ABOUT US
In December of 2013, while most people were drinking hot chocolate, singing Christmas carols, and buying last-minute holiday gifts, two girls were fangirling via Facebook messenger about how much they loved the latest books they’d read. They were drafting up their reviews, thinking about how much they LOVED reading, and how they wanted to share the books they loved with other readers like themselves who were looking for book recommendations, but weren’t sure where to go. Erin Spencer, Jamie Taliaferro, and Katie Pettigrew joined forces and together, the little blog they’d dreamed up took off like a rocket.
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The likes, the shares, the hits to the website – it all grew faster than any of them could have ever imagined. The book community was growing by the day, with more and more blogs showing their love for books, and, with all the love came the most exciting venture of all…
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Book signings.
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While Katie had not been to a book event, Erin had attended a few, and when Book Bash happened in Orlando, they both found themselves salivating at the lineup and wishing they could have been there.
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Erin wondered out loud… “What if we put on an event… like, a signing of our own?” Katie thought Erin was insane at first – because, HELLO, a book signing is a lot of work. But, they decided to take on the challenge together. Just a month after the group had gathered and created the blog, they started planning their first event – The Hard Rock Author Event in Tulsa, OK.
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The rest, as they say, is history.
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Adding the talented Shannon O’Neill to their team, the ladies of Southern Belle Book Blog hosted a multitude of events over the next few years. If you asked them, they’d say things were tough at first – they had to figure out this brand new world of events, graphic design, website management, social media, marketing, day of organization, and so much more. They’d tell you there were many mistakes along the way, many things they learned, and many mishaps that helped them make each event better and better.
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But, if you asked the authors who attended their signings, you’d hear an entirely different story.
“There’s a reason I attend 90% of the Southern Belle events I’m invited to, and that is, put simply: because they are the best at what they do. When it comes to book signings, they run everything so smoothly, and so professionally, it was hard for me to believe when I attended their first event that it was their first event. Erin, Katie, and Shannon pay attention to the details, and because of that, their events excel. They are always my favorite event of the year as an author, and when readers come to my table, I can tell from their reactions that they feel the same. Everyone is in awe, and so impressed. Everyone is having fun. Everyone is desperate to attend another event as soon as the first one they attended is over. That is the Southern Belle magic.” - BESTSELLING AUTHOR KANDI STEINER
Southern Belle started as a book blog, but as time progressed, they realized that their time was wrapped up mostly in planning events – and that’s the way they loved it! So, they shifted all their attention there, changing their name officially to Southern Belle Events in late 2017.
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Southern Belle Book Events is renowned in the book community for their extraordinary events – such as Holidays with the Belles, Music City with the Belles, Love Letters to Boston, and many more. With 23 signings under their belt and 7 already in the planning phase, they’re still learning, growing, and looking to the future on how to host the best signing a reader may attend.
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When it comes to book signings, Southern Belle Book Events are in a league of their own. And if you ask them what it is that sets them apart, they’ll answer modestly with, “We love hosting events, and it’s that simple. When you love what you do, you pay attention to detail, and you make the authors, volunteers, and readers who attend feel like your family instead of your customers – you create magic.”
MEET THE GIRLS
Meet Erin:
She's a mom of 3 little humans + 2 pups + 1 fluffy maine coon kitty and the wife of 1 very patient hubby. Every day is a brand new, crazy day in her house but when she's not at work in HR or working on Belles events, you'll find her at home rotting in her pajamas or cheering on the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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Meet Katie:
She's the mom of 3 teenaged girls and wife from Mars. Actually, not kidding. When she's not deep in a book, she's running to one of many different activities with her girls, traveling the world, or putting her knowledge to work within the book world.
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Meet Shannon:
Shannon is married to a patient man, they have an amazing daughter, one pup, and many bonus family members. The other two Belles joke that she's always working and never stops but when she does take a breather, you'll find her shooting beautiful photography or traveling.