Center Stage Book Club Series

Bestselling writers Luanne Rice, Dennis Lehane, Jim Cramer, and Deanna Raybourn will talk with readers this month in its exclusive "Center Stage Book Club," a new forum that features one-week visits by some of today's top writers. The online discussions are free and open to all readers 24 hours a day at the Barnes & Noble Book Clubs (www.bn.com/bookclubs).

"The Barnes & Noble online Book Clubs have become one of the premiere gathering places where readers and writers can interact with and among each other about their favorite books and other topics," said Marie Toulantis, chief executive officer of Barnes & Noble.com. "With the addition of the Center Stage series, we welcome even more writers to our community of avid readers."

The Center Stage schedule for January features:

-- Week of January 14 -- Dennis Lehane, the bestselling writer of Mystic River and numerous other thrillers, will discuss his books and the current movie adaptation made from his book, Gone, Baby, Gone.

-- Week of January 21 -- Jim Cramer, bestselling author and host of CNBC's "Mad Money," will discuss his new guide to lifetime investing, Jim Cramer's Stay Mad for Life: Get Rich, Stay Rich (Make Your Kids Even Richer).

-- Week of January 28 -- Deanna Raybourn joins to talk about her new mystery, Silent in the Sanctuary, a follow-up to her breakout novel, Silent in the Grave.

Authors in the Center Stage series visit the online discussion forum daily to answer questions about their writing, their books and other topics posed by readers. Participants can post questions in advance and return at their leisure to see responses and comments.

The Barnes & Noble Book Clubs offer a wide selection of scheduled and ongoing discussions of books and literary topics. Popular ongoing clubs include discussions of Harry Potter, paranormal fiction, romantic reads and crime fiction. Many discussions feature an ever-changing lineup of guest authors. The full line-up and schedule can be found at www.bn.com/bookclubs.