The Sanibel Public Library has closed registration for a chance to win tickets to its season-opening Author Series event with bestselling historical fiction writer Ariel Lawhon, the library announced Friday at 5 p.m. The window had opened just a week earlier, at 9 a.m. on Nov. 6, giving cardholders a narrow chance to land a seat before the Dec. 7 evening talk.
According to the Sanibel Public Library, the lottery ran from 9 a.m. Nov. 6 through 5 p.m. Nov. 13, 2026, and the library confirmed afterward that the window had shut, thanking everyone who entered. The event follows the format the library uses for its full author lineup: an evening talk followed by a champagne reception and book signing. As the Sanibel-Captiva Islander reports, Sanibel Public Library Adult Program Coordinator Duane Shaffer oversees the series and says it has put the island on the map.
Lawhon is just the first of five names on the library's 2026-2027 Author Series roster, which also includes Allison Pataki, Chanel Cleeton, Robert Dugoni and Anna Quindlen. Per the library's own listing, the lineup spans genres from historical fiction to legal thrillers, with the season running December through April, according to the Islander's report.
How the Ticket Lottery Replaced Lawn Chairs and Lines
The system in place today looks nothing like the one used before the Author Series, which has taken place since 2008. Before that, it was known as Sanibel Reads. Per the Islander, tickets were originally handed out on a first-come, first-served basis, with hopeful attendees lining up outside the library and even setting up lawn chairs to improve their odds.
The library has since moved to a computerized random ticket lottery, which Shaffer told the Islander is the best system the series has had. Each lottery opens about a month before the relevant author's appearance, and applicants can request one or two tickets apiece — with an equal chance of winning regardless of when during the window they submit, per the same report. A Sanibel Public Library card is required to enter.
The library's 2025-26 season followed the same model, with the Captiva Sanibel Islander reporting that winners were notified by email and that a current library card was required to enter.
Booking Bestsellers Can Take Years
Landing big-name authors is not a quick process. Shaffer told the Islander that booking a writer through an agency typically takes about a year, though some bookings can come together in as little as nine months. One name took considerably longer: it reportedly took Shaffer three years to book David Baldacci for the series.
Shaffer said he picks authors based on rising-star prospects, popularity and what the Sanibel community likes to read, according to the Islander's report. The payoff, he said, is that attendees sometimes walk away as fans of writers they had never read before the event. Since the series began, the library and the Sanibel Public Library Foundation have brought almost 60 authors to the island, per the Islander. The foundation also funds summer reading programming and new technology such as VR and 3D printing, according to the library's own materials.
What's Next on the 2026-2027 Calendar
Lawhon, a New York Times bestselling historical fiction author, is known for titles including The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress, Flight of Dreams, I Was Anastasia, Code Name Helene, The Frozen River, Pirate Queen, and When We Had Wings, which she co-wrote with Kristina McMorris and Susan Meissner. Her Dec. 7 appearance takes place at the library itself, which can seat 250 chairs in its west wing, according to the Islander.
Robert Dugoni follows on Jan. 12, 2027, with that lottery registration running Dec. 11 through Dec. 18. Dugoni, a New York Times and No. 1 Amazon bestselling author, created the Tracy Crosswhite police series, the Charles Jenkins espionage series and the Keera Duggan legal thriller series. His event, along with those for Anna Quindlen and Allison Pataki, takes place at Sanibel Community House, which can accommodate 350 chairs.
Quindlen, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, journalist and bestselling author whose most recent novel is More Than Enough, appears Feb. 9, 2027, with her lottery window running Jan. 8 through Jan. 15. Pataki, known for The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post and Finding Margaret Fuller, speaks March 9, with registration opening Feb. 9 and closing Feb. 16. Cuban American bestselling author Chanel Cleeton, who wrote the historical novel Next Year in Havana, closes out the season April 5 back at the library, with her lottery running March 5 through March 12.
Each evening follows a similar rhythm, per the Islander's reporting: authors are picked up around 6:15 p.m. from the Island Inn or 'Tween Waters, prepare from 6:30 to 7 p.m., then deliver a 45-minute presentation starting at 7 p.m. A question-and-answer session runs from 7:45 to 8 p.m., followed by the reception and book signing from 8 to 8:45 p.m. on the library's east side. Macintosh Books + Paper serves as the book vendor for the series. More information is available at sanlib.org or by calling 239-472-2483, and the library is located at 770 Dunlop Road on Sanibel.
