John Connolly sets the scene at ladies luncheon
"It's lovely to be here on World Book Day!"
These are the words of bestselling author John Connolly, who was recently in South Africa to promote his latest book, “A Song of Shadows”, the 13th installment in the popular Charlie Parker series.
During his visit, Connolly took time out of his busy schedule and dropped by the Benoni Country Club, where he gave a interesting and humorous talk at the monthly meeting of the Garland Ladies Luncheon Club.
Members and guests were thrilled to spend a few hours in the company of the renowned Irish author and, judging by the number of fans lining up to have their books signed, Connolly has a dedicated fan base right here in Benoni.
Connolly’s visit coincided with World Book Day (April 23) and to mark the occasion, the charismatic and talented writer began by reading one of his short stories.
Just as his books have captured the imagination of millions of readers across the world, the man himself had the complete and undivided attention of the audience as he regaled them with fascinating stories about Nazi war criminals, why people read fiction and how we use books as markers in our lives.
He also spoke about “Empire”, the second book (following on “Conquest”) in the Chronicles of the Invaders trilogy, which was published in January, which he wrote with former Benoni City Times journalist Jennie Ridyard.
Grace van Zyl, the president of the Garland Ladies Luncheon Club, said this was the third time Connolly had given a talk at one of their meetings.
“It was great for him to take time out to come and talk to us. We are very grateful to have him here,” she said.
The next meeting of the Garland Ladies Luncheon Club will take place on Thursday, May 28.
The guest speaker will be Melissa Norris.
For more information, call Heather Smithard on 082 430 3725.
