The Literary Guild of Orange County
Presents
Our Fall Literary Salon
Join us for a lively discussion with three celebrated authors, each one with a wonderful new novel.
Wednesday,
September 16, 2026
5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Mission Viejo Country Club,
Mission Viejo, CA
Our Fall Featured Authors
NAOMI HIRAHARA
RACHEL HOWZELL-HALL
MARY STJOHN-PUTNAM
Mary StJohn-Putnam loves tackling challenging topics—from black holes to human trafficking—with stories than enlighten and entertain. Her nonfiction has appeared in a variety of publications, including Newsweek and Redbook. She met Mary Frances Mau in 2009 and began a crazy (and fun) ghostwriting journey that eventually resulted in the memoir Tricked: My Life as a Child Sex-Trafficking Survivor, which one reviewer said:
“. . . should be required reading for all middle-schoolers and older. . . . [it] will break your heart, make you laugh, and give you hope.” Since retiring earlier this year from a long career in tech, she's happy to be writing, traveling, spending time with their three grandkids, and dabbling in stand-up comedy. She and her husband, award-winning crime-fighter and crime-writer, David Putnam, live in Temecula with their three rescued dogs.
Naomi Hirahara is an Edgar Award–winning author of multiple traditional mystery series and noir short stories. Her Mas Arai mysteries, which have been published in Japanese, Korean, and French, feature a Los Angeles gardener and Hiroshima survivor who solves crimes. Her first historical mystery, Clark and Division, which won a Mary Higgins Clark Award, follows a Japanese American family’s move to Chicago in 1944 after being released from a California wartime detention center. A former journalist with The Rafu Shimpo newspaper, Naomi has also written numerous nonfiction history books and has curated exhibitions. She has also written a middle-grade novel, 1001 Cranes. Evergreen, her follow-up to Clark and Division, was released in August 2023 and was on the USA Today bestseller list for two weeks. Her latest book, Crown City, was published in February 2026.
Rachel Howzell Hall is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of 17 novels, including the thrillers Mist and Malice and Fog and Fury, and the romantasy, The Cruel Dawn, as well as the Good Morning America Book Club selection, The Last One. She is a two-time finalist of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and has been nominated for a number of mystery awards, including the Anthony, Strand, International Thriller Award, Lefty, Barry, and Shamus. She’s also received acclaim for her Detective Elouise Norton series, and for shorter works published in distinguished magazines. Rachel is a former member of the board of directors for Mystery Writers of America and was a featured writer on NPR’s acclaimed Crime in the City series. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and daughter.
The Details
WHEN
Wednesday,
September 16, 2026
5:30 to 9:00 p.m.
DINNER
Your choice of:
VEGETARIAN
Mediterranean Anti-Pasta Plate of Grilled Vegetables, Feta, Artichoke, Cured Olives, Hummus, and Warm Pita
POULTRY
Herb-Marinated Breast of Chicken, Artichoke Gnocchi, and Tomato-Caper Relish
SEAFOOD
Roasted Salmon Filet, Crushed Yukon Potato-Caper Salad
WHERE
Mission Viejo Country Club
26200 Country Club Dr.
Mission Viejo, CA 92691
BOOKSTORE
Please support our local independent bookstore!
Call or email to order your books from Mystery Ink
Phone: (714) 960-4000
Email: mysteryink@hotmail.com
SCHOLARSHIP
As part of our mission to connect various generations of readers and new writers, we are proudly presenting a $1,000 scholarship to a student who has been selected by a committee of the LGOC and by her professors, from one of Orange County’s local community college writing programs.
For information on applying for our scholarship, please click on the link below.
Getting There
Registration
ONLINE
Registration Opens 8/01/26
Contact
For more information about LGOC, please contact:
LINDA MILLER
phone: 714.319.3223