Author shares a story from the heart

Tess Woods will visit Wangaratta in September to talk about the book she says has brought her the most pride in her writing career to date. The author of five books, including 2025 bestseller 'The Venice Hotel', Tess will be at the Wangaratta Library on Thursday 10 September from 6.30pm to speak about 'The Cairo Bridal Shop', which will be released on 1 September through Penguin Books. In its acknowledgements, Tess says "this book, although a work of fiction, is my rib cage cracked open and my insides smeared onto the pages; you know my soul now, dear reader". The story is a mystery about three sisters who have disappeared without a trace; about the old seamstress who holds all the answers to the secrets surrounding the women; and about the brides whose stories are a modern retelling of the lives of the ancient Pharoah queens. It draws on Tess' Egyptian heritage, and on the story of her bridal dressmaker grandmother, and she said she had "never felt so invested and so emotional" about her work. The idea for the book came in the wake of writing 'The Venice Hotel', when a follow-up was needed. "I had recently lost my nana during the COVID pandemic, and I thought a book about a bridal dressmaker would be a lovely way to honour her; Nana was my inspiration," she said. "I'm devastated that she wasn't here to see this story come to life, and more so that she died before the idea came to me. "Nana was my number one fan, she would have been overjoyed with a book inspired by her; she'd have rung every single person she knew to tell them." Tess said it was very important to her to pass on her culture through food, stories, language and music. "All of it means so much to me. To have written a novel that shares so much of our culture as a tangible thing my children can pass down to theirs makes me very proud," she said. "More than anything, I write to entertain. "My biggest wish is that my readers leave the real world behind, for however long they are consumed with this story, and that it provides an enjoyable escape. "If, in the process, they learn something new about Egypt, learn about our wonderful culture and history as well as the issues facing women in today's Egypt, then that's a lovely bonus." Tess, who will be in conversation with Liz Long from Edgars Books & News at the Wangaratta Library event on 10 September, will also speak about her writing process and her career as a contemporary fiction author. While she loved creative writing as a child, she said a future in writing was never an option when choosing a career path in high school, as her parents didn't consider it a real job. "So I went down the route of STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects and became a physiotherapist," she said. "Luckily, I fell in love with the profession and still run my own physiotherapy practice today. "It wasn't until I was 36 years old with small children at home that I wrote something for the first time since my mid-teens, and that something ended up becoming my first novel. "Up until that point, I'd never even written a short story or had anything published, I knew nobody in the publishing industry, and I wasn't on social media. "I simply had an idea that wouldn't leave me alone, and I had to get it down on paper. "I was incredibly lucky to have the first piece of writing I did picked up. Mind you, I worked very hard on it for years." In addition to her writing, Tess is the director of Perth's Festival of Fiction, which will feature more than 80 Australian authors this November, and enjoys curating her own Little Red Street Library. "I've been a lover of stories and an avid reader since childhood," she said. "My favourite way to pass the time is to read, or to be browsing books in a bookshop. "My little free library is my passion, it brings me so much joy to keep my neighbourhood stocked with books. "Through the library I've gotten to know dozens of my neighbours, who stop by to share books or take books, and I get a real buzz out of curating the collection in there. "I love anything that creates community, and books and storytelling are a great way to do that." Bookings are essential to attend Tess' author talk, hosted by Edgars Books & News, and can be made online at https://events.humanitix.com/host/wangaratta-library or by contacting library staff on 5721 2366, or via email library@wangaratta.vic.gov.au

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