Join us for a very special day! Ariel Lawhon will be joining us for the release of her brand new book The Pirate Queen, Marybeth Whalen will be joining the conversation to chat about her 2026 release Handle With Care, and for the first time ever- we will be joined by an Award-Winning Audiobook Narrator, Jane Oppenheimer!
Jane has narrated books for both Ariel and Marybeth.
ARIEL LAWHON is a critically acclaimed, New York Times bestselling author of historical fiction. Her bestselling novels include The Frozen River, Code Name Helene, I Was Anastasia, Flight of Dreams, The Wife The Maid and The Mistress, and When We Had Wings (co-written with Kristina McMorris & Susan Meissner). Her books have been Good Morning America, Library Reads, One Book One County, Indie Next, Costco, Amazon Spotlight, and Book of the Month Club selections. She lives in Tennessee. Ariel has been a great longtime friend of Marybeth Mayhew Whalen.
MARYBETH MAYHEW WHALEN is the author of the recent, Every Moment Since and nine previous novels. Marybeth received a BA in English with a concentration in Writing and Editing from NC State University and has been writing ever since. Marybeth now calls Sunset Beach, NC home. Marybeth is a longtime friend of Ariel.
JANE OPPENHEIMER is an Award-Winning Audiobook Narrator. Jane’s narration style and honest characterizations resonate with her listeners and have garnered her multiple Earphone Awards and nominations with The Society of Voice Arts and Sciences. Jane graduated from Carnegie-Mellon University with a BFA in Theater and has performed in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and regional theaters, as well as on television and film.
Ariel Lawhon’s The Pirate Queen:
A sweeping historical adventure inspired by the life of Grace O’Malley, the legendary Irish folk heroine who risked everything to defend her people.
Grace O’Malley was born to be a sea captain. But Grace learns early that her dreams of a life at the helm are not compatible with the expectations of her noble family. As the only daughter of a powerful chieftain, her role is to secure a strong alliance and bear children. But when she’s sent to foster with a nearby clan, Grace falls for a clever and open-minded second son—a man she cannot have…
Married off against her will to a brutal warrior, Grace performs her duty, all the while gathering followers loyal to her, and consolidating her husband’s power, only to be ousted from his lands.
But this betrayal offers Grace the opportunity to return to sea, finally leading clan O’Malley’s mighty fleet. Just as she finds true independence, Queen Elizabeth I’s incursions into Ireland grow bolder and Grace must fight to defend her land, her ships, and the people she loves most against the cruel and power-hungry English deputies, who will stop at nothing to check her influence.
Marybeth Whalen’s Handle With Care:
On a quiet spring afternoon, an ordinary small-town post office becomes ground zero for a domestic dispute. A husband draws a weapon and seals the doors, holding four women captive: his frightened wife, a young woman searching for meaning amid uncertainty, a mother on the brink of letting go, and an elderly woman concealing a secret that could shatter everything she knows.
Each of the three women who walked into the post office is carrying something that, if mailed, would profoundly change her life. Handle with Care illuminates how even strangers, thrown together by chance and hardship, have the power to change each other's lives.
Date: Friday, November 20th 2026
Location: 21 Main- 719 North Beach Blvd North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582
Time: 10:45AM-1:00PM
Your Ticket Includes:
Guaranteed seating via our curated seating chart (no rushing for a spot).
An intimate talk and Q&A with Ariel, Marybeth, and Jane.
A multi-course lunch, dessert, and beverages provided by 21 Main.
The Opportunity to purchase signed copies of The Pirate Queen, Handle with Care, and the authors backstock available at the event.
A dedicated window for personalized book signing and a brief meet-and-greet with both authors and Jane.
Refund Policy- Thank you for signing up for an event at Litchfield Books! Cards will be charged upon time of ticket purchase. We will refund your ticket, excluding our merchant banker convenience fee and credit card reversal fee. Cancellations are accepted up until seven days prior to the event date. If the cancellation is past the seven days you will not be offered a refund but you will be offered the signed copy of the event book.