Dawn Metcalf, a Connecticut author of young adult novels, will present a talk on “Getting Published: A Helpful Guide to Navigating Traditional Book Publishing” on Tuesday, Oct. 4 as part of the Tolland Public Library Foundation’s Eaton-Dimock-King Authors Series.
The talk for teens and adults who are interested in learning how to get their book published will be held at 7 p.m. in Conference Room A of Tolland Town Hall at 21 Tolland Green.
Metcalf is the author of “Luminous,” a young adult paranormal fantasy, and “Indelible,” “Invisible,” “Insidious” and “Invincible,” books in her series about a fantasy world known as “The Twixt.” She promises to offer wisdom, tips and tricks to help writers and would-be authors.
The talk is free and open to the public, but registration is required. To register, call the Tolland Public Library at 860-871-3620 or visit www.tolland.org/library and click on the Online Library Events Calendar.
Since 2010, the author series, funded by the Phoebe Dimock King and Elizabeth C. King Eaton Endowment, has brought writers Caragh O’Brien, Dan Barry, Denis Horgan, Susan Campbell, Cindy Rodriguez, Susan Schoenberger, Jeff Goldberg, Lucy Anne Hurston, Jane Haddam, Ken Davis 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.

Young adult author Dawn Metcalf

        Lovers of a good true crime story should save the date of Sept. 27, when Wayne Worcester, an emeritus professor of journalism at the University of Connecticut, and his co-author, reporter Tim White, will discuss their book, “The Last Good Heist: The Inside Story of the Biggest Single Payday in the Criminal History of the Northeast.”
The Tolland Public Library Foundation is sponsoring the talk at 6:30 p.m. in Conference Room A of town hall at 21 Tolland Green as part of its Eaton-Dimock-King Authors Series.
The book, which White and Worcester co-wrote with Randall Richard, tells the story of the eight daring thieves who ransacked 148 massive safe-deposit boxes at a secret bank used by organized crime members in La Cosa Nostra in Providence, Rhode Island on Aug. 14, 1975. The reporters would later find out that the leader of the mob himself approved of the robbery and hired the thieves.
The crooks fled with duffle bags crammed full of cash, gold, silver, coins and jewels. The book reports that the true value of the goods was $30 million – the biggest single payday for criminals in the Northeast.
“The Last Good Heist” is the inside story of the robbery and its aftermath, which rocked the underworld in New England.
Worcester was a young police reporter at the Providence Journal the day news of the heist broke. The case would hold his interest for the next 40 years as none of the money or loot was ever found. White is an investigative reporter for the CBS news affiliate in Providence who covers organized crime, corruption and politics. Richard is a former investigative reporter and international correspondent for the Providence Journal and a former national reporter for the Associated Press.
Worcester, of Vernon, spent 21 years as a reporter and editor at the Journal before joining the UConn faculty in 1987. He taught newswriting, feature writing, magazine writing, copy editing and literary journalism before retiring in 2013. He has also written a series of Sherlock Holmes novels.
The talk is free and open to the public, but registration is required. To register, call the Tolland Public Library at 860-871-3620 or visit www.tolland.org/library and click on the Online Library Events Calendar.

TOLLAND – A Hartford financial advisor will discuss “How to Pay for College” on Sept. 21 at 6:30 p.m. at Conference Room A at the Tolland Town Hall.
The Tolland Public Library Foundation is hosting the talk by Craig Breitsprecher at 21 Tolland Green through the generous funding of its Phoebe Dimock King and Elizabeth King Eaton Endowment.
Breitsprecher, a financial advisor at Valark Financial Services, regularly speaks to parents and students on strategies for funding college.
He will discuss how the financial aid system works, some common pitfalls to avoid, the primary sources of college funds, the intricacies of education loans, the current market outlook and where to invest for college.
This is Breitsprecher’s seventh visit sponsored by the Foundation in recent years due to the overwhelmingly demand for his advice.
This free talk is not a sales presentation. Registration is required, and the event is open to the public. To register, call the library at 860-871-3620.

Financial advisor Craig Breitsprecher has been a popular guest of the Foundation.

In September and November, the Tolland Public Library Foundation will continue its informative series for small businesses and non-profit groups who want to learn more about marketing themselves.
April Woodcock, managing partner of Touching Clients of Norwich, will lead the presentations on Sept. 13 and Nov. 17. All of the talks will take place from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Conference Room A at Tolland Town Hall at 21 Tolland Green.
The talks are free, but registration is required. To register, call the library at 860-871-3620 or visit tolland.org/library to register.
Woodcock, an “authorized local expert” of Constant Contact who lectures throughout New England, said the marketing possibilities for small businesses can be time-consuming and overwhelming. She said she will show participants how to “make sense of the noise” so audience members will come away with a greater understanding of marketing.
The Foundation started the series in December 2014 to bring in experts to offer free advice to existing businesses or to residents thinking about starting a business. The occasional lectures also give local business owners a chance to meet one another and network.
Here’s the fall line-up:

Tuesday, Sept. 13 – Getting Started with Email Marketing and Constant Contact
This is a dive into Constant Contact’s email marketing Toolkit. This guided demonstration shows participants how easy it is to pick a template, add their own logo and pictures, schedule an email blast and measure the results. Participants do not need to bring a computer. The session is appropriate for people already using Constant Contact or who are new to it.

 Thursday, Nov. 17 – Social Media Marketing
This presentation teaches participants how to use social media as a marketing tool. They will learn the pros and cons of the most popular social media platforms. Please note that this is a marketing strategy presentation. It does not demonstrate different social media tools and is appropriate for beginner and intermediate social media users.

Marketing expert April Woodcock

Novelist Charles Monagan

Author Charles Monagan to discuss his Waterbury-based novel on July 17 at the Old Tolland County Jail and Museum

Charles Monagan, an author and former editor of “Connecticut” magazine, will discuss his new historical novel about Waterbury’s Carrie Welton, on Sunday, July 17 at 1 p.m. at the Old Tolland County Jail and Museum at 52 Tolland Stage Road in Tolland.
The free talk is sponsored by the Tolland Historical Society, which operates the museum, and the Tolland Public Library Foundation.
As a Waterbury native, Monagan knew that Welton, a 19^th-century resident of the city, had left the money in her will to install a large drinking fountain on the Waterbury Green that is topped with a bronze statue of her beloved stallion, Knight.
He knew she had died while climbing in the Rocky Mountains, but other that, he says, she was an enigma. In “Carrie Welton,” he has invented a series of high-wire adventures for 18-year-old Carrie, who he describes as “restless, unhappy, and ill-suited to the conventions of 19^th-century New England.” Monagan writes that using her charm and a cunning scheme, she escapes the shadow of a cruel father and travels around the country, encountering Bohemian painters, singers, social crusaders, violent gang members and a group of female mountain climbers.
Monagan has been a writer and editor for more than 45 years. He’s the author of several books, including “The Neurotic’s Handbook,” “The Reluctant Naturalist,” “How to Get a Monkey into Harvard” and “Connecticut Icons.”
He was also editor of “Connecticut” magazine from 1989 to 2013 and also wrote the book and lyrics for a musical, “Mad Bomber,” in 2011.
For more information, call Tolland Historical Society President Kathy Bach at 860-872-7716.