PORT ANGELES — Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, author of The Healer’s War and many other books, will give a free reading at Wine on the Waterfront, upstairs in The Landing mall at 115 E. Railroad Ave., today.
Scarborough is a Vietnam veteran, and in light of the Veterans Day holiday, she will offer selected passages from The Healer’s War, the story of a nurse working in a field hospital during the war in Southeast Asia.
There’s no charge to attend Scarborough’s reading at 7 p.m.
The North Coast Writers, a writing group based in Port Angeles, is hosting the event as part of its monthly series.
The internationally known author, who lives in Port Townsend, will read selections from the 1989 Nebula Award-winning novel based on Scarborough’s own experiences as an Army nurse in Vietnam.
“It’s not really autobiographical,” she said, “but my experiences obviously informed the story.”
For decades after, she resisted writing about that part of her life. Ultimately, she felt an obligation to her fellow veterans, and the Vietnamese people who were her co-workers, to write The Healer’s War.
Tonight, Scarborough also will share passages from some of her more contemporary work, and she will have some of her print books available for purchase and signing.
This is a rare appearance for Scarborough,.
She has penned 23 fantasy and science fiction novels and collaborated with the late Anne McCaffrey on many books, including Catacombs and Catalyst, part of the Barque Cat Series.
Scarborough’s most recent books are 2011’s Spam vs. the Vampire, the collection Nine Tales O’Cats and the novelette Father Christmas.
Her e-books, meanwhile, include The Tour Bus of Doom: Spam and the Zombie Apocalyps-o, just released in October.
“Peninsula readers will find oddly familiar details and locales in these books,” said Mary-Alice Boulter, a member of the North Coast Writers who is coordinating Scarborough’s reading.
The novelist’s e-books are available — along with images of Scarborough’s other art form, beadwork — at www.EAScarborough.com.
To find out more about today’s reading and the North Coast Writers, phone Boulter at 360-457-6410.
Features Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5062, or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
