Have you ever been told you're a character?

The New London Branch of American Association of University Women (AAUA) and Bank Square Books of Mystic are sponsoring an authors' luncheon and basket raffle Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at the Mystic Hilton, Coogan Boulevard.

As part of the event's theme, "Become a Character for a Cause," guests will have the opportunity to enter a raffle; the winner will have a character named after them in Connecticut mystery writer Rosemary Harris's next book. Proceeds from the raffle support scholarships for women students attending Mitchell College, Three Rivers Community College, and the University of Connecticut at Avery Point.

"For women who have returned to college, it really gives them an extra boost," said Kerry O'Keefe, president of the New London chapter. Money is also used to send two students annually to the National Conference of Women Student Leaders. Students get the opportunity to hone their leadership skills at the conference and connect with national government and business leaders. They then initiate their own programs on campus, which in the past have included fundraising for family service programs in New London, O'Keefe said.

The AAUA also works to connect young female students with women who have achieved success in their field, and encourage gender equality in the classroom. In June, the association took part in a STEM (Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics) all-day expo for seventh-grade girls from Norwich, Ledyard, Stonington and Mystic schools. The event was held at Mitchell College.

"We really are devoted to educational and social equity for all girls and women," O'Keefe said.

Founded locally in 1917, the association welcomes new members, and is open to any woman holding an associate's degree or higher. The AAUA meets the second Thursday of each month at 6:15 p.m. at the Waterford Public Library, 49 Rope Ferry Road.

Beyond educational fundraising, the group runs an afternoon and evening book club the third Wednesday of each month. The afternoon club meets at East Lyme Public Library and the evening club meets at Waterford Library.

With a membership that loves reading, O'Keefe said the association is proud to spotlight Connecticut authors at its third annual luncheon. Bank Square Books carries selections by these authors and donates 20 percent of proceeds from their books sold to the AAUA.

The $40 admission for the luncheon includes meal, tax, and gratuity. For information about the event, call O'Keefe at 860-889-6252, or e-mail mdokeefe@snet.net.

Here's a look at this year's participants:

Rosemary Harris splits her time between New York City and Fairfield, Connecticut. A member of Sisters In Crime and Mystery Writers of America, Harris got started writing mysteries when a small item in the New York Times about a mummified body piqued her interest. Her subsequent research led to her first book, the Agatha and Anthony-nominated "Pushing Up Daisies," the first title in the "Dirty Business" mystery series from Minotaur Books. "Pushing Up Daisies" was named to Library Journal's Best First Fiction List in 2008, and was a Mystery Guild Selection, an IMBA Bestseller, and a Killer Book. Daisies was followed by "The Big Dirt Nap," "Dead Head," and her fourth "Dirty Business" mystery, "Slugfest." "Slugfest" is set at a Northeast flower show where "more than just the plants are dying."

Nancy Goldstone, a Westport resident, is the author of "The Lady Queen: The Notorious Reign of Joanna I, Queen of Naples, Jerusalem and Sicily," a biography of the only woman of the fourteenth century to rule a major European kingdom in her own right. She also wrote "Four Queens: The Provencal Sisters Who Ruled Europe," which is the story of four thirteenth-century sisters, the daughters of the count of Provence, who became the queens of France, England, Germany, and Sicily. Prior to "Four Queens," Goldstone authored two books on medieval science history with her husband, Lawrence: "The Friar and the Cipher," and "Out of the Flames." She and her husband have also written three humorous memoirs on their experiences in the world of rare and antiquarian books: "Used and Rare," "Slightly Chipped," and "Warmly Inscribed." Goldstone has written and reviewed for a number of publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe Magazine and The Miami Herald.

Lawrence Goldstone holds a Ph.D. in American Constitutional Studies and is the author of several works of narrative history. In addition to "Inherently Unequal," he has published two books on Constitutional history: "Dark Bargain: Slavery Profits and the Struggle for the Constitution"; and "The Activist: John Marshall, Marbury v Madison, and the Myth of Judicial Review." His first novel, "Rights," won a New American Writing Award, and his third, "Anatomy of Deception," was a New York Times notable mystery in 2008. Goldstone has been widely interviewed on both radio and television.

For information about the authors, visit www.rosemaryharris.com; www.nancygoldstone.com; www.poisonedpen.com/event-calendar/goldstone-lawrence, or view http://video.pbs.org/video/1786467880/

Grace editor Faye Trafford contributed to this story.