BY FAYE M. DASEN

Features Editor

Diane Chamberlain has the knack of grabbing the attention of her readers from the first page of her books and not letting go until the end.

Chamberlain, a North Carolina resident and the author of 21 novels, including "The Midwife's Confession" and "The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes," will be making a return appearance at The Country Bookshop, in Southern Pines, Monday, May 14, from 4 to 6 p.m.

She will be reading from her latest novel, "The Good Father," and will be available afterward to sign copies.

"The Good Father," a Publishers Weekly Pick of the Week, tells the story of Travis Brown, who four years ago made the choice to raise his newborn daughter on his own. While most of his friends were out partying and meeting girls, Travis was changing diapers and worrying about keeping food on the table. But he's never regretted his decision.

But when Travis loses his construction job and his home, the security he's worked so hard to create for Bella begins to crumble.

Then a miracle. A job in Raleigh has the power to turn their fortunes around. But when Travis arrives in Raleigh, there is no job, only an offer to participate in a one-time criminal act that promises quick money and no repercussions.

With nowhere else to turn, Travis must make another choice for his daughter's sake - even if means he might lose her.

Chamberlain says that her inspiration for this story came from a man and little girl she spotted at her local coffee shop, where she often writes during the day.

"I thought: What are a man and little girl doing in here on a weekday? Is he her father?" says Chamberlain. "My novelist's mind got to work right away, wondering what I would do if the man asked me to watch the girl while he went to his car and never returned."

Chamberlain avoided interacting with the man and his daughter, who became regulars at the coffee shop, until she had fleshed out her characters.

"I didn't want to create characters that resembled them in any way," she says. "I've learned over the years that using real people as models for my characters can be very limiting."

Chamberlain was born and raised in Plainfield, N.J., and attended Glassboro State University. She also lived for many years in both San Diego and northern Virginia. She received her master's degree in clinical social work from San Diego State University.

Prior to her writing career, she was a hospital social worker and a psychotherapist in private practice, working primarily with adolescents.

"My former career always has a role to play in my writing, but particularly so in 'The Good Father,'" she says. "I dealt with the grief of parents who've lost a child both in my hospital and private practice work, and that's an experience that will always be with me and influence my writing. The strongest influence my former work has on my books, though, is in the area of character development. I always suggest young people who want to write consider studying psychology. There's no greater background for understanding their characters."

For information, call (910) 692-3211.

Contact Faye Dasen at fdasen@thepilot.com or (910) 693-2475.