Best selling local author Howard Jay Smith will be speaking about and reading from his new novel “Viva Violetta & Verdi,” 2 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 13 at the Santa Barbara Women’s Club, 670 Mission Canyon Road. Admission is free.

Smith, whose other books include “Meeting Mozart,” “Opening the Doors to Hollywood,” and “Beethoven in Love,” will have copies available for purchase and signing.

“ ‘Viva Violetta & Verdi’ is a well-researched love letter to Verdi, opera fans are sure to love,” said Montecito resident Leslie Zemeckis, an award-winning filmmaker.

“Smith’s writing on music, culture and history is rich, lush and drenched in knowledge. It is nothing less than a gift,” said Sheila Weller, author of “Girls Like Us,” and “Carrie Fisher: A Life on the Edge.”

“His latest novel on Verdi, his two wives and the Risorgimento is a stunning, significant book that compels readers to reflect upon the turmoil of our own times and how we must continually fight to protect the freedoms and relationships we hold so dear,” Weller said.