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Journey to NY Times #1 Best Seller and Lanier Library

Before Virginia Evans’s “The Correspondent” became a NY Times #1 Best Seller, she received a handwritten invitation from Jenny Purtill, Executive Director of Lanier Library. Evans was on a writer’s journey that started in doubt and Purtill was taking a chance on a first time author.

“The Correspondent” was the author’s ninth book. “If this doesn’t sell I’m going to become a lawyer,” Evans told her agent. Her first eight books were unsold, one of which had been self-published to make enough money to buy a lap top computer.

During the COVID pandemic, for about a year, at 4:30 every morning, Evans sat in the quiet of a home closet to write an epistolary novel. The reader gets to know Sybil Van Antwerp through the 73-year-old woman’s letters. A divorced grandmother, retired lawyer, Sybil tries to heal old wounds through hand writing to different characters. Unexpectedly, letters from someone in her past force her to examine one of the most painful periods of her life.

“I didn’t think it would sell and didn’t want to show it to my agent,” remembers Evans. “It’s terrible to give your heart to writing and then have it rejected. She pressured me to read the manuscript and then persuaded me to let her pitch it.” Evans heard nothing for about three months, then on her birthday, she learned that her book was accepted.

“The Correspondent” was on the shelves April 29, 2025.

In the 250,000 to 1,000,000 books published annually in the USA, Jenny Purtill was initially unaware of this debut published work. She read the book after hearing a YouTube review by award-winning novelist Ann Patchett who called it “a cause for celebration.” Purtill shared her enthusiasm with others at the Library and everyone considered it was a must-read.

Purtill drafted a few handwritten letters before deciding on the one to mail to Evans’s publicist, inviting the author to be the speaker in the Lanier 2026 Distinguished Speaker Series. The response was prompt and positive. Evans, who lived in Winston-Salem, would be delighted to come to Tryon.

“I had no book publishing experience and at first had no book tour planned”, said Evans.

Word-of-mouth increased popularity, sales, and requests for interviews. Highly favorable reviews and award recognition increased. Well before the Lanier Library event on March 22, “The Correspondent” became a New York Times #1 Best Seller.

Seating was limited to 300 for the author’s program at Tryon Fine Arts Center and quickly sold out. Reception afterward was limited to 100 at the Lanier Library and sold out within days. Register for the waitlist at the link below.

Free public admission thanks to support from the Kirby Endowment Fund at Polk County Community Foundation.

Reserve now below for Poetry Three readings.

Award-winning Patricia Corbus writes sly and funny poems about the enchanting, troubled beauty of the world and human life. Her poems spark with surprises. Award winning Wendell Hawken invites readers to a northern Shenandoah Valley farm to marvel on the edge of the wild. She wants to fulfill poetry’s ancient role of teaching readers how to live. Award-winning Greg Rappleye describes poetry as his “profession pursued with a passion.” That skill and heart-felt drive is lyrically evident in “Barley Child,” a book that gives sarcastic voice with a touch of wit to four generations of Irish Americans.

All three poets have honed their craft in the same graduate MFA program and have multiple published collections. Rappleye also teaches English at Hope College in Michigan.

* Thanks to members and the community, the popularity of Live@Lanier Programs has grown and audiences have increasingly exceeded the comfortable capacity of 50 seats. To assure a seat, register using the link below.

Through the mind sight of a poet, good and great poems can be found in all faces, things, times, and places. If you want thoughtful critiques of two of your poems, no matter your inspiration, topic or style, submit them to thelanierlibrary@gmail.com by Wednesday April 8 for careful evaluation by award-winning poets Patricia Corbus, Wendell Hawken, and Greg Rappleye. Corbus writes sly and funny poems about the enchanting, troubled beauty of the world and human life. Her poems spark with surprises. Hawken invites readers to a northern Shenandoah Valley farm to marvel on the edge of the wild. She wants to fulfill poetry’s ancient role of teaching readers how to live. Rappleye describes poetry as his “profession pursued with a passion.” That skill and heart-felt drive is lyrically evident in “Barley Child,” a book that gives sarcastic voice with a touch of wit to four generations of Irish Americans.

All three poets have honed their craft in the same graduate MFA program and have multiple published collections. Rappleye also teaches English at Hope College in Michigan.

The workshop will be a collaborative exploration of possibilities for improving your work. Registration is limited to only six participants. Register for the workshop at the link below and then submit two poems to thelanierlibrary@gmail.com. Poems received online after April 8 can not be accepted.