Meg Cabot added to the lineup for Gala Author Tea, sponsored by ReferenceUSA

PHILADELPHIA — Meg Cabot (“The Princess Diaries”) will join Marisa de los Santos, Steve Berry, Elizabeth Berg, Thomas Perry and Marja Mills for United for Libraries’ Gala Author Tea, sponsored by ReferenceUSA, from 2-4 p.m. Central time on Monday, Feb. 2 at the 2015 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Chicago.

A light offering of tea, finger sandwiches and a variety of sweet treats will be served. A book signing will follow. United for Libraries will recognize the winners of the 2014 National Friends of Libraries Week Awards during the program.

Meg Cabot (“Royal Wedding,” William Morrow/HarperCollins) was born in Bloomington, Ind. In addition to her adult contemporary fiction, she is the author of the bestselling young adult fiction series “The Princess Diaries.” More than 25 million copies of her novels for children and adults have sold worldwide. She lives in Key West, Florida, with her husband.

Marisa de los Santos (“The Precious One,” William Morrow/HarperCollins) has published three New York Times bestselling novels for adults, including “Love Walked In,” “Falling Together” and “Belong to Me.” She and her husband David Teague live with their two children in Wilmington, Delaware.

Steve Berry (“The Patriot Threat,” Minotaur Books/Macmillan) is the New York Times and number one internationally bestselling author of 10 Cotton Malone adventures, four stand-alone novels, and four short story originals. With his wife, Elizabeth, he is the founder of History Matters, a foundation dedicated to historic preservation. He has twice acted as national spokesman for the American Library Association’s Preservation Week.

Elizabeth Berg (“The Dream Lover,” Random House) is the author of 21 novels. “Durable Goods” and “Joy School” were selected as ALA Best Books of the Year, The winner of the 1997 New England Booksellers Association Award for her body of work, Berg lives near Chicago.

Thomas Perry (“A String of Beads,” Mysterious Press/Perseus) is the best-selling author of 21 novels, including “The Butcher's Boy,” which won the prestigious Edgar Award. “Metzger’s Dog,” “Strip” and “The Informant” were all named New York Times Notable Books.

Marja Mills (“The Mockingbird Next Door,” Penguin) is a former reporter and feature writer for the Chicago Tribune, where she was a member of the staff that won a Pulitzer Prize for a 2001 series about O’Hare Airport entitled “Gateway to Gridlock.” “The Mockingbird Next Door” is her first book.

Advance tickets to the Gala Author Tea cost $60, $55 for United for Libraries division members. Onsite tickets cost $65, if available. Advance purchase is recommended. Event code: UFL1.

For more information on purchasing tickets and other United for Libraries events and meetings at the ALA Midwinter Meeting, visit www.ala.org/united/events_conferences/midwinter. For information about registering for Midwinter, visit www.alamidwinter.org.

United for Libraries: The Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations, is a division of the American Library Association that supports those who govern, promote, advocate, and fundraise for libraries. United for Libraries brings together library Trustees, advocates, Friends, and Foundations into a partnership that creates a powerful force for libraries in the 21st century. For more information or to join United for Libraries, visit the United for Libraries website or contact Jillian Kalonick at (312) 280-2161 or jkalonick@ala.org.

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