Jacqui Thals and Denise Hughes are excited for the arrival of Jodi Picoult. 82900 Picture: XAVIER SMERDON
By XAVIER SMERDON
ONE of the biggest and most popular authors in the world today is coming to Wyndham thanks to the efforts of two local businesswomen.
Jacqui Thals, the owner of Collins Booksellers at Werribee Plaza, and Denise Hughes, a presenter on radio station WynFM, have been working together for the past two years to bring different writers to Wyndham.
Their vision was given a major boost when they managed to get international bestselling author Jodi Picoult to agree to come to Werribee.
Ms Picoult, who is known for books such as My Sister’s Keeper, currently has 14 million copies of her books in print worldwide.
She will be discussing her latest novel, Between the Lines, which she wrote with her daughter Samantha van Leer, at the Wyndham Vale Community Learning Centre.
It is one of only two events Ms Picoult will be attending in Victoria during her visit next month.
“I was a bit beside myself when I found out she’d be coming,” Ms Thals said.
“I remember having a joke with my store manager when I first bought the shop and saying wouldn’t it be great if we could get Jodi Picoult to come.”
While Jacqui has used her store to host book signings with authors like Judy Nunn and Neil Brennan, Denise interviews them at both the events and back at the radio station.
“My background is marketing and I knew that there would be a change in the book industry so I wanted to focus on how my store could be unique,” Ms Thals said.
“I wanted to be able to bring different authors to the West and I really think that there was a massive gap in the market in that regard.”
Ms Hughes said the collaboration had already brought more literature royalty into Wyndham than she ever expected.
“We always wanted for the West to be seen as a real literary centre and meeting Jacqui has been great because we’ve been able to bring that vision together,” Ms Hughes said.
“Hopefully Wyndham will be seen as a must for writers to visit on their book tours.”
Ms Picoult will be in Werribee on 26 July at the Wyndham Vale Community Learning Centre from 7pm. Tickets can be purchased from the Wyndham Cultural Centre at 177 Watton St, online at www.wyncc.com.au or by phone on 03 9741 9500.
