Author Sophie Cunningham will visit Castle Hill Library on May 27 as part of the Sydney Writers' Festival, a celebration of all things writing, literature and creative ideas.
Sophie, the author of nine books, will discuss her latest page-turner, This Devastating Fever, which was shortlisted for a Victorian Premier's Literary Award, at the one-time special event.
The book follows the story of novelist Alice Fox and her struggles to write about Leonard Woolf, the husband of esteemed English writer Virginia Woolf. It also links the past to the present, with Alice struggling throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and Leonard grappling with what he and his wife would do if Adolf Hitler invaded England.
Sophie said she was delighted to be involved in this year's festival, which provides a platform for local authors to promote their ideas and books, and instil a love of reading.
"Festivals bring writers together, and they bring them together with their audiences," Sophie said.
"They give us a chance to see what our friends and colleagues are working on and to hear what our readers think of our work.
"And — well, this is the hope — they bring us to the attention of book lovers who may not know of our work."
This Devastating Fever took Sophie 15 years to write before it finally fell into place. Now she's excited to share her work with the Hills community.
"I'm particularly pleased when I have the opportunity to get away from the festival hub and talk to people in libraries. In fact, that's another thing I'll be talking about — libraries. This Devastating Fever has a lot of scenes set in libraries. I love libraries," Sophie added.
This year's Sydney Writers' Festival will run from Monday, May 22 to Sunday, May 28, in different locations across the state, including The Hills Shire.
The Hills Shire Library Service has participated in the much-loved literary festival on more than six occasions.
Book your place to see Sophie Cunningham on The Hills Shire Library website, www.thehills.nsw.gov.au/Library.
Tickets cost $8.20pp.
