October was a busy month. I travelled with Random House on its Fall Preview tour in Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver, and made new friends amongst the guests from Indigo, Chapters, and Coles. On the eve of the Vancouver Writers Fest, L’amante del papa was reviewed at mangialibri.com and Erin McPhee’s lovely profile of me was published in the North Shore News. The festival was amazing this year, thanks to the wonderful staff, volunteers, and awesome artistic director, Hal Wake. Known amongst writer for organizing “the best writers’ festival in Canada,” Hal is an expert at picking good topics and authors for his panels, and choosing knowledgeable moderators. I was honoured to be a guest author at the Literati Gala Cabaret, a literacy fundraiser held in the Italian cultural centre. On the next day, the opening reception was packed with authors and book-people, and the Grand Openings event, with its all-star cast, was dazzling. All week, the events boasted exciting themes and authors, and large enthusiastic audiences. I was pleased to be on stage in two sold-out events, As the Past Comes to Life with Sarah Dunant, Roberta Rich, Claire Mulligan, and Janie Chang and The Afternoon Tea with Eleanor Catton, David Macfarlane, Claire Mulligan, Chad Pelley, and Maria Semple. Alicia Copp Mokkonen wrote an interesting blog about our readings.
For more details about reviews/interviews, please see Resources and Critiques, where you’ll find additional support material as well.