Due to COVID-19, this event has been cancelled .

About the Event

Adventures by the Book™ is pleased to partner with the Carlsbad City Library for a Rome, Raphael and Rigatoni Free Library Adventure with bestselling authors Christopher Castellani, Crystal King, and Stephanie Storey. Travel virtually with us to enjoy three of the best things Italy has to offer: culture, art, and food! Visit Portofino and Rome, Italy with Tennessee Williams and Frank Merlo in Leading Men, a timeless and heartbreaking love story by Christopher Castellani. Hunger for the delicious food cooked up by Bartolomeo Scappi, the Renaissance chef who cooked for several popes, in The Chef’s Secret, Crystal King’s delectable novel of passion, power, and intrigue. Then, appreciate the beautiful art of Raphael in Raphael, Stephanie Storey’s latest and fabulous art history thriller!

This free Adventure includes a book discussion with all three authors, Q&A, book signing, and the opportunity to meet the authors up close and personal (and who knows, maybe even a little taste of Italy).

About the Authors

Christopher Castellani is the son of Italian immigrants and a native of Wilmington, Delaware. He currently lives in Boston, where he is the artistic director of Grub Street, the country’s largest and leading independent creative writing center. He is the author of three critically-acclaimed novels, A Kiss from Maddalena—winner of the Massachusetts Book Award in 2004— The Saint of Lost, a BookSense (IndieBound) Notable Book; and All This Talk of Love, a New York Times Editors’ Choice and finalist for the Ferro-Grumley Literary Award. The Art of Perspective: Who Tells the Story, a collection of essays on point of view in fiction, was published in 2016.

He has recently completed his newest book, Leading Men, for which he received Fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the MacDowell Colony, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. The novel  illuminates one of the great love stories of the twentieth centurey – Tennessee Williams and his longtime partner Frank Merlo – and is set against the glamorous literary circles of 1950’s Italy.

Crystal King is an author, culinary enthusiast, and marketing expert. Her writing is fueled by a love of history and a passion for the food, language, and culture of Italy. She has taught classes in writing, creativity, and social media at several universities including Harvard Extension School and Boston University, as well as at GrubStreet, one of the leading creative writing centers in the US.

A Pushcart Prize–nominated poet and former co-editor of the online literary arts journal Plum Ruby Review, Crystal is the author of Feast of Sorrow. Her current book, The Chef’s Secret, is a captivating novel of Renaissance Italy detailing the mysterious life of Bartolomeo Scappi, the legendary chef to several popes and author of one of the bestselling cookbooks of all time.

To schedule a book club visit with Stephanie or any of our authors on NovelNetwork:

Stephanie Storey’s debut novel Oil and Marble is a Los Angeles Times bestseller, was named one of Hudson Booksellers’ Best Books of 2016, and was called “extraordinarily entertaining” by The New York Times. She has a degree in Fine Arts from Vanderbilt University and attended a PhD program in Art History—before leaving to get her MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College.

She has studied art in Italy and been on a pilgrimage to see every Michelangelo on display in Europe. She has also been a television producer for over 15 years in Los Angeles for shows like Tavis Smiley on PBS, The Arsenio Hall Show for CBS, and The Writers’ Room for Sundance Channel.

To schedule a book club visit with Stephanie or any of our authors on NovelNetwork:

For Book Clubs

Are you in a book club, seeking fabulous authors who are excited and available to meet with you? Then you will be delighted to know that Crystal King and Stephanie Storey are just two members of our wonderful community of nearly 100 NovelNetwork authors, available to meet with book clubs via video chat, or perhaps even in person if they are local and available.

NovelNetwork is the nation’s first and only match(dot)com for authors and book clubs to find each other, so check it out today. Book clubs join for free and gain access to our database of dozens of authors, from NYT and international bestsellers, to debut authors, cookbook authors, mystery and non-fiction authors, and representing various regions of the United States, and even Alaska and Hawaii, all of whom want to meet with you!

To schedule a visit with Crystal, Stephanie, or any of our authors, join FOR FREE here.

Event Registration

Event is free and open to the public (on a first-come, first-served basis); registration is not necessary. Books will be available for purchase and signing at the event, and pre-sold below. Only books purchased at the event or below will be eligible for signing. Questions about the event may be directed to the Carlsbad City Library at 760-602-2049.