Elin Hilderbrand, an American writer of summer beach-read romance novels, will be gracing Mohegan Sun this weekend for a Q&A and book signing of her latest release, “The Identicals.”

The New York Times bestseller has set all of her 19 novels on and around Nantucket, where she lives. Her latest book, however, is a departure from her status quo — this one is set in Martha’s Vineyard and was inspired by the children’s ode-to-summer film “The Parent Trap.”

Her inspiration for New England-themed summer beach stories came after spending her childhood summers on Cape Cod, where she initially fell in love with the season. When her father died in a plane crash when she was 16, she was forced to take a job the following summer working in a factory making Halloween costumes. She vowed that, for the rest of her life, she would always have a real summer.

That vow has turned into an eternal summer of sorts. June through August, she lives in Nantucket and basks on the beach, while every winter, she typically bangs out her next novel for the next season. And while summer romance novels typically don’t amount to high art, Hilderbrand is a writer to be reckoned with — she did, after all, earn herself a spot in the Iowa Writers Workshop, one of the most coveted writing programs in the country.

Elin Hilderbrand, starts with a live discussion at 2 p.m. Saturday, Mohegan Sun Cabaret Theater; book signing at 3 p.m. Saturday at Mohegan Sun’s Shops Concourse; free; 1-800-745-3000.