When she was a child, Tess Gerritsen couldn't resist a good mystery book. "The first mystery novels I read were Nancy Drew books," recalled the New York Times bestselling author of more than 30 novels. "I remember thinking, 'I want to do that. I want to tell those kinds of stories.'"

Becoming an author wasn't a straight course for Gerritsen, who will headline the Council of Friends of Public Libraries' fall author event at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 9.

"Being from a practical Asian-American family, my parents wanted me to do something more traditional for a career," she said. She graduated from Stanford University and went to medical school, eventually becoming a doctor. Her desire for storytelling never faltered, however, and when she was on maternity leave after the birth of her first son, she wrote her first novel, "Call After Midnight." It was published in 1987, and by her third book, "Harvest," Gerritsen made her New York Times bestseller debut in 1996.

She had started following her heart, and she didn't plan to return to medicine. "We moved from Honolulu to Maine, and I was so determined to focus on my writing, I decided not to apply for a Maine medical license," she said.

She took what she knew from the medical field and put it into her books, which have been published in 40 countries and often have a tie to medicine. Publisher's Weekly dubbed Gerritsen the "medical suspense queen," but she also made a name for herself in the industry for creating the "Rizzoli & Isles" series, focused on a partnership between two crime-solving women. The book series became a global hit and inspired the long-running TNT series of the same name.

Gerritsen will discuss her latest book, "The Spy Coast," at her November talk, where she'll be joined on stage by WITF's Scott LaMar.

"I don't do book readings, because I think they're kind of boring," she said with a laugh. "What I like to talk about is, 'Where do ideas come from? What is my process of approaching writing a new book? How do I develop characters? How do I keep going when I hit a wall?'"

Proceeds from Gerritsen's appearance will benefit all of the public libraries in Lancaster County, said Mary Ann Steinhauer, leader of the Council of Friends.

"When I read Tess' bio, I realized how unbelievable she is," Steinhauer said. "It just goes to show you that her early passion manifested itself as an adult, and she was able to put that passion, along with her education and training as a doctor, into doing something she loves."

Gerritsen said she hopes her story will inspire others to follow their dreams, noting that she often hears from readers, many of whom have done just that. Sometimes, however, the stories she hears are sadder.

One reader told her he'd been an engineer all his life, but he had wanted to become a fashion designer. "He told me he really regretted his career choice," she said. "I like to tell people, 'Find a way to make what you want to do work for your own family circumstances. Carve out some time to do it.'"

The Council of Friends event will be held at Calvary Church, 1051 Landis Valley Road, Lancaster. Tickets will include a copy of "The Spy Coast" and may be purchased at https://lancasterlibraries.org/fall-author-event.