Book clubs, book clubs, book clubs!

My schedule has been blooming with with book clubs lately. Last Thursday, I met with the book club at the Pikes Peak Towers, a seniors high rise complex in Colorado Springs. Members were in their 60s, 70s and 80s and were all very alert and astute. And it was a good-looking bunch, too, as you can see from the photo! They fired questions at me faster than I could answer them, and we had a lively discussion about my books and the writing life.

I had so much fun with the group that I recommended they contact a couple of author friends of mine who live nearby to ask them to meet with them, too. Since the group checked copies of my books out of the local library to read before I came, and most are on a limited, fixed income, I didn't expect any sales. I was pleasantly surprised, however, when some members bought personalized autographed copies from me.

Then last Friday, I met with a small book club in Colorado Springs, whose organizer is a friend of the owner of a local independent bookstore that hosted me for signings of A Real Basket Case and To Hell in a Handbasket. It's great how word-of-mouth about my books is spreading in my home town, at least! Again the discussion was very lively. One of the members had self-published a book, so it was interesting to compare the processes of traditional and self publishing. I hope I convinced her to join Pikes Peak Writers and that my promotion tips will be useful to her.

Soon, my own book club will be holding its meeting. We read literary, mainstream, and women's fiction books, primarily, with an occasional nonfiction thrown in. Being a member of this book club stretches my reading beyond the mysteries that are my typical fare and gives me a chance to drink wine and gossip with friends from my neighborhood--and discuss some good books, too! This month we will discuss The Faith Club, A Muslim, A Christian, A Jew--Three Women Search for Understanding. This is a pretty meaty book about religion that pulls no punches, so it I'm sure it will make for a very interesting discussion. Of course, that's why we picked it! Next month, we're reading Tallgrass by a Colorado author, Sandra Dallas.