Page and Palette has partnered with the Federated Women’s Club of the Eastern Shore to present Emmy Award-winner and former Ryan’s Hope star, Louise Shaffer.

Shaffer will be reviewing and signing her latest novel, Family Acts, Thursday, Sept. 13, at 1 p.m., at Dahlgren Hall on the Faulkner State Community College campus in Fairhope.

The event is open to the public at no charge.

Those unable to attend the daytime event will have a second opportunity to meet Shaffer that same evening at Page & Palette Bookstore from 6-8 p.m.

Attendees are also invited to join the bookstore for a classic game of bingo before the reading. The game will start at 6, with lots of prizes, including books, gift certificates and much more.

Wine and hors d’oeuvres will also be served with Shaffer’s presentation beginning promptly at 6:30.

Shaffer, the author of The Three Miss Margarets and The Ladies of Garrison Gardens, returns to her theatrical roots with Family Acts, the story of a regional playhouse and a legendary family struggling to survive in late 19th and 20th century America.

In Shaffer’s latest novel, life takes an unpredictable turn for two strangers, Katie Harder and Randa Jennings, when they jointly inherit the century-old Venable Opera House, a stately but rundown theatre located in small-town Georgia.

Puzzled as to why they are the beneficiaries of such an opulent estate, Katie and Randa are at first eager to unload their white elephant as quickly as possible.

But as they spend more time in the old theater, they come to realize that a rich heritage is at stake. A line of strong Venable women — starting back with Juliet Venable in the late 19th century — has been responsible for keeping the grand old place up and running.

In the face of huge obstacles, these singular women have gone to drastic measures to keep the opera house in the family — including burying a devastating family secret which could destroy the Venable legend forever.

Now, as a local contractor seeks to tear down the landmark, Katie and Randa must decide not only if they want to unravel their mysterious connection to the theater and maintain its tradition — but if they have what it takes to keep the Venable family legacy alive.

Shaffer is well known for her role as Rae Woodard on the soap opera “Ryan’s Hope,” and won an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1983. After her departure from the show in 1984, she began writing scripts for soaps and has written for “Ryan’s Hope,” “Loving,” “As the World Turns” and “General Hospital.”

She lives in the lower Hudson Valley with her husband of 28 years, her eight cats and two rescue dogs.

For more information, call Page & Palette at 928-5295, or visit online at www.pageandpalette.com.

Page & Palette is located at 32 S. Section St. in Fairhope.