In Conversation with Tara Goedjen

Stop by for a free In Conversation with author Tara Goedjen and her new novel, Please Enjoy Your Stay, with moderator Penny Zang! ABOUT THE BOOK: After a true crime podcast reopens her cousin’s murder case, a woman must confront her past at a glamorous European castle where she follows a trail of toxic family secrets and deadly lies in this “addictive, atmospheric” (Tiffany Crum, New York Times bestselling author), gothic-tinged thriller perfect for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware. When they were teenagers, Mia’s beloved cousin was murdered during their stay at an infamous castle in the Austrian Alps. As the only witness, Mia’s testimony put the killer behind bars, but it tore her life apart: the media accused her aunt, a controversial true crime author, of being involved. Now, a decade later, the murderer is appealing his conviction, and a popular true crime podcast starts covering the case, determined to exonerate him, and resurfacing lies about Mia’s family in the process. Desperate to protect her aunt—and what she knows to be the truth—Mia returns to Austria. The castle is being revamped as a luxury hotel, and Mia gets a job as a nanny for the new owner, hiding in plain sight as she investigates, needing to set the story straight once and for all. But after someone mysteriously disappears on the property and sinister new evidence emerges regarding her cousin’s death, she realizes she might have accused the wrong man…and put her own life in danger. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Tara Goedjen has lived all over the world, forever in search of the perfect setting. A former academic, she holds a Master of Fine Arts and a PhD, and she also worked as a fiction editor for a Sydney-based publishing house for several years. Tara now lives in the moody Pacific Northwest, where she can usually be found hiking through the woods while dreaming up her next novel. Please Enjoy Your Stay is her adult debut. ABOUT THE CONVERSATION PARTNER: Penny Zang is an English professor and holds an MFA in creative writing from West Virginia University. Her work has appeared in New Ohio Review, Louisville Review, Iron Horse Literary Review, and elsewhere. She lives in Greenville, South Carolina, with her husband and son. She is the author of Doll Parts and Accidents Never Happen (forthcoming, January 12 2027 from Sourcebooks Landmark). Never been to an In Conversation event? These are free to attend and have books available for purchase.