Thirty thousand bottles of wine and a pig called Helga, written by Todd Alexander, has spent 13 weeks in the top 10 bestselling biographies chart, and this month you'll have a chance to learn why.
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Todd Alexander will be giving author talks in Taree, Hallidays Point and Gloucester on August 12 and 13.
The book, Todd's memoirs of a tree change himself and his partner, Jeff, undertook to cast off the shackles of the corporate world and intent on living an idyllic life by starting a vineyard and b&b business in the Hunter Valley, has been touted as being hilarious and sharply observed.
Todd says anyone coming to the author talks can expect to laugh.
"I think there's a lot of doom and gloom in the world and in writing this memoir one of my main aims was to just make people take a step back from all of that negativity and to smile at life," Todd said.
"For me it's laughing at myself and my mistakes, and thinking that some city kids could move to 100 acres in the country and make a go of it with only a pair of gardening shears, and quickly realising I was in for one hell of a steep learning curve.
"When my partner and I moved about seven years ago, we literally had no idea what we were doing, and I remember we looked at each other and said 'this whole grape growing and olive growing malarkey, how hard could it possibly be?'. Then we really started understanding just the amount of commitment and physical labour and cost that was required to do it.
"We've made a lot of mistakes but in the moment we try as best as possible to laugh at ourselves and that's what I want other people to get out of this as well," Todd said.
Todd's talks will take place as follows:
- Taree Library, Monday August 12, 5.30pm to 7pm.
- Hallidays Point Library, Tuesday August 13, 1pm - 2pm
- Gloucester Book Shop, Tuesday August 13, from 6pm.