Author Joseph Wallace is doing a Charleston tour on the heels of his newest baseball-themed novel, <i>Diamond Ruby</i> with several appearances this weekend. Wallace will pay a visit to Ashley Hall School Friday morning to chat about the book, and then he gets to throw out the first pitch at the Riverdogs home game Friday evening. He’ll also be available for signings on the main concourse at the game. He’ll wrap up his tour with a book signing at Blue Bicycle Books from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Although <i>Diamond Ruby</i> is Wallace’s first novel, he’s already published several non-fiction works and short stories. Wallace has a history with baseball, having published several historical accounts on the sport, and his newest release maintains that theme. The main character is a teenage girl growing up in New York in the 1920s. She attempts to overcome a recent tragedy through cleverness, determination, and a wicked hard fastball. Chaos ensues with all the requisite elements you would expect in an early-20th century novel (like the KKK, Prohibition, the popularity of baseball, etc.).
Wallace grew up, and still resides, in New York City, and his story is based partially on a true story. Lowcountry fans of Wallace’s work can feel especially honored by his appearance, as its his first in the South on his book tour, and, according to his website, the only one planned for the immediate future. Must be that Riverdogs-Yankees connection that so many Charlestonians complain about.
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