Godmother Launch Party and Fundraiser

We had such a fantastic evening launching my translation of Hannelore Cayre's superb literary crime book "The Godmother". With French 75 cocktails to get the party started and superb playing by the inimitable Laura McDonald to accompany the readings, it was the recipe for a perfect party. The pieces Laura had chosen to accompany my readings could not have been more apposite... Black Earth by Turkish composer Fazil Say, followed by Debussy's Feux d'artifice (of course - you'll understand once you read the book!) and his L'isle joyeuse. We were treated to more beautiful music on the violin by the stunning Beatrice Colombis playing Massenet's Meditation from Thaïs. Perhaps the most moving part of the evening was our guests' fundraising for the Sydney Writers' Festival education program which sends a bus filled to the brim with authors and books to schools in disadvantaged parts of Sydney. We raised more than $13,000 auctioning off two beautiful artworks - a pinhole camera photograph by Keith Saunders of Notre Dame (when she still had her spire) and Joe Furlonger's Violinist from his Paris Cirque d'hiver series of woodcuts. Two very special pieces of art. We are grateful indeed to Keith and Nea for donating his beautiful photograph. Finally, we were just delighted to have Better Read than Dead's support selling copies of The Godmother on the night. Thank you to everyone!