Did you miss it? Watch a recording of the webinar on YouTube HERE. Order a copy of Adam’s new book, “The Three Lives of Cate Kay” via Wellesley Books, HERE. Book sales help support future author webinars. Learn more about Kate and her work from her website.

For a complete list of authors in this series, CHECK HERE.

Bestselling author Kate Fagan will discuss her new novel, The Three Lives of Cate Kay.

About Kate: Kate Fagan is an Emmy Award–winning journalist and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of What Made Maddy Run, which was a semi-finalist for the PEN/ESPN Award for literary sports writing. She is also the author of three additional nonfiction titles, a former professional basketball player, and spent seven years as a journalist at ESPN. Kate currently lives in Charleston with her wife, Kathryn Budig, and their dog, Ragnar.

About The Three Lives of Cate Kay: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo meets First Lie Wins in this electric, voice-driven debut novel about an elusive bestselling author who decides to finally confess her true identity after years of hiding from her past. Cate Kay knows how to craft a story. As the creator of a bestselling book trilogy that struck box office gold as a film series, she’s one of the most successful authors of her generation. The thing is, Cate Kay doesn’t really exist. She’s never attended author events or granted any interviews. Her real identity had been a closely guarded secret, until now. As a young adult, she and her best friend Amanda dreamed of escaping their difficult homes and moving to California to become movie stars. But the day before their grand adventure, a tragedy shattered their dreams and Cate has been on the run ever since, taking on different names and charting a new future. But after a shocking revelation, Cate understands that returning home is the only way she’ll be a whole person again. This addictive page-turner has received starred reviews from Booklist and Publishers Weekly.

This series is offered in cooperation with the Tewksbury Public Library and other area libraries.

Did you miss it? Watch a recording of the webinar on YouTube HERE. Order a copy of Adam’s new book, “Mothers & Sons” via Wellesley Books, HERE. Book sales help support future author webinars. Learn more about Adam and his work from his website.

For a complete list of authors in this series, CHECK HERE.

Two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and National Book Award finalist Adam Haslett will discuss his latest novel, Mothers and Sons.

About Adam: Adam Haslett is the author of the story collection You Are Not a Stranger Here and the novels Union Atlantic and Imagine Me Gone. He has twice been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, as well as a finalist for the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award and a winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Adam is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, the PEN/Malamud Award, the Berlin Prize, and the Strauss Living Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He currently directs the MFA Program at Hunter College in New York.

About Mothers and Sons: At forty, Peter, an asylum lawyer in New York City, is overworked and isolated. He spends his days immersed in the struggles of immigrants only to return to an empty apartment and occasional hook-ups with a man who wants more than Peter can give. But when the asylum case of a young gay man pierces Peter’s numbness, the event that he has avoided for twenty years returns to haunt him. Ann, his mother, who runs a women’s retreat center she founded after leaving his father, is hurt by the estrangement from Peter but cherishes the world she has built. She long ago put behind her the decision that divided her from her son. But as Peter’s case plunges him further into the fraught memory of his first love and the night of violence that changed his life, he and his mother must confront the secret that tore them apart. With unsurpassed emotional depth, Mothers and Sons reveals all that is lost by looking away from the past and the love that might be restored by facing it. This spellbinding novel has received starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, and Publishers Weekly.

This series is offered in cooperation with the Tewksbury Public Library and other area libraries.

Did you miss it? Watch a recording of the webinar on YouTube HERE. Order a copy of Clay’s new book, “Wake Up and Open Your Eyes” via Wellesley Books, HERE. Book sales help support future author webinars. Learn more about Clay and his work from his website. Learn more about V.  and her work from her website.

For a complete list of authors in this series, CHECK HERE.

Author Clay McLeod Chapman will discuss his latest social horror novel, Wake Up and Open Your Eyes, in conversation with author V. Castro.

About Clay: Clay McLeod Chapman writes novels, comic books, and children’s books, as well as for film and TV. He is the author of the horror novels The Remaking, Whisper Down the Lane, Ghost Eaters, and What Kind of Mother. He also cowrote Quiet Part Loud, a horror podcast produced by Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw for Spotify.

About Wake Up and Open Your Eyes: From Vulture‘s “master of horror” Clay McLeod Chapman, a relentless social horror novel about a family on the run from a demonic possession epidemic that spreads through media. Noah Fairchild has been losing his formerly polite Southern parents to far-right cable news for years, so when his mother leaves him a voicemail warning him that the “Great Reawakening” is here, he assumes it’s related to one of the many conspiracy theories she believes in. But when his own phone calls go unanswered, Noah makes the long drive from his home in Brooklyn to Richmond, Virginia. There, he discovers his childhood home in shambles, a fridge full of spoiled food, and his parents locked in a terrifying trancelike state in front of the TV. Panicked, Noah attempts to snap them out of it and get them medical help. Then Noah’s mother brutally attacks him. But Noah isn’t the only person to be attacked by a loved one. Families across the country are tearing each other apart—literally—as people succumb to a form of possession that gets worse the more time they spend glued to cable news or falling down internet rabbit holes. In Noah’s Richmond-based family, only he and his young nephew Marcus are unaffected. Together, they must race back to the safe haven of Brooklyn—but can they make it before they fall prey to the violent hordes? This ambitious, searing novel from one of horror’s modern masters holds a mirror to our divided nation, and will shake readers to the core.

About V.: V. Castro is a two-time Bram Stoker award-nominated writer born in San Antonio, Texas, to Mexican American parents. She’s been writing horror stories since she was a child, always fascinated by Mexican folklore and the urban legends of Texas. Castro now lives in the United Kingdom with her family, writing and traveling with her children. Her books include The Haunting of Alejandra, Alien: Vasquez, Mestiza Blood, The Queen of the Cicadas, Out of Aztlan, Las Posadas, and Goddess of Filth. Her forthcoming collection of short stories, The Pink Agave Motel: & Other Stories, will be published in February 2025.

This series is offered in cooperation with the Tewksbury Public Library and other area libraries.

Did you miss it? Watch a recording of the webinar on YouTube HERE. Order a copy of Tracey’s new book, “What Happened To The McCrays?” via Wellesley Books, HERE. Book sales help support future author webinars. Learn more about Tracey and her work on her website and Instagram. Learn more about Amy Jo and her work on her website and Instagram.

For a complete list of authors in this series, CHECK HERE.

Bestselling author Tracey Lange will discuss her new novel, What Happened to the McCrays?, in conversation with author Amy Jo Burns.

About Tracey: Tracey Lange was born and raised in New York City. She graduated from the University of New Mexico with a degree in psychology before owning and operating a behavioral healthcare company with her husband for 15 years. She completed the Stanford University online novel writing program, and is the author of the New York Times bestselling We Are the Brennans and The Connellys of County Down. She currently lives in Bend, Oregon with her husband, two sons, and beloved German Shepherd.

About What Happened to the McCrays?: From New York Times bestselling author Tracey Lange, a poignant story about the resilience of family, the importance of community, and the magic of middle school hockey. When Kyle McCray gets word his father has suffered a debilitating stroke, he returns to his hometown of Potsdam, New York, where he doesn’t expect a warm welcome. Kyle left suddenly two and a half years ago, abandoning people who depended on him: his father, his employees, his friends―not to mention Casey, his wife of sixteen years and a beloved teacher in town. He plans to lie low and help his dad recuperate until he can leave again, especially after Casey makes it clear she wants him gone. The longer he’s home, the more Kyle understands the impact his departure has had on the people he left behind. When he’s presented with an opportunity for redemption as the coach of the floundering middle school hockey team, he begins to find compassion in unexpected places. Kyle even considers staying in Potsdam, but that’s only possible if he and Casey can come to some kind of peace with each other. Full of love and hope, What Happened to the McCrays? takes an intimate look at both sides of a failed marriage and two people who must finally confront the awful pain of their past or risk being consumed by it.

About Amy: Amy Jo Burns is the author of the memoir Cinderland and the novel Shiner, which was a Barnes & Noble Discover Pick, NPR Best Book of the year, and “told in language as incandescent as smoldering coal,” according to The New York Times. Her latest novel, Mercury, is a Barnes & Noble Book Club Pick, a Book of the Month Pick, a People Magazine Book of the Week, and an Editor’s Choice selection in The New York Times. Amy Jo’s writing has appeared in The Paris Review Daily, Elle, Good Housekeeping, and the anthology Not That Bad.

This series is offered in cooperation with the Tewksbury Public Library and other area libraries.

Did you miss it? Watch a recording of the webinar on YouTube HERE. Order an AUTOGRAPHED copy of Victoria’s new book, “Schooled In Murder,” via Wellesley Books, HERE. Book sales help support future author webinars. Learn more about Victoria and her work on her website.

For a complete list of authors in this series, CHECK HERE.

Author (and retired librarian!) Victoria Gilbert will discuss her new cozy mystery novel, Schooled in Murder: A Campus Sleuth Mystery.

About Victoria: Raised in a historic small town at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Victoria Gilbert turned her early obsession with books into a dual career as an author and librarian. Now retired after over thirty years in the library field, she’s worked as a reference librarian, research librarian, and university library director. Victoria writes the Blue Ridge Library Mystery series, the Booklover’s B&B Mystery series, and the Hunter and Clewe traditional mystery series for Crooked Lane Books. A member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers, Victoria lives in North Carolina.

About Schooled in Murder: A mystery writer must solve a real murder case before an innocent girl is condemned in this series debut from acclaimed author Victoria Gilbert, perfect for fans of Ellery Adams and Lorna Barrett. Jennifer “Jen” Dalton is an author and educator at Clarion University in Virginia. She loves her job, but some of her petty coworkers look down on her for writing genre fiction. As members of the English department, they wish to encourage students to pursue higher literary aspirations. When a humiliating confrontation between an uppity professor and one of Jen’s students, Mia, escalates, no one thinks much of it. Until his dead body is found along with evidence incriminating Mia. Jen knows Mia couldn’t have killed him, but Mia’s suspicious disappearance might as well be a proclamation of guilt. With the sleuthing skills Jen has acquired writing murder mysteries, she’s determined to solve the case and clear Mia’s name. Along with the help of her fellow sleuthers—Christine Kubiak, a cafeteria manager; Zachary Flynn, the charming but annoying campus psychologist; and Brianna Rowley, a librarian—Jen must catch the real killer before there’s another murder on the books.

This series is offered in cooperation with the Tewksbury Public Library and other area libraries.

Did you miss it? Watch a recording of the webinar on YouTube HERE. Order a copy of either of David’s latest books, “Lies He Told Me” and “The Best Lies,” via Wellesley Books, HERE. Book sales help support future author webinars.

For a complete list of authors in this series, CHECK HERE.

Bestselling author (and judge!) David Ellis will discuss his new thrillers, The Best Lies and Lies He Told Me, which he co-authored with James Patterson, in this installment of “Author Hour in Massachusetts.”

About Brian: David Ellis is a Chicago-based judge and #1 New York Times-bestselling, Edgar Award-winning author of eleven novels of crime fiction, as well as ten books co-authored with James Patterson, most recently Lies He Told Me. His latest solo release is The Best Lies, another twisty thriller for fans of Gillian Flynn and Denis Lehane and recently optioned by Warner Brothers Television. An accomplished judge by day, David was sworn in as the youngest-serving Justice of the Illinois Appellate Court for the First District in 2014. He lives outside Chicago with his wife and three children.

About The Best Lies: Bestselling and award-winning author David Ellis delivers a fast-paced, twisty thriller that will surprise readers at every turn. Leo Balanoff is a diagnosed pathological liar with unthinkable skeletons in his family’s closet. He’s also a crusading attorney who seeks justice at all costs. When a ruthless drug dealer is found dead and Leo’s fingerprints show up on the murder weapon, no one believes a word he says. But he might be the FBI’s only shot at taking down the dealer’s brutal syndicate. Risk his life going undercover for the feds or head straight to prison for murder? Leo accepts the FBI’s offer—but it comes with a price, including a collision course with his ex, Andi Piotrowski, a former cop and “the one who got away.” Forced to walk a tightrope between an ambitious FBI agent and a cruel, calculating crime boss, Leo’s trapped in a corner. But he has more secrets than anyone realizes, and a few more cards left to play…

About Lies He Told Me: An attorney and mother of two discovers her husband’s secret life—and it might cost them all their lives. Everyone in Hemingway Grove, Illinois, knows David and Marcie Bowers. David owns the local pub. Marcie is a former big-city lawyer who practices family law. When David jumps into Cotton River to save a drowning stranger, he’s celebrated as a hero. His muscled physique, shaved head, and piercing blue eyes are broadcast on every news outlet.  For most people, newfound fame is a lifeline. For David Bowers, it’s a death sentence. For Marcie Bowers, it’s a test. A wife knows the difference between a loving husband and father and a cold-blooded assassin. Right?

This series is offered in cooperation with the Tewksbury Public Library and other area libraries.

Did you miss it? Watch a recording of the webinar on YouTube HERE. Order a copy of Allison’s new book, “See How They Hide,” via Wellesley Books, HERE. Book sales help support future author webinars.

For a complete list of authors in this series, CHECK HERE.

Bestselling author Allison Brennan will discuss her new thriller, See How They Hide.

About Allison: Allison Brennan is the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of more than 45 thrillers and numerous short stories. She was nominated for Best Paperback Original Thriller by International Thriller Writers, had multiple nominations and two Daphne du Maurier Awards, and is a five-time RITA finalist for Best Romantic Suspense. Allison believes life is too short to be bored, so she had five kids and writes three books a year. Originally from northern California, she and her husband relocated to Arizona where they enjoy baseball Spring Training, hiking, and spending time with their kids, grandson, and assorted pets.

About See How They Hide: No matter how far you run, some pasts never let you go… Two people were murdered—at the exact same time, in the same gruesome manner, bodies covered in the same red poppies…but on opposite sides of the country. With Detective Kara Quinn investigating in Oregon and Special Agent Matt Costa in Virginia, the Mobile Response Team digs deep to uncover more about each victim. What is the link between the two, and why were they targeted? Yet their search unearths more questions than answers—until they meet Riley Pierce, the only person still alive who might be able to help them find the killers. Soon, it becomes clear this case is nothing like they’ve seen before as their investigation leads them to the hallowed grounds of Havenwood—an eerily beautiful place rooted in a terrifying past. As more bodies turn up, all tied to the same community, Kara and Matt are desperate to piece the puzzle together before Havenwood’s leader sacrifices everything to keep her secrets buried. This is the sixth book in the Quinn & Costa FBI series.

This series is offered in cooperation with the Tewksbury Public Library and other area libraries.

Did you miss it? Watch a recording of the webinar on YouTube HERE. Order a copy of Larry’s book, “Into The Amazon,” via Wellesley Books, HERE. Book sales help support future author webinars. A special thanks to the Mass Book Awards Speakers Bureau and Massachusetts Center for the Book for sponsoring this webinar.

For a complete list of authors in this series, CHECK HERE.

2024 Mass Book Award Finalist Larry Rohter will discuss his new book, Into the Amazon: The Life of Cândido Rondon, Trailblazing Explorer, Scientist, Statesman, and Conservationist.

About Larry: Journalist and author Larry Rohter was the Rio de Janeiro bureau chief for the New York Times from 1998 to 2008 and held the same role at Newsweek from 1977 to 1982. He divides his time between the United States and Brazil.

About Into The Amazon: A thrilling biography of the Indigenous Brazilian explorer, scientist, statesman, and conservationist who guided Theodore Roosevelt on his journey down the River of Doubt. Cândido Rondon is by any measure the greatest tropical explorer in history. Between 1890 and 1930, he navigated scores of previously unmapped rivers, traversed untrodden mountain ranges, and hacked his way through jungles so inhospitable that even native peoples had avoided them―and led Theodore Roosevelt and his son, Kermit, on their celebrated “River of Doubt” journey in 1913–14. Upon leaving the Brazilian Army in 1930 with the rank of a two-star general, Rondon, himself of indigenous descent, devoted the remainder of his life to not only writing about the region’s flora and fauna, but also advocating for the peoples who inhabited the rainforest and lobbying for the creation of a system of national parks. Despite his many achievements―which include laying down a 1,200-mile telegraph line through the heart of the Amazon and three nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize―Rondon has never received his due. Originally published in Brazil, Into the Amazon is the first comprehensive biography of his life and remarkable career. The book, which received starred reviews in Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly, was an Honoree (Finalist) Book in the 2024 Massachusetts Book Awards and was named a Best Book of the Year by The Economist.

This series is offered in cooperation with the Tewksbury Public Library and other area libraries.

Did you miss it? You can watch a recording of the webinar on YouTube HERE. Order an autographed copy of Brian’s new book, “The Bourne Legacy,” via Wellesley Books HERE. Book sales help support future virtual author events.

For a complete list of authors in this series, CHECK HERE.

Bestselling author Brian Freeman will discuss his new thriller, Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Vendetta: A Jason Bourne Novel, in conversation with author Scott Shepherd.

About Brian: Brian Freeman is the bestselling author of over 25 novels, including the Jonathan Stride and Frost Easton series. His Audible original, The Deep, Deep Snow, hit the New York Times audio bestseller list. His novels have won the International Thriller Writers Award and the Macavity Award and been finalists for the Gold Dagger, Edgar, Anthony, and Barry awards. In 2019, he was selected as the author to continue Robert Ludlum’s famous Jason Bourne series and has now released multiple bestselling Bourne novels.

About The Bourne Vendetta: The hunt for a trove of secret information forces Bourne to decide who lives – and who dies – in this latest installment in the #1 New York Times bestselling series. A hacked database known as the Files has upended the intelligence community. Careers are being destroyed. Dirty deals are showing up on the front page. Assassinations are spreading from Europe to the U.S. The new head of Treadstone sends Jason Bourne on a mission to find out who has the Files and get them back – or destroy them. But Bourne isn’t alone in this race. The Chinese want the Files. So do the Russians. And the only woman who may be able to help him is a treacherous spy known as Johanna – Bourne’s former lover – who sees the Files as the key to her own vendetta against Treadstone. Bourne has a rule for friends and enemies alike: Trust no one. That rule may be the only thing keeping him alive, because the hunt for the Files soon takes Bourne inside a twisted labyrinth of murder and betrayal, where everyone has a hidden agenda. Including Bourne himself.

About Scott: Scott Shepherd is a veteran TV writer/producer/show-runner with years of experience running network series; his production and screenwriting credits include The Equalizer, Miami Vice, The Outer Limits, Haven, and Quantum Leap. Born in New York and raised in Los Angeles, he currently teaches television writing at the University of Texas in Austin. Scott is also the author of the Austin Grant of Scotland Yard mystery series, whose most recent novel — Should I Fall — earned a starred review in Library Journal.

This series is offered in cooperation with the Tewksbury Public Library and other area libraries.