A coalition of McHenry County public libra ries are pleased to host a fantastic group of five fiction authors on Thur sday\, April 23rd at 7 p.m. at McHenry County College's Luecht Auditorium. \; Christina Clancy\, Sonali Dev\, Nancy Johnson\, Sara Maure r and Rachel Swearingen will be on stage together to discuss thei r craft and the books they've written. \; Copies of \;their books will be available for purchase and signing at the event courtesy of Read B etween the Lynes bookstore of Woodstock. Registration is required for this free author event. \; \;
\nThis event is part of the \; McHenry County Libraries United - Let's All Read Together \;community reading program. County residents are encouraged to come together in a sha red reading experience. \; \;This event is sponsored by Algonquin Area Public Library\, Cary Area Public Library\, Crystal Lake Public Libra ry\, Harvard-Diggins Library\, Huntley Area Public Library\, Johnsburg Lib rary\, Marengo-Union Library\, McHenry Public Library\, Nippersink Public Library\, River East Library and Woodstock Public Library.
\nAAPLD e mbraces inclusivity in its programs and services. To request accommodation s\, please email [info@aapld.org] or call (847) 458-6060 x143 at least 7 d ays in advance.
\nAuthor Information:
\nBestselling author Sonali Dev has written eleven heart-warming and hilarious novels featur ing families with no boundaries\, and love that triumphs over all. Her boo ks have been featured in Library Journal\, NPR\, Washington Post\, and Kir kus&rsquo\;s Best Books of the year lists. She has won the American Librar y Association&rsquo\;s award for best romance\, the RT Reviewer Choice Awa rd for best contemporary romance\, multiple RT Seals of Excellence\, is a RITA®\; finalist\, and has been listed for the Dublin Literary award. S helf Awareness calls her &ldquo\;Not only one of the best but one of the b ravest romance novelists working today.&rdquo\; Sonali lives in the Chicag o suburbs with her very patient and often amused husband and two teens who demand both patience and humor\, and the world&rsquo\;s most perfect dog.
\nA native of Chicago&rsquo\;s South Side\, Nancy Johnson built a career as an Emmy-nominated\, award-winning television jou rnalist at CBS and ABC affiliates in markets nationwide. Her debut novel\, The Kindest Lie\, was reviewed by The New York Times\, The Washington Pos t\, and Los Angeles Times\, and was highlighted on Entertainment Weekly&rs quo\;s Must List. Her 2025 novel People of Means\, is a story of race\, cl ass\, and resistance in 1960s Nashville and 1992 Chicago. PEOPLE Magazine named it one of its most anticipated books for 2025\; \; it has also b een featured as one of the best books of 2025 by Woman&rsquo\;s World\, Re al Simple\, and Southern Living magazines. A graduate of Northwestern Univ ersity and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill\, Nancy lives i n downtown Chicago where she&rsquo\;s a director of brand journalism and s torytelling for a large health care nonprofit.
\nSara Maurer 's debut novel\, A Good Animal\, a heart-wrenching coming of age story\, will be published in February 2026\, by St. Martin&rsquo\;s Press. Place deeply informs Sara&rsquo\;s writing\, particularly how it influenc es identity and choice. Her novel is set in picturesque Sault Ste. Marie\, Michigan\, and is perfect for readers of Barbara Kingsolver and Ann Patch ett. \;She attended Albion College and Eastern Michigan University and completed the Stanford Continuing Studies certificate in novel writing in 2022. In 2023\, she was selected as a Suzanne M. Wilson Artist-in-Residen ce at the Glen Arbor Arts Center. She lives in Michigan&rsquo\;s Upper Pen insula with her husband\, two kids\, and mini Dachshund.
\nR achel Swearingen is the author of the story collection How to Wal k on Water and Other Stories\, which received the New American Press Ficti on Prize\, and was named the 2021 Chicago Writers Association Book of the Year\, as well as a New York Times Book Review &ldquo\;New &\; Notewort hy Selection.&rdquo\; Her work has appeared in numerous publications inclu ding Electric Lit\, and VICE. She is the recipient of the Berlin Writing P rize\, the Missouri Review Editors&rsquo\; Prize in Fiction\, a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers&rsquo\; Award\, and the Mississippi Review Prize in Fi ction. In addition\, she has been included in New City&rsquo\;s Lit 50 lis t as well as the Guild Literary Complex&rsquo\;s list of 30 Writers to Wat ch. \; \;A Wisconsin native\, Rachel earned a BA from the Universi ty of Wisconsin - Madison\, and a PhD in English (Creative Writing) from W estern Michigan University. She has taught writing and literature at The S chool of the Art Institute - Chicago\, Cornell College\, Western Michigan University\, and Kalamazoo College. She lives in Chicago.
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