LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Sonoma County writer and teacher Jean Hegland delighted her audience this past Saturday, Oct. 1, at Mountain High Coffee and Books in Cobb.

Her visit, sponsored by local book group, “The Bad Girls Book Club,” brought answers to many questions about the creation and characters found in her highly acclaimed novel, “Into the Forest.”

Translated into 12 languages, “Into the Forest,” is an eerily realistic apocalyptic tale set in Northern California.

According to Publishers Weekly, “From the first page, the sense of crisis and the lucid, honest voice of the … narrator pull the reader in. A truly admirable addition to a genre defined by the very high standards of George Orwell’s 1984.”

Guests expressed great concern about the book’s conclusion and their hopes for the future of the story’s main characters and not-so-futuristic society.

Hegland, a writing instructor at Santa Rosa Junior College as well as an accomplished author, shared her enthusiasm for The Big Read and book groups in general.

“That’s what the Big Read is all about, groups reading books in common. Everyone intersects with a book differently … it’s exciting to get the conversation going,” Hegland said.

The Lake County Big Read is a National Endowment for the Arts program, co-sponsored by Arts Midwest and the Lake County Office of Education.

Grantees work with the community to create diverse, interesting and creative connections to literature through community partnerships.

For more information about Jean Hegland, visit her Web site, www.JeanHegland.com.

For more information about the Lake County Big Read, and future events, visit This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or www.NEAbigread.com (communities) or like them on Facebook.