Robert K. Tanenbaum and Luis J. Rodriguez

DUARTE, CA, September 16, 2013 — Bestselling crime writer, Robert K. Tanenbaum, and poet, activist, and award-winning author, Luis J. Rodriguez will headline the 11th annual Duarte Festival of Authors on Saturday, Oct. 5. The festival will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Westminster Gardens, 1420 Santo Domingo Ave. in Duarte. Admission and parking is free.
The Duarte Festival of Authors presents a unique opportunity in an intimate setting for the public to meet and hear from some of Southern California’s top writers as well as exciting, new talents.
More than 50 authors will participate in talks, panels and book signings throughout the day at the festival presented by the Friends of the Duarte Library. The festival showcases a rich sampling of the diversity of literary talents and books to appeal to a wide variety of tastes: fiction and non-fiction, adventure, suspense, romance, travel, mystery, inspirational, spiritual, poetry, educational, historical, young adult and children’s titles.

There will be fun activities for children at the festival’s Kids’ Corner including games, story reading, and face painting. Children can read aloud to therapy dogs, have their picture taken with their reading buddy and keep the book, all for free. Festival-goers are in for a host of other treats as well with an on-site book store and a choice of food and refreshments served up by the popular Pie’n Burger restaurant truck and Duarte’s Lemonade Brigade.
Robert K. Tanenbaum, a real-life crime fighter as well as crime writer of 25 novels and three non-fiction books, is one of the country’s most successful trial lawyers, having never lost a felony case. To readers he is best known for his bestselling series of novels featuring Butch Karp and Marlene Ciampi, lawyers for the New York District Attorney’s office. His latest novel, Tragic, a murder mystery, was published this August. Echoes of My Soul, published in May, is considered his signature masterpiece. It is the true story of one of the most intense manhunts in police history and of the young D. A. who exonerated the unjustly accused, brought the killer to justice and forever reformed law enforcement practices. Tanenbaum is scheduled to speak at 11:45 a.m.

Luis J. Rodriguez first rose to fame as a powerful voice in Chicano literature by telling his own story in the bestseller, Always Running: La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A. The vivid memoir explores the motivation of gang life and cautions against the death and destruction that inevitably claim its participants. His latest book is the sequel to Always Running, entitled It Calls You Back: An Odyssey of Love, Addiction, Revolutions, and Healing. He is also an accomplished and award-winning poet, his latest being His Nature is Hunger. His books for children, America is Her Name and It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way: A Barrio Story, both published in English and Spanish have also won honors. Rodriguez will speak at 2 p.m.
Other authors scheduled to appear include: Mystery writers: Gerald Schiller, Gayle Bartos-Pool, Alice Zogg, Robert Rotstein, Connie Dial, Terry Ambrose, Michael D. Mayo, Anne Louise Bannon, Teresa Burrell, Jim Stevens, Anne Carter, and Gayle Carline.

For those who enjoy reading history, Duarte authors Claudia and Alan Heller will appear with Life on Route 66: Personal Accounts Along the Mother Road to California, and Duarte Chronicles. Mark Thomas McGee, also of Duarte, has authored 10 film history books. His latest , You Won’t Believe Your Eyes, relates behind-the-scenes stories about the sci-fi/horror movies of the 1950s. John Jung has published four books relating to the history and contributions of Chinese immigrants to American society, while James Aguirre relates American history from the Native American point of view.
Authors of books for children and young adult readers include Cynthia Andrews, Michael Mullin, Lori R. Lopez, and Evelyn De Wolfe.
A visit to the festival website, www.FriendsoftheDuarteLibrary.com provides visitors with information on all of the author participants and links to their own websites, and other details on the festival.

For Further Information, Contact:
Barrow/Hoffman Public Relations
Mary Barrow (626) 357-4151

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