Author Andrea Thome signing book copies for charity in Naperville

Author Andrea Thome is visiting Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville to sign copies of her newest novel and benefit a charity that helps women achieve their goals.

Thome's appearance is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 5, at the shop at 123 W. Jefferson Ave. in downtown Naperville, a place known and loved for its frequent celebrity-author visits and book-signing events.

Thome is set to sign copies of “House of Belonging,” her latest novel and the third and final in the Hesse Creek series of romances.

The novel, telling a love story involving a chef who is launching a new concept restaurant in scenic Colorado, can be read on its own, but it also follows the lives of characters in the first two Hesse Creek books, “Walland,” and “Seeds of Intention.” “Walland” was recognized with the National Indie Excellence Award in the romance category and also earned bronze status in the popular fiction category of the eLit Book Awards.

Attendance at the event is free. But to join the signing line, readers must buy a copy of “House of Belonging” from Anderson's by calling (630) 355-2665, stopping by in person or visiting https://www.andersonsbookshop.com/event/andrea-thome-0. The novel costs $14.99. All proceeds from book sales tied to the event will be donated to Philanthropic Educational Organization, which helps women celebrate other women through support, such as scholarships, awards, grants and loans.

Thome is a former journalist who met her husband, Baseball Hall of Famer and former Chicago White Sox player Jim Thome, when she interviewed him on opening day in 1995.

She was inspired to relaunch her career as a novelist after the death of her mother, who had been a writer and a poet.

Andrea Thome also has visited Anderson's for a signing of “Walland” in 2016 and hosted an open house at Barbara's Bookstore in Burr Ridge to promote “House of Belonging” earlier this year.