Although most writers only dream of being published, there are some just lucky enough to catch a break. For Amy Hessinger, author of the recently published “Nina: Adolescence,” the dream has become a reality.

“Nina: Adolescence,” her first book, was published earlier this spring by Putnam Books, having been in circulation since April.

Hessinger will be signing books and doing a reading 7 p.m. Thursday at Big Table Books, 330 Main St.

“I’ve always wanted to do something creative and have always loved to read,” Hessinger says. “My favorite author in high school was Virginia Woolf. She inspired me to pursue writing.”

The story is about Nina, a 15-year-old girl, and her family, Hessinger says. After the death of her younger brother, who drowned in their back yard pond, Nina and her family go through the grieving process as Nina tries to find ways to help herself and her family cope with their grief.

Hessinger says Nina helps her mom cope by posing nude for her. Her mom, an artist, began to paint Nina nude when she was 11.

Her mom has an art opening of the nudes of Nina as a child, giving her some unwanted attention.

Hessinger worked at Iowa State as an adjunct professor for a couple of years before moving to Michigan last January.

“I decided to come back to Ames because I know a lot of people here,” Hessinger says.

“It also made sense. We have been on vacation in Wisconsin, and I thought it would be just as easy to come down through Ames and Iowa City to promote my book.”

Now that Hessinger’s first book has been published, Putnam has given her an advance on her second book.

“It will be something very different from ‘Nina: Adolescence,'” she says.

The Ames Public Library, 515 Douglas Ave., has the book in circulation.

“It’s been checked out three times since we’ve added the book, so I would say, for a new book, that it’s doing relatively well,” says Scott Dermont, reference librarian.

Dermont also says it’s hard to tell the popularity of the book because the Ames Public Library’s check-out period is for three weeks.

“Big Table Books heard about the book from their sales representative, but knew that she was working on one,” says Susan Bedell, staff member at Big Table Books.

Bedell also says they like to have authors come and sign books when they have connections to Ames.

“I think the book is very popular here because a lot of people know the author,” Bedell says.