I am about to complete a mentorship with bestselling author Gabbie Stroud who has been tremendously encouraging of all my writing projects. We put the mentorship on hold for a few weeks as it suited both of our situations. The reason Gabbie was finding it hard to meet with me was due to the launch of her debut adult fiction novel, the things that matter most, and her book tour, travelling all over the place spruiking her novel.
The opportunity to meet Gabbie in person and sit in one of her author talks could not be passed up. I made the trek to Kiama hoping to also catch the sunset over the ocean with some fish and chips for tea (sadly, this did not evenutuate; the traffic was awful).
I had not read the book beforehand, wanting to savour it when my life was a bit less hectic. I started it on the weekend and was so glad I did. I think it is just what my hectic life needs at the moment.
Anyway, back to Gabbie’s talk. She spoke very well, thanks, in part, at least, to the great questions asked by host and fellow author, Ryan Butta. His reading had picqued his interest in the themes Gabbie had aimed for her readers engage with. Most tantalising was the idea education is a bridge to better things but what is underneath the bridge cannot be ignored. Those issues need a solution which will help shorten the gap the bridge needs to span.
Gabbie, last tip was: if you want a book made into a TV show, buy the book. I bought another copy and now I’ve started reading it I’ll likely buy a few more.
Thankfully, Gabbie had lots of photos taken.
Trish Lewis 