Tickets still available to see best-selling author Jamie Ford in Beaver County

CENTER TWP. − Best-selling author Jamie Ford looks forward to his first Beaver County and western Pennsylvania visit.

"I've never been to Pittsburgh. I've visited Philadelphia, Reading, Penn State, so I'm super happy I get to go there. It's been on my list a long time," he said.

Pittsburgh area readers often have reached out to Ford, hoping to see the Montana-dwelling, Pacific Northwest native make one of his popular in-person appearances.

"But then when I'll run it by my publicist, I'll get booked in St. Louis, or wherever, for some reason," Ford said.

Clearly, the Beaver County Library System found the right approach to entice an appearance here by Ford, author of the acclaimed "Hotel on The Corner of Bitter and Sweet."

Ford will be featured speaker June 23 at a 6 p.m. event at the Community College of Beaver County Library & Learning Resources Center. The event is free but space is limited, and registration is required at eventbrite.com. A pre-reception with World War II era jazz and complimentary tea bar begins at 4:30 that afternoon at the library on CCBC's Center Township campus. Full details are at beaverlibraries.org

"I do a lot of events like this, from tiny libraries in Montana, where I live, in towns with 700 people, to big gala fundraisers where I'm just one of a gallery of authors including quasi-author celebrities," Ford said.

By quasi-authors he means pop-culture celebrities who got famous for being, well, famous, then writing a book about it. Ford recognizes their merits.

"They're good to attach to a fundraiser," Ford said.

Though he shot to the top of the New York Times Best-Sellers list the bona fide way, as a professional author whose "Hotel on The Corner of Bitter and Sweet" tugged readers' heartstrings and impressed historians, as a World War II Seattle love story between a Chinese-American boy and a Japanese-American girl in jeopardy of being sent away to an interment camp.

Ford's debut novel was chosen as a Borders Original Voices Selection, a Barnes & Noble Book Club Selection, Target Bookmarked Club and No. 1 Book Club Pick for Fall 2009/Winter 2010 by the American Booksellers Association, and translated into 35 languages.

Ford's second novel, "Songs of Willow Frost"(2013) and the subsequent "Love and Other Consolation Prizes" (2017) extended his fan base, and made him sought-after at speaking engagements like the CCBC one.

"For my appearances, I tend to think of them as 50 percent entertainment, 40 percent educational and 10 percent of me just reading," Ford said.

Fans of his books, inevitably bring out some "juicy stuff" with deep-dive questions, Ford said.

In a phone interview with The Times, Ford couldn't offer any updates on long-delayed plans for a film adaptation of "Hotel on The Corner of Bitter and Sweet."

"The global pandemic put a hold on that for a while," Ford said. "I'm really not sure what the latest is."

Authorizing the movie rights to a book you've written, "feels kind of like selling your child to the circus," Ford joked, "but I wish them well."

The pandemic-prolonged delay might work in the favor of any eventual film version, Ford said.

"In the six or seven years since I optioned it, there's been an explosion of Asian-American acting talent in the U.S.," Ford, whose father is of Chinese ancestry, said. "Streaming shows have had hits with actors that no one in the U.S. had heard of before. There have been many opportunities for Korean actors who were unfamiliar to U.S. audiences. As a result of the pandemic shutting down productions, Hollywood ran out of content, so they began trying shows like 'Squid Game' that trained people to use subtitles.

"And we're at a golden age of story," Ford said. "There's a lot of cross-pollination of cultures. People are interested in experiencing other cultures."

Though it concerns Ford that some of the racism addressed in "Hotel on The Corner of Bitter and Sweet" has regained traction. In the initial years after the book's 2009 release, readers would ask Ford if he thought our society ever again would see widespread racism on that level.

"I said no, no, never. We've moved beyond that in our society," Ford said. "But since then, the pendulum has swung back. Now we have politicians using demagoguery to gain power. The tune has changed. There are politicians who would throw a whole community under the bus to get elected. It's very disheartening."

Though a self-described optimist who staunchly believes better days lie ahead, Ford said, "we're in the middle of something now that looks bleak."

Amid a rising tide of censorship, Ford also said "I feel libraries are under attack, which makes me eager to help, especially in underserved communities."

Ford's visit is timely, said Courtney Colaizzi, project coordinator and social media manager for the Beaver County Library System, sponsors of the event.

"With a subject that, for many, hits close to home, we are excited and humbled to have such an acclaimed author join us to revitalize our One Book Beaver County community read," Colaizzi said. "Hosting Jamie Ford is a pivotal moment for Beaver County, not just our libraries."

The One Book Beaver County Reading Program is a county-wide initiative by the local library system, encouraging all residents to read and discuss the same book.

Ford set his first three novels in Seattle, one of his childhood hometowns, which has changed much, and not necessarily for the better.

"The place I grew up has become very gentrified. A lot of people can't afford to live there now. It's a different place," Ford said.

For his upcoming book, "I kicked the training wheels off, for a historical-speculative fiction book set in Baltimore, China and San Francisco," Ford said.

That novel, "The Many Daughters of Afong Moy," arrives in August, with a more complex storyline involving six key characters, set in modern time but traveling through the generations as far back as 1834 China.

"It was really a challenge," said Ford, who drew inspiration from speculative fiction heroes like Harlan Ellison whose works made Ford want to become a writer.

Any writer will tell you that traveling is essential to their craft, so Ford embraces the opportunity to visit Beaver County.

Ford's CCBC talk and Q&A begin at 6 p.m. in the Resources Center, following a 5:30 p.m. presentation by Heinz History Center curator Leslie Przybylek on the first Chinese immigrants in Beaver Falls, and the county's association with World War II.

"Travel is always enlightening. Every corner of the country has its own, unique feel, and unique local norms," Ford said. "I do like traveling to smaller communities, where there's always a rich history that's less understood. It's like collecting true snapshots of the fabric of the society. I find that super fascinating."

Getting to meet and mingle with fellow book lovers who appreciate his novels always enhances the experience.

"I describe it as getting to blow my birthday candles out over and over," Ford said. "Writing is the hard part, and editing is the hard part. This is just icing on the cake. And I'm happy to talk to anybody about books. And not even just my books. Any books. I'm in a book club."

More:Baden Memorial Library to resume in-person bilingual story time for kids

More:Laughlin Memorial Library selected as state grant recipient, improvements planned for building

Scott Tady is the entertainment editor at The Times and easy to reach at stady@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Tickets still available to see best-selling author Jamie Ford at CCBC