A hat on your head, a book in your hand

If you could picture the graphics of the title phrase, it was how it went at Gwendolyne's Hats in Toronto which was the location of  the book signing of Beneath the Singapore Sky.

Where did I meet Gwendolyne? She visited my blog through Blog Catalog and left a comment. When I visited her blog - Atellier Gwendolyne, I was captured by the beauty of hers and her creations of hats and craft. One day, I suggested if she would be open to having a book signing at her place, and she said Yes!


Many people I knew in Toronto attended my signing. Some were former colleagues and some were old friends. I did not meet any of  Gwendolyne's clients, although there were a couple of people browsing through her hats but they did not seem to have the time to look at my novel. Remember, it is Toronto, I said to myself, a place of perpetual motion

Hats - Gwendolyne knew her craft and how to find the appropriate hat for people. Her designs are one of a kind. She looks at the shape of your head, face and coloring and pulls out the perfect hat or hats for you. Her passion for her craft was palpable. She spent hours on each hat creation but she felt that her hat creations will soon vanish from society. William her partner in life, takes care of much of the business side of Gwendolyne's Hats. He, too, an artist creates some wonderful virtual sites.

On the first evening of the event, I read some excerpts from Beneath the Singapore Sky and also an excerpt from the sequel Lucia M of Singapore. The next afternoon, I had friends show up from out of Toronto. I treated everyone to soft rice cakes, mini custard tarts and mango or coconut juice.  On both days, my friends had an added bonus of sampling Gwendolyne's hats with her expert advice. Some have planned to return to Gwendolyne's for their Christmas shopping.
 Of course, I left Toronto with my own Gwendolyne Hat for winter.