It's likely the first time author Lian Dolan became inspired to write her novel, "Helen of Pasadena," was upon hearing a recent divorcee from her book club exclaim, "I did everything right and I ended up with nothing".

At the time, said woman had worked hard to enjoy life's perks residing in San Marino, until suddenly a divorce left her raising her children under her parent's roof and facing the challenge of reinventing herself. It was such a good line for a novel, noted Dolan, who vividly remembers that conversation.

Thirteen months and "lots of guts" later, that experience of dealing with life's unexpectancies and then drumming up the courage to overcome it, became the premise for Dolan's first novel.

"Ultimately, the book is a comedy and is written to be funny, but there's also an underlying message for women reading it that even if life doesn't go the way you planned it, you can reshape your life and reinvent yourself," explained Dolan during one of her last book readings at the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens on Sunday.

For Dolan's personal life, her 10-year radio show had suddenly ended, giving her the chance to write a book "mainly about me." Said Dolan, "I'd always wanted to write a novel; now I had this huge chunk of time and I thought, 'Hey this is it, now or never'."

Historical figure Helen of Troy is used to model that uprooted experience to contemporary women.

"There's something in a contemporary woman's story that I see a lot of parallels to Helen of Troy—she was caught between two countries, a fish out of water, and always looking to men to find who she was," said Dolan, who added that the Huntington was the mechanism to meld Helen of Troy to her modern heroine, Helen Fairchild.

A San Gabriel Valley woman, Fairchild is left broke, a single mother and entering a service job she left for 15 years, after her husband is unceremoniously killed by a Rose Parade float. She later meets an attractive archaeologist at the Huntington.

The author's stop at Huntington's Friend's Hall on Sunday attracted about 100 guests, from members, to friends to fans of her former radio show, "Satellite Sisters", and left many laughing amid Dolan discussing the book, San Marino's skinny moms, how she researched the "sexy archaeologist" character via a facebook page, to feeling like she hit the big time after being invited into a San Marino book club.

Guests, many whom hadn't yet read the book, enjoyed her comedic appearance and social satire in the book.

"I'm a member at the Huntington and the topic of Pasadena is endlessly interesting because I live in the general area," said Linda Hahn. "But I had no idea she was going to have such a remarkable sense of humor."

Erica Karlin, a friend of Dolan's through her husband, has read her blog and heard Dolan on the radio for years. "She's funny and insightful and I think she speaks for so many of today's moms."

The Huntington's Hannah Macfarlane didn't expect the huge turnout, including the long line of people waiting for Dolan to sign their books.

"It's always nice to see people supporting someone who's local and the fact that the book takes place in and around the Huntington of course means a lot to us," said Macfarlane, who later observed nearly all book copies being sold out.

With the book's backdrop being San Gabriel Valley, including Pasadena and San Marino, Dolan also spent time chatting about her connection to the community she joined 18 years ago.

"San Marino reminds me of the town I grew up in in Southport, Connecticut because of its beautiful homes, history, excellent public schools and engaged community," she said.

Although the title includes 'Pasadena', many stories in the book are relatable to people living in San Marino. Dolan was also compelled to use the area as the setting because hardly any books have been set here.

"It's like the rest of the country doesn't exist so I thought here's a part of the country that has all that tradition and culture but it's a fresh setting," Dolan said.

Dolan's next book--no publishing date set yet--will also be set in Pasadena. Just don't hold your breath for a follow-up, according to Dolan who "can't understand sequels". Instead, she would like the book to reveal new light about Pasadena and the surrounding area. 

"I hope it brings to life this part of the country that people only know from a parade once a year," she said. "There's a lot going on here, and it has an incredibly rich culture."

Editor's Note: The original version of this article quoted Lian Dolan as saying, "I'm very proud to live in San Marino." This quote was incorrect and has been removed. Since moving to Southern California, Dolan has lived in Pasadena but has never lived in San Marino.