The Authors Speak Series at 7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 23 in the Upstairs Rotunda Mesa Public Library features Pamela Christie, author of “The King’s Lizard” and “Dead Lizard’s Dance,” mysteries set in Old Santa Fe.

“This is what my honored grandfather told me, all of it. Someone long ago taught him how to tell a tale, someone who knew what to do with the space between En Años Pasados and Así Fue*. When we sat up together nights, waiting for babies to be born or for horses to foal, for travelers to return, or for news of the men who ran to the mountains after the uprising, he told me of those murderous times….”

From the Prologue of The King’s Lizard: A Tale of Murder and Deception in Old Santa Fe by Pamela Christie ( *in years past and so it was.)

Along with the ‘honored grandfather’ of the prologue of her book, Pamela Christie can spin tales, too. Honored with the Zia Book Award, The King’s Lizard transports readers to familiar locales in unfamiliar times. With careful historical research, along with intrigue, mystery and compelling characters, Christie’s books, set in 1782 Santa Fe, bring history and the people of early New Mexico to life.

Pamela Christie has lived and written in New Mexico since 1970. Her two historical mysteries derive in part from a decade of farming in a remote Hispanic village in Northern New Mexico and as a docent at Las Golondrinas. She received her education at Bryn Mawr College, Pitzer College and the University of California at Berkeley. Her home is near Santa Fe, where she says, she “…indulges herself in her main love, adventuring across New Mexico’s wild landscapes.”

Her first book, The King’s Lizard, was awarded the New Mexico Press Women’s Zia Book Award in 2007. Dead Lizard’s Dance, an acclaimed sequel, followed in 2009. Pamela is at work on a third novel in the series. With today’s relentless push into technological modernity, Pam enjoys the 18th century and the chance to ‘Be Here Then.’

The Authors Speak Series is a monthly event featuring local and statewide authors speaking about their writing on a variety of subjects such as local and state history, travel, outdoor activities, New Mexico fiction, Native American history and culture, poetry, and more. The series is funded by the Friends of Mesa Public Library. The talks are free and begin at 7 p.m., followed by the opportunity to meet the authors and enjoy refreshments. Some authors may participate with book sales and signings.