Tyler County, West Virginia, the birthplace of Weirton author Susan Spencer-Smith, will be her topic at a book signing at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 19th at the Mary H. Weir Public Library, 3442 Main Street.
“Middlebourne, where both my parents grew up, is the
inspiration for Biddlbourne, the hamlet featured in my inspirational mystery Death in the Parsonage,” Spenser-Smith
said. “I was born in Sistersville, an Ohio River town where oil and gas were
discovered in the 1890s.”
Spencer-Smith will chat about Tyler County’s history,
quirks, and landmarks – including her memories of crawdadding on Middle Island
Creek as a child – at the library event.
She is a 1964 graduate of Weir High School and the daughter
of the late Jack and Fay Kearns of Weirton. She worked 28 years in newspaper
journalism, including 11 years at The
Weirton Daily Times, before graduating from United Theological Seminary in
Dayton and being ordained a United Methodist Church pastor. She served congregations
in western Ohio before retiring in 2006.
She has written The
Preacher Lady’s Cookbook for a Hungry Heart, a collection of prayers,
scriptures and recipes gathered from hundreds of church events, and Death in the Parsonage, an inspirational
mystery based on the true story of a woman who faces her childhood demons.
The books are published through Spencer-Smith’s production
company, Hoopie Girl Press. Both books will be available at the library event.
They may also be purchased at Penn-Way Pharmacy, 3159 Main St., Weirton and at
Amazon.com.
Her second novel, The Good Old Babes, a story of twelve
women who challenge the “good old boys” of Biddlebourne for town leadership, is
scheduled for publication in 2014.
Spencer-Smith resides in Weirton with her husband, Grant
Beamer, and their cat Thud. She may be contacted at hoopiegirl@comcast.net.
