Author events, Jan. 8-14

Karen White, "The Guests on South Battery." 11:30 a.m. Jan. 9. Talk, luncheon, signing. $50, includes lunch and book. The Mill Kitchen and Bar, 590 Mimosa Blvd., Roswell. 770-993-1555, bookmiser.net. Also appearing: 6:30 p.m. Jan. 10. Talk, signing. Free. FoxTale Book Shoppe, 105 E. Main St., Woodstock. 770-516-9989, foxtalebookshoppe.com/events. 4:30 p.m. Jan. 11. Sip 'n' Sign. Free. Book Exchange, 2932 Canton Road, Marietta. 770-427-4848, bookexchangemarietta.com. 7 p.m. Jan. 11. Signing. Free. Barnes & Noble, 7660 Northpoint Parkway, Alpharetta. 770-993-8340, store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/store/1955. In White's newest Tradd Street mystery, strange things begin to happen when a young Realtor lands a client eager to sell a grand old historic home in Charleston, S.C.

Pearl A. McHaney, Connecting Lines: Building Empathy Through Literature. 7:15 p.m. Jan. 11. Lecture, reading. Free. Decatur Library Auditorium, 215 Sycamore St., Decatur. 404-370-3070, Ext. 2285; georgiacenterforthebook.org/Events/show.php?id=924. McHaney, a professor of Southern literature at Georgia State University, will focus on how authors and their characters see other worlds, recognize and work with differences, make decisions, and learn empathy. Texts presented will include young adult, adult and crossover novels, and the lectures will be suitable for a general audience, including young people, parents and teachers.

Third annual Poetry Reading Invitational. 8 p.m. Jan. 12. $5. Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, 980 Briarcliff Road N.E., Atlanta. 404-872-5338, Ext. 228; callanwolde.org/event/3rd-annual-poetry-reading-invitational. Local poets will read poems by famous poets of the 19th and 20th centuries.