Justine Sless North East Book Tour: Books, Laughs & Friendship

Well, we've waved off our wonderful author Justine Sless, who's now heading back to Australia after a whirlwind month of her North East Book Tour.

And what a month it's been!

We've had the absolute pleasure of spending time with Justine on her book tour, showcasing her incredible book, Before I Sing You This Song, and introducing her to the wonderful literary community we have up here.

There have been books, brilliant conversations, plenty of laughter and, because Justine is a woman of many talents, we even got to experience some of her fantastic stand-up comedy.

Honestly, some people are just greedy with the talent, aren't they? A brilliant author AND a comedian. Leave a few skills for the rest of us, Justine.

It's been such a joy sharing her work and spending time together. There's something rather magical about books bringing people into your life who might otherwise have remained on the other side of the planet.

Justine arrived in the North East as one of our authors and left as a very dear friend.

Her book is incredible, her talent is undeniable and she's an absolute gem of a human being.

We're already missing her, although I suspect she's quite looking forward to swapping our North East weather for something involving actual sunshine.

Safe travels, Justine. Australia can have you back for now, but we've rather taken a shine to you.

And that's the wonderful thing about books. Sometimes the best stories aren't just the ones we read, but the friendships we make along the way.