A Tale of Cursed Tides – A Debut Launch We Absolutely Loved
The Grimoire recently hosted the launch of A Tale of Cursed Tides by T.R. Sherring at Wellington's Southern Cross Garden Bar Restaurant, and honestly, it was such a good night.
For those new to T.R., she’s a Hutt-based indie author making her romantasy debut with a book that fully commits to its world. A Tale of Cursed Tides draws inspiration from The Little Mermaid, but takes it somewhere darker and far more dangerous — witchy, cursed, tense, and laced with mystery. There are mermaids, magic, bargains, shifting loyalties, and a main character who doesn’t always take the easy road. It’s immersive, atmospheric, and very easy to get swept up in.
And the launch itself? Exactly what you want from a debut night. A beautiful venue, a reading from T.R., a Q&A on her writing journey, drinks, genuinely good food, signings, and plenty of time for people to actually linger and talk. There were also some lovely extra touches, including artwork by a local New Zealand illustrator, matching bookmarks for everyone picking up the book, and a giveaway put together by T.R. herself.
The event sold out, and the room filled quickly with readers, friends, family, and people who were properly excited to be there. Southern Cross absolutely delivered. The space looked fantastic, the food was excellent, and the bar tab survived the night, which frankly deserves respect.
One of the standout parts of the evening was hearing T.R. speak about the road to getting this book out into the world. It was such a good reminder of how much sits behind a debut — not just the writing, but the persistence, the editing, the self-belief, the waiting, and the sheer stubbornness it takes to keep backing your story until it finally ends up in people’s hands.
It was also so cool seeing T.R. meet so many of her beta readers in person. These were people who had been part of the book long before launch night, so there was something really special about watching those online conversations become real ones. Lots of talking, laughing, introductions, and the kind of very specific book chat that only makes sense when everyone in the room has already been orbiting the same story.
There was a steady stream of people heading over with books in hand to get them signed, add a personal note, and have a proper chat with her. That part of the night had such a lovely energy to it. People were genuinely excited to meet her, and you could tell she was just as happy to have that time with them.
T.R.’s family were there too, which made the whole thing feel even more special. And at one point, the room sang happy birthday to her daughter, which was extremely sweet and slightly iconic.
Mostly, though, it was just a bloody lovely night. People stayed, talked, laughed, and properly enjoyed themselves. Exactly what you hope for when someone is launching their first book — and exactly the kind of night a debut like this deserved.
We loved being part of it, and we’re seriously proud of T.R. Sherring. Getting a debut out into the world is no small thing, and she should be incredibly proud of what she’s created!
