North Carolina author Shawn Keller Cooper will celebrate the completion of her James Island Trilogy with a special launch event Friday, October 23, from 7–9 pm at SmallCakes Cupcakery and Creamery, 591 River Hwy., Mooresville.
The event is free and open to the public.
The celebration marks the release of Chasing the Changing Tides, the third and final novel in the series. It is a story of complicated women, secrets, resilience, and chosen sisterhood set against the atmospheric backdrop of fictional James Island, NC.
But for this launch, part of the fictional world of James Island is coming to life.
SmallCakes and its owner, Rachel Solomon, hold a special connection to Cooper and the trilogy. Solomon is a longtime friend and avid reader of the books, and Cooper incorporated SmallCakes into Chasing the Changing Tides as a fictional setting.
Now, the real SmallCakes will serve as the setting for the celebration of the novel in which it appears.
“I wanted this launch to feel like stepping into the world of James Island for an evening,” Cooper said. “Rachel has been such an enthusiastic supporter of these books, so celebrating the completion of the trilogy at her bakery, after weaving it into Chasing the Changing Tides, feels like bringing the story full circle.”
The event will feature cupcakes created especially for the celebration, and giveaways with the James Island theme.
“I think it’s awesome that my business is highlighted in the book,” Solomon said. “I’m very excited about that. I also love that the books are based in North Carolina because it’s my home. And I love the beach.”
Guests will have the opportunity to meet Cooper, and have their books signed. All three novels, Drawing Down the Moon, Turn of the Silver Wheel, Books One and Two respectively, and the new release will be available for purchase.
Cooper writes upmarket Southern fiction centered around emotionally layered women confronting questions of identity, belonging, resilience, second chances, and change. The first two books were selected for the Indie Author Project Commercial Collections Program and Drawing Down the Moon was named a BookTrib Summer Read during the summer of its release.
Chasing the Changing Tides brings the trilogy to its conclusion as the women at its heart face secrets, betrayals, and choices that test the bonds they have shared for years.
Cooper is a long-time resident of Lake Norman, a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a former journalist, photojournalist, and award-winning columnist. Her writing blends an observational eye and emotional authenticity with the Carolina landscape. “I want my work to spark memories, arouse passions, and provoke conversations.”
What: Chasing the Changing Tides Book Launch and James Island Trilogy Celebration
Who: Author Shawn Keller Cooper
When: Friday, October 23, 2026, from 7-9 pm.
Where: SmallCakes Cupcakery and Creamery, 591 River Hwy., Mooresville, NC.
Admission: Free and open to the public.
