ORANGE BEACH, Ala. —The 2013 Orange Beach Festival of Art announces Ace Atkins as the featured author at the upcoming Festival.

Atkins has strong ties to crime fiction author, Robert B. Parker, whose untimely death in 2010 left his fans wanting to read more of his character, Spenser.

The estate of Parker hand-picked Atkins to carry on the Parker/Spenser private eye series. Atkins' first novel following Parker, "Robert Parker's Lullaby," debuted on the New York Times hard cover Best Seller’s List. Atkins was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for his novel, "White Shadow," followed by "Infamous," "Devil's Garden," "Evil's Garden," "Wicked City," "Ranger" and "The Lost Ones."

This former Auburn University football star -- and now crime mystery writer -- will speak at the 2013 Orange Beach Festival of Art on the campus of the Coastal Art Center of Orange Beach on Saturday, March 9 at 10 a.m. and Sunday, March 10 at 1 p.m. Books-A-Million will be the vendor available to handle autographed book sales.

Public parking at The Wharf with shuttle service will be available, provided by the Baldwin Rural Area Transportation Service (BRATS) for $2. For more information visit the website www.obfoa.com.