First-time novelist Renee Dodd will appear at the Fayette County Public Library on Friday, Oct. 6, at 1 p.m., to talk about her new book, “A Cabinet of Wonders.” Granddaughter of legendary football coach Bobby Dodd, Dodd is a Georgia native and resident of Milledgeville, where she teaches at Georgia College & State University.

Set in the pre-Depression landscape of 1920s America, “A Cabinet of Wonders” tells the story of a traveling carnival freak show. Dodd’s storytelling leads the reader behind the curtain, inviting us to explore the complex human realities of the freak-show family known as Dugan’s Cabinet of Wonders. Among the unique characters Dodd brings to life are a genius dwarf, a widowed wolf-girl, a seductive hermaphrodite and a tattooed preacher’s son, to name a few. The novel has earned praise from “Kirkus Reviews,” which says, “Dodd makes this strange world come alive...It’s impossible not to be charmed by this vividly drawn crew.”

Renee Dodd’s appearance kicks off the Fayette County Public Library’s fall author series. These events give members of the public an opportunity to meet and interact with authors and purchase books for signing. Supported by the Friends of the Fayette County Public Library, author visits at the Fayette County Public Library are free of charge and open to the public. Books will be available for sale at the event, and proceeds from sales will benefit the Friends. Refreshments will be served. The Fayette County Public Library is located at 1821 Heritage Park Way in Fayetteville, behind the county administrative complex at the corner of highways 85 and 54. For more information, please contact the library at 770-461-8841.