Ivy Pochoda, a new novelist with Ann Arbor connections (Dad is the is the director of the University of Michigan Press), will be in town for an appearance at Nicola's Books on Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. Pochoda's debut novel, "The Art Of Disappearing," which has been compared favorably to "The Time Traveler's Wife," is an engaging story that traces the relationship of a real magician (he uses actual magic, not illusion) and a traveling textile designer. Marilyn Dahl of Shelf Awareness calls it "...a lyrical novel that will enchant you with a love story and with poetic, evocative prose."

Pochoda recently wrote a hilarious piece over at The Huffington Post about the launch of her new book, and the coincidence of having it released on the same date as the new Dan Brown blockbuster:

"Internet conspiracies have been swirling about our mutual publication date, hinting its significance will be revealed in The Lost Symbol. Whatever this may be, for me it represents the only day that Dan Brown and I will be collaborators. On September 16th, 2009, we will go our separate ways.

In terms of publicity, we are going to divvy up the terrain. Mr. Brown is an old hand with the high-end media outlets. He'll handle CNN, the Today show, and NPR, but he won't show up in your local bookstore or do a tour of book blogs. You probably won't be able to chat with him online or send him an email.

But I'm going to grind it out on the ground. I'll be reading high and low -- from dive bars in Brooklyn to the Harvard Club of New York. I'll be traveling to independent bookstores and stopping by Barnes & Noble and Borders. I'm going reader-to-reader, meeting the people who've honored me by choosing my book. Along the way, I hope to reaffirm that literary culture is still alive: it's just transformed, gone viral."

Meet author Ivy Pochoda on Tuesday, Oct. 13th, at 7:00 p.m. at Nicola's Books in the Westgate Shopping Center in Ann Arbor. Call 734.662.0600 for more details.