Award-winning author Susan Meissner will discuss two of her historical fiction novels, including one set during a pandemic, in a Facebook Live event set for 7 p.m. Thursday, May 7. Her presentation is part of the Southern Lit Alliance's South Bound Series, which is being held virtually.
Meissner's book "As Bright as Heaven" covers the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic from the perspectives of Pauline Bright and her young daughters living in Philadelphia, one of the hardest-hit American cities. The novel tells of the pandemic's tremendous impact on the Bright family and the world around them.
She also will discuss her most recent novel, "The Last Year of the War," named in Real Simple magazine's list of best books for 2019. It tells the story of the U.S. government's little-known repatriation program during World War II and the many American immigrants who fought persecution in the war's final years. The novel takes the perspective of 14-year-old Elise Sontag, who is forced to live in an internment camp when her German-born father is suspected of being a Nazi sympathizer.
Meissner is a former managing editor of a weekly newspaper and an award-winning columnist. Other novels by the USA Today best-selling author include "A Fall of Marigolds," "Secrets of a Charmed Life," "Stars Over Sunset Boulevard" and "A Bridge Across the Ocean." She has more than half a million books in print in 15 languages.
Anyone can view the lecture at https://www.facebook.com/SouthernLitAlliance/.
Southern Lit Alliance is a longstanding literary arts organization with a mission to deliver experiences that encourage people to read and write. For more information, visit www.southernlitalliance.org or call 423-777-4221.