I was one of the lucky ones who attended Eleanor’s Hokitika book launch. About 500 of us maxed out the newly refurbished Regent Theatre. Eleanor delighted the audience with humorous antidotes about her writing journey.  From her teenage years, being dragged along on a tandem bike ride to the Coast with her Dad, to the current heady days of The Luminaries phenomenon.  She talked about how and why she structured this novel. As an author, a reader (and a long-distance bike rider) I connected with many things she said. Among hundreds I lined up, clutching my hard copy tome and waited for my precious copy to be signed.

Tirelessly and graciously Eleanor signed each one. I will treasure my signed copy and it has pride of place in my personal library – thanks Eleanor!