1 Jun 2026
Jodi Taylor from Imaginales Festival
Hello, it’s me again. We’ve just finished the Imaginales Festival in France. I’m on my way back later today.
Here are five important points from the Imaginales Festival. Easily the most important, we had cheese with every meal. It was fantastic. I know there’s such a thing as egg-bound. If there’s such a thing as cheese bound, I am cheese bound, but it’s been absolutely fabulous. The food here is great.
Secondly, I was amazed at how well-known my books are here. It was a bit of an eye-opener, actually, and I have to say my French publishers, Hervé Chopin Editions and Pocket Editions, have done a fabulous job. So thank you very much, guys.
Thirdly, well, obviously I’m English, so it’s got to be about the weather. I don’t know how hot it is with you, but it has been absolutely melting here. You don’t know what hot is until you’ve been trapped in an enormous marquee with hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of other people, and it’s 34 degrees outside.
However, the situation was resolved yesterday afternoon when it went as black as night, and we had the biggest downpour of all time. Obviously, I’m English, and I was much more comfortable being rained upon than I was upon being shone upon, if that’s the phrase that I want.
It was lovely to meet my French editors and publishers. They did a super job with the Imaginales, and if anyone is ever thinking of visiting in the future, do come. It is tremendous. It takes place in a giant park, um, in the lovely little town of Épinal. Um, the food is good, the wine is good, the cheese is to die for, and it’s full of people who read fantasy and want to talk about the books and discuss the characters and the plots.
So yeah, worth making the effort to come along.
And don’t worry about the transport here in France. We came by Eurostar, which was very exciting, except I missed the bit where we disappeared into the Channel Tunnel because I was involved with the facility at the time, and when I eventually emerged, we were in France. So yes, that could have gone better.
Um, and then we were on the TGV, the high-speed transport trains, which are well worth enjoying as you hurtle through the French countryside, which is lovely. So all in all, a great visit, and as soon as I get back, I will put pen to paper and send you something for Substack.
Take care. Bye.
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