Posted 7/12/15 Hello David, I’m a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Guatemala, ’91-'93) now living near Portland, Oregon. I’ll be traveling through your region this summer as part of a 20+-city national book tour for my new novel, Landfall. The book is a work of contemporary historical fiction set in Tuscaloosa and New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and is due to release on the 10-year anniversary of the storm this August. Some of the South’s most beloved authors, such as Pat Conroy and Fannie Flagg, have thrown their endorsement behind the book; a kindness for which I’m most grateful. My first book, When I Was Elena, was a memoir of my experiences as a PCV in Guatemala and was praised by esteemed authors such as Alice Walker and Cheryl Strayed. I’ll be in your community — reading from Landfall, hosting a Q&A, and discussing the effects of Hurricane Katrina — at Brazos Books in Houston on August 26 at 7pm. Given that I don’t know too many folks in that area, I’m hopeful the local RPCVs might be willing to turn out to support me. To that end, if you’d be willing to extend an invitation to them either through a newsletter, an email update, or the forwarding of this note, I’d be most appreciative. I promise it will be a fascinating and enriching evening! I’m also available to meet with book groups, either in person while I’m in town or via Skype at an alternate date, and would love to make your members’ book clubs a top priority! You can find more information about Landfall, as well as my other writing, at www.ellenurbani.com. Should you have any further questions, or if there’s any other information I can provide, please don’t hesitate to be in touch! Thanks so much for your support. I hope we’ll have a chance to meet in person. Sincerely, Ellen Urbani .