Last week when I got an e-mail from C.M. Harris, a former Loft classmate, about an upcoming Raking through Books event I let out a squeal of delight. Turns out she’s celebrating the launch of her debut novel, The Children of Mother Glory. This makes her the second Loft classmate to release a book (which bumps poor Steve Brezenoff to number three). How awesome is that?

I haven’t read Michele’s book yet, but if it’s anything like the work of hers I’ve read in the past, I’m sure it’s wonderful. You can find out yourself by going to Raking through Books tonight (January 12) from 5:30 ? 7 p.m. at Kieran's Irish Pub, 330 2nd Av. S., Mpls. She’ll also be reading at 5 p.m. January 30 at True Colors Bookstore, 4755 Chicago Ave. So, Minneapolis, MN 55407.

What book(s) are you currently reading?
Just finished Leif Enger's Peace Like a River. The writing is superb.

Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?
Wow, I guess not. Plenty I wanted to emulate though.

If your favorite author came to Minnesota, who would it be and what bar would you take him/her to?
If Willa Cather were alive, I would take her to Barbette.

What was your first favorite book?
Flannery O'Connor's Complete Stories. I had no idea that anyone could write like that. It opened up a world of possibility.

Let’s say Fahrenheit 451 comes to life, which book would you become in order to save it from annihilation?
Hmm. It's a toss up between Joseph Campbell's The Power of Myth and Camille Paglia's Sexual Personae. Both seem necessary. Aak, can't decide!

What is one book you haven’t read but want to read before you die?
I keep trying to read One Hundred Years of Solitude but every time I put it down, I lose track of all those characters.