Discover your next thrilling YA read when New York Times bestselling author Natalie D. Richards shares her new book in conversation with Michigan author Kate Pearsall!

This event is free to attend. However it helps us in planning to receive your RSVP.

About the Book

From the New York Times bestselling author of Five Total Strangers and Seven Dirty Secrets, a tense new thriller!

Four days alone in the desert. Except they're not as alone as they think.

A year ago, Katie and her cousin Aster survived a night that left their world and easy friendship fractured. Desperate to heal and leave the past behind them, they tackle four days of hiking in the Utah backcountry. But the desert they've loved for years has tricks up its sleeve.

An illness, an injury, and a freak storm leave them short on confidence and supplies. When they come across a young couple with extra supplies on the trail, they're grateful and relieved—at first. Riley exudes friendliness, but everything about her boyfriend Finn spells trouble. That night, after some chilling admissions about Finn from Riley, Katie and Aster wake to hear the couple fighting. Helpless and trapped in the darkness, they witness Riley's desperate race into the night, with Finn chasing after.

In the morning, they find the couple's camp, but Riley and Finn? Vanished. Katie is sure Riley is in trouble. And with help a two-day hike away, they know they are the only ones who can save her before something terrible happens. The clock is ticking and their supplies are dwindling, but Katie and Aster know they have to find Riley before Finn—or the desert—gets to her first.

Not able to join us? Order your copy here:

https://www.schulerbooks.com/b...

About the Author:

New York Times Bestselling Author Natalie D. Richards is the author of “page-turning thrillers'' (School Library Journal), including Five Total Strangers (2020) and Seven Dirty Secrets (2021). 49 MILES ALONE (2024) is her tenth bone-chilling novel, which Kirkus called “a gripping story.” Her first middle-grade novel is called 15 Secrets to Survival and has been hailed as, “a teamwork oriented update to Hatchet.” A champion of literacy and aspiring authors, Richards is a frequent speaker at schools, libraries, and writing groups. She lives in Ohio with her three children and (very) large dog, Wookiee.

About the Conversationalist:

Kate Pearsall developed a love for storytelling at a young age, often spinning tales of magical worlds and exciting adventures with her sisters. When she’s not writing, she can be found willfully indulging her curiosity by disappearing into museums, exploring new places, and becoming deeply submerged into obscure topics that inevitably make their way into future work.