On this edition of Trippin Tuesday, I’m taking you with me on my road trip to City & Country Winery in Calgary, Ab, for my first official book signing as an author.

City & Country winery is located at 544 38a Ave SE in Calgary, Ab.

The venue was recommended to me by my friend Brittney who is not only a powerhouse Ceo of several endeavers, a beauty queen, advocate for women in business and a former guest on Savvy Business Saturday, she’s a wonderful human being always willing to lend a hand to anyone so when I asked where I should go she didn’t hesitate to recommend Chris Fodor and the staff at City and Country Winery. The process of booking, setting up, and holding the event with Chris was easy, and he made it look effortless. I chose to hold the event during public hours with the hopes of not only having my friends and family able to come but I could also meet new people and gain new readers in a relaxed setting. Steph Loran from Permanently Pretty also came for the event doing permanent jewelry for those looking to add a little sparkle while having their book signed. You best believe I didn’t leave without getting a beautiful bracelet from her to commemorate the occasion.

Steph is doing her thing, giving Katie a beautiful anklet.

We set up just inside the door and to the left. The aesthetic here was right up my alley and we took a few minutes once everything was ready to appreciate the local art for sale on the walls and getting a tour of the facility learning about how the wine is made, cool things I didn’t know and a few laughs along the way before the event started.

The Charcuterie board was available to order. Soooo good.

We tried several different wines and ordered a charcuterie board to snack on while I greeted friends and strangers to talk smut and my journey to becoming an author. It was surreal for me signing a book I wrote, answering questions about what makes my book different in a very saturated market, and my motivation to finally take that step. It’s no secret to those of you that know me but for those of you new to this blog and me, I was diagnosed with Lupus and Inflammatory Arthiritis in April of 2020 just before lockdown and years of hospilization and no answers. When Covid hit, I had a lot of time to think and reflect and come to terms with my disease and how my life would look moving forward. It dawned on me that I had put a lot of dreams on hold thinking time was endless and I’d get to it eventually reality is much more cruel, time is not promised. So I decided why the hell not and put words to paper. It was a labor of love and a lot of hard work. Self-publishing is no joke, and I had to learn so many new skills just to market my book, but i digress. I’m getting off topic, I had an absolute blast talking (which let’s be honest I’ve never had a problem doing) about my book, I was inspired and was even introduced to a lovely couple who may or may not have unintentionally influenced a future romance based solely on their jobs and personalities. He is an RCMP officer, and she is a forensic scientist. Need I say more.

The whole experience was magical, yes magical, and I did pinch myself a few times just to make sure I was awake. I definitely recommend City and Country Winery if you’re looking to host an intimate gathering, want to do a ladies’ night wine tasting, or just go and enjoy the atmosphere. when the boxes were packed up, the food all gone we had wine, shared stories, laughs were had and I left light on my feet (ok that could’ve been the wine) but overjoyed and so damn proud of myself.

Thank you to everyone that came, thank you to Chris and the staff at City & Country Winery for making my first event memorable, Stephanie from Permanently Pretty for my beautiful bracelet and being there, Ayslinn from Sugar and Bake for the delicious cupcakes, my love and family for supporting me and my bestie Katie for not only coming with me but for the weekend of tom foolery we proceeded to have after.

Till next time,

Love a thankful and blessed Magnolia xx