Tag: Author

Margaret Peterson Haddix Visits!

Posted on by Olivia

Calling all readers! Acclaimed and world-renowned author Margaret Peterson Haddix is stopping by the Dillsboro Public Library on April 4th @ 6 pm to meet you all!

Margaret Peterson Haddix grew up on a farm near Washington Court House, Ohio. She graduated from Miami University (of Ohio) with degrees in English/journalism, English/creative writing and history. Before her first book was published, she worked as a newspaper copy editor in Fort Wayne, Indiana; a newspaper reporter in Indianapolis; and a community college instructor and freelance writer in Danville, Illinois.

She has since written more than 40 books for kids and teens, including Running Out of Time; Double Identity; Uprising; The Always War; the Greystone Secrets series; the Shadow Children series; the Missing series; the Children of Exile series; the Under Their Skin duology; and The Palace Chronicles. She also wrote Into the Gauntlet, the tenth book in the 39 Clues series.  Her books have been honored with New York Times bestseller status, the International Reading Association’s Children’s Book Award; American Library Association Best Book and Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers notations; and numerous state reader’s choice awards. They have also been translated into more than twenty different languages.

Haddix and her husband, Doug, now live in Columbus, Ohio. They are the parents of two grown kids.

Want to read more by Margaret? Just search “Margaret Peterson Haddix” in our catalog or follow this link. You can also read her novel, The Summer of Broken Things with the Teen Book Club in March! Everyone ages 13-19 is welcome to attend Teen Book Club and you can check out your copy of the March Selection at either library today!

Want to meet Margaret? Registration is not required, but is recommended for this event. Margaret can’t wait to meet you!

Fly Guy Celebration!

Posted on by Olivia

Bzzzzz… Bzzz… Bzzzzz…

What’s that sound? It must be FLY GUY!

Are you ready for Buzz, Fly Guy, and Tedd Arnold? Tedd Arnold is the famous children’s author of the book series Fly Guy. Our Aurora Public Library District will feature a special storytime on Tuesday, January 17th at 5:30 p.m.! Fly Guy stories, crafts, and activities as well as snacks will be “buzzing” around for the kids to enjoy.

The Dillsboro Branch will also be holding a special storytime on Thursday, January 19th at 4:30 p.m. featuring Fly Guy books. We look forward to having all kids help us celebrate Tedd Arnold and his famous Fly Guy books!

5 Things You *Probably* Didn’t Know About Anne Perry

Posted on by Jamie

 

“The Cater Street Hangman,” Perry’s first published book

 

1. Her first book wasn’t published until she was 41.

Perry began writing when she was in her twenties; however, her first book wasn’t picked up for publication until many years later. During the time in between, she held various jobs in clerical work, retail, and fashion, and was also a flight attendant and a limo dispatcher for some time. Despite all these jobs, she knew writing was what she wanted to pursue. She has now published over 100 books, including 3 published as recently as this past year. Her fifth Daniel Pitt book is scheduled to be released sometime in 2022.

2. She won an Edgar Award for her short story “Heroes.”

Perry’s story “Heroes” first appeared in the 1999 anthology Murder and Obsession and won the Edgar Award for Best Short Story in 2001. The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe, a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction, television, film, and theater published or produced in the previous year.

3. She had no formal schooling past the age of 13.

Perry was diagnosed with tuberculosis at the age of 6. She was so severely ill that she missed three years of schooling. Luckily, her mother taught her to read and write, so she was able to catch back up when she returned to school at age 10. However, at 13 she fell seriously ill again and left school permanently.

4. She’s lived in at least five different countries.

Perry was born in London, England in 1938. Her family moved around frequently in her younger years, and sent her to the Bahamas to live with a foster family in hopes that the warmer weather would be better for her illness. As a teen, she moved back with her family to a small island off the coast of New Zealand. In her 20s, Perry returned to England for a while, but eventually made her way to the United States for five years. She once again returned to England when her stepfather became seriously ill. She currently lives in Scotland.

Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme

5. Her real name is Juliet Hulme.

Perry changed her name after serving five years in prison for murder. At 15 years old she met Pauline Parker. The girls initially bonded over the debilitating illnesses they both had as children, but their relationship quickly became obsessive. When Perry’s family decided to send her to South Africa, the girls could not stand the thought of being separated. Perry’s parents offered to pay for Pauline to come along, but Pauline’s parents refused, thinking it would be best to separate the friends for a while. The girls decided that the only thing keeping them apart was Pauline’s mom Honorah. They believed the only way to stay together was to kill her. Pauline and Juliet planned an outing with Honorah under the guise of a goodbye for Juliet, who would be leaving soon for South Africa. The three of them went on a walk down a wooded path in Victoria Park when the girls bludgeoned Honorah to death with a brick. They were quickly caught, and were both sentenced to five years in separate prisons. The two have not spoken since.

Books by Anne Perry

5 Things You *Probably* Didn’t Know About Danielle Steel

Posted on by Jamie

Danielle Steel is an American writer, best known for her romance novels. She is the best selling author alive and the fourth best selling fiction author of all time. She has sold over 650 million copies of her books.

1. She writes other genres besides romance novels.

Though Steel is best known for the over 150 novels she’s written, she does write other things as well. She has published 18 children’s books, including Pretty Minnie in Hollywood and Pretty Minnie in Paris, both about her chihuahua Minnie. Steel has also written four nonfiction works including His Bright Light: The Story of Nick Traina about her son who committed suicide, and a book of poetry titled Love.

2. She’s been awarded France’s highest honor.

In 2014 Steel was decorated as a Chevalier (Knight) of the Order of the Legion d’Honneur in Paris. The ordered was founded in 1802 by Napoleon and members are added in recognition of service to France or work that is deemed to uphold its ideals. In 2002, she had already been decorated as an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters, France’s top cultural honor.

3. She speaks four languages.

Steel grew up in both France and the US; she went to high school mainly in France, and attended American colleges. Because of this, she is fluent in both French and English. Before her writing took off, she taught French and worked as a translator. On top of English and French, she also speaks Spanish and Italian.

4. She was married five times.

Steel married French-American banker Claude-Eric Lazard in 1965 when she was only 18. They were married for nine years before divorcing in 1974. She married her second husband, Danny Zugelder, in 1975. They divorced in 1978. Steel married her third husband, William George Toth, the day after her divorce from Zugelder was finalized. They divorced in 1981. She married for the fourth time in 1981, to John Traina. They were together for 17 years before divorcing in 1998. Later in the year she married her fifth husband Thomas James Perkins. They divorced in 2002. She says of marriage: “I’m a great believer in making marriage work if you undertake the commitment, but sometimes it just doesn’t work out that way.”

5. She has nine children. 

Steel had her first daughter, Beatrix with Lazard in 1966. She had her first son, Nick with Toth in 1978; however he was adopted by Traina. Steel and Traina had six children together: Samantha, Victoria, Vanessa, Maxx, and Zara. Traina also had two children from a previous marriage that Steel helped raise: Todd and Trevor.

 

Author Biographies: P.L. Travers

Posted on by Shelby

Pamela Lyndon Travers was born Helen Lyndon Goff on August 9, 1899 in Australia. Her poetry was first published when she was a teenager when she began working briefly as a Shakespearean professional actress. Upon emigrating to England, she changed her name to Pamela Lyndon Travers when she was twenty-five in order to act on the stage. In 1933, she started writing the first of eight Mary Poppins novels under the pen name P.L. Travers. Mary Poppins was published in 1934, followed by seven sequels, the last of which was published in 1988.

Travers traveled to New York City during World War II while working for the British Ministry of Information, and it was there that Walt Disney first contacted her about selling the rights to Mary Poppins to Disney Studios for a film adaptation of the novel. After nearly twenty years of contact, which included visits to her home in London, Disney did obtain the rights, resulting in the release of the popular film Mary Poppins in 1964, which pulled elements of the novels Mary Poppins and Mary Poppins Comes Back. Travers famously disliked the adaptation of her novel, from the musical numbers to the added animation, and consequently ruled out any future films. The 2013 film Saving Mr. Banks is based largely on this period of her life.

Travers never married or had any biological children, but instead adopted a baby boy at the age of 40 from Ireland she named Camillus Travers Hone, who was the biological grandson of Joseph Hone, poet W.B. Yeats’ first biographer. He was unaware of his parentage until his twin brother arrived on his doorstep at the age of seventeen. Travers was later appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1977. She died on April 23, 1996 at the age of 96.

Mary Poppins Returns, a sequel to the 1964 Disney film, Mary Poppins, will be released on December 19, 2018. This film will bring to life the magical nanny for a whole new generation of children (and adults).

Happy Reading!