Second Saturday Series

Stephanie Grace Whitson, Kathy Wiens, and Mike Curd visited Chapters last Saturday--the "Second Saturday" in March--and received a fantastic welcome, one of the best we've ever had for an author event at Chapters! We're hoping for more of the same as our series of author visits continues April 12 at 1:00, when Lydia Kang, Carol Bicak, Barb Mohrman,and Linda Svoboda will be here.

Our featured presenter on April 12 will be debut YA author Lydia Kang. Lydia, who resides in Omaha, is a practicing physician, writer, and mother.  Her novel, Control, is a dystopian futuristic story set in Neia, a fictional state in the middle of America. You can probably guess which states comprise Neia. The characters in the book are a misfit band of teens with mutant traits ranging from extra arms to green skin. The book has adventure, romance, and mystery, something for everyone. I met Lydia at a dinner in Omaha sponsored by her publisher (Penguin) and my favorite Omaha bookseller, Ellen from The Bookworm. It was fun to visit with Lydia and the others that evening, and I'm looking forward to seeing her again at Chapters, where she'll speak about combining motherhood, a medical practice, and writing and tell us more about Control.

Joining Lydia that afternoon will be Carol Bicak, who I discovered the night I met Lydia, as she was also at the dinner in Omaha. Carol, an Omaha World Herald staff writer, wrote The Littlest Lion, a book about a litter of five lion cubs recently born at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo. The book's informative text is complemented with gorgeous photographs and will appeal to readers of all ages, preschool through adult. If you liked Jeff Kurrus' Have You Seen Mary? about the cranes, you're sure to enjoy The Littlest Lion. Wouldn't it be fun if Carol could bring a lion cub with her instead of just a photographer?

Barb Mohrman, best known for her World War II book, Four Blue Stars in the Window, has also written a tale of the dust bowl for young adult readers. She will be at Chapters April 12 to sign copies of The Dust Covered Days of Dorie Archer, a fictionalized account based on true events as experienced by Barb's family in Nebraska during the 1930's. It's a story of hope, resilience, and perseverance in the face of adversity. Barb is a speaker with Humanities Nebraska and a former teacher, and she will have some interesting stories to share with us.

Seward's own Linda Sue Svoboda will also be here April 12 to sign copies of her picture books.  Linda's books for young children include Because I Love My Kitty, Loving Times With Grandma, and The Little Brown Bird that Could. All have sweet, encouraging messages for children.