Kate De Goldi charms the crowd at Eastbourne’s Rona Gallery

 Kate De Goldi, author of the best-selling award-winning The 10 PM Question, charmed Eastbourne readers and writers on the first of a Writers Winter Series at Rona Gallery in Eastbourne. She began by answering a question of the importance of books within her book – from Frankie’s love for Harold and the Purple Crayon to his mother’s relationship with the Russian novels – and how it reflected her feelings about books in people’s lives.

She talked about her passion for books and reading, and the way books nurture the reader, foster imagination and allow escape. She was taken with the idea put to her by Mary McCallum (who facililtated the event) that Frankie’s mother loves Russian novels because they allow a vastness in her life that she can’t experience directly.

Kate read for a full fifteen minutes: the scene when Frankie goes on work experience with his brother (confessing she’d used Wellington library as her setting). After that she was generous in her response to a number of questions from the avid audience of around 50 people. These included questions about the ‘scariness’ in children’s literature now, and for whom she was writing 10 PM Question. Kate ended the session reading from her work-in-progress, which captivated the audience, and signing books.

The session began with local writers reading from their work in what’s termed an ‘Open Mic’. They included Jill Harris reading from her new children’s novel The Lake (Scholastic).

The next writer in the four-writer series is CAROL HENDERSON, co-author of ‘Searching for Grace’, a memoir that uncovers the astonishing true story of the secrets of  a wealthy Edwardian family with a NZ connection. Downton Abbey – UK’s highest-rated period drama since Brideshead Revisited – has ignited UK interest in Carol’s book.

WRITERS ON SUNDAY: RONA WINTER SERIES

Carol Henderson

Sunday June 26, 4.30 pm at Rona Gallery 151 Muritai Road, Eastbourne.

Tel 5628062. Begins with an Open Mic’ – koha $5.