West Seattle author, Conrad Wesselhoeft whose contemporary novels for young adults have won awards here and in Germany will be on hand Nov. 4 at Barnes and Noble/Westwood to talk about his latest book, "Dirt Bikes, Drones and other ways to Fly"

In 'Dirt Bikes', a 17-year-old dirt-bike-riding daredevil catches the eye of the U.S. military due to his first-place ranking on a video game featuring drone warfare. The conflict between what the military wants him to do and the emotional scars he has suffered following a violent death in his family creates huge problems for the young man.

Wesselhoeft's free presentation will begin at 5PM on Friday, November 4th, at Barnes & Noble/Westwood Village. All purchases made by those attending the talk that afternoon and for the next five days will result in a contribution of ten percent of proceeds to the Southwest Seattle Historical Society under the Barnes and Noble's Book Fair program.

Dirt Bikes received the 2014 "Reading the West" award for young-adult fiction. "It's a huge honor, and I'm extremely grateful to the Mountains and Plains Independent Booksellers Association for choosing my book," author Wesselhoeft said. The "Reading the West" awards honor books set in the Rocky Mountains or Great Plains.

Wesselhoeft likes to set his stories in places he has lived, including West Seattle, New Mexico, and "on the road." He is the author of Adios, Nirvana, (2010) another contemporary young-adult novel from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

"Words, Writers & West Seattle's" next First Friday Book-Talk is scheduled for Dec. 2nd and will feature Arleen Williams and her third book of: The Alki Trilogy: Walking Home, a stirring journey into the world of African refugees in a Seattle backdrop. Additional information on future presentations can be obtained by calling Dora-Faye Hendricks, Chair, "Words, Writers & West Seattle" by phone at 206-280-9983 or by e-mail at Dora-Faye@comcast.net.