2016 Featured Authors Dorothea Benton Frank is the New York Times best-selling author of sixteen novels, including the most recent All the Single Ladies. She and her four siblings were born and reared on Sullivan's Island, South Carolina. She graduated from The Fashion Institute of America, lived in Atlanta, San Francisco, New York City, and Montclair, NJ. She worked in many companies in the apparel industry until 1985 and then as a volunteer fundraiser. She emerged as a writer with her first novel, Sullivan’s Island, in 2000, which debuted on the NY Times list at number nine. Dorothea is an avid cook, enjoys fly fishing, reading and travel and is a frequent speaker on the creative process for students of all ages. She divides her time between the Lowcountry of South Carolina and New Jersey. Laura Lane McNeal grew up in New Orleans where people laugh a lot, talk with their hands, love good music, good food, and will make up any excuse for a party. Her debut novel, Dollbaby, is set in her hometown and received significant praise on its release in June 2014, including a starred review in Library Journal. After receiving two undergraduate degrees from Southern Methodist University, Laura went on to earn an MBA from Tulane University. She spent most of her career in advertising, working for firms in New York and Dallas, before returning to New Orleans where she started her own marketing consulting firm and became a free-lance writer as well as a decorative artist. In 2005, when the devastation of Hurricane Katrina left her with having to rebuild her life, Laura seized the opportunity to fulfill her lifetime dream of becoming a writer. Laura resides in New Orleans and is married with two sons and is currently working on her next novel. Mark Greaney is the author or coauthor of five Tom Clancy novels, including New York Times bestsellers Threat Vector and Locked On. He is also the author of the national bestselling Gray Man series, of which Columbia Pictures is developing the film adaptation for the first thriller, The Gray Man. The fourth thriller in the series, Dead Eye, was released in 2013. Mark has a degree in International Relations and Political Science. In research for his novels, Mark has traveled to over fifteen countries, visited the Pentagon, and trained alongside military and law enforcement. Mark makes his home in Memphis, TN. http://memphis.kappa.org/literacy-is-key-luncheon .