An author who’s considered one of the world’s most popular storytellers will be in central Iowa tonight for a free event that promises to captivate his legions of readers.
David Baldacci writes mostly suspense novels and legal thrillers and he’s been published in more than 45 languages in over 80 countries.
Aaron Gernes, at the Des Moines Public Library, says Baldacci has been cranking out fascinating tales for nearly 30 years.
“He wrote a book in 1996, his first published book, ‘Absolute Power,’ and that book was an instant best-seller,” Gernes says. “It quickly became a movie that was adapted to screen by Clint Eastwood, who directed and started it, and since then, Baldacci has just been one of the rock stars of the literary world.”
Baldacci has written 50 novels for adults and seven for younger readers. His latest book, “Strangers in Time,” is historical fiction, set in 1944 in London.
With more than 150 million copies of his books in print worldwide, Gernes says the 60-year-old Virginia native is exceptionally popular.
“You got big, hardcore book fans who love him. You have casual book fans that love him. He’s got one-off books. He’s got very popular series,” Gernes says. “Baldacci is just one-of-a-kind and it’s really exciting that we have the opportunity to bring such a big name to Des Moines.”
The author will be appearing at the Franklin Event Center in Des Moines, where the doors will open at 6 PM for the 7 PM event. Baldacci will give a solo presentation before doing a moderated question-and-answer session, after which, there’s a meet and greet.
“We have fans that will bring in a few copies of books for him to sign, but we’re experts at this, so people that want a picture or a book signed, they’ll be free to do it. We’ll have a plan in place to dismiss and make sure that everyone who wants a book signed gets one,” Gernes says. “David will be happy to stay there and get those photos and those books signed with his fans. I know he loves his fans.”
Baldacci is appearing as part of the library’s AViD Series, Authors Visiting in Des Moines.