These days, authors are under lots of pressure from publishers and critics. If readers liked the author's initial book, publishers say, then the readers want more of the same in the future.

But some established writers want to explore new genres. Yet they still want their work to sell.

What's an author to do?

One man's answer to the problem should come across Monday at 7 p.m. at Houston Cole Library on the campus of Jacksonville State University, when Alabama author Frank Turner Hollon will speak about his latest book, Austin & Emily. He will also read from his novel Life is a Strange Place.

When Hollon, who lives in Fairhope, published his first novel, The Pains of April, in 1999, he captured the interest of Jacksonville State University English professor Steven Whitton, who has reviewed most of the author's works for The Anniston Star.

"Hollon is remarkable," Whitton said. "He keeps surprising us each time with his books, showing more maturity with each title about the different isolations humans all face." Earlier in Hollon's career Whitton joked with the writer about his being "one of the best-kept secrets in Alabama."

Now Hollon's talent is no secret. His readership has built up, especially after The God File, published in 2002, won Fiction Book of the Year by the Independent Publisher Book Awards.

Even so, Hollon says he's content to remain a secret in Alabama in the publishing echelon. He is not interested in climbing the literary ladder, for his law practice and family are his staples.

"My first novels were intense and philosophical," he said. "I hope all I write will be that, and my pages will touch readers in a profound way. But I want my books to be reflective of our different worlds. I want to branch out."

So while his earlier novels are serious, his later ones are amusing.

Life is a Strange Place, published in 2003, is crazy to some people, Hollon said, but has its points. He hopes the movie version of the novel will be accepted into the Sundance Film Festival in 2010. Then he looks forward to its distribution to a national audience.

Hollon and his three children wrote the children's book Glitter Girl and the Crazy Cheese, published in 2006. It was fun to write with the children's input because "normally, writing is a solitary thing," Hollon said.

Hollon writes fiction, using seeds of truth from his life to shape the plots. A friend who worked in a nursing home while he was a student at Tulane Law School sparked the idea for The Pains of April. Now his legal practice, involving juvenile and family law, contributes to his belief that readers make assumptions about people that aren't always correct.

"We think we know people. But, actually, we just know about them," he said.

The Pains of April is a diary about the seasons of a man's life. The man Hollon portrays leads an active life in the nursing home, at least in his interactions with people, and the book ends with hopeful thoughts. Three men sneak out to a tattoo parlor and go fishing, proudly proving they can still get into mischief at their age.

Whitton marvels at Hollon's insight, then and now.

"I had to keep reminding myself that this was a young man writing this story," he said. "Clearly, he knows people well."

Hollon's life gives him opportunity to know people well. He is prosecutor for the towns of Gulf Shores and Foley. His 2007 psychological mystery, Blood and Circumstance, is about what appears to be a mercy killing and is told entirely through the accused murderer's pre-trial interview sessions with a psychologist.

With law practice and family keeping him busy enough, Hollon wants to keep his writing an art form instead of a business.

"I hope people can use my work to see the problems that connect us all — fear of dying, love — through different eyes," he said.

The presentation is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served after the author's talk.

Art at The Victoria

There's art to dine by at The Victoria Inn, thanks to the Jacksonville State University's art department's loan of a wood assemblage, paintings and photos, all of which enhance the walls and dark wood of the adjoining dining rooms where contemporary Southern cuisine is served.

The art is by Jauneth Skinner, Marvin Shaw, Ron Baker, Diana Cadwallader, Anita Stewart and Allison McElroy. A different display will be featured in a few months.

Alan Martin, chef, and his wife Melanie are art collectors. Their long, vertical, three-piece series on ornate silver cutlery has a special message to visitors, too.

"These images say 'It's time to eat,'" Martin said. "But they mean elegance, too."

The Victoria Inn restaurant is open for dinner Tuesdays through Thursdays from 5:30-9:30 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 5:30-10 p.m.