By Megan Alley
Sun staff

The author of the bestselling book “Pioneer Girl,” Pamela Smith Hill, will pay a virtual visit via Skype to the Union Township Branch Library on June 30 for an evening of questions and answers with fans.

“Pioneer Girl” is the annotated autobiography of Laura Ingalls Wilder, the author of “The Little House” book series. Hill wrote “Pioneer Girl” utilizing Wilder’s manuscripts, which were written with pen and paper.

“Pioneer Girl” was first published in December 2014. It has been on The New York Times Best Sellers list for four weeks and is now in its fourth printing, according to a press release from the Clermont County Public Library.

The event, hosted by the CCPL, is the creation of librarians Tracey McCullough and Lisa Breithaup.

“I’m very interested in Laura Ingalls Wilder. I have been my whole life,” said McCullough, library programing manager for CCPL. “I’m especially interested in reading non-fiction books about her life. Hill did exhaustive research for this book, and you really get to learn about Laura the person, as a woman, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a wife and an author.”

McCullough contacted Hill via email, a sort of “cold call” as McCullough put it, and asked the author if she would be willing to do a Skype interview with fans of the book at the library.

“I always ask because you never know what people are going to say,” McCullough said. “I put a feeler out and she said yes.”

The program will run about 45 minutes, including an author introduction and question and answer session. Lemonade and gingerbread will be served, because they were some of Wilder’s favorite snacks, McCullough said.

“We’ll be talking to Hill in real time. She’ll be able to see us, and we’ll be able to see her,” said McCullough. “We’ll talk about the book and the Laura she discovered while writing it.”

Attendees are encouraged to bring questions for Hill.

“I’m going to ask Hill what were the biggest surprises she learned about Laura Wilder,” said McCullough. “Because, knowing all that I knew about Laura, I was still surprised when I read Hill’s book.”

Wilder was 65 when her books were first published. McCullough said that Wilder’s work can teach people to never give up.

“You may think your life is hum-drum, but sharing your stories is important,” said McCullough. “Laura was a strong woman, and she showed us that it’s never too late to write down your stories and share them.”

The interview with Hill is the first in a series of Skype author interviews the library will host.

“I’m always looking for ways to bring authors to the library,” said McCullough.

The event begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Union Township Branch Library, located at 4450 Glen Este-Withamsville Rd. Registration is not necessary. For more information, call the library at 513-528-1744, or visit www.Clermontlibrary.org.