There's an occupational hazard Mary Ann Steinhauer faces as the leader of the Council of Friends of Public Libraries. "People will stop me in the street and ask, 'Are you having another author event?'" she said with a laugh. Thankfully for Steinhauer, the answer is "yes." The Council of Friends will host award-winning author Robert Dugoni on Thursday, April 13, at Calvary Church, 1051 Landis Valley Road, Lancaster. The event will begin at 11 a.m.

Dugoni is perhaps best known for his crime mysteries and legal thrillers. His Tracy Crosswhite police series has sold more than 8 million copies worldwide. Dugoni is also the author of the Charles Jenkins espionage series and the David Sloane legal thriller series. Additionally, he has written several stand-alone novels, including "The 7th Canon," "Damage Control," "The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell: A Novel" and "The World Played Chess." Ticket holders for the April talk will receive a copy of Dugoni's latest novel, "Her Deadly Game."

Dugoni will be joined on stage by Scott LaMar of WITF, who will facilitate the conversation. A book signing and a meet-and-greet with the author will be held after the event.

"Robert Dugoni is a really great writer," Steinhauer said. "I read 'The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell' in two days. I could not put it down."

She noted that the Council of Friends has been offering author talks for 22 years, and the events always draw a crowd. "Typically, we have anywhere from 300 to 500 people that come," she said, stating that the church makes a perfect venue. "Everybody will be able to hear and see what's going on. There are two big screens and a great sound system."

The Council of Friends of Public Libraries, founded in 2000, is made up of volunteers who are committed to promoting reading countywide. The author events are fundraisers for the public libraries in the county, and to date, the group has raised more than $140,000. This year, the Council of Friends has established a partnership with Midtown Scholar Bookstore in Harrisburg, which will provide copies of Dugoni's backlist books to purchase at the event.

Steinhauer noted that the author event will include time for questions from the audience. "It's always a life-altering experience to actually hear the author and ask questions or hear questions being asked," she said. "To be in the presence of people who are so creative and someone who provides so much to us in terms of reading, it's really incredible. ... I find that it's really a wonderful way to spend an afternoon, and when people leave, they are inspired. I have yet to see where that hasn't happened."

To purchase tickets, contact Cathy Doremus at cdoremus12@gmail.com or download a ticket form at https://lancasterlibraries.org/author-events.