The Selma and Dallas County Public Library wrapped up its Lunch at the Library series this week with guest author Patti Callahan Henry, author of “The Bookshop at Water’s End.”

Becky Nichols, library director, said Lunch at the Library is all about getting the community together.

“It’s just a wonderful time for us all to gather for a meal and fellowship,” Nichols said. “This is our last event of the school year. We’ll be taking a summertime break, where our children will be taking front stage, and then in the fall we’ll kick back up.”

Henry, a New York Times best-selling author, said she enjoys libraries and having the opportunity to speak at them.

“Libraries are my heart. I try to support libraries when and if I can. I made a vow long ago when I was first published that I would never say no to libraries, unless I just absolutely couldn’t go,” Henry said.

“I believe that independent book stores and libraries are the cornerstones of our communities. My book is about a book shop in a small town. I believe that if we ever lose our little book stores or our libraries, we lost an incredible sense of community.”

Henry spoke about her book and her journey as a writer.

“I love talking about my books, of course, because they are living things to me. But mostly, I like to talk about what the books mean to them, which is why I love talking to library groups or reader groups, because they care about story also. They want to talk about what the story might mean to them,” Henry said.

“I love talking about the inspiration behind my stories, and why I thought this story was worth telling because every book I write takes time.”

Her book, “The Bookshop at Water’s End,” asks the question, who are they, if they take away the definitions of themselves.

“It’s about a woman ER physician [Bonny], who makes a mistake in the ER, and might not be able to be an ER physician anymore. You spend most of the book trying to discover what happened,” Henry said.

“It’s also about her daughter Piper, … and her best friend Lainey. It’s told from three women’s points of view. It’s about a summer where they discover who they are, if you take away the definitions of themselves.”

Henry got her drive to write by being an avid reader growing up.

“I’ve always been a reader and I really believe in the power of story to change our lives and help us navigate our lives. One of the things that keeps me going, … is this idea of what happens next,” Henry said.

“It’s a hopeful act to tell stories, to write stories to talk about stories. What inspired me, was that I was such an avid reader and I believed in the power of stories.”