FAIRHOPE, Ala. — Award-wining author Kathryn Erskine will be at Page & Palette on Aug. 14, from noon to 2 p.m. to sign her latest book, “Mockingbird.”

Tackling family issues, Asperger syndrome and death, Erskine masterfully deals with a timely subject and poignant message — offering a wonderful way to help children and their families cope with the ever changing and often perilous world we live in.

Heartfelt and inspirational, “Mockingbird” is a rare gem for young readers and parents alike.

In the tradition of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime,” “Mockingbird” is the story of Caitlin, a 10-year-old Asperger child who is grieving the loss of her compassionate older brother, Devon, the recent victim of a school shooting.

However, Erskine’s tale is not about the shooting; it is rather about a girl who is looking for answers and ultimately, closure. Through remembering Devon’s ways and with the help of her school counselor, Caitlin realizes the importance of connecting with others to develop relationships even though it’s difficult.

In a wonderfully warm and admirable way, Caitlin discovers how to go on loving her brother and life despite her sadness.

Erskine has opened the doors to a deep and thought-provoking side to children’s literature. “Mockingbird” is one that is here to stay and something readers of all ages will keep in their hearts forever.

Erskine is the recipient of numerous awards for her debut novel, “Quaking,” including: Virginia Readers’ Choice Master List; ALA “Top 10” Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers, 2008; VOYA Top Shelf Fiction for Middle School Readers, 2007; and ALA Best Books for Young Adults Nominee, 2008.

As a resident of Virginia, Erskine was devastated by the 2007 shootings at Virginia Tech. In the aftermath of this tragedy, she was driven to understand how community and family — particularly families with special-needs children — dealt with this violent event, and how our lives might be different if we understood each other better.

Then, local author Jeannie Holmes will drop by from 2 to 4 p.m. to sign her latest book, “Blood Law.” In this page-turning debut thriller, Holmes takes readers into the sultry world of vampires and death, prejudice and betrayal, in an all-too-familiar small-town setting.

A provocative and savvy vampire, Alexandra Sabian moves to the sleepy hamlet of Jefferson, Miss. (Population 6,000, half vampires) to escape the demons lurking in her past. As an enforcer for the Federal Bureau of Preternatural Investigations (FBPI), Alex must maintain the uneasy peace between her kind and humans, including Jefferson’s bigoted sheriff, who’d be happy to see all vampires banished from town.

Then really dead vamps start turning up — beheaded, crucified, and defanged, the same gruesome manner in which Alex’s father was murdered decades ago. For Alex, the professional has become way too personal.

Things get even more complicated when the FBPI sends in some unnervingly sexy backup: Alex’s onetime mentor, lover and fiancé, Varik Baudelaire. Still stinging from the betrayal that ended their short-lived engagement, Alex is determined not to give in to the temptation that soon threatens to short-circuit her investigation.

But as the vamp body count grows and the public panic level rises, Varik may be Alex’s only hope to stop a relentless killer who’s got his own score to settle and his own bloody past to put right.

“Jeannie Holmes has reinvented the vampire protagonist with style and a galloping plot. Alexandra Sabian is smart, forceful and tormented by a past that someone has tapped into to murder vampires in small town Jefferson, Mississippi. ‘Blood Law’ is a rollercoaster ride, and Holmes combines an original take on the urban fantasy with a fast pace and classic suspense to deliver a series that readers will devour,” said Carolyn Haines, 2010 Harper Lee Award winner and the author of the popular Sarah Booth Delaney mystery series and editor of “Delta Blues.”

Holmes is a native of southwest Mississippi. Before receiving her bachelor of arts degree in English from the University of South Alabama, she worked in a variety of interesting fields, including medical records, independent auction houses and owned a small handcrafted jewelry business.

In addition to working on the sequel to “Blood Law,” she received her master of arts degree in English in December 2008 and lives in Mobile with her husband and four neurotic cats.

For more information, call (251) 928-5295.