Best-selling author Anita Shreve will be in Ed Landreth Auditorium tonight to talk about her new book, her old books and her journey from college student to successful author.

Shreve, who jokes in her biography about receiving so many rejection letters from magazine publishers in her early days that she could have rewallpapered her bathroom, spent time as a high school teacher in Boston, a journalist in Africa and an editor at several New York magazines before settling into life as a novelist.

The free, hourlong event is one in a series of public conversations with authors hosted by Jeff Guinn, former books editor of the Star-Telegram, and will include Q&As with the audience before ending with a book signing in the lobby, said Margaret Kelly, executive director of community projects.

“It really will not be like a lecture, more like an on-stage conversation,” Kelly said.

Shreve’s book, “The Pilot’s Wife,” was an Oprah’s Book Club selection in 1999 and her subsequent novel, “The Weight of Water,” was made into a 2002 movie starring Elizabeth Hurley and Sean Penn.

Her latest novel, “Testimony,” which was released today, is a story about an underage sex scandal at a New England boarding school, the impact and the aftermath for the book’s characters.

Shreve has won numerous literary awards including the L.L Winship/PEN award and the O. Henry prize for her short story, “Past the Island, Drifting.”

“I think this is something that many at TCU could benefit from,” Kelly said. ” It is a wonderful opportunity for writing and journalism students or just anyone who has enjoyed her novels.”

Books will be available for purchase at the event.

Tickets are free, but reservations are required and can be made by calling (817) 390-7579.