DaytonDailyNews.com

Dayton native Mary Onyedika, a 1987 graduate of Colonel White High School and author of the novel "Rhythms of Grace," is part of a bus tour marketing campaign sponsored by Wal-Mart featuring top authors from around the country.

The bus tour begins on Thursday, Aug. 7, and will roll through two states in four days. The authors will host book signings at 10 Wal-Mart stores from Indianapolis to Chicago.

"It's an awesome opportunity," said Onyedika whose pen name is Marylinn Griffith. "I am not taking my laptop to Indianapolis. Though the thought of how much writing I could get done during four days on a bus is tempting, every time I lug it along, I don't use it like I think I will.

"A notebook is the ultimate laptop as long as I can keep up with it. Plus, after an intense year of writing, I'm actually going to try to interact with some people."

Last year marked the inaugural Wal-Mart Soul Expressions tour. This year 14 authors will board the bus arranged by Levy Home Entertainment for the second Soul Expressions Author Tour.

The luxury coach bus and reader events aren't new for Levy, who has developed similar tours for chains such as Kmart and Meijer as well as their Author at Sea cruise featuring bestselling authors such as Mary Higgins Clark, Debbie Macomber and Carla Neggers.

Onyedika is flying into Dayton Wednesday, Aug. 6, and will join the tour Thursday in Indianapolis.

"I hope to see a lot of family and old friends from Dayton along the way," Onyedika said.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2167 or kmoss@DaytonDailyNews.com.