Three authors with more than 50 published books between them sit down for a candid discussion of the publishing industry on Wednesday, April 13, 2011, at 7 p.m. at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.

Authors Nancy Pickard, Sally Goldenbaum, and Michelle Black explain what it is really like to write novels, find agents, work with editors, get published, and survive in publishing. The event is titled The Mysterious, Hilarious, Rewarding, Wonderful World of Writing.

Pickard’s The Scent of Rain and Lightning was a best-seller and was named one of the top novels of 2010 by Barnes & Noble, The Kansas City Star and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. She is the author of 17 other novels, many short stories, and a non-fiction book for writers.

Goldenbaum is the author of more than 30 novels, including the Seaside Knitters mystery series. The fifth book in the series, The Wedding Shawl, will be published in May.

Black is the author of six novels of historical suspense, including the best-selling An Uncommon Enemy. Her latest novel, Séance in Sepia, will be published in October. Black has owned her own bookstore in Colorado and blogs at www.thevictorianwest.com.

Admission is free. RSVP online or call 816.701.3407.

The event is co-sponsored by I Love a Mystery Book Store.