Henry Winkler: The Fonz writes books!

Three decades ago, Henry Winkler was best known for his role as the Fonz on “Happy Days.” These days, the actor has a whole new generation of fans, thanks to his Hank Zipzer: The World’s Greatest Underachiever series of children’s books. Hank, an irrepressible fourth-grader, deals with dyslexia, bullies and a potential love interest in the latest installment — The Life of Me: Enter at Your Own Risk ($5.99, Gosset & Dunlap) — which just hit book stores.

An organized, healthy lifestyle is the key to Marilu Henner’s positive attitude

Phoning from her California home after her stint on “Celebrity Apprentice” was completed, Marilu Henner is in a chatty mood. Born and reared in Chicago, the actress best known for her work on “Taxi” gives a verbal high-five to her interviewer, whose accent she immediately recognizes as one from her hometown.

Kimberla Lawson Roby’s flawed hero hits home

In 1997, Kimberla Lawson Roby couldn’t get an agent or a publishing house interested in her first novel. Today she’s a New York Times best-selling author who writes a book every year for a major distributor. Her latest juicy work of fiction is “Sin No More,” which revisits her most popular character, the Rev. Curtis Black.

“Trail of Crumbs” by Kim Sunee

With Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love, and the Search for Home (Grand Central, 370 pages, $24.99), first-time author Kim Sunee writes a fascinating account of her life thus far. Abandoned as a child in South Korea, Sunee remembers telling the policemen who found her that her name was Chong Ae Kim, she was 3 years old and her mother — who had left her with a small fistful of food — would be coming back for her. endure insensitive remarks from people who don’t understand the longing children may feel for the birth families they can no longer remember.

Marriage minded: Though the author is happily married, her book looks at a woman not so lucky in love

Fairy tales often end happily ever after the couple vows to each other, “I do.” Anastasia Royal knows better. With her debut novel “Undoing I Do,” the Wilmette-based author paints a funny, poignant and realistic portrait of what happens when a golden couple’s marriage unravels.

Beth Kohl, the repro woman: Winnetka author uses wit to discuss the challenges of getting pregnant

When Beth Kohl was working on her M.F.A. at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, she didn’t want to be known as “that IVF” woman. By then, she had already gained a reputation for writing eloquent class assignments about her reproductive journey — which would become the seed for her debut as an author. But she didn’t want to be pigeonholed.