Melanie Benjamin to Chat THE SWANS OF FIFTH AVENUE at The Music Hall's 'Writers in the Loft' Series

The Music Hall's Writers in the Loft series will present the NY Times bestselling author of The Aviator's Wife, Melanie Benjamin with her new novel, THE SWANS OF FIFTH AVENUE, a fictionalized account of Truman Capote's scandalous friendship with socialite Babe Paley and the high society "swans" of 1950s New York.

The 7pm event includes an author presentation and moderated Q+A, plus book signing and meet-and-greet. It will be held at the Music Hall Loft at 131 Congress Street, in downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Centered on two dynamic, complicated, and compelling protagonists -- Truman Capote and Babe Paley -- the book is steeped in the glamour and perfumed and smoky atmosphere of New York's high society. Babe Paley was known for her high-profile marriage to CBS founder William Paley and her ranking in the International Best-Dressed Hall of Fame; as such, she was one of the reigning monarchs of New York's high society in the 1950s. Truman Capote one of the day's most celebrated authors, known for his southern manners, surprising looks and intriguing mind. Somewhat misunderstood, he also held a hell-may-care attitude. Replete with gossip, scandal, betrayal, and a vibrant cast of real-life supporting characters, THE SWANS OF FIFTH AVENUE will seduce readers with its startling new look at the infamous society "swans" and their coterie, including the devilish Capote.

"We looking forward to welcoming Melanie Benjamin, who should be a great guide through the twists and turns of New York society," said Margaret Talcott, Producer of the Writers in the Loft series and the evening's moderator. "Ms. Benjamin is heralded for her keen eye and intimate insight into famous women: in The Aviator's Wife she shared with us Anne Morrow Lindbergh; now, the famous socialite Babe Paley."

Of all the glamorous stars of New York high society, none blazed brighter than Babe Paley. Her flawless face regularly graced the pages of Vogue, and she was celebrated and adored for her ineffable style and exquisite taste, especially among her friends -- the alluring socialite Swans Slim Keith, C. Z. Guest, Gloria Guinness, and Pamela Churchill. By all appearances, Babe had it all: money, beauty, glamour, jewels, influential friends, a high-profile husband, and gorgeous homes. But beneath this elegantly composed exterior dwelled a passionate woman -- a woman desperately longing for true love and connection.

Enter the charming and talented New Orleans-born Truman Capote. This diminutive golden-haired genius writer with a larger-than-life personality exploded onto the scene, setting Babe and her circle of Swans aflutter. Through Babe, Truman gained an unlikely entrée into the enviable lives of Manhattan's elite, along with unparalleled access to the scandal and gossip of Babe's powerful circle. Sure of the loyalty of the man she calls "True Heart," Babe never imagined the destruction Truman could leave in his wake. But once a storyteller, he was always a storyteller. He excelled at his craft, even when the stories weren't his to tell.

Truman's fame was at its peak when such notable celebrities as Frank and Mia Sinatra, Lauren Bacall, and Rose Kennedy converged on his glittering Black and White Ball. But all too soon, he ignited a literary scandal whose repercussions still echo....

MELANIE BENJAMIN was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. An avid reader all her life--as a child, she was the proud winner, several years running, of the summer reading program at her local library--she still firmly believes that a lifetime of reading is the best education a writer can have.

While attending Indiana University--Purdue University at Indianapolis, Melanie performed in many community theater productions before meeting her husband, moving to the Chicago area and raising two sons. Writing was always beckoning, however, and soon she began writing for local magazines and newspapers before venturing into her first love, fiction.

By combining her passion for history and biography, she has found her niche writing historical fiction, concentrating on the "stories behind the stories." Her most recent novel, THE AVIATOR'S WIFE, a novel about Anne Morrow Lindbergh, is a New York Times, USA Today and Indiebound bestseller. Her first historical novel, ALICE I HAVE BEEN, was a national bestseller; this was followed by the critically acclaimed THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MRS. TOM THUMB.

The ticket package for Writers in the Loft: Melanie Benjamin on Monday, February 1, at 7pm is $42. In addition to a reserved seat, the package includes a copy of THE SWANS OF FIFTH AVENUE (hardcover, $28), a bar beverage, and book signing meet-and-greet. Packages can be purchased through The Music Hall Box Office, located at 28 Chestnut Street, Portsmouth, over the phone at 603.436.2400, or online at www.themusichall.org.

Akin to The Music Hall's anchor literary series, Writers on a New England Stage, Writers in the Loft features bestselling authors in a smaller, more intimate space. The series brings audiences today's top authors, the best of fiction and nonfiction, and award-winners across categories. The evening package includes a reserved seat and bar beverage, author presentation and Q+A, a copy of the book, and a meet-and-greet book signing with the featured writer.

The Music Hall is a performing arts center featuring curated entertainment from around the world in two theaters in its downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire campus - one, a landmark 1878 Victorian theater, designated an American Treasure for the Arts by the National Park Service's Save America's Treasures Program, the other the intimate Music Hall Loft around the corner, recently named "best performing arts venue" by Yankee Magazine and the recipient of the NH AIA award for design excellence.

With acclaimed signature series including Writers on a New England Stage -- a partnership between The Music Hall and New Hampshire Public Radio -- and the Intimately Yours music series, we bring top authors and artists to both stages. Also, HD broadcasts from The Metropolitan Opera and the National Theatre of London as well as extraordinary cinema fill both screens almost every night of the year.

This dynamic arts center urges patrons to Explore + Learn via master classes, post film panel discussions, and matinees for children. An anchor organization in this historic working seaport, The Music Hall is one of downtown Portsmouth's biggest employers and largest contributors to the regional economy: The Music Hall and its patrons contribute $7.1 million annually to the local economy through show and visitor related spending.

Innovative in its outlook, the organization is community oriented and committed to making the Seacoast flourish. The Music Hall is a 501(c)3 nonprofit managed by a professional staff with the assistance of a volunteer board. Though global in the scope of its artists and programs, The Music Hall operates independently with the support of 3,000 members, 300 corporate partners and 58 community partner organizations. Welcoming more than 100,000 patrons (including 20,000 children) each year from the tri-state area and beyond, The Music Hall is the region's center for the performing arts, literature and education...easy to get to, impossible to forget.