Author, Author! Avalon Library Presents ‘Authors in Conversation’ Virtual Series
If necessity is the mother of invention, then COVID-19 has been the mother of reinvention, twisting nearly all aspects of our lives into modified experiences that are virtually the same or … simply virtual.
For booklovers, reading has (thankfully) stayed the same. But the chance to meet a favorite author during their summer book tour has transformed from a live event to a virtual one. So, as we wait for the lingering clouds of COVID to clear, the Avalon Free Public Library has found an exciting new way to host this summer’s Virtual Author Series.
“The theme for our 2021 Virtual Author Series is ‘Authors in Conversation,’ ” says Library Director Erin Brown. “When it became apparent that our 2021 series would be virtual, we thought that inviting multiple authors to each event would be a fun twist, and certainly guarantee engaging programs. We’re excited to host these authors and we think it will be a lot of fun to watch them as they relate to each other.”
Held the third Thursdays of June, July and August, the series will kick off on June 17 with an event featuring Lisa Scottoline and her daughter Francesca Serritella. The midsummer event will be on July 15 and include the collaborative trio of Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig and Karen White. And the series will wrap up on Aug. 19 with the author of the blockbuster “Jack Reacher” series, Lee Child, and his brother and new co-author Andrew Grant.
Patrons can register to attend these events through the Events calendar on the library’s website. Then, shortly before each event, all registrants will receive an email with a link to access the virtual presentation.
While last summer’s shift to virtual events was unexpected, it was still quite successful.
“It went really well,” says Brown. “In 2020, we had a full slate of events planned and we just transformed them to all virtual events. We had hundreds of people come to the author events last year, and we expect to see similar engagement this summer.”
And while Brown and her staff enjoyed the positive feedback from last summer’s events, they also learned things from the experience.
“For one of the events last summer, I happened to be in conversation with the author and that really resonated with the audience and there was more engagement,” Brown says. “It felt a little more conversational and it inspired the approach this year, where we thought it would be fun to see authors speaking with each other.”
So, the format this summer will include an introduction followed by a conversation between the authors, and will conclude with a Q&A session led by a library staff member.
“We’ve found it’s really helpful with these events when we come back and lead the Q&A so it’s a little more interactive and the author doesn’t have to read through the questions. Instead, they’re just answering via conversation,” Brown says. Audience members can submit questions in advance by emailing the library or via the Q&A feature in Zoom during the event.
Another new and exciting aspect to the 2021 Virtual Author Series is that the events will be recorded and available for a limited time through the library website.
“They won’t be available forever,” says Brown. “But they’ll be there for a couple of weeks so patrons who aren’t able to tune in live can catch up later if they want to.”
While this summer will still not be completely “business as usual” at the library, Brown can still find silver linings in the challenges.
“We’re grateful to have new ways to connect to patrons,” she says. “We look forward to using these tools to expand our access, even as services start to come back in the coming months.”
AN ALL-STAR LINEUP
To register for a virtual author visit, go to the Avalon Library website at avalonfreelibrary.org, and click on the Events Calendar to find the event. Then click on the event title to open the registration form. Shortly before the event, you will receive an email reminder followed by the link to gain access to the event.
June 17 at 6pm
Lisa Scottoline & Francesca Serritella
They are a mother-daughter duo, a pair of New York Times Best Seller authors, and one of the most popular authors to appear at the Avalon Library. Yes, Lisa Scottoline and her daughter, Francesca Serritella will be back by popular demand. In addition to sharing their irreverent takes on life, writing, and the “writing life,” these two talkative authors will be discussing their latest books. For Scottoline, that means her exciting new book, “Eternal,” which marks her first foray into historical fiction and tells the tale of a love triangle as it unfolds in the heart of Rome and in the shadow of World War II. Serritella will discuss her fictional debut, an intricately plotted thriller entitled “Ghosts of Harvard,” which was released in 2020 to rave reviews.
July 15 at 6pm
Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, & Karen White
The powerhouse trio of Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig and Karen White (or “Team W” as they call themselves) are each wildly successful authors in their own right. Yet, together they’ve joined forces to co-write three best-selling novels as a team. They will appear for what is sure to be a lively conversation about their enduring friendship, their collaborative processes, and their latest novel, “All the Ways We Said Goodbye: A Novel of the Ritz Paris,” which is a sweeping historical adventure that tells the stories of three women from three eras, all connected by this special hotel.
Aug. 19 at 6pm
Lee Child & Andrew Grant
Fifteen years ago, British author Lee Child (Jim Grant’s pen name) launched one of the world’s most popular book series with his first “Jack Reacher” novel. Today there are 25 books in the series, which has also inspired blockbuster movies and an Amazon Prime Video series. As Child has become more deeply involved in the Amazon series, he has begun to hand over the reins of writing the Reacher books to his brother, Andrew Grant, a best-selling writer in his own right. The two collaborated on the most recent Reacher novel, “The Sentinel” and will discuss their writing process, their similarities, differences, and the future of Jack Reacher.
