Gwinnett County Public Library Adult Programs

Join award-winning author Kimberly Belle as she discusses her newest thriller, The Expat Affair, about an American expat's startling discovery that plunges her into the glamorous but deadly world of Amsterdam's diamond industry.

Following a nasty divorce, Rayna Dumont came to Amsterdam for a fresh start. She’s never been the type for a one-night stand, but this move is all about adventure, and Xander is handsome and successful and more than willing to go along for the ride. Until the morning after, when Rayna finds him dead on the shower floor and millions of dollars’ worth of diamonds missing from his safe.

From her lavish home in the heart of the city, Willow Prins is captivated by the news. Her husband is Xander’s former boss and heir to a diamond house, and the scandal strains their already-rocky marriage. As the house comes under scrutiny, Willow wonders if her life is about to implode—and how much of the blame she can place on Rayna. Soon, Willow and Rayna are dragged into the dark and dangerous underbelly of the diamond market, where they’ll have to uncover the truth to survive. Who killed Xander? Where are the missing diamonds? And who can you trust in a strange and unfamiliar city thousands of miles from home?

Books will be available for sale and signing.

Celebrate Menopause Awareness Month and enjoy a screening of "The [M] Factor," the first documentary film on the health crisis faced by millions of women going through menopause.

Menopause remains one of the last taboos in our permissive, talk-about-everything pop culture. Even though every woman will go through some form of this chemical “reordering,” menopause is still regarded as a condition or a disease. Most people understand it as just another “normal” phase in a woman’s life, a phase that is essentially dismissed as a mere bookend in a women’s evolution from puberty through the end of her reproductive years.

The [M] Factor: Shredding the Silence on Menopause, a feature-length documentary film, centers on the lived experiences of women across the U.S. Cameras follow women into their doctors’ offices, at work, and in their homes to expose the challenges they face—including racial biases, gender-ignorant care, inequitable structures and systems, and barriers due to the lack of basic healthcare research. The women featured here open up about their experiences and share their stories of enduring debilitating symptoms while being ignored, ridiculed and/or shamed—and left untreated.

The [M] Factor gives women, their physicians, and their advocates a voice and a chance to be seen, heard, and respected.

Learn how your experiences and life lessons can entertain and inspire others in this three-part writing workshop.

• Have you always wanted to write the stories of your life, but never had any idea how to get started?

• Are your children or grandchildren bugging you to write your stories?

• Have you started writing those stories, but don't know how to organize them?

• Do you feel nobody cares about your stories?

If you can answer Yes to any of these questions, the upcoming three-session memoirs class will help you gain confidence as you begin to write the stories of your life. When people write the stories of their lives, they learn to value their lives and to appreciate the lessons they've learned through all the stories they've lived. Someday, the people who come after you may use your stories as a survival guide. Your stories will make a difference in the world.

When you write your stories, you will delve deeper into the reasons you're alive, the differences you've made in the lives of others, and the ways you've been impacted by the conscious or unconscious actions of others.

These three sessions feature interactive writing exercises and a host of examples about how you can craft your stories to reflect who you really are.

• Participants are encouraged to attend all three sessions: October 9, October 16, and October 23.