Traveling Pants author to sign at Sharon Library event Aug. 6

SHARON — Ann Brashares had never been to Kent, didn’t really even know where it was, when a scene was filmed there a few years ago for the movie version of her book series, “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.�

But now the internationally renowned author knows Kent well; it is, of course, the town beside Sharon, where she now shares a home with her three children and her husband, the painter Jacob Collins.

Their main home remains New York City, where Collins paints and teaches at his Water Street Atelier. But the family is in the Northwest Corner most weekends and for part of the summer.

Fans of her popular teen book series might be able to catch a glimpse of Brashares at Mudge Pond. Better yet, they can come to the annual Hotchkiss Library of Sharon Summer Book Signing on Friday, Aug. 6, from 6 to 8 p.m.

At the annual fundraiser, writers generally choose one title from their work to sign. This year, Brashares said, she plans to bring her latest novel, called “My Name Is Memory.�

Unlike the books in the Traveling Pants series, this latest work is geared toward adult readers.

Fans of Brashares’ work will be glad to know that she has once again tackled the themes she writes about so well: love and relationships, including those between friends and family.

Brashares described this work as more “fantastical� and more of an adventure story than other books she’s written. Its hero is Daniel Grey, who is reincarnated many times over thousands of years and remembers all his lives and the people he has known and loved — especially one woman, whom he encounters again and again and falls more deeply in love with over time. Eventually she also remembers him and realizes their destinies are intertwined — at which point they have to defeat together a third reincarnated soul, who is determined to keep them apart.

“It’s a romantic story, especially in the sense that the first memory he has is of this girl,� Brashares said. “They first meet in terrifying circumstances. And she is the first thing that comes back to him in every new life; he remembers her and then the other memories return to him.�

In some ways the hidden romance here is that this book arises from a shared passion of Brashares and Collins. He works in a classical style, one that takes a step back through time.

“My husband loves the 18th and 19th centuries,� Brashares said. “There’s a part of him that’s very connected to the past, and it’s something that connects us. We love history, we love to talk about the social cycles and social and cultural history.

“Certainly there is some of that in this book and it’s very important to my husband’s way of thinking. It’s looking for a way to recreate some of the institutions that have been lost.�

Although she will be selling and signing copies of “My Name Is Memory,� Brashares said she will be happy to sign copies of her other books, including those in the Traveling Pants series. And if any teens bring along their own special jeans, well, she’ll be willing to sign those, too.

Admission to the book signing on Aug. 6 is $25, payable in advance or at the door (Visa and MasterCard accepted), and includes a wine bar and hors d’oeuvres. All proceeds from the event benefit the library.