ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Wednesday, November 6, 1996            TAG: 9611060030
SECTION: CURRENT                  PAGE: NRV-4 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG 

AUTHORS-A-PLENTY SIGNING THEIR EDITIONS AT BOOKS-A-MILLION

Grand opening activities for the new Books-a-Million store in the Marketplace Shopping Center this week will provide a sampling of writers who live or work in this area.

Many of those who will be signing their work Friday and Saturday are associated with Virginia Tech.

An exception is Charles West, a businessman who moved to Blacksburg to retire and take up a new career in writing. West will be signing copies of his first book, "The Tenant," a science fiction novel involving a brain transplant.

The signing will be from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Friday following the store's noon ribbon-cutting ceremony.

On Saturday, LuAnn Keener, who teaches at Virginia Tech, will be signing copies of "Color Documentary," her first volume of poetry, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Edward Falco, another Virginia Tech instructor, will sign his short-story collection, "Acid," from 10 a.m. to 12 noon.

The book won the 1995 Richard Sullivan Prize given by the University of Notre Dame, and had one of its stories published in "Best Short Stories of 1995."

From 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., two authors who teach at Virginia Tech will be on hand.

Katherine Soniat will sign her book of poems, "A Shared Life," and Simone Poirier-Bures, copies of her fictional "Candyman" and non-fiction "That Shining Place."

The store, which includes a coffee shop, is occupying 24,150 square feet of the former 85,000-square-foot Wal-Mart store in the shopping center off U.S. 460.

Books-A-Million has actually been open for about a month in Christiansburg.

Other activities during the opening days ceremony includes appearances by "characters" from children's books, live music, story times, face painting and door prizes.

The store plans to continue hosting authors beyond its opening week ceremonies.

The next one scheduled is James I. Robertson Jr., a Virginia Tech history professor, who will sign some of his Civil War books from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 16.

LENGTH: Medium:   54 lines
ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO:  PAUL DELLINGER/Staff. Simone Poirier-Bures will be 
          signing copies of her fictional "Candyman" and non-fiction "That 
          Shining Place" on Saturday from 3 until 5 p.m. at Books-a-Million in
          the Marketplace Shopping Center in Christiansburg.