Local author kicks off tour at Four Seasons Books
Author Danielle Corsetto, of Shepherdstown, kicked off the book signing tour for the complete, hardback collection of her webcomic series, “Girls with Slingshots,” at Four Seasons Books on Saturday evening.
The tour for Corsetto’s first professionally published book will extend across the East Coast and Canada this summer.
“That’s the cool thing about this bookstore – you can hear about so many local authors and local history,” said Four Seasons Books’ Katie Quinnelly, of Shepherdstown. Quinnelly said her favorite part about author signings is how they allow the bookstore’s customers to learn about books from their authors’ perspectives.
“‘Girls with Slingshots’ has a whole page about Shepherdstown in it,” Quinnelly said. She said she appreciates Corsetto’s book because its setting is in Shepherdstown. “It describes an apartment in Shepherdstown and The Wall – it’s really cool.”
Corsetto said she intentionally wrote about a small town in the comic series.
“I find it really interesting that most books and movies take place in big cities,” Corsetto said as she signed a copy of her book with a bright pink marker. “I’ve lived in the suburbs, and I love how much more communal it is here than in the city. I want to focus on small towns and small town life.”
Corsetto fell in love with Shepherdstown as a student at Shepherd University. After graduating in 2004 with her bachelor’s degree in photography, she decided to stay. Corsetto began writing and drawing “Girls with Slingshots” soon afterward, publishing the comic strips online.
When her comic strips became more popular, she self-published softcover collections of the series and sold them to her fans from her home in Shepherdstown and on tour. The softcover books were a hit, allowing Corsetto to start working full-time as an author.
“What she writes about are very relatable topics – what your career might be, finding what you’re going to do,” said Grace Uravic, of Hershey, Pennsylvania, who drove down specifically for the book signing. “Even though her book is female-centric, it’s not just about female problems – it’s about human problems.”
As a child, Uravic struggled with reading comprehension. She developed a love for comic books, because their pictures made reading less difficult.
“I can really appreciate the art aspect when it comes to comics, which is why I love ‘Girls with Slingshots,'” Uravic said. “I’m a big comic junkie.”
Four Seasons’ website editor William McDonald-Newman estimated 16 to 18 people attended the event throughout the evening.
“It’s cleverly designed and relatable,” said McDonald-Newman. “Danielle’s brilliant, and it was wonderful talking with her, but it was also nice listening to the other readers.”
Corsetto is currently working on a commissioned web comic series, “Boo, It’s Sex,” which will be available for viewing at www.webtoons.com. The “Girls with Slingshots” complete hardback collection will be available in stores June 27. For more information, check out her website, daniellecorsetto.com.