Emmaus High School graduate and No. 1 New York Times best-selling author Hannah Nicole Maehrer returned to southeastern Pennsylvania Aug. 4 to celebrate the release of “Adversary to the Villain,” the fourth novel in her wildly successful fantasy romance series.

The event, held at the historic Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville, drew fans from across the region for an evening of conversation, laughter and a book signing. Maehrer was interviewed by author Samantha Ferrand before an enthusiastic audience.

“Adversary to the Villain” follows the best-selling novels “Assistant to the Villain,” “Apprentice to the Villain,” and “Accomplice to the Villain.”

During the discussion, Maehrer reflected on her unlikely journey from creating online content to becoming an internationally recognized author. A former social-emotional learning teacher, she said her experiences in education continue to influence the way she develops characters and relationships. Speaking about touring overseas, Maehrer said she is still amazed that readers around the world have embraced her books.

“It’s still mind-boggling to me,” she said. “There are people who aren’t related to me who have read these books.”

She recalled particularly memorable visits to Mexico and Brazil.

“In Brazil they were cheering for me like I was a rock star,” she said with a laugh. “I wanted to call my brothers and say, ‘Please tell them I’m cool.’”

Maehrer also laughed about receiving gifts from readers around the world, including numerous plushie frogs inspired by her novels.

“I had to buy a second suitcase in Brazil just to bring everything home,” she said.

Although “Adversary to the Villain” has just been released, Maehrer told the audience she is already planning a fifth and final book in the series.

Following the program, attendees received signed copies of the new novel and had the opportunity to meet Maehrer during a personalized signing session in the theater’s Garden Suite.