Two of my favourite past-times – other than writing – are drinking coffee and catching up with readers and writers. Combine the two and I’m in seventh heaven.
So I didn’t miss a trick when I realised that an Author Kaffeeklatsch would be the perfect wind-down event following my Young at Heart workshop at the North Rockhampton Library on Saturday, August 1, 2015. (For more details about my Young at Heart: writing for young adults workshop, visit the Queensland Writers Centre’s information site here)
What is a Kaffeeklatsch?
The term kaffeeklatsch, according to Dictionary.com, is of German origin (1877), from kaffee (meaning coffee) and klatsch (meaning gossip). Author Kaffeeklatsches have long been a trademark feature of national and international speculative fiction conventions. One of my fave kaffeeklatsches in earlier years was with the inspirational Rowena Cory Daniells, who taught me to never stop writing, dreaming or giving up hope. I still see her as an amazing woman, author and role model, and coffee with her was where my love of kaffeeklatsches began. Another special memory was coffee with New York Times bestselling author Kylie Griffin and a group of her steadfast fans at an RWA conference. I’ve since plonked my name down for as many kaffeeklatsch events as the coffee grinders would allow me. In recent years, I’ve been the guest author at a number of kaffeeklatsches (which just means your coffee goes cold as you answer the many questions that readers might have for you).
So… Rocky readers now have the chance to ask me (face-to-face) their big, bad and embarrassing questions at a free Author Kaffeeklatsch at Café North at the Frenchville Sports Club at 4pm this Saturday, August 1.
“Visiting Rocky is like coming home because some of my fave published friends live here. This kaffeeklatsch is a chance for Rocky residents to meet and chat with published authors (not just me, but also Sue-Ellen Pashley, Greg Chapman, Shelley Russell Nolan & Dean J Anderson) to find out what it’s like to be published and why we write the things we do.
As you’ve already probably guessed, our real lives are often a lot less exciting than the tales we weave, but it’s fascinating when our idiosyncrasies are revealed. I write to halt the unrelenting chatter of characters inside my head so maybe I belong in a straitjacket, not a bookstore.
Benaraby’s Sue-Ellen Pashley, whose debut novel Aquila, was published by Random House earlier this year, will also be attending.
“As a working mum, I know how hard it is to set aside time for my writing,” Sue-Ellen said to me this afternoon. “For me, it’s about getting up at 5am in the morning – before the kids and animals have stirred – so I can savour a moment of ‘writing peace’. “It doesn’t always happen, but it’s very satisfying when it does.”
This Saturday’s Kaffeeklatsch is about bringing a little bit of the writing world, especially the creative magic of spec fic, to Rocky ahead of CONTACT, the national speculative fiction convention in Brisbane in April next year.
AT A GLANCE
What: Author Kaffeeklatsch
Where: Café North, Frenchville Sports Club, 105 Clifton Street, Rockhampton.
When: Saturday, August 1.
Time: 4pm.
To RSVP: Just turn up at 4pm (or later), order and pay for your own coffee and relax with some crazy authors (if we even give you the chance to relax…)