And just like that, no quote has ever felt this personal.
It comes from the latest book by the bestselling author of one of my favourite novels ever, If We Were Villains, M. L. Rio. Her newest title, Hot Wax, is described on Goodreads as “a vivid and immersive tale of one woman’s reckless mission to make sense of the events that shattered her childhood.”

However, for now, I won’t be talking about the book itself or my impressions of the story. That will come later, once I tell you about my meeting with the author and how, sometimes, it truly is good to meet your heroes.

It felt like marking days off a calendar, following M. L. Rio’s posts from her Hot Wax tour with growing excitement, eager to finally share with her my love for If We Were Villains, and with a bit of nervousness when she saw my beloved, annotated edition, marked and personalised on its first pages.

I admit that, though the Dublin event was just a signing, without any prior talk or gathering, the brief moment I spent in front of her was entirely worth the wait. In all my usual anxiety, I arrived early, so early in fact that I ended up being the first in line. The Eason staff were incredibly kind, and the author herself was an absolute sweetheart – warm, gracious, and radiating the coolest aura. In my excitement, however, I completely forgot to thank her for creating such a character as James Farrow, someone who became an important part of my soul, in all his shades of grey and even in his darkest shadows.

When my unforgettable moment with M. L. Rio ended, the staff surprised me with one of the Hot Wax tour posters she had designed, featuring the name of the fictional band from the book. A brilliant idea that tied her tour to the story’s spirit. I can’t wait to find the perfect frame and hang it in my room.

With the purchase of the event ticket, we could redeem the same amount toward one of her books. The thing is, I already owned all of them, except one. I didn’t see it on display, so I assumed it wasn’t in stock. Error! Because right after getting all my books signed, I decided to ask… and there it was. I finally completed my collection with Graveyard Shift. Unfortunately, this one remains unsigned, for now. Hopefully, only until next time.

And if you’re more of a visual soul than a verbal one, you can check out the wee-log from that day on my Instagram.

With love,

A.