Bestselling author Katherine Center will keynote The John Cooper School's Signatures Author Series on Dec. 4 in The Woodlands. The 22nd annual luncheon runs from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel & Convention Center.

The event is a premier fundraiser for the school's Visual and Performing Arts programs, according to Woodlands Online. Drew and Melanie Creel are chairing this year's edition.

Center is a fifth-generation Houstonian. She has written 13 books, including New York Times bestsellers The Bodyguard, Hello Stranger, Things You Save in a Fire and How to Walk Away. Her novels The Lost Husband and Happiness for Beginners were both adapted into Netflix films. The Lost Husband, starring Josh Duhamel, hit No. 1 on the platform in 2020.

A third adaptation, Guarding Stars, based on The Bodyguard and starring Jared Padalecki and Leighton Meester, was in production as of May. Her most recent novel, The Shippers, a romantic comedy set aboard a cruise ship sailing from Galveston, was published May 19.

In an August 2025 Houstonia Magazine profile, Center described discovering romance fiction as a turning point: "I felt like a person who had spent her entire life eating boneless, skinless chicken breasts, and I had just discovered chocolate cake."

Last year's Signatures featured author Fiona Davis at the same Waterway Marriott venue. The luncheon includes a keynote presentation, visiting authors, book signings and a VIP reception for sponsors. The event listing notes additional featured authors and programming will be announced in the coming months.

Tickets and sponsorships are available at johncooper.org/signatures.