AUTHOR! AUTHOR!

BLOCKBUSTER

BOOK FAIR

TODAY AT

BETHESDA LIBRARY

The Bethesda Library is starting to rival the Bethesda Row Barnes & Noble for author events and book signings. Perhaps the biggest event yet will be held this evening at 5 PM.

Andrea Cremer, author of the Nightshade series and a history professor at Macalester College, will discuss and sign "Bloodrose." The heroine of the series, Calla Tor, is destined to be the next "alpha female of the next generation of Guardian wolves." Translation: Something for the Twilight fan who has finished that series, and wants a less-helpless female protagonist than those novels offered.

Marie Lu will talk about her novel, "Legend." A dystopian novel of the future, it presents the story of a teenage boy being hunted down by a teenage "girl prodigy." She is also an artist, and has a pretty impressive portfolio linked from her website at http://www.MarieLu.org. Some of her art would be at home in video games, but a couple pieces recall Roger Dean. If this book thing doesn't work out, I may have to hire her to do a Yes-style cover for a future album. So anyway, I'm sure she'll be ready to talk about art, too.

Beth Revis has written two novels in her "Across the Universe" series, including the month-old sequel, "A Million Suns." Protagonist Amy was just trying to take a restful, 300-year nap aboard the Starship Godspeed. Oh, and she was frozen, too. But she is unfrozen early (hate when that happens!). Now, three months after her adventures in the first novel, the Godspeed is getting "more and more out of control." Amy has to deal with terrorists, a wanna-be starship captain, and - surprise - romance. What's a girl to do? By the way, no vampires or werewolves are involved!

Last but not least, is Jessica Spotswood, author of "Born Wicked: The Cahill Witch Chronicles, Book One." Spotswood is a local; she lives in Washington, D.C. Cate Cahill and her sisters are - you guessed it - witches. If this gets out, the book says, Cate could end up on a prison ship. So Cate has to be discrete, but she is also "too pretty for her own good." This means dealing with "shocking marriage proposals" and "forbidden romance." Beats being frozen!

Obviously, all of these books will find a most receptive audience among young women. But many of those women will likely catch the writing bug themselves. Tonight's event is a great opportunity for such aspiring authors to get advice from these successful writers, and book sales aside, it's free to get in.