Vossberg will talk about his real-life historical novel, "Hector's Bliss, Black Homesteaders at Goose Lake, Nebraska." There will be no charge for admission. Vossberg will be available for book signing before and after the event.

"Hector's Bliss" tells the surprising and improbable story of former slaves who settled during the 1880s in the sandhills of Wheeler County north of Grand Island, about 35 miles from O'Neill. Against nearly insurmountable odds, Hector Dixon and a few of the most determined of these homesteaders scratched out a meager living until the end of World War I, and then disappeared. Ironically, their settlement was known as "Bliss," for the name of the first area family that had the post office in its home.

The author's research led to black descendants of Bliss, and the conclusion that race relations were remarkably good between the black and white pioneers. For example, after the blacks had left the area, their cemetery blew open during the fierce wind storms of the 1920s and '30s. White neighbors picked up the remains and re-interred them in one of their own cemeteries. Recent searches have been undertaken to locate the original lost burial site.

In the past year, Vossberg has spoken at dozens of gatherings throughout eastern and Central Nebraska, and held numerous radio and television interviews.

More information can be found at www.hectorsbliss.com.