FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: KAREN SCHOLZ, (239) 461-2914, kscholz@leegov.com


Best-Selling Author Elaine Viets to Attend the Lee County Reading Festival

FORT MYERS, Fla., February 25, 2004 - Best-selling author Elaine Viets is scheduled to attend the Lee County Reading Festival on Saturday, March 13, 2004 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Elaine Viets is the author of the critically acclaimed Francesca Vierling mysteries. A multi-nominee for Malice Domestic's 2003 Agatha Awards, her novel "Shop Till You Drop," has been nominated for Best Mystery Novel published in 2003. Two of her short stories, "Red Meat" from the book "Blood on Their Hands" and "Sex and Bingo" from "High Stakes" have been nominated for Best Short Story of the Year.

The fifth annual Lee County Reading Festival is a unique celebration of reading and the only event of its kind in Southwest Florida. An estimated 20,000 people attended this free, one-day event last year. The Festival takes place in Centennial Park, along the
Caloosahatchee River in downtown Fort Myers, Florida. International best-selling authors appear in panel discussions and presentations, and sign books for fans, alongside popular local authors and writers from around the state. Viet's Reading Festival presentation is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. in Harborside Event Center Room B.

Other highlights of the Reading Festival include adult programming seminars on popular interest topics, teen writing contest results, storytelling, a storybook character parade, crafts, puppet shows, street theater performances, and music for all ages. Community organizations and a variety of vendors will be on site. Every child attending the Reading Festival will receive a free book and every teen will receive a free magazine!

A special opportunity to meet the festival authors in a more private setting is scheduled for Friday, March 12, the night prior to the event. An Evening With the Authors is a paid ticketed gala to support the Reading Festival. It gives devotees time to speak with their favorite authors in an up close and personal manner. Tickets are limited. Call 461-2918 for more information.

For more information on the Lee County Reading Festival, a free event presented by the Lee County Library System in partnership with The News-Press, WINK-TV, and the Foundation for Lee County Library System, please call (239) 479-4636 or visit the Web site www.www3.leegov.com/library/ReadingFestival2004.htm.

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