Getting back into the bookish community has been great this month – I have had such a great time getting to know so many readers, booksellers, and authors the past few weeks! Beyond our online conversations, I committed to attending at least one in person event every month, which can sometimes be a challenge since so few happen close by or on the weekends when I can more easily travel. As we discussed last week, I started looking ahead to what’s coming up and the travel I would need to book to get to all these great events.
As we headed into 2026, two local events caught my attention right away – one in my neighborhood (which hardly ever happens) and one a few hours away with an author I have grown to love. I knew I had to attend both. There were some fantastic moments at both of these, but also a couple of not-so-good moments along the way. I loved the tidbits the authors shared about their process and these books – I want to share some of these moments with you.
Skylark – Paula McLain
I hadn’t learned much about this book before signing up for this event, but it was a must for me when I realized it was just one town over and in partnership with what I consider my hometown library. Bookmiser Books and the Peachtree City Library brought Paula McLain to Peachtree City, Georgia, to discuss Skylark just days after its release. It was also just days after the book was named the GMA January book club pick! I enjoyed hearing the author discuss her research experience in Paris and the history that inspired the book’s dual timelines.
Fun Fact
McLain talked at length about the river central to the older storyline and how it’s still there, but just buried under the city now in a culvert. She also talked about the catacombs and how they have been used over the years by different military groups – I never knew that!
What I Loved
Let’s start with the organizers. This is one of the friendliest bunch of book people I have ever around, which might be why I count this library as my home branch of the Pines System and why I love Bookmiser Books. From check in, to getting directions around the event facility, we shared so many laughs and smiles – no uptight people here!
Second, the event location – I’d never been to this hotel and convention center before I was surprised at the layout. There were multiple events going on that night, but you’d never have known. I also loved the way they set up the greeting and photo line – it was a path around a large column into a nook where we met the author. It had easy egress back into the event space without backing up the line, too. The organizers had several vendors set up to peruse during the meet and greet time as well to keep us busy.
Third , the interviewer. Jill Prouty is the Library Administrator and also writes for our local paper. The conversation between Prouty and McLain felt like two friends talking over a cup of coffee – it really drew us in as listeners and kept us entertained! I had the opportunity to talk with Prouty during the meet and greet and can tell you that’s exactly who she is on and off the stage.
What I Didn’t Love
During the meet and greet, there weren’t great seating options with only a few chairs and benches in the area. They didn’t open the auditorium until just before the speakers took the stage. It caused the event space with the vendors became slightly overcrowded during the meet and greet and there wasn’t great signage to help attendees understand where to go, so it felt a little chaotic at times.
The Storm – Rachel Hawkins
This was our top book for December and I had to sign up for this event when I saw it! The signing was held at Chateau Elan, a winery and hotel an hour north of Atlanta, meaning it was about 2 hours from me, but it was worth it to see Rachel Hawkins who has quickly become one of my favorite authors! The ticket to this event included a light charcuterie and glass of wine of your choice from the winery – one of my favorites in the state. It was so fun to talk with Hawkins before the event since I’ve been an early ARC reader for her two latest releases. I also loved hearing her talk about her writing process and the location where she’s been writing – it made me immediately think of her setting for The Heiress!
Fun Fact
Hawkins mentioned that her book is trending on Amazon as a political thriller – it’s definitely not that, but it does carry a bit of politics throughout with one of the main characters being the son of the Alabama governor! She also mentioned that she would love to do Christmas novellas for her characters….come on Kindle Unlimited – let’s make that happen!
What I Loved
First – the wine. This winery is one of the top 3 wineries in the state for me. I could drink their Duncan Creek wine every night while I read – it’s so good. The event was held upstairs in their tasting room which is more like a restaurant than a typical tasting room. If you’re in the area, you should stop by.
Second – the casual nature of the event. This was a no rules sort of set up, which I will come back to in a moment. It meant that there was a lot of conversation both before and after the event with the author. I loved the mingling and discussion with the booksellers as well.
What I Didn’t Love
This one had more negatives than positives for me. For starters, that casual nature meant that no one took leadership of the event at all. Not before, not really during, definitely not after. I was disappointed, especially after hearing that the moderator for the event was the senior marketing manager for the facility.
I arrived around 45 minutes before the event – with the distance and poor weather conditions, I wanted to leave plenty of time to get there on time. The directions with the ticket said to check in with winery staff, so I did at the front desk, who then told me we couldn’t arrive until 10 minutes before the event. When I asked where I should hang out, I was told to go outside…in the cold…and the rain. No thanks. I ended up standing in the hallway to the bathrooms.
Additionally, the venue was much too loud. When I arrived there were at least two bachelorette parties on scene with another arriving soon after. They were loud and raucous, causing such an uproar that my ears were ringing. Hiding out by those bathrooms was the only place where the noise wasn’t overwhelming, even during the event. Even the author brought up the noise while speaking. It was impossible to hear her at times.
As with the previous event, there was little to no signage to direct you when you arrived to the winery. And with staff being so unfriendly, it was horrible. Even when we went upstairs to check in at 10 till, the person signing us in wasn’t extremely helpful – I had to actually ask what to do with the ticket they gave me and where to go to get my book. They didn’t give any instructions or information at all. This was not a guest-friendly experience.
While I loved the wine, I want to specifically call out the charcuterie set up. They laid it out on a large cart type table shoved in a corner of the bar under windows. It had been out for at least an hour before things started with the sun beaming down on those cheeses – not great foodservice experience. Also, the flow backed up around the table because of it being in the corner. It took them nearly an hour to make this realization and pull it out to allow pedestrian streams on either side of the table.
But I think the most egregious part of the evening was the moderator herself. Whenever the author was speaking, the moderator, who again was stated she was the senior manager for marketing at Chateau Elan, was seen texting on her phone or scrolling an app. During the Q&A session, she actively seemed bored and disinterested in the conversation. It was so disrespectful to the author and the audience who paid quite a lot to attend. I know this was only the second of these events the winery has put on, but it would be better to have someone more interested in books lead the discussion, and it would be better to have an event coordinator with better customer experience lead the set up.
While I won’t be attending any future events at Chateau Elan given the low return for the very high cost, I do hope to attend additional events with my local library nearby! Have you had any experiences like these with events near you or were you at either of these? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
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What I’m Reading
- Current print book: The Wife Situation, Lyra Parrish
- Current audio book: Get a Life, Chloe Brown, Talia Hibbert
- Book I’m most looking forward to: Revenge Prey, John Sandford
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