Gala Author Tea
Mon., June 27
2-4 p.m.
Convention Center, Room 293-296
Event code: ALT2
Advance tickets: $49, $45 ALTAFF division members; on-site tickets: $55.
Bestselling writers will discuss their writing life and forthcoming books. Enjoy tea, finger sandwiches, and a variety of sweet treats. A book signing will follow, with some books given away free and others available for purchase at a generous discount. ReferenceUSA will provide all attendees with a free tote bag. This ticketed event is sponsored by ReferenceUSA. This event is often a sell-out so purchase your tickets early.
Nevada Barr
Burn, St. Martin's Press Paperbacks/Macmillan
June 2011; $9.99; 978-0-312-38180-6
Nevada Barr is a novelist, actor, and artist best know for her New York Times bestselling, award-winning mystery series featuring Anna Pigeon. A former National Park Service Ranger, she currently lives with her husband in New Orleans, La. 
Eleanor Brown
Weird Sisters, Penguin
Jan. 2011; $24.95; 978-0-399-15722-6
Born in Washington, D.C., Eleanor Brown grew up in a family of readers, which includes her parents and her two sisters. She holds a master's degree in literature and lives in Colorado with her partner, writer J.C. Hutchins.
Susan Wiggs and Elizabeth Wiggs Maas
How I Planned Your Wedding: The All-True Story of a Mother and Daughter Surviving the Happiest Day of Their Lives, Harlequin Nonfiction/Harlequin
Feb. 2011; $21.95; 978-0-373-89227-3
Susan Wiggs is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of women’s fiction, including the popular Lakeshore Chronicles series. She raised her daughter to be an independent, good-hearted woman…and a spectacular bride who believes in the magic of happily-ever-after. Elizabeth Wiggs Maas is a graduate of Pomona College and an MBA candidate at the University of Chicago. Her blog, www.IAmTheBeholder.com, a compendium of food, fitness and fabulosity, chronicles her hilarious misadventures on the way to the altar.
Dorothea Benton Frank
Folly Beach, William Morrow/HarperCollins
June 2011; $25.99; 978-0-061-96117-5
New York Times bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank was born and raised on Sullivan’s Island, S.C. She resides in the New York area with her husband.
Amanda Kyle Williams
The Stranger You Seek, Bantam/Random House
Aug. 2011; $25; 978-0-553-80807-0
Amanda Kyle Williams has contributed to numerous short story collections and worked as a freelance writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. In order to lend authenticity to her Keye Street series, she studied criminal profiling under Brent Turvey, a nationally known criminologist and profiler, took courses geared to law enforcement in serial homicide investigation, worked with a PI firm in Atlanta on surveillance operations, became a court appointed process server, and consulted with professionals in bond and law enforcement. Williams lives near Atlanta, and is currently at work on her second Keye Street thriller. The Stranger You Seek marks her suspense debut.
Karin Slaughter
Fallen, Delacorte Press/Random House
June 2011; $26; 978-0-345-52820-9
