Out Loud! The Metro Library Network Author series will present bestselling thriller writer James Rollins on Sunday, July 1, at 1 p.m. at the Hotel at Kirkwood Center.

The event is free and open to the public with no tickets required. The Out Loud! Author Series is a program of the Cedar Rapids, Marion, and Hiawatha Public Libraries.

Rollins’ international thrillers have been translated into more than 40 languages. His Sigma series and other novels blend scientific breakthrough with historical secrets. Rollins has published at least one novel each year since 1999.

His newest novel, Bloodline, finds Sigma Force engaged in a rescue mission that raises issues grounded in the secrets of the human genetic code. The team finds itself faced with two questions: Is it possible to live forever, and would you want to?

The Out Loud! Author Series will present one additional author in 2012—science writer Sam Kean on Friday, July 13, at 7 p.m.

Out Loud! The Metro Library Network Author Series is supported by the Giacoletto Foundation with media support from The Gazette and event book sales provided by Barnes & Noble Booksellers. The James Rollins program is a Freedom Festival affiliate event, and attendees who wear their Freedom Festival button will receive an extra entry in the drawing for $50 Barnes & Noble gift certificates on the day of the event and the drawing for a NookColor e-reader at the end of the season.

More information about the Out Loud! Author Series can be found at www.metrolibrarynetwork.org/outloud. Rollins’ web site can be found at www.jamesrollins.com.