She’s written 27 novels and two collections of short stories, won an Edgar, an Agatha, an Anthony and a Macavity, all major American literary awards. Mystery lovers be advised: author of the Judge Deborah Knott mystery series, Margaret Maron will visit Washington to speak at the Friends of Brown Library’s annual business meeting.

Scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday at First United Methodist United Methodist Church in Washington, the event is open to the public.

Maron is a true North Carolinian, who grew up in Johnston County, on a tobacco farm that had been in her family for over 100 years.

“Working in tobacco is one of those life experiences I’m glad to have had. I’m even gladder that it’s something I’ll never have to do again,” reads her biography.

While Maron lived and wrote in New York City, her husband’s hometown, it was the for love of her home state that she created the Deborah Knott character, a district court judge in the fictional North Carolina “Colleton County,” the daughter of a bootlegger and the youngest sibling of 11 older brothers. Her adventures take her across the state: “Shooting at Loons” was based in Harkers Island; “Sand Sharks,” in Wrightsville Beach. The New York Times Book Review has claimed of her work, “Every Margaret Maron is a celebration of something remarkable,” while an Atlanta Journal-Constitution reviewer said, “This series is like sweet iced tea on an August day in North Carolina — near impossible to resist.”

How Maron is coming to Washington was a simple matter of a request.

“Somebody brought it up at our regular meeting and there’s a number of folks on the board who are fans of Margaret’s and it took off from there,” said Tim Staiger, vice president of Friends of the Brown Library.

Friends of Brown Library is a 376-member strong support organization for Brown Library in Washington. Known for its annual book sale that fills the Washington Civic Center to its rafters with books on every subject from history to romance, from paperbacks to books on CD, the sale is FOBL’s major yearly fundraiser. Less known is how FOBL props up the library, stepping in when funds are needed for things like new technology or new bookcases. In the past year, FOBL has provided for the library’s children’s and teens’ summer reading programs, bought new eBooks and CDs, purchased licenses to use special computer programs, plus computers, a printer and other library aids, as well as many other contributions, both large and small, according to Staiger.

After its short business meeting, FOBL has a speaker at every annual gathering, but this year’s may just draw a larger crowd. The meeting is free and open to the public, especially “anybody who’s interested in reading — that’s a pretty broad audience,” Staiger laughed.

The FOBL meeting will take place in Wesley Hall at First United Methodist Church, 304 W. Second St., Washington.