We are so delighted to have Nina Simon present her book through the SCPL's new Virtual Author Talks program. Register to attend this great event online here!

Mother-Daughter Murder Night follows high-powered business woman Lana Rubicon. She has a lot to be proud of with L.A. real estate empire she’s built. But when she finds herself trapped 300 miles north of the city with her adult daughter Beth and teenage granddaughter Jack, Lana is stuck counting otters instead of square footage—and hoping that boredom won’t kill her before the cancer does. 

When Jack happens upon a dead body while kayaking she quickly becomes a suspect in the homicide investigation, and the Rubicon women are thrown into chaos. Beth thinks Lana should focus on recovery, but Lana has a better idea–find the true murderer, protect her family, and prove she still has power! With Jack and Beth’s help, Lana uncovers a web of lies, family vendettas, and land disputes lurking beneath the surface of a community populated by folksy conservationists and wealthy ranchers. But as their amateur snooping advances into ever-more dangerous territory, the headstrong Rubicon women must learn to do the one thing they’ve always resisted: depend on each other.

Nothing brings a family together like a murder next door. View upcoming virtual author talks at libraryc.org/santacruzpl/upcoming.

SCPL's Virtual Author Talks are made possible by the Friends of the Capitola Library.

Join us for a watch party at the Capitola Branch Library!  We will screen the virtual author talk with local community hero and author, Nina Simon, who will discuss her book Mother Duaghter Murder Night. Enjoy light refreshments during the event.

Mother-Daughter Murder Night follows high-powered business woman Lana Rubicon. She has a lot to be proud of with L.A. real estate empire she’s built. But when she finds herself trapped 300 miles north of the city with her adult daughter Beth and teenage granddaughter Jack, Lana is stuck counting otters instead of square footage—and hoping that boredom won’t kill her before the cancer does. 

When Jack happens upon a dead body while kayaking she quickly becomes a suspect in the homicide investigation, and the Rubicon women are thrown into chaos. Beth thinks Lana should focus on recovery, but Lana has a better idea–find the true murderer, protect her family, and prove she still has power! With Jack and Beth’s help, Lana uncovers a web of lies, family vendettas, and land disputes lurking beneath the surface of a community populated by folksy conservationists and wealthy ranchers. But as their amateur snooping advances into ever-more dangerous territory, the headstrong Rubicon women must learn to do the one thing they’ve always resisted: depend on each other.

Nothing brings a family together like a murder next door. Registration is recommended just to help us plan for refreshments. Register below.

SCPL's Virtual Author Talks are made possible by the Friends of the Capitola Library.

Join us online for a thrilling conversation with Rebecca F. Kuang (R.F. Kuang) as she chats with us about her New York Times bestselling novel, Yellowface. Yellowface grapples with questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation, as well as the terrifying alienation of social media.

In Yellowface, Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars. But Athena’s a literary darling. June Hayward is literally nobody. Who wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks. So when June witnesses Athena’s death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena’s just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers during World War I.

So what if June edits Athena’s novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song—complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? Doesn’t this piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller? But June can’t get away from Athena’s shadow, and emerging evidence threatens to bring June’s (stolen) success down around her. 

White lies, dark humor, and deadly consequences await within the pages of Yellowface. Register to join the conversation! For upcoming author talks, visit https://libraryc.org/santacruzpl/upcoming.

SCPL's Virtual Author Talks are made possible by the Friends of the Capitola Library.

Join us for an afternoon of poetry and musings with local author and documentary filmmaker Marigold Fine. In her new memoir, Double Rainbow: Collected Poems & Memoir Musings, Marigold tells of a Chicago childhood in the 1950's, an iconic move west seeking spiritual life in the natural world, and the creation of a career as a video producer/documentary filmmaker. She brings readers along like old friends on her world travels, sketches endearing portraits of ancestors, shares her love of nature, and leads us down the winding paths of evolving and aging. Readers will laugh at our shared human foibles and appreciate our communal grief and joy.

Marigold brings her writing friends for brief readings of their works as well. Carolyn Davis Rudolph is co-owner of the local restaurant, Charlie Hong Kong. She is a food activist who believes in feeding the community healthy, organic food, and supporting local farmers. Judy Phillips is a long-time Santa Cruz resident, and a gifted writer and storyteller.

Copies of Marigold's book will be available for purchase and signing. Light refreshments will be provided. Registration is recommended to assist us in planning refreshments.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Born in Chicago, Marigold Fine received a degree in Journalism & Communications from the University of Illinois and has been a copywriter, scriptwriter, and freelance writer. She spent 17 years in New Mexico immersed in motherhood, jewelry making, the counterculture, and spiritual community. Marigold has called Santa Cruz home since 1987.

Founding Full Circle Video Productions, she had a long career as a video producer and documentary filmmaker. She lives with her husband Jim Stanford, writes, and performs locally with NextStage Theater.

Mars and its secrets have fascinated and mystified humans since ancient times. Due to its vivid color and visibility, geologic kinship with Earth, and potential as our best hope for settlement, Mars embodies everything that inspires us about space and exploration. For the Love of Mars surveys the red planet's place in the human imagination, beginning with ancient astrologers and skywatchers and ending in our present moment of exploration and virtual engagement.

You’re invited to come learn alongside Matt Shindell, National Air and Space Museum curator, as he introduces viewers to historical figures across eras and around the world who have made sense of this mysterious planet.

For more information and to register, visit https://libraryc.org/santacruzpl/51650. 

For upcoming author talks, visit https://libraryc.org/santacruzpl/upcoming.

About the Author: Matthew Shindell, Ph.D., is a historian of science with a background in science studies. He is Curator of Earth and Planetary Science at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. He is responsible for the Museum’s collection of spacecraft, instruments, and other artifacts related to the exploration and study of our Earth and solar system. He co-hosts the Museum’s podcast, AirSpace. He curated the Museum’s permanent exhibition, Exploring the Planets, and is leading a curatorial team developing the exhibition Futures in Space. Shindell is the author of For the Love of Mars: A Human History of the Red Planet (2023) and The Life and Science of Harold C. Urey (2019), coauthor of Spaceships (2023), Our Future in Space (2023), and Discerning Experts (2019), and co-editor of Smithsonian American Women (2019).  

SCPL's Virtual Author Talks are made possible by the Friends of the Capitola Library.