Writing Retreat with
Marissa Stapley
September 21 - 27, 2026
Bordeaux, France
Hone your craft. Rewrite your future.
Join NYT bestselling author Marissa Stapley for an unforgettable week in Bordeaux, France, to learn about how to take your work-in-progress to exciting new heights. In this inspiring setting, amid vineyards and stone, your novel will find its voice and its future. During daily three-hour workshops, we’ll explore the art of storytelling with a focus on character, structure, emotional resonance, and narrative momentum—the kind of storytelling that gets exciting results. Whether you’re halfway through a manuscript or starting from a spark, you’ll gain the tools and confidence to take your work to the next level. With generative writing sessions, feedback circles, and intimate conversations about writing and publishing with a NYT-bestselling author and Reese’s Book Club pick (Lucky will stream on AppleTV this summer, starring Anya Taylor Joy, Drew Starkey and Annette Bening), this is more than a workshop, it’s a turning point for you and your work. Come with a novel-writing dream, leave with direction, clarity, and community.
We’ll gather each morning, inside or poolside depending on weather, to focus on craft and storytelling. During our sojourn together, each writer will also have a one-hour private consultation. In addition to the writing retreat component, guided strolls through the château’s vineyard and private wine-tastings are offered.
About Marissa Stapley
Marissa Stapley is the New York Times bestselling author of several novels, including Lucky, a Reese’s Book Club pick currently in production as a limited series for Apple TV+ and Hello Sunshine, starring Anya Taylor-Joy. Her latest novel, The Lightning Bottles, is a story of 1990s rock and star-crossed love. She also writes bestselling holiday romance as Julia McKay.
A graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University’s Journalism program, Marissa began her career as a journalist before turning to fiction. She lives in Toronto with her family—and believes every unforgettable novel starts with a question you can’t stop asking.
Reflect on your writing in every corner of this beautiful estate.
Delicious French meals will be prepared for you daily to infuse you in the joie de vivre of the region.
To maximize your writing time, breakfasts and our chef-prepared lunches are grab and go. In the evening, our chef prepares exquisite sit-down dinners.
In your spare time,
enjoy a dip in the pool, hone your writing in cozy corners of the estate, or curl up with a great book in one of the reading rooms.
Activities during your retreat include a guided stroll through the château’s vineyard and a private tasting of its wines. On Wednesday, we will tour the Citadel of Blaye, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After seeing the fortress, we will visit the colorful farmer’s market on the Allée des Soupirs –the Alley of Sighs –and lunch at a restaurant.
Accommodations
The château has a natural-temperature swimming pool, foosball, pool table, and several reading rooms.
Amenities include: shampoo, soap, hair dryer, washer & dryer, unscented detergent, iron & board, coffee maker, espresso machine, printer and wifi.
Includes:
– 6 nights in an ensuite private room
– freshly prepared French meals
– 15 hours of workshop instruction
– one-hour private critique
– scheduled dining out & activities
– local transportation
– on-site concierge services
– Please note that alcohol is not included
$6150 for a single room
“What a lovely experience from start to finish. Everything was so well done for us with such consideration for each of us. The view from my room was spectacular!”
– Mercilee Jenkins