Book Club

I checked out my very first chapter book from the library at Claiborne Elementary School in New Orleans, Louisiana as a third grader. It was a biography of Mickey Mantle called The Commerce Comet. I have been reading books ever since. I wrote my first story when I was a sixth grader at John M. Gandy Middle School. It featured a frustrated student at that very same school who one day received the gift of flight during a terribly boring lesson on punctuation. I have been writing stories of one kind or another ever since and wishing I had paid closer attention during the whole punctuation thing. However, after having lived a life so immersed in literature, last night I attended my very first book club meeting. I had no idea what to expect and consequently felt no small amount of anxiety as I walked through the front door of the Wythe Trace Book Club, made even worse since the featured book up for discussion was A Life of Dreams and I was the guest of honor. Pam was with me serving as my interpreter in case I said something stupid, and for moral support. Everything is a bit better when she is with me.

I was greeted by the host with a warm hug and the happy sound of 16 ladies enjoying each other’s company along with a wide and varied selection of wine. I had heard that wine played a key roll in these affairs and I was not misinformed. After a while the host made the announcement that dinner was ready. Cheeseburger sliders and salad along with two items taken from the book—pound cake and Doritos! So cool.

Eventually everyone gathered in the living room with chairs lined up all around the room. The host started by asking me what my inspirations were for writing this particular story. As soon as I opened my mouth to answer I felt oddly relaxed, all the anxiety having mysteriously disappeared. Then she pulled up the discussion guide questions that I wrote for the book back in April before the publication date. I had looked back over them earlier in the day as a refresher and discovered that even I didn’t know how to answer half of them! But I reminded myself—with the help of my daughter—that once fiction gets released into the world it no longer belongs to the writer…it belongs to the readers. Well…the royalties come to me, but you know what I mean!

What followed was a spirited and very smart discussion of A Life of Dreams. These ladies weren’t amateurs. They were serious and thoughtful readers who kept coming up with observations and insights that had never occurred to me when I was writing this 13 years ago. Their enthusiasm for the story and its characters was an amazing thing to witness and quite gratifying for this writer. On our walk back home Pam said she was proud of me and that I seemed so relaxed and confident. For once I believed her. I was relaxed and confident. But it was easy to be with such a fun and engaging group.

So, a shout out to the Wythe Trace Book Club and Wine Bar Extravaganza. Thanks so much for the invitation.