'Kite Runner' author coming to Tampa

Khaled Hosseini, author of the The Kite Runner, is going on tour for his new novel And the Mountains Echoed, and Inkwood Books has him lined up to give a talk in Tampa on June 18. The location is still being worked out, but organizers say this will be a ticketed event, likely in the $25 range, as Hosseini embarks on a massive five-week, 40-event book tour. You can reserve a copy of the book at the store, at 216 S Armenia Ave. in Tampa, or by calling (813) 253-2638. He has been doing speaking engagements to benefit his foundation, which provides humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan. Hosseini was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 1965. He was a practicing physician when The Kite Runner was published in 2003. That and his second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, combined have sold more than 38 million copies worldwide. And the Mountains Echoed is Hosseini's first book in six years.