Montserrat faculty member Erin Dionne will be celebrating the paperback release of her second novel, The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet (Penguin/Dial Books) on Sunday, February 27th, at 1:30pm at Panache Coffee (Rte 9 East, in the Ski Market complex) in Framingham. Events will include a book sale and signing, reading, origami lessons and photos with Shakespeare.

The event marks a natural collaboration between the author and the locally-owned business. “I do most of my writing at Panache,” Dionne said, “and this was a way for me to acknowledge the role that they’ve had in helping me create these books.”

The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet follows eighth grader Hamlet Kennedy, whose Shakespeare-obsessed parents dress, speak, and cook straight out of the sixteenth century. As if their mortifying behavior weren’t enough, Hamlet must also cope with the news that her seven-year-old genius sister, Desdemona, will be attending eighth grade with her. The family farce that results is a comedy both hilarious and heartwarming.

The novel has already been a success in hardcover. Named to state reading lists in Texas and Kansas, honored with a starred review in Library Media Connection magazine, and featured in Disney’s FamilyFun Magazine and Girl’s Life, Hamlet’s plight has connected with readers.

“I’m thrilled with the response to the novel,” Dionne said. “Hamlet is a great character and I love hearing from readers who have connected with her.”

Erin Dionne lives in Framingham, Massachusetts, with her husband, daughter, and dog. She’s an Assistant Professor of Liberal Arts at Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, Mass. Her debut novel, Models Don’t Eat Chocolate Cookies (Dial Books, 2009) was honored with a 2006 PEN/New England Susan P. Bloom Discovery Night Award and was nominated to the ALA Popular Paperbacks list.