you're writing through that, you know the character's voice.

Did you identify yourself with anybody, using any of your own experiences?

Did that make anything easier to write?

(Jennifer) I love this question because you get asked, you know, is this somebody you know?

(Holly) Yeah.

(Jennifer) Are you the main character?

(Holly) Right.

(Jennifer) So I'm not her, but I think that we're so multifaceted as people.

You've got all those characters inside of you.

You know, one day you're happy and giggling, the next day maybe you're angry.

(Holly) Right.

(Jennifer) So I think there's probably pieces of me all in the story and in every character.

But they're not, they're not me, and they're not based on anybody I know.

But like, if I meet you and I think, oh, she's she's so friendly, then I can use that one part of you because I don't know all of you, and I can make that character that way.

So we've all met, you know, I call them sandpaper people who kind of rub you the wrong way.

I, piece of that in my character you know, for someone that you want to kind of make a little sandpapery.

So none of the heroines are ever me, but I think I could relate to them, and I feel like we'd be friends.

You probably.

You know, that'd be my bestie.

(Holly) And I appreciate the kind of love that you're giving libraries themselves.

I mean, in this day and age, there's been kind of that ebb and flow of the library itself.

And, you know, with all the technology and everything.

But, just you really show this love for the old fashion library and what it stands for.

(Jennifer) Thank you.

I love libraries.

And while we're talking about libraries, let's talk about librarians because they are magical, aren't they?

(Holly) Yes.

(Jennifer) They can find anything that you're looking for.

I love that you can go into a library and just say, I'm looking for this blue book, and it's got a dog on it, and they know exactly what you're talking about, and they know who wrote it, and they can find it for you.

But librarians, they also have a wealth of knowledge.

It's not just about books.

You can ask about all kinds of stuff like where is a good restaurant to eat?

So on book tour, this would happen if I'm in a town I've never been in.

They just know all kinds of stuff and they are so willing and happy to help you.

And I've just always felt, even as a little girl, that libraries are just such a safe place.

And it's not that I felt unsafe, because I know that there are people who feel like this is my my security, my security blanket.

(Holly) Right.

(Jennifer) But I just love going in there.

It's just like a deep breath.

I feel like, oh, here we are.

I feel this way in bookstores too.

Just like it's my place.

It's full of thousands, thousands of stories, and I love going to them on book tour because they are all so different.

(Holly) Yes.

and just like you were saying with the characters, you know, I can be this on this day, this whatever.

But same with libraries like who do I want to be today.

(Jennifer) Yes.

(Holly) You know, what mood am I in.

and let me go to that department of that mood.

(Jennifer) I just love walking by the books and dragging my fingers along the spines.

I know I can't read them all, but I want to.

I have this idea that I could read all the books in here, and I love that they're just so welcoming.

Librarians are so friendly.

They really are.

They make you feel loved and seen.

And that's what I love about books.

They make you feel seen.

I think that's why I've always just loved it, that you can find your story, your character.

And then there's libraries that are big in the big cities.

They're all so different.

Then you've got the cozy ones and the small towns and, you know, there's all kinds of characters that come in.

(Holly) Oh yes.

(Jennifer) To listen to you talk about books.

(Holly) And so you're taking notes on those.

(Jennifer) You are.

(Holly) You're a character in my next book right?

(Jennifer) They're so unique.

And they'll tell you stories about themselves.

They'll just come up and say, I've got this story.

And I love that.

It's like libraries are full of people who come in with stories.

So they're all storytellers.

It's just really fun.

(Holly) Okay, so on the theme of people being full of stories, I think that you fall under that hat, too, because I was doing my research and I'm like, this lady does it all.

She's a former traveling musician, songwriter, writes books, cooks stuff.

I mean, and then there's the Strawberry Shortcake.

So we're going to talk about that in a second.

But tell me, first of all, how did you make that transition from, being a traveling musician, singer, songwriter into writing books?

(Jennifer) Oh gosh, this is a wild journey.

The short version is I love singing.

I've always loved to sing.

It was something that I just knew that I wanted a chance to be able to do.

And so I did it.

I put a band together.

I was I was a kid at the time and I got other kids together, but they were amazing musicians.

And so we traveled all across the country for about five years.

And then the industry shifts.

And so they're looking for different things.

And what they were looking for at the time just didn't fit me.

I'm I'm really I didn't know it at the time, but I'm very intentional about doing what feels like me.

And I don't want to be somebody else.

Even if I don't like me sometimes I still know that I need to be me and I just had to make a career change.

And it was hard.

I mean, honestly, I was really sad.

I thought, what am I going to do with my life?

And my dad actually turn to me.

He's like, you know, you could be a teacher, you could teach English.

So I went back to college to get a second degree, and it was while I was doing a second degree that I realized I could be an editor, like a book editor.

I know that sounds silly, but at the time I had not thought that's a career.

And I did that for many years.

And while I was, I've always loved to write.

But while I was editing, I started writing, and I'd write, you know, when I wasn't at work, I'd write on the weekends.

And it just blossomed from there.

And so after years of working full time, I thought, I'm going to do this author thing full time.

(Holly) Wow.

(Jennifer) I'm just going to see what happens.

(Holly) I love that whenever, like, you know, basically when one door closes, another one opens, and that's such a great example of that.

(Jennifer) It does.

(Holly) Wow.

Okay.

So let's, I'm sure the viewers are like, what does she say about Strawberry Shortcake?

So please, let's let's go there and tell me how she is part of your story.

(Jennifer) Oh my gosh, I love strawberry shortcake.

So I had the baby dolls.

I had the books.

I even had a lunchbox.

So I had to wear glasses when I was a little girl.

And the only way they got me to wear them was I had a little strawberry shortcake sticker on one of the lens, and I was like, (Holly) Okay, I'm cool.

(Jennifer) I'm cool now I can do the strawberry shortcake.

So flash forward all these years into the future, and after working as a full time editor, you just make a lot of friends, other editors, and there's a children's department at Harpercollins, and they were working with the Strawberry Shortcake brand, and she reached out to me and she said, we think you'd be a perfect fit for writing some Strawberry Shortcake books.

Would you want to?

And I was like, yes, who would, who would say no?

(Holly) Right?

(Jennifer) So I said yes.

And I go, oh my gosh, it's so adorable.

It's so adorable.

They've already come out.

There's two board books and there's a picture book coming soon.

And I'm just I love it.

I love being a part of it.

(Holly) Now tell me were there challenges with that.

Because, you know, you think about, oh, a little board book, this is easy.

Just a few words on a page.

(Jennifer) Oh yeah.

(Holly) But.

(Jennifer) That's the challenge just a few words.

(Holly) Tell me about that.

(Jennifer) And also what we were looking for is Strawberry Shortcake has a massive collection of illustrations.

And so these board books are vintage Strawberry Shortcake.

So she's had many iterations through the years.

But this is going back to the classic one that I remember as a girl.

And they wanted me to look through their illustrations and write a story that used those illustrations.

(Holly) Ooh.

(Jennifer) That's really challenging when you've got already built, like, here's the house.

Now make a story about the house.

(Holly) Yes.

(Jennifer) But I love doing it, I love looking through the archives.

But I think the biggest challenge is, is the word count is so small, you've got to say so much heartfelt, adorable Strawberry Shortcake stuff in just a few.

I mean it's like 300 or less words.

(Holly) Oh wow.

(Jennifer) You can write that with just writing your your name and where you live.

(Holly) Well that editing experience certainly helped out.

(Jennifer) It did, and it's just so easy to write an adorable book.

And they had an idea.

So Strawberry Shortcake is a classic brand, but they, they're particular about what they want you to say and what they, the subject matter is.

So they also give you that.

They're like, here's some ideas write on those.

But it was fun.

I like a challenge like that because it was fun.

And working with them and working with the children's editor, it was it was just a blast for me.

(Holly) Oh, I love it.

Alright, so you've been super busy because you've got that, you've got The Charmed Library and now you're working on something else.

(Jennifer) I am.

So as an author a lot of us are always working on something ahead of schedule.

You're promoting a book, you're normally editing a book, and then you're writing a new one.

There's one out.

I mean, so it's it's kind of like having three books at one time.

And so you have that moment when you're like, wait, what year is it?

What am I working on?

(Holly) And then when you're out on book tour, it's like you've already shifted to another story story.

You got to go back to that one.

(Jennifer) You're like two stories ahead.

(Holly) Organizing that in your brain just seems so complicated.

I'm really amazed by that.

You know, there have been moments where I was on tour and someone would ask me a question and I was like, ooh, do I remember that in the story?

Because I'm, you know, two stories ahead of that.

(Holly) Yeah.

(Jennifer) Or they'll remember really specific things that you're like, I wrote that?

But I do love it.

I mean, it is fun, you know, it's like it kind of like I'll look back through the book before I get up and talk about it, just because.

Just to refresh, I love the characters in all my books, but you've got handfuls of other ones that you're talking to.

(Holly) Yeah, yeah.

Well, do any from your past books still?

I don't want to say the word haunt, but like, is there, are there characters from books you've written that just they never leave you like they are with you?

(Jennifer) That's a fun question I think haunt is a good word, but I think, like, I feel like all these characters are my friends, so they don't ever really leave me.

So I yes, I guess I'm haunted all the time, but in a good way.

And that if someone brought up that character, I know exactly who they're talking about.

The characters have distinct personalities, you know, none of them are the same.

They're just like your friends.

They're all different.

So yeah, I guess I carry with me all the time.

(Holly) That's beautiful.

Okay, tell me what you really hope that the reader takes away from this, this book in particular, the Charmed Library?

(Jennifer) Gosh, just, just an expanded love of libraries, an appreciation for them.

How magical they are, whether it's enchanted in your characters come out or it's just magical in its own way.

Just a hopeful feeling and how powerful words are and just knowing who you are and being who you are and just what you say to people and what you say to yourself.

But it's a feel good, fun book.

I think it'll make you revisit who your favorite characters are, and if you could bring out one for the day, who would you bring out?

(Holly) I like that, and I'll, let's go back to the burning of the words, because I had a flashback whenever I was reading that to like seventh grade, my best friend and I, we actually destroyed all the letters from the boyfriend, and it just felt so empowering and like, this is a new day.

(Jennifer) Yeah, yeah.

(Holly) And so.

(Jennifer) It's very symbolic.

(Holly) Yes, and I know that that's probably common among young girls, so.

(Jennifer) I think so, you know, just burning anything and even just metaphorically, (Holly) I guess now it's deleting an email or text.

(Jennifer) Right, trashing it and then deleting your trash.

(Holly) Yeah.

It doesn't feel as good does it?

(Jennifer) Yeah, I think it was, It's just symbolic of a way that you can let go of something and really let it go.

And then in Stella's case, it doesn't leave the way she thinks it will.

(Holly) Right.

(Jennifer) So but for us, yeah, I think there's something really, I don't know, cathartic, refreshing about just trashing something and being like, nah, I'm done.

(Holly) Walking away.

Yeah, it's all there.

Alright.

Well, thank you so much for joining us.

This has been a great conversation.

Really appreciate it.

And just excited about all that you have coming, you know, forward.

I'm amazed at just all that you're doing and just the quick path that you're on of bam, bam, bam, bam is amazing.

You must be so busy.

(Jennifer) Thank you.

I am, but I love it.

I mean, I'm being able to do what I love.

I mean, yeah, I feel like that's the greatest thing ever.

(Holly) That's awesome.

(Jennifer) But thank you for having me.

(Holly) Absolutely.

We love having you around.

And thank you everyone for joining us.

We really appreciate your company.

I'm Holly Jackson, the host of Books by the River.

And until the next book.

Prologue.

Stella Parker had never burned a book in her life, had never once thrown pages of text, much less handwritten love letters and poetry, into a fire.

Yet there she was, purposefully setting fire to one of the most precious thing in her life: words.

Wisps of smoke and ashes floated from the ancient flue on a blistering Saturday early evening breeze.

The haze rounded corners, spiraled up tree trunks along the main street sidewalk and lingered in pockets of shadow.

The townsfolk in Blue Sky Valley, North Carolina, stumbled into the ashy air unexpectedly and were overcome with longing.

Many were compelled to hurry home and hug someone, or to buy a journal and write down their thoughts.

Some wandered out into the mature pine forest until the soothing sounds of birds and the soft green blanket of grass beneath their feet helped lessen the ache.

None were aware of why they felt the unusual emotions, or that their peace came at the cost of Stella's heartache.

Deep inside the town's library, where dust mites danced in the slanted light and the walls hummed with the energy of a million stories.

The words Stella sacrificed did not simply vanish.

They would always belong to this town, to this magic, to the unseen force that wove Blue Sky Valley together.

As the ashes faded into the dusk, the library listened, waiting, knowing that every story, especially the one set free, would find its way home.

(Holly) We are going to end today's show a little bit differently, taking you somewhere viewers don't normally get to go.

When you watch our show at home, you see the thoughtful conversations, the beautiful lighting, and the seamless storytelling.

But what you don't see is the team of students from the University of South Carolina, Beaufort who make it all happen.

Let's take a look.

Yeah.

So you see, all I think about, just like your job, you know, I, I was.

(Kayla) So we work behind the scenes on Books by the River, which is a national TV show where we interview southern authors and college students have the opportunity to work different areas, like, cameras or technical operators, like the switchboard or the teleprompter to kind of help produce the show.

(Producer) And so we're rolling.

(Camera) Yes.

Okay.

Good, good.

(Producer) All right, we're rolling.

So we're going to start.

So camera two, give me your two shot or yeah her single shot.

Sorry.

Thank you.

Um, so ready two, take two.

Okay.

(Holly) For every taping, this space is built with intention.

Cameras are balanced, audio is tested, lighting is shaped to create a warm, intimate environment that reflects the tone of our conversations.

Each camera has a purpose.

Wide shots create context.

Closeups capture emotion.

Everything you see is designed to support the story.

One of the most remarkable parts of Books by the River is the student production team.

This is not a simulation.

This is professional broadcast production.

(Tripp) My name is Tripp Richards.

I'm a junior at USCB, interdisciplinary Studies major, and I work on the Books by the River show as a camera operator.

(Faith) I'm, Erica Swanson, but I go by Faith.

I'm locally here.

From here, from Beaufort.

(Turner) My name is Turner Owen, and some of my hobbies and interests include, music and creative.

Just creative stuff.

And I love sports.

(Ashley) My name is Ashley Schaefer.

I love music, Taylor Swift and all things media.

(Kayla) I'm Kayla Sharif, I am from Atlanta, Georgia.

I'm a communications major, I enjoy reading, I enjoy writing, and I also love scrapbooking.

When I first started, I was a TV production assistant, so I would help Dr.

Sawyer with the paperwork, making sure that I interacted with the guests.

And just kind of helped as a backup person.

And then I learned, shortly after that, I really enjoyed being a technical operator.

So now I work the switchboard in the control room.

(Riley) My name is Riley Chaisera.

I am the teleprompter operator for Books by the River.

I'm a senior at USCB,.

(Mallory) So I am the photographer on the show.

I take pictures of like the behind the scenes and Holly and the guest, and I'll just get like a bunch of behind the scenes, like people working and just kind of like, show people like what, how it's made, but also like it being made at the same time.

So I'm trying to get like two different perspectives of how it's like, okay yeah, this is what you're saying and this is what's happening in real life, but this is how it was also made from behind the scenes.

(♪) (Kayla) So I think learning that I am good at operating different equipment kind of make me feel good.

And, it's a new path that I may be willing to explore.

(Tripp) Definitely, definitely the people and opportunities that come after this.

I feel like, working with Doctor Sawyer, Holly, great, great role models, just great personalities to be around.

Their ability to take stress in when they have these stressful things, these mishaps.

At first I was like, so nervous.

And I was like, oh, I don't really know if I'm going to do that, but I wanted to branch out and learn new things.

And it's also been so great, like, I meet so many new people that like, no, like, that's what I want to do.

And so they like help me in whatever way I want to be helped.

(Turner) Another great thing is just hearing the stories that these authors have to have to say, you know, I was not the biggest reader when I was younger.

And to come to a show about books and hearing the creative processes and, you know all of the inspirations, I'm a very inspired person of myself.

I find inspiration in a lot of things.

So to hear other people have similar, ways of finding their influences is very special.

But yeah, the stories are great.

I've actually gotten into reading because of this show.

(Faith) I think that you should trust yourself.

I found just, like, trusting that I'm human.

Mistakes happen.

But to be able to roll with the punches is the most important thing.

And I think that, like, I really have walked out of this semester after working with this class and and doing things that I never thought I'd do, it just completely raised my standards on what I can do and who I can be.

(Reilly) I really like hearing the authors passion for their books.

And like writing.

I really like hearing those stories and just how passionate they get.

(Taylor) I think my favorite part is being able to enhance my skills, working behind the camera.

I've had prior experience, but I've never been able to work like on a professional set before with like professional gear.

(Ashley) This is just a really good opportunity, and I hate that I waited so long to be a part of it.

Like, this is my last semester and I, my advisor, kept trying to get me to be a part of it, like in previous semester, semesters.

And I was like, I don't know if I want to do that.

And now that I've been a part of it, I'm like, I wish I had joined it sooner because it really was a good opportunity and I gained a lot of good, like relationships from it.

(Holly) Thank you for joining us behind the scenes.

And now that you've seen how it all comes together, we invite you to enjoy our conversations in a whole new way.

We'll see you next time, by the river.

(♪) (♪) (♪) (♪) (Announcer) Major funding for Books by the River is brought to you by the ETV Endowment of South Carolina, the proud partner of South Carolina ETV and public Radio.

With the generosity of individuals, corporations and foundations, the ETV Endowment is committed to sharing southern storytelling and compelling conversations with viewers across the nation.

This program is supported by Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina.

This program is made possible by the support of Peters Zamuka and Lynn Baker.

Additional funding for Books by the River is provided by Visit Beaufort, Port Royal and Sea Islands and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at USC, Beaufort.

(♪) (♪)