Author Dawn Metcalf

TOLLAND – Have you ever dreamed of writing a book for young adults? Are you a fan of dark, fantasy novels? Then the Tolland Public Library Foundation has a program for you.
Author Dawn Metcalf will speak at the Tolland Public Library Saturday, June 8 about “The Wild, Wonderful World of Writing Young Adult Literature.”
Her talk, which will be held at the library at 21 Tolland Green at 11 a.m., is part of the Foundation’s Eaton-Dimock-King Authors Series and its “Year of the Young Adult” initiative.
Metcalf, who describes her work as “dark, quirky and sometimes humorous speculative fiction,”will discuss her writing career and offer valuable advice on the publishing business.
A Chicago native who now lives in northern Connecticut, Metcalf is the author of “Luminous” (Dutton, 2011) and “Indelible,” which will be published in July by Harlequin Teen.
Her books – and her talk – are aimed at teens over 14 or anyone interested in writing for that age group.
“Luminous” features a Latina teenaged protagonist, Consuela Chavez, who learns she has the power to slip out of her earthly skin and craft new skins from water, fire and air. Metcalf said her character grew out of the question “why aren’t there more minority superheroines?”
Her latest book follows the story of Joy Malone as a dangerous mistake plunges her into “a world of monsters at the window, glowing girls on the doorstep and a life that will never be the same.”
The free talk is open to the public, but registration is required. For more information or to register, call the library at 860-871-3620.
The series, funded by the Phoebe Dimock King and Elizabeth C. King Eaton Endowment, has previously brought writers Denis Horgan, Susan Schoenberger, Jeff Goldberg, Lucy Anne Hurston, Jane Haddam and P.W. Catanese to town.
About the Tolland Public Library Foundation
The Foundation was established in 1996 to receive donations to benefit the Tolland Public Library and to enhance library services beyond what the town budget provides. Tax-deductible donations can be sent to the Tolland Public Library Foundation, Inc., 21 Tolland Green, Tolland,
CT 06084.
About the Year of the Young Adult
This initiative by the Foundation is aimed at bringing programs and materials to the library that will be of interest to children aged 11 to 18. It is made possible through grants from the Foundation’s Phoebe Dimock King and Elizabeth C. King Eaton Endowment. The Foundation has already held college admissions workshops, purchased software and books geared to young adults, hosted authors an astronomer and held the library’s first poetry slam for teens.