Award-winning New Zealand authors Jacqueline Bublitz, of New Plymouth, and Kyle Mewburn, of Teviot Valley, will be holding court at the Roxburgh Hall to discuss their latest novels and the wider world of writing.
Ms Bublitz’s recently released second crime novel is called Leave the Girls Behind, while Ms Mewburn’s recently published first historical novel is Sewing Moonlight.
The writers are good friends who have known each other for years, and earlier in November they both did a presentation at the Queenstown Writers Festival.
Ms Mewburn said when she was approached by Central Otago District Arts Trust to nominate a Cover to Cover speaker, "Jacqueline was top of my list".
"I met her on the festival circuit. She is so funny, so full of stories," Ms Mewburn said.
She was hoping for a "literary Graham Norton show, a fun chat, informal mingling" and "a lot of good food".
The evening would not be about getting caught in the narrow life of writing a book, but about living in the world in the wider sense, Ms Mewburn said.
Leave the Girls Behind by Ms Bublitz is a crime drama about a citizen detective obsessed about the death of her friend 19 years earlier. Now another girl has disappeared and the parallels feel eerily similar.
Speaking at the Queenstown Writer’s Festival, Ms Bublitz described it as a story she could not let go, as she explored how facts and evidence can be unwound.
"We can be so convinced of guilt and innocence. I was playing with that, what is true and what is not true," she said.
Her advice to writers was to "just write".
"Don’t get too attached to the way you tell it. Tell it one way, tell it another way, even if it takes you 20 years. Or maybe it will take you two years. Just keep going," she said.
Meanwhile, Ms Mewburn’s book, Sewing Moonlight, is testament that if you do keep going, a book will emerge.
"I was a beginner writer when I started this.
"Sewing Moonlight was originally written in 2004, but nobody wanted it. I found a London agent who worked on it for two years, but then abandoned it. So it was put away. Then it was brought out again two years ago. In the meantime, New Zealand had got into people’s minds, though the Lord of the Rings, and other New Zealand award-winning literature," she explained.
Her main character, Wilheim Erdinger, or Bill, has issues with locals because he is a foreigner, building a new life in New Zealand between two world wars.
"It is all about love and finding acceptance, but the bigger theme is about history repeating itself," Ms Mewburn said.
The Central Otago District Arts Trust (Codat) launched Cover to Cover three years ago, aiming to host top literary figures in small towns to discuss books in the style of a small, intimate "literary salon".
The first two Cover to Cover events were in Clyde, (with author Fiona Sussman) and at Earnscleugh (with writer Jenny Bornholdt — a tribute evening for the late photographer Annemarie Hope-Cross).
Trust secretary Jan Bean said Central Otago was home to many writers and "book people" who had a "real hunger for literary events".
Codat wanted to share book events around small towns to promote the district’s many thriving arts communities.
"We find it quite exciting to bring renowned writers to Central Otago and give audiences a chance to interrogate writers," Mrs Bean said.
Another Cover to Cover event is in the pipeline for 2025, with Maniototo, Oturehua and Ophir being touted as potential venues.
- Cover to Cover 2024, Roxburgh Hall, Friday November 29, 6pm. Bookings: cover-to-cover-2024.lilregie.com.
