NATCHEZ — Natchez native, Rob Kuehnle, writing under the pen name of Robert Dalby, will return to his hometown and environs at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Vidalia Library for a book talk on both of his novels in Putnam’s “Piggly Wiggly” series.

Books will also be available for purchase and signing, and there will be a question and answer period following the talk. The general public is cordially invited to attend.

Kuehnle just completed his first two-book contract with New York publisher, Putnam/Penguin, releasing both the debut novel, “Waltzing at the Piggly Wiggly,” and its sequel “Kissing Babies at the Piggly Wiggly,” exactly one year apart in August of 2006 and 2007. His publisher has also just signed the author to a new, two-book contract, continuing the Southern humorous fiction series for at least two more years. The third novel in the series, “A Piggly Wiggly Wedding,” and the fourth novel, “ A Very Piggly Wiggly Christmas,” will be released in August of 2008 and August of 2009, respectively.

All the novels take place in the fictional town of Second Creek, supposedly in the Delta, but also feature recognizable bits and pieces of Natchez, Port Gibson, Oxford and many other historic Southern towns. A recent review by the Jackson Free Press compared this up and coming series to the works of Jan Karon, Fannie Flagg’s “Fried Green Tomatoes,” Rebecca Wells’ “Ya-Ya” series and some of Nicholas Sparks’ works.

“I give full credit to my upbringing in Natchez as the primary inspiration for my writing,” Kuehnle said. “The bluff city is a treasure trove of ideas and interesting characters.”