Our People
Kathie Bennett
Founder and President
Magic Time Literary Publicity’s founder and president, Kathie Bennett is first and foremost a passionate reader. So it came as no surprise when Kathie, a successful community fundraiser who has spearheaded many philanthropic and literacy efforts throughout the South, founded Magic Time Literary Agency in 2008. It was her way of responding to the need she perceived within the publishing arena, and ensuring that her favorite authors could afford to continue to write.
With the encouragement of bestselling authors, Kathie, who holds a BA in English from The University of the South, discovered her mission: to be an author advocate. "Their success is my success," says Bennett. As a champion of books, Magic Time provides publicist services and serves as a booking agent, securing speaking engagements for academic, corporate, and non-profit arenas.
Susan Beckham Zurenda
Publicist and Media Outreach Coordinator
Susan Beckham Zurenda is a literary publicist in charge of media relations for Magic Time Literary Publicity. A National Board Certified Teacher, she taught English for 33 years before retiring as an AP English teacher at Spartanburg High School. Prior to teaching at SHS, she taught English as a full-time faculty member at Spartanburg Community College for 20 years. With her extensive literary knowledge and journalism experience as a newspaper reporter early in her career, Susan determines the best ways to connect writers and their books to media exposure and helps build author platforms based on personal communication with booksellers and numerous venues.
Susan’s debut novel, Bells for Eli, comes out in March 2020 from Mercer University Press. Some of her fiction writing accomplishments include two-time winner of the South Carolina Fiction with one story reprinted in Inheritance: Selections from the SC Fiction Project, two-time winner of the Jubilee Writing Competition, winner in Alabama Conclave First Novel Chapter Contest, Carolina Woman Magazine Fiction Contest, Southern Writers Symposium Emerging Writers Fiction Contest, Hub City Hardegree Creative Writing Contest in Fiction, and Porter Fleming Writing Competition. She has also published stories and nonfiction pieces in various journals. She has recently published or has stories forthcoming in AJI Magazine, Blue Lake Review, Deep South Magazine, Red Dirt Forum, Spank the Carp, and Wraparound South.
Susan holds a BA in English and Masters in English Education from Converse College.
Patricia Denkler
Publicist and Events Coordinator
Patricia Denkler joins Magic Time Literary Publicity's team with the same passion and commitment that she has lived her life.
Encouraged by the late, then Commander, John McCain in 1977 to apply to the Navy Flight Program, she was one of the early women Naval Aviators and in 1981, became the first woman to ever land a jet on a carrier. She recently retired as an International Captain after piloting with Delta Air Lines for 31 years. Flying with Delta afforded Pat the flexibility to become involved in causes and organizations directly reflecting her many life passions.
Sought after by worthwhile causes and organizations, Ms. Denkler is a former President, Foundation Board of Directors, University of West Florida and a former State Chairman, Governor's Juvenile Justice Advisory Council, SC. She is presently serving as a board/advisory board member for the Beaufort County Open Land Trust, AMIkids Beaufort, and near and dear to her heart, the Pat Conroy Literary Center. "I was blessed to have known Pat since the early 1990's and to have called him my friend. He loved my unpredictable library which includes books from my childhood...he once chuckled and said 'your books prove that one is a compilation of what one reads’”
Olivia Wolfe
Intern
Olivia is a recent graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder, majoring in journalism with a minor in fine arts. At CU, she worked on multiple multimedia publications, as well as working as a social media coordinator for artist Marc Lambrechts. Her passion for art and culture, alongside her love for writing, has led her to pursue a master’s degree in art and lifestyle journalism at The University of the Arts London.
Jeremy Powers
Media Specialist
Jeremy Powers is Magic Time Literary Publicity’s website and media specialist. A recent graduate of Wofford College, he majored in finance and has a passion for videography and photography. Jeremy founded Sky Shutter Media, LLC, a company that delivers media solutions for businesses across the Upstate. His favorite pastimes include taking road trips, cycling, and iced coffee.
Learn more at skyshuttermedia.com
