Stina’s Book Launch (or how I can now say that I’ve made a little girl cry because she didn’t want me to cut the cheese)

Today I had the pleasure of attending writer friend Stina Leicht’s awesome book launch for her debut novel Of Blood and Honey. The blurb sums it up better than I ever could:

Liam never knew who his father was. The town of Derry had always assumed that he was the bastard of a protestant – his mother never spoke of him, and Liam assumed he was dead. But when the war between the fallen and the fey began to heat up, Liam and his family are pulled into a conflict that they didn’t know existed. A centuries old conflict between supernatural forces seems to mirror the political divisions in 1970’s era Ireland, and Liam is thrown headlong into both conflicts! Only the direct intervention of Liam’s real father, and a secret catholic order dedicated to fighting “The Fallen” can save Liam… from the mundane and supernatural forces around him, and from the darkness that lurks within him.

Sounds intriguing, right? It’s going to the top of my reading list, right after I finish my book club book…if I can make myself wait that long.

The launch itself had a great turnout with lots of friendly and familiar faces. We got to hear the first chapter, plus got to see Stina really shine during the Q&A. You could almost see the passion for her work beaming off of her. There were bagpipes. Yes, live music in the bookstore! And delicious cupcakes. And Irish cheeses, which were somewhat tricky to slice with plastic knives, and apparently some four-year-old girl wasn’t happy with my offer to help her cut it. In any case, it was the trifecta of a successful book launch–good book, good people, good food!