AMELIA ISLAND
Festival
2019
With popular events like the KickOff Luncheon and Face-Off Gala, the Amelia Island Book Festival with Honorary Chairperson Steve Berry celebrates the love of the written word.
Steve Berry
BY KAREN MILLER • PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE AMELIA ISLAND BOOK FESTIVAL
S
teve Berry is a champion for literacy and history. With over 18 bestselling historical fiction thrillers under his belt, and a new novel coming out in March, Berry is at the height of his career. But it wasn’t always like that for the aspiring writer. It took 12 years and 85 rejection before he sold his first book, The Amber Room, to Ballantine Books in 2002. The book was published in 2003, and that’s when Berry came to his first Amelia Island book festival, which was then called the “Amelia Book Island Festival.” The festival had its ups and downs over the years, until past president Marie Rizzo Fenn called Berry four years ago and asked him to be their honorary chairperson. “My wife, Elizabeth, and I had a lot of experience with book festivals. She organizes Thrillerfest, as the executive director of International Thriller Writers,” says Berry. “My job was to recruit folks I knew to come to Amelia Island. We brought in renowned authors, and then worked with
the board to put things into place that would insure a successful festival.” This year, the Amelia Island Book Festival is bringing more than 100 noted and celebrity New York Times bestselling authors to Fernandina Beach, including John Grisham, Diana Gabaldon, Kristen Ashley, David Baldacci, Tess Gerritsen, and Ridley Pearson, along with Berry, all to support the festival’s award-winning Authors in Schools Literacy Program. Fenn is excited about the success of the Festival, and its contribution to literacy. “This year we’ve purchased 12,000 books for students in Nassau County,” says Fenn. “And so much of our triumph is due to authors like Steve Berry, who donate their time and waive their speaking fees. These authors inspire students and adults to read, write, and share their passion with others.” Another important part of the annual AIBF is the presentation of a $2,000 scholarship to a college-bound Nassau County student. The scholarship is dedicated to the
STEVE BERRY is the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of The Bishop’s Pawn, The Lost Order, The 14th Colony, The Patriot Threat, The Lincoln Myth, The King’s Deception, The Columbus Affair, The Jefferson Key, The Emperor’s Tomb, The Paris Vendetta, The Charlemagne Pursuit, The Venetian Betrayal, The Alexandria Link, The Templar Legacy, The Third Secret, The Romanov Prophecy, and The Amber Room. His books have been translated into 40 languages with over 22 million copies in 51 countries. 13 AMELIA ISLANDER MAGAZINE •
FEBRUARY 2019
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