Fresh off the June 6 release of her latest book, author Lisa Wingate will be in Chattanooga on Wednesday, June 14, for two events sponsored by the Southern Lit Alliance. Both events will be held in the Arts Building, 301 E. 11th St.
Wingate’s new novel, “Before We Were Yours,” is based on the true story of one of America’s most notorious scandals in which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country. The book follows the journey of the stolen Foss siblings and the life-changing effect their lives have on attorney Avery Stanford as she investigates their pasts.
Wingate is a national best-selling author and the 2011 winner of the American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year. Her visit for Southern Lit Alliance’s SouthBound series is one of 33 appearances she is making on her summer book tour.
The Alliance will welcome Wingate for an afternoon book club at 3 p.m., when tickets are $10. She will be guest of honor at a reception open to the public at 6 p.m. Tickets are $15. She will discuss and sign copies of “Before We Were Yours” at both events.
There will be books for purchase at both events. Food and beverages will be served at the 6 p.m. event.
Wingate is a former journalist, inspirational speaker and author of more than 20 novels.
Her work has won or been nominated for many awards, including the Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize, the Oklahoma Book Award, the Utah Library Award, The Carol Award, the Christy Award and the RT Booklovers Reviewer’s Choice Award.
Americans for More Civility, a organization that recognizes and rewards kindness, selected Wingate as one of six recipients of its National Civics Award, which celebrates public figures who work to promote greater kindness and civility in American life.
Seating for Wednesday’s events is limited. Reservations can be made online at www.SouthernLitAlliance.org or by calling Ann Johnson at 423-777-4223.
Translation rights to “Before We Were Yours” have already been sold in 14 countries for the book that was just released on June 6.