When people attend the annual Author Event organized by the Council of Friends of Lancaster County's Public Libraries, they almost always have the same reaction, said Mary Ann Heltshe-Steinhauer, committee member on the Council of Friends. "People leave with a smile," she remarked. "There is so much excitement that goes on with an appearance of an author."

This year, there will be double the excitement. For the first time, the Council of Friends will bring two New York Times bestselling authors to Lancaster. Adriana Trigiani and Chris Bohjalian will share the stage at the event on Tuesday, May 24, beginning at 11 a.m. The event will be held at Calvary Church, 1051 Landis Valley Road, Lancaster, and is a fundraiser to benefit public libraries in Lancaster County.

"This extraordinary event is an opportunity for us to showcase two compelling storytellers," Heltshe-Steinhauer shared. "They both have a large fan base, so we look forward to seeing the wonderful chemistry between them emerge as they share the stage while being interviewed."

Trigiani is the author of 20 books, including "The Shoemaker's Wife." She is also an award-winning playwright, television writer/producer and filmmaker. Among her screen credits, Trigiani wrote and directed the film adaptation of her debut novel, "Big Stone Gap." Her latest novel, "The Good Left Undone," tells the story of a family of Tuscan artists with long-held secrets. Bohjalian is the author of 23 books, including "Hour of the Witch," "Midwives" and "The Flight Attendant," which was made into an HBO Max limited series. In his newest work, "The Lioness," a luxurious African safari turns deadly when a group of friends journey to the Serengeti.

The author event will be moderated by Scott LaMar, host of WITF's "Smart Talk." "We are so excited to have Scott participate," Heltshe-Steinhauer said. "He'll have a conversation with both authors at the same time. He's done events with us before, and he's always a good interviewer."

Established in 2000, the Council of Friends of Lancaster County's Public Libraries is made up of volunteers who are avid readers and are committed to promoting reading countywide. For 21 years, the group has organized and hosted author events. In 2010, the group formed a partnership with Aaron's Books in Lititz to bring authors to Lancaster County while they travel on their national book tours.

Tickets to the author event will include a copy of "The Good Left Undone" and "The Lioness." A ticket order form may be found at https://lancasterlibraries.org/author-events, and ticketholders must bring their ticket to the event to receive copies of the books. Tickets may be purchased by contacting Sue Newswanger at news1165@gmail.com or visiting Aaron's Books, 35 E. Main St., Lititz. Although the author event has included a luncheon in the past, there will not be a luncheon this year.