Two authors set to speak at Weehawken Library Weehawken native Villone, crime mystery writer Coleman to appear
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In the coming days, there will be two respected authors who will grace the library with their presence and make presentations, one of whom is a Weehawken native.
On Wednesday night at 7 p.m., crime fiction and mystery writer Reed Farrel Coleman will make a presentation, regarding his new novel, entitled "Hose Monkey," which Coleman penned under the pseudonym of Tony Spinosa.
Coleman is returning to Weehawken after a successful presentation last June, when he took part in the Library's "Night Falls on Weehawken" program, where four crime noir novelists participated.
"Reed was a big hit when he came in June," said library assistant Gary Cahill, who helped to organize the author's appearance. "He won three awards at the Boudrecon Mystery Writers' convention since he came to Weehawken. He writes the hard-boiled crime fiction that has become very popular now. He's returning based on the success of his first appearance in June."
Then, on Sunday, Oct. 22 at 2 p.m., Weehawken native and author E.P. Vallone will present her historical novel, "Beyond Bagheria," based on a true story of a young girl in 1918 who was orphaned in Sicily and comes to the United States with an offer of marriage.
Weehawken Library executive director Philip Greco was the one who arranged Vallone's appearance.
"I met her mother at a senior citizen luncheon," Greco said. "Her mother still lives in Weehawken. Her mother approached me and said her daughter was an author. I contacted her and she was excited about being able to come back to Weehawken."
E. P. Vallone, which stands for Elizabeth Palombella Vallone, is a full-time history teacher who lives in Rockland County, N.Y. She is a graduate of Weehawken High School who then went on to attend Montclair State College.
"It's going to be a very special event for us, having a Weehawken native come back and speak about her work," Greco said.
Vallone will also give a lecture on immigration to New York, as well as giving a discussion on her book.
Cahill said that he is a big fan of the genre of books that Coleman writes.
"I've always been interested in that kind of writing and movies in that style," Cahill said. "So that was a big lure to me. There is so much fun in a crime novel and Reed really has a good literary flair. This book is the first of a projected series."
"Hose Monkey" tells the story of ex-New York police detective and current heating-oil truck driver Joe Serpe.
While mourning the loss of his firefighter brother on 9/11, Serpe investigates the death of a disabled young man, assisted by the Internal Affairs officer who drove him from the force. As the body count mounts, so do the suspects, including right-wing activists and the Russian mob.
"It seems very fascinating and it should be a good presentation," Cahill said.
Vallone's "Beyond Bagheria" is set 1918. The Spanish flu wreaks havoc on the life of a Sicilian girl. She is left an orphan in Bagheria, Sicily with few prospects for a bright future. One day a letter promising an offer of marriage brings Isabella Zanni to New Orleans. Barely settled, she finds herself caught in a conspiracy that is a vortex of greed, power and prejudice. In the end, her American dream was like nothing she had imagined.
Vallone has written one other book, entitled "Stone Perpendicular to Stone: A Tribute to the Land of My Ancestors," and is currently working on another historical fiction novel set in 12th century Sicily.
"We've been very fortunate to offer these author's presentations in the past," Greco said. "The authors are pleased to come and they've been very successful."
For more information, please contact the Weehawken Free Public Library at (201) 863-7823. For more information about the authors, visit their websites at www.reedcoleman.com and www.epvallone.com.
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