"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" author -- and snow -- coming to Charlotte

Several things are cool about "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" author Jeff Kinney's visit to Charlotte's Park Road Books on Nov. 18.

Snow, for instance. Kinney's newest "Wimpy Kid" installment, "Cabin Fever," to be published Nov. 15, has a winter setting. So Kinney's appearance will include a truck that churns out snow. "Yes, you read that right: there will be snow all over the place," Park Road Books co-owner Frazer Dobson writes in an email.

Also cool is that as long as a there's a child in line, Kinney will keep signing books. There are restrictions from the publisher, however. You must have a ticket to meet the author. One ticket is good for one family. You get it by purchasing a copy of "Cabin Fever" from Park Road Books.

The signing starts at 4 p.m. on Nov. 18. The store, in Park Road Shopping Center, is now taking reservations. To get on the list, call the store at 704-525-9239.

Park Road Books co-owner Sally Brewster also told me something about Kinney I didn't know. Even though he's sold millions of "Wimpy Kid" books, he works as a full-time design director of an Internet publishing company. So he takes vacation to do book signings.