By Coral Gables Gazette staff
For more than four decades, Susan Lucci embodied glamour, resilience, and reinvention as the iconic Erica Kane on All My Children. This week, the Emmy-winning actress and broadcaster steps into a more personal spotlight in Coral Gables, celebrating the release of her new memoir, La Lucci, with an intimate author event that promises candor, warmth, and reflection.
Lucci will appear Thursday, Feb. 5, at Books & Books Coral Gables, in conversation with veteran broadcast journalist Laurie Jennings. The evening marks the official celebration of La Lucci, a moving follow-up to Lucci’s 2011 bestseller All My Life, and offers readers a deeper look into a life shaped by fame, enduring love, profound loss, and renewed purpose.
A memoir shaped by love, loss and gratitude
At the heart of La Lucci is Lucci’s journey following the death of her husband, Helmut Huber, in 2022 — the man she often described as the love of her life and her greatest supporter. While her television alter ego married 11 times across four decades of storylines, Lucci’s real-life love story was defined by a single, lasting partnership.
The new memoir explores how she navigated grief while choosing to live fully, blending humor, vulnerability, and optimism as she reflects on friendships, family, career milestones, faith, and the everyday joys that help mend a broken heart. The book includes nearly 100 never-before-seen photographs, offering an intimate visual chronicle alongside her written reflections.
Rather than focusing solely on loss, La Lucci celebrates reinvention and gratitude — a portrait of a woman learning to move forward while honoring a lifetime of memories.
From daytime legend to cultural icon
Lucci’s career remains one of the most remarkable in television history. Her portrayal of Erica Kane made her the most recognizable face in daytime television, earning her 19 Emmy nominations before her historic win in 1999 — a moment remembered for the longest standing ovation ever recorded at the Daytime Emmys.
Beyond daytime drama, Lucci has built a diverse career across television, film, stage, and hosting. She has appeared in series such as Devious Maids and Hot in Cleveland, made her Broadway debut in Annie Get Your Gun, and recently returned to the stage off-Broadway in Joy Behar’s comedy My First Ex-Husband. She is also set to appear alongside Keanu Reeves in the upcoming Apple Original Film Outcome.
Her accolades include induction into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame, the Disney Legends Award, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and the Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award.
A conversation guided by a familiar voice
Jennings, the moderator, is a six-time Emmy Award-winning journalist and former longtime evening anchor at WPLG-TV in Miami. She now leads her own executive coaching and media training company, brings decades of interviewing experience and a personal appreciation for Lucci’s career.
The conversation is expected to explore Lucci’s life both in front of and behind the camera, the emotional journey that inspired La Lucci, and the lessons she has drawn from love, loss, and resilience.
An evening designed for readers and fans
The event includes a ticket option that provides entry along with a signed copy of La Lucci. All books will be pre-signed, and guests will have the opportunity to take photos with Lucci following the discussion.
The evening reflects the bookstore’s long tradition of bringing major literary and cultural figures to Coral Gables for intimate, community-centered conversations.
Event details
An Evening with Susan Lucci in conversation with Laurie Jennings
Thursday, Feb. 5 at 7 p.m.
Books & Books Coral Gables
265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables
With La Lucci, Susan Lucci invites readers into a chapter defined not by fame, but by reflection, gratitude, and the courage to embrace life anew. For longtime fans and new readers alike, the Coral Gables appearance offers a rare chance to hear directly from a television legend whose story continues to evolve — with grace, humor, and heart.
