Award winner to be guest author

Monday, August 21, 2006 Author Laura Lippman loves her hometown of Baltimore. By NANCY TULLIS VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER YOUNGSTOWN — Growing up in Baltimore, Laura Lippman was surrounded by the written word. Her father was an editorial writer for The Sun and her mother was a Baltimore City Schools librarian. Lippman, now an award-winning author of crime fiction, is the guest author Saturday for the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County Literary Society's second annual author event at the Main Library, 305 Wick Ave. Lippman said she will likely speak Saturday on the importance of libraries and how they have had an impact on her life and her development as a writer. "The library is a place without borders," Lippman said. "You can check out any book you want, and no one will second guess you. No one will tell you, 'You must read this,' or 'You can't read that.' I love the freedom of the library." Among her favorite books as a child were the "Encyclopedia Brown" boy-detective series by Donald J. Sobol, the Betsy Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace and any book by Lois Lenski. "We were always at the library," she said of her childhood. "We went every week. Before we went on vacation, we went to the library. We couldn't think of going on vacation without taking armloads of books." Growing as a reader Lippman said she loved the experience of growing as a reader at the library. "Libraries encourage you to want to read, and to move up from the children's section to the young adult and adult books." Her favorite novel of all time is "Lolita," by Vladimir Nabokov. She said it is a brilliant book that can be read over and over again. She said it is written in beautiful language and is a love story and a detective novel rolled into one. Despite the serious and disconcerting subject matter — an adult man in love with a 12-year-old girl — Nabokov tells the story with suspense and humor, she said. Lippman said anyone aspiring to be a writer must also be an avid reader. "I wouldn't trust a writer who doesn't read and talk about other writers' work," she said. Lippman wrote her first seven books while working full time as a journalist, but the desire to be a novelist came first. She said by being a journalist she could make a living by writing every day, and write fiction away from work. The city of Baltimore is the main character of her books, most of which are about Tess Monaghan, a journalist turned private investigator. "Baltimore is home, and I can't imagine living anywhere else," Lippman said. "I live here and I am part of the community." Giving back Donating proceeds from personal experiences to Baltimore area charities such as Greyhound Pets of Maryland, Healthcare for the Homeless, and Viva House, a soup kitchen in southwest Baltimore, is her way of giving back to the city, she said. When fans asked Lippman about her personal life, Lippman responded on her Web site: "I live in Baltimore. I am not a natural blonde." Admission to the Literary Society event is $50 per person, and with each paid admission, attendees will receive a hardback copy of Lippman's newest novel, "No Good Deeds." Reservations are required, but payment can be made at the door Saturday. The library will be closed all day Saturday so the staff can prepare. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. There will be a social hour and book signing by the author before the start of the program at 7:30 p.m. Catering is by Thymely Events Inc., owners and operators of Chapters Cafe in the Austintown and Poland libraries, and there will be a cash bar. For reservations, call Deborah Liptak, development director, at (330) 744-8636, Ext. 118. For more information on Laura Lippman, visit the author's Web site at: www.lauralippman.com/