Hello, reader friends! How many of you belong to a book club? For the last twelve months or so, I’ve been joining Novel Journey Book Club (led by Rel Mollet of Relz Reviewz) via video chat, but last Thursday, I hopped on a plane and flew 1,000 or so kilometres to attend in person. Because if ever there was a good reason to travel 1,000km to get to book club, surely it’s knowing that one of your favourite authors is going to be the special guest IN PERSON! Yes, folks. Tamara Leigh, creator of those magnificent Wulfriths, among other fabulous medieval characters (see my reviews of The Unveiling, The Awakening, The Raveling, Merciless, Fearless, and Nameless), has been holidaying in Melbourne and agreed to chat with us about her books and her writing. And what a wonderful chat it was!
I’ve interviewed Tamara on my blog before (see my interview here), but nothing beats being able to listen to an author speak in person. And of course, we had the opportunity to ask questions as well! It was a wonderful time of sharing book love and getting to know more about Tamara’s writing journey and her heart. But the cherry on the top? Tamara gave us all a special gift! As Rel brought out a stack of novels, my first thought was, “Oh, that’s so generous. She’s giving us each a copy of one of her novels.” And then Rel held up one of the books so we could see the title. Friends, I squealed with unfettered excitement and delight, because it wasn’t just any book; it was a specially printed edition of her soon-to-be-released novel HEARTLESS! 😍
And those sneaky girls! I’d had dinner with Rel and Tamara the previous night and actually asked Tamara whether she had a release date yet for Heartless. Neither of them gave even the slightest hint of the surprise to come! But of course, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. 🙂
I have to finish by saying, Rel Mollet knows how to host an event. Book club was on Friday evening, and we spent most of that day in the kitchen, chatting and preparing some very tasty treats for the evening. (I can now add ‘sous chef under Rel Mollet’ to my resumè. Lol!) All in all, it was the very best kind of getaway: friendship, food, and books! I’ve included some snapshots for you to enjoy below, but if you’ll excuse me, I’ll leave you to it. I have a book to read. 😉
Have you ever been to a memorable bookish event? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
Hi, Katie! It was a joy to finally meet you in person. You and Rel and Dotti have blessed me so much. Thank you for flying so far to meet me and being one of the first readers of Heartless. Again, that squeal… Cherished!
I would have flown twice as far for such a wonderful opportunity! Loved every minute of our time together, and am loving every minute I get to spend in Sir Mael’s story ❤️ Such a special gift! Obviously ☺️
Thank you, sous chef! Couldn’t have done it without you – your willingness to do anything I asked of you and the all the book talk as we worked. Hugs xo
It’s always a pleasure spending time with you, no matter what we’re doing ❤️