Newtown author Diana Baxter will be at Queen Street Gifts & Treats, 3 Queen Street in Newtown, on Saturday, May 9, from 3 to 5 pm, for a book signing of her recently revised and republished novel, Dubois Manor. The book, part of a trilogy centered on a fictional southern family, was the first of the series, originally published in 2012.

Inspired by the abandoned Pembroke Hall mansion she came across in Edenton, N.C., while on vacation in 2008, Ms Baxter dove into writing, imaging the mansion in its glory days of the late 1800s, as the setting for the first of three books. Dubois Manor introduces readers to the wealthy but troubled Dubois family in the romance/suspense series, continuing the saga through Windswept at Sea and the final book, Tainted Glass.

Ms Baxter was thrilled last year to return to Edenton, where she found that members of the community had purchased Pembroke Hall and restored the home.

“The community there is tight-knit and has such pride in its homes. Pembroke Hall is very special to them,” she said. The mansion is currently used as a venue for special events. Hoping to receive permission to use images of the refurbished “Dubois Manor” for a book cover, Ms Baxter contacted the Women’s Club in that town, last fall. While legal issues prevented them from granting her permission to use photographs of the house, she did end up with an invitation.

The events coordinator for Pembroke Hall was intrigued by Ms Baxter’s description of her books, and asked for a copy of Dubois Manor. Within two weeks, Ms Baxter was invited to take part in the Edenton “Pilgrimage,” an annual spring gala.

On April 17 and 18, she found herself set up in the library of the restored mansion that had set her on the path to authorship, speaking and signing copies of Dubois Manor. The town had allowed her to create a limited edition cover for that book, featuring a photograph of Pembroke Hall from 1900.

Promotional material for the Pilgrimage featured Dubois Manor and its author, creating an interest before the doors opened for the first day of the book signing.

“I sold out of all 50 books I had brought with me in the first day,” said Ms Baxter, “and took orders for more. It was thrilling. The place is so beautiful now. It was so much fun, I didn’t want to come home.”

She did return to Newtown, though, and is excited to present her first local book signing here. Copies of the book, with the limited edition cover, will be available for purchase at Queen Street Gifts & Treats.

Queen Street Gifts & Treats owner Mary Wilson said that she started chatting with Ms Baxter, a customer,  one day last month.

“We hit it off and she told me what she was doing, and about the book signing in Edenton,” Ms Wilson said. Edenton sounded familiar to the gift shop owner, and she realized that she carries a line of handcrafted earrings from an artist in that town. She was more than a little surprised when Ms Baxter stopped back in after her visit to North Carolina, and told her that it had turned out that the earring designer lived in the house next to where she had stayed.

“Isn’t that something?” laughed Ms Wilson.

“We love local authors and artists, so having Diana here will help promote a local author here in Newtown,” Ms Wilson said. Queen Street Gifts & Treats will provided iced tea and southern sweet tea, as well as samples of treats from the store, including rum cake and sea salt caramels during Saturday’s special event.

Although the trials of the Dubois family are wrapped up in book three, Ms Baxter has not put down her pen. Scheduled for release in mid- to late June of this year is her latest work, Mosaic Mermaid. This murder/thriller is set in the 1960s era Berkshires of Massachusetts, and is based on actual events that occurred there.

“I’ve learned so much about self publishing since the first edition of Dubois Manor,” Ms Baxter said. She recommends finding an editor, and avid honest readers to serve as reviewers. It is thanks to the input from a reviewer that she decided to revise and republish Dubois Manor, she said.

“Once you upload that manuscript, you better be sure it’s ready, and that everything is in PDF format,” she cautioned.

The Dubois trilogy can be purchased online at www.dianabaxternovels.com, where signed copies are available; or at www.amazon.com. They are also available as Kindle e-books.

“Mary [Wilson] at Queen Street took me by surprise by asking me to do the book signing. I’m looking forward to it,” said Ms Baxter.