Local authors showcase their knowledge at book fair

Writing a book is never as simple a feat as it appears, said author Sandra Gurvis.

That was what she found when writing "Three Ringling Circus: A History of Sarasota, Florida, and the Famous Ringling Brothers."

She had the chance to showcase her book during the Local Author Book Fair hosted by Bookstore1Sarasota on Nov. 9. 

"The key takeaway from all the research is the key takeaway from everything I've ever written," she said. "It's like an iceberg. The tip of it looks, 'Oh yeah, I could do this. Underneath, it's a lot of stuff, and there's even more stuff I haven't explored."

At the event, the community also had the chance to look more widely beneath the iceberg of Sarasota's literary community and discover the talent within the local area. 

Among the other authors present was David Gardner, a Ringling College instructor who worked on backgrounds for films including Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" and "A Goofy Movie," and commercials for brands including Lucky Charms. 

He eventually lent his skills to illustrating children's books. 

At the book fair, he showcased "Junia: The Book Mule of Troublesome Creek" by Kim Richardson.

Photo by Ian Swaby

Published in 2024, the book tells the story of the Pack Horse Library initiative, which sent librarians on horses into the Appalachian Mountains during the Great Depression, from the perspective of a mule named Junia.

Having frequently visited many family members in East Tennessee and Kentucky as a child, Gardner was sought out for his familiarity with the area.

"(Kim) kept really emphasizing the idea that she wanted this to look authentic," he said. "She didn't want it to be the stereotypical hillbillies. She wanted somebody who knew the area."

Julie Fidalgo said her book "If You Want to Be Happy" offers an easy-to-read guide to being happy. She said it provides a contrast to self-help books that last for many pages but leave readers unsure of what to do. 

"This is using very simple concepts that we are all very aware of, and you can start putting it into practice today," she said of the book, which can be read in an hour. 

Gurvis took two and a half years to write "Three Ringling Circus."

Photo by Ian Swaby

She said after moving to Sarasota from Ohio in 2020, she found a place she was glad to call home, and also discovered the perfect topic for a book: Sarasota's circus and museum history. 

Her resource extensively involved primary sources and included visiting the Ringling numerous times and forming relationships with its archivists, visiting locations related to the circus, sourcing out-of-print books and making library visits. 

"The bookstore is a real asset to the city," said Gurvis. "Bookstores like these are what make the cultural part of the city come alive. I was honored to be part of this."