Fogle Author Series to kick off at Rodman Public Library Sept. 28
Jennifer Mandula to discuss her novel inside the auditorium
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ALLIANCE - Twelve years in the making, Jennifer Mandula released her first novel in March 2026.
Six months later, "The Geomagician" is finding some success and Mandula, who describes herself as the writer of fun, romantic, cozy-ish fantasy that flirts with the dark, is anticipating the release of its sequel, "The Paleomancer," in the spring of 2027.
Mandula will discuss her book inside Rodman Auditorium at 6 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 28, when she kicks off the 2026 Fogle Author Series at Rodman Public Library. Following her remarks, she will sign books, which will be available for sale that night.
Registration is required to attend Mandula's talk at rodmanlibrary.com.
Other writers in the 2026 Fogle Author Series include Robin Yocum (Oct. 12) and Rebecca Spencer McCurdy (Nov. 7). The series is made possible through the generosity of the estate of the late Esmond Fogle and the Greater Alliance Foundation.
Of course, Mandula didn't just sit down and produce her first novel. Like most writers, the idea simmered in her thoughts for about a decade before she was able to finally sit down and pen "The Geomagician," which reimagines the life of real-world 19th-century paleontologist Mary Anning in an alternate Victorian Britain where scholars use fossils to wield magic.
Anning (1799-1847) was an English fossil collector whose findings contributed to changes in scientific thinking about prehistoric life, but because she was a woman did not receive the recognition she deserved during her lifetime.
When Mandula, who holds a bachelor's degree in English from Davidson College in North Carolina and a master's in education (learning & technology) from the University of Oxford, learned of Anning while living in the UK, the California native who now is based in Cleveland, started to formulate the idea of a story. Learning that Anning had been struck by lightning as a child created the spark for her fantasy story.
Mandula ruminated on the thought for about a decade. Meanwhile, she wrote other novels that she never sold before finally sitting down to author her breakthrough, "The Geomagician."
A lover of creative worlds, witty banter, clever characters, and surprising magic, Mandula has packed it all into The Geomagician, in which Anning dreams of becoming a paleontologist who can wield magic, but a society that refuses to admit women forces her to sell her fossil discoveries to tourists. When she discovers a baby pterodactyl, her chance at recognition seems within reach until the society sends Henry Stanton, the man who once broke her heart, to claim it. As Mary uncovers secrets about the society and Henry, she must choose between her ambition, her conscience and her heart.