DOWAGIAC — A bestselling author will close out the Dogwood Fine Arts Festival with an event later this month.

The Dogwood Fine Arts Festival will welcome Wade Rouse as its visiting author for 2019. Rouse will host an event, including a discussion and a question and answer session about his books, at 7:30 p.m. May 17 in the Dale Lyons Building at Southwestern Michigan College, 58900 Cherry Grove Road, Dowagiac. Tickets are $20. Rouse’s appearance will serve as the final event of the Dogwood Fine Arts Festival.

“We are hoping for a good turnout and think it will be a great event,” said Cindy Most, who is on the author committee for the Dogwood Fine Arts Festival. “I think [Rouse] will be a really interesting author to listen to and talk with.”

Rouse is an internationally bestselling author who lives on the coast of Michigan. Rouse pens his novels under the penname Viola Shipman, the name of his grandmother. To date, his novels, including the recently released “The Summer Cottage” and “The Hope Chest” have been translated into more than a dozen languages.

Most has read Rouse’s books and enjoyed them. She said she believes that he will appeal to a wide variety of people who might attend the May 17 event.

“His books are very witty and comical to read,” Most said. “His books are very heartwarming. I think many people can relate to them.”

Jim Benedix, chair of the Dogwood Fine Arts Festival, said he was excited for Rouse’s event, adding that he believes anyone who attends will enjoy themselves, even if they have not read Rouse’s works.

“We really enjoy having regional authors be a part of the festival,” Benedix said. “[For the event,] the setting is one where you really get to learn a lot about the author and their process. It’s always really interesting.”

Both Most and Benedix said they would encourage anyone who enjoys reading to attend the event and learn more about Rouse’s work.

“It will have a one-on-one really conversational atmosphere, and I’m really looking forward to that,” Most said of the event. “I think he is going to be someone that is very approachable and easy to talk with. … I think he is going to be one of our most delightful speakers. I think he is very comfortable speaking in front of a group and very charismatic.”