For book lovers and budding authors

BookMania! – always written with an exclamation point – will celebrate its 20^th anniversary from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 8, at the Wanda H. Yarboro Center for the Performing Arts at Martin County High School in Stuart.  Produced by the Library Foundation of Martin County, BookMania! will feature nationally prominent and local authors, who will make presentations and appear on panels.  One speaker will be Tom Clavin, author of “The DiMaggios: Three Brothers, Their Passion for Baseball, Their Pursuit of the American Dream.” Another speaker will be Rick Kogan, award-winning reporter and columnist for the Chicago Tribune and author of 18 books.  Especially intriguing is a workshop for writers called “Fast Track to Publishing Success,” conducted by Laura Atchison, author of “What Would a Wise Woman Do? Questions to Ask Along the Way.”  Atchison will outline strategies for writing and marketing your book.  What should you focus on?  How do you find an agent and put together a proposal?  Atchison should know.  Within a week after it came out, her book was a best-seller.  So take note, you book lovers and budding authors: 10 to 5 Saturday at Martin County High School.  BookMania! -- with an exclamation point.  For 88.9 FM, this is Paul Janensch.