Perry Pidgeon Hooks has had a love affair with books that started with trips to the public library in Memphis, TN where she grew up.  Perry’s love of reading (just about anything), combined with an immense respect for the talents and efforts of writers has kept her engaged in the book business for more than 22 years!

From the University of Virginia, her post college journey led her to England, New York City and then home to the Deep South. Wherever she lived, Perry fostered her love of reading by joining and starting book clubs and attending book events.

For more than 20 years, Perry has worked with independent book stores including Davis-Kidd in Nashville, TN and at Politics and Prose in Washington D.C. – in marketing or as an independent contractor – promoting authors by bringing them to the stores as well as to non-traditional book venues. She remains partial to the independent book stores – working with Politics & Prose when producing events for clients in the metro DC area, as well as with Harvard Book Store in Cambridge, MA and Parnassus Book Store in Nashville.

Perry is excited about the direction of Hooks Book Events; infusing ideas everywhere will be the driving force and purpose of this new phase of the company.  It is time to build bridges to those with limited access to the amazing thought leaders that Hooks Book Events brings to its clients.  Everyone can use information on leadership, management, grit, perseverance, drive and motivation.  The new HBE Bridge Builder Events will work to bridge that access gap.

Perry’s various detours through financial services marketing, advertising and trade association work have all helped her hone her skills in designing programs and author series that fit the needs of her clients.  Going forward, Hooks Book Events will broaden the reach of these programs.

Heather Patchett is a life long student who spent her fundraising career at colleges in Alaska, Minnesota, South Carolina and Tennessee. She is a mother of two and grandmother of three, and has also served as a fire fighter, emergency medical technician, woodworker, theater stage manager and fundraising consultant. Heather returned to Parnassus four years ago to work with her sister, author Ann Patchett, to build a robust special sales program for the store. She is thrilled to welcome Hooks Book Events to the Parnassus family, expanding the store’s ability to bring relevant books to people while remaining committed to personal service and attention.

Niki Coffman has over fifteen years of work experience in the literary world, including at a top-tier literary agency, the Nashville Public Library Foundation, and several bookstores. Prior to joining the Hooks Book team, she served as the Director of Events at Parnassus Books, where she oversaw an event program which hosted nearly 400 events per year. During her time at Parnassus, she delighted in building relationships between authors, readers, and the community. Together with her husband and young son, Niki now resides in Tupelo, Mississippi, where she continues to work tirelessly to support the literary arts.

Denise Todd grew up in TX, VA and NY, with the majority of her roots in Northern VA.  For 11 years, she worked for a Fairfax real estate developer, and volunteered for various organizations while her children were young.  She re-entered the workforce under The Legacy Network, and McMenamin Consulting Group providing financial, operations, proposal, and legal assistance.  Although her husband is the bibliophile in the family, Denise joined Hooks Book Events in 2016.

Sunny has spent the last 15 years as office manager for numerous DC based companies. Providing HR services, bookkeeping, collections and payables for a variety of industries. She is free spirited and an artist at heart, having multiple fine arts degrees. However, the love for numbers has always rung true and guided her through her professional career.

Born into a military family Sunny found a natural love for travel and desire for continual change. Originally from Daegu South Korea, she’s lived in Alabama, Texas, Virginia, and spent most of her life in Maryland. She is now based out of Columbia, Maryland with her small young family.

Chelsea has been a bookseller at Parnassus Books for four years while also dabbling in the bookkeeping and accounting world on the side. Before bookselling, Chelsea was a middle and high school educator, teaching both English and mathematics. With her young son Henry and husband Bryan, Chelsea lives in the suburbs of Nashville and enjoys watching hockey (go Preds!) and going on family walks.

Robin is a seasoned strategic marketing executive with over two decades of global marketing experience in Fortune 500 organizations as well as small, private companies across the technology and finance industries. She is the founder of Blue Egg, the marketing department for growing businesses.

Prior to founding Blue Egg, Robin led marketing for Updata Advisors, a leading investment banking firm serving the information technology industry; and Updata Partners, a growth-stage venture capital firm investing in software and software-enabled services companies. Earlier, she managed marketing and business development programs for a number of innovative technology companies.

Robin began her career with a decade of experience in AT&T’s Caribbean & Latin America regional organization. She earned an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and a BA from the University of Notre Dame.