AN enthusiastic crowd gathered at Where's My Coffee in Wangaratta to meet bestselling authors, Anne Buist and Graeme Simsion last week.
The pair shared the writing process for their new novel, "The Glass House", along with personal anecdotes and answered fans' questions.
More than 30 people attended the event, creating a warm environment buzzing with excitement and laughter.
Belinda Harrison, from Edgars Books and News, said the husband and wife duo sold at least 17 copies of "The Glass House" on Thursday night.
The royalties from book sales and donations served as a fundraiser for Project 365, an initiative started by Pete Rourke to promote positive mental health in the community.
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Guest speakers from the Grit and Resilience Program, Project 365 and Albury Wodonga Health shared what their organisations and projects are doing to support those with mental health struggles.
Ms Buist said they have put the focus on the mental health aspect of their novel.
"The mental health theme is relevant to the content of our book," she said.
"Even when we are talking about our characters, it's about looking at the mental health system in that setting.
"We hope to shape some attitudes and grease some understanding, it's not why we wrote the book, we wanted it to be a page turner, but we would like to put mental health in the light - a realistic light."
The pair are travelling around Australia on their Great Australian Bookshop Tour, stopping at every book store in Australia.
They have visited 131 bookshops so far and sold 488 copies of The Glass House at events, donating the royalties to mental health organisations.
The pair said the motivation behind the book tour was to promote the role of bookshops and mental health services in the community.
Mr Simsion said people want human engagement and connection that is not digital.
"Bookstores are a fundamental aspect of that in communities," he said.
"It is a challenging book, we wanted to share the complexities of these things.
"We put it out on the page, warts and all.
"If you want change, you need to share both sides of the story, and there needs to be change."
Mr Simsion shared the exciting news that the much anticipated sequel to The Glass House has been sent to the publishers.
To follow the authors' journey visit https://greataustralianbookshoptour.com.au/
