Booked for Lunch Hosts Tami Hoag, New York Times Bestselling Author

STUART, Fla. - March 11, 2013 - PRLog -- Each year the anticipation and popularity of the literary event “Booked for Lunch” spreads by word of mouth.  Friends bring friends to enjoy a delightful luncheon and to hear from well-known authors.

Tami Hoag, #1 New York Times bestselling author was this year’s featured speaker.  Hoag has penned 16 consecutive Times bestsellers and has more than 35 million books in print published in more than 23 languages worldwide.

The luncheon on February 25, 2013  marked the tenth anniversary of the event and the first time the newly formed Friends of the Martin County Library System and the Library Foundation of Martin County joined hands as event producers.

Co-chairs Sheila Leach, President of the Friends and Priscilla Baldwin, President of the Library Foundation, combined their efforts with the help of a great committee to welcome Tami Hoag, a south Florida resident, to Stuart for her first speaking appearance.

Priscilla and Tami Hoag met while participating in the competitive Olympic discipline of dressage. Tami lives in Wellington where her horses compete on the prestigious winter circuit. In her introductory comments, Priscilla entertained the audience with humorous comments and observations about Tami she has learned through their friendship.

Halsey Smith, Managing Director of Wilmington Trust, has been sponsoring Booked for Lunch for the past ten years. He commented that Wilmington Trust strives to support the human and intellectual value of family and certainly education, reading and access to information, which the library provides, is a key tool of that.

Tami gave guests an insight into what she is really like when on deadline – which she was at the time. Her next book The 9th Girl is due in stores on June 18. Her most recent book, Down the Darkest Road, takes readers on a widowed mother’s desperate search to solve the mystery of her missing16-year-old daughter disappearance while protecting her younger daughter, living in the same town of the suspected killer.

Funds raised at the event will support the summer reading program of the Library System. In 2012 more than 9,000 residents participated and similar results are expected this summer.

Booked for Lunch committee members were: Priscilla Baldwin, Sheila Leach, Michele Hall, Meg Bradley, Suzanne Horstman, Mary Morett, Art Davie, Jackie Holfelder, Kathy Turrell, Diane Howland and Linda Warne.

The presenting sponsors was Wilmington Trust with supporting sponsor Publix Super Market Charities and media sponsors The Stuart News, WQCS 88.9 fm and Luminaries.

Other sponsors were Meg Bradley, Leo and Delores Clancy, Alice Donohue, Lee Morrison, Prudential Florida Realty - Stuart, Art and Mary Ann Davie, Clayton and Art Timmons, Priscilla Baldwin, Sheila Leach, Linda Warne, Noreen Fisher, Janie Fuller, Pearl Jackson, Mary Johnson, Lorraine Kenny, Helen Saltzman and Ruth Simon.