FAIRHOPE, Ala. — Page & Palette will host author Batt Humphreys on Friday (June 11) for an author signing.

From 4–6 p.m., he will sign his book “Dead Weight.” This is the author’s debut novel, and it has just been named as a finalist for Book of the Year by ForeWord magazine, and is a nominee for the 2010 Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance Award for Best Fiction of the Year.

“To be included as a nominee among such names as Pat Conroy, is both an honor and a thrill,” says Humphreys.

The novel is based on the true story of the State vs. Daniel Duncan. “Dead Weight” details the 1910 trial, conviction and execution of Daniel “Nealy” Duncan, a young black man of respectable employment and manners, arrested for murder on the eve of his wedding.

The novel tells of a love story, described by one reviewer as “Shakespearean” in its tragic reality.

The devastating hurricane that struck Charleston following the hanging is known as the Duncan Storm — divine wrath for the death of an innocent man.

He will exclusively sign all books purchased from Page & Palette.

For more information, call (251) 928-5295.