New York Times Bestselling Author Lesley Kagen had everyone at the Whitefish Bay Library Center laughing, as she talked off the cuff about her life and the publishing process. Kagen is the author of Whistling in the Dark, pictured here. She, along with H. W. Schwartz Bookshops’ General Manager Daniel Goldin, spoke of the steps from an author’s initial idea for a book all the way through to seeing the final product on the shelf. We even peaked at a bound galley of her upcoming book, Land of a Hundred Wonders, which has a release date of late summer.

     Kagen and Goldin were both entertaining speakers. They offered interesting stories on how various books came to publication, how much (or little) a publisher might support a book, how authors handle requested changes, and how some characters get their unique traits. Kagen revealed that one of her character’s personality quirks are based on typical symptoms of menopause, an unexpected insight that delighted the audience. Goldin offered inspiring tales of a manuscript’s fight to the top of the slush pile and into the spotlight.

     It was a great talk, and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting them both.