2026
Bookmarks Festival of Books and Authors Bookmarks Festival of Books and Authors
Some book events are about looking for your next book, while others are about meeting the people who make those books possible. Bookmarks Festival of Books & Authors brings both together, creating a place where readers can meet writers, listen to their stories, and enjoy books with other people who love them. The festival has become the largest annual book festival in the Carolinas, welcoming more than 30,000 attendees each year and bringing together authors from different parts of the country.
The value of the festival comes from the simple connection between readers and authors. With talks, discussions, signings, and events for different ages, Bookmarks gives people a chance to experience books in a more personal way. The 2026 festival is also bringing well-known voices such as John Green for its opening keynote and Jodi Picoult for its closing keynote, giving readers even more reasons to come together around stories.
For Kravitz and Sons, being part of a celebration like this means more than simply putting books on display. It means giving our authors and their stories another chance to meet readers who may be looking for something new.
And speaking of stories worth discovering, Preacher Spurs (2nd Edition) by Dr. Lamont H. Fuchs brings a different kind of book to the festival. Instead of telling one long story, the book gives pastors, teachers, and lay leaders more than seventy thought-starters that can help them prepare sermons, devotionals, Sunday school lessons, and other messages. Built around Scripture, personal experience, and spiritual insight, the book is made for those moments when someone knows they need to speak but the right words are not coming easily. As we take a closer look at the book, it is also the perfect time to learn about the man behind these practical lessons.
A Life Built Around Faith, Teaching, and Service
There is a certain kind of person who spends a lifetime learning, teaching, serving, and then turning those experiences into something that can help other people. That is where Dr. Lamont H. Fuchs stands out. His background brings together education, technology, Christian ministry, and community service, giving him a lot of different experiences to draw from when he writes.
Dr. Fuchs began his outreach ministry in 2004 and spent ten years as a member of Heaven’s Saints Motorcycle Ministry. During that time, he served as a Chapter President, State Representative, and Chaplain. In 2009, he also founded BikerDownLiftedUp.org, a nonprofit ministry created to serve people affected by motorcycle accidents. His work shows that his ministry has not simply been about standing in front of a congregation. It has also involved meeting people where they are and helping them through difficult moments.
His professional background is just as wide. Dr. Fuchs completed degrees in Audio-Visual Technology, Computer Management, Educational Technology, and Education Administration with an emphasis on Educational Technology. He spent 45 years working in educational technology across military and public education programs before finishing his career with Buncombe County public schools. His writing also continues beyond his books, with his faith commentary appearing in The Cherokee One Feather, where he has written about subjects such as faith, motivation, Scripture, and the everyday challenges of Christian life.
When the Pulpit Starts With a Simple Idea
Imagine sitting down to prepare a Sunday message. You have Scripture in front of you, you know people are waiting to hear something meaningful, but the blank page is still sitting there. That is the kind of moment Preacher Spurs (2nd Edition) is made to help with.
The book contains more than seventy thought-starters, or “Spurs,” built from Scripture, personal experience, and spiritual ideas. They are not meant to replace the preacher or become finished sermons. Instead, they give the reader somewhere to begin. A pastor can take one idea, think about it, connect it to Scripture, add personal experience, and shape it into a message that sounds like their own voice.
That makes the book useful in several settings. A pastor can use it while preparing a Sunday sermon. A teacher can use it when planning a lesson. A church leader can turn to it when preparing a devotional or discussion. Even someone who simply needs a quiet moment of spiritual encouragement can use the short lessons as a way to think, reflect, and reconnect with faith. The main lesson is simple: sometimes you do not need someone else to give you the whole answer. Sometimes you just need a Spur that helps you start thinking.
A Book Made to Get You Started
Preacher Spurs (2nd Edition) is not trying to do all the work for its reader, and that is part of what makes it useful. It gives pastors and teachers room to add their own experiences, voices, questions, and understanding. The book becomes a starting point that can grow into something personal.
For readers attending Bookmarks Festival of Books & Authors 2026, this makes the book an interesting addition to the many different kinds of stories and ideas being celebrated. Not every book at a festival has to take you into another world or follow a group of characters. Some books are there to help people think, teach, serve, and find the words they need when those words are hard to find.
Find Your Next Spur
Sometimes the hardest part of preparing a message is not knowing what to say. It is knowing where to start. Preacher Spurs (2nd Edition) gives pastors, teachers, and ministry leaders that first push, while leaving room for their own voice, experience, and faith to take over. With more than seventy thought-starters and years of ministry and teaching experience behind it, this is a book that can stay close whenever the next message needs a little help getting started.
Preacher Spurs (2nd Edition)
A Practical Faith Resource for Pastors, Teachers, and Ministry Leaders
Discover the book and find your next Spur.