Meeting the Local Book Group

And doing my best not to be boring

Question: What could be more boring than listening to a writer talk about her writing?

Answer: Listening to a writer whose mind is half on her current works in progress (WIPs) but who is trying to remember what she wrote in the book being discussed.

I did my best, while addressing the local book group, to set those works aside and focus on the book I finished months ago. And to add a little flourish, I entered the room where the group sat waiting attired in my teal colored wool hooded cloak. That garment had been part of the inspiration for the book, so it seemed appropriate. Plus, it’s the Halloween season, so I put on a little bit of a show.

And then I sat to face the jury—uh, readers. The evening progressed with the head of the group asking me questions he had prepared and group members asking a few. As is typical of such groups, one person spoke up a lot, a couple spoke up a few times, four spoke up once or twice, and one person never spoke at all. They applauded politely at the end and had me sign their books.

The experience was educational. It has me more determined than ever to keep writing what I want to write as opposed to trying to guess what others will want to read. If this group had been my Beta readers, my book would have turned into a garble. They all had their own views of the characters and actions. The meeting also confirmed my refusal to be interviewed (I’ve been asked a couple times). I have read a few such interviews and been disappointed, feeling like I now knew things about the writer that would distort my perception and enjoyment of his/her work. There are exceptions, of course, such as when someone is incorporating personal attributes (but not in an autobiographical way) such as prior use of addictive substances.

A final note: About half of the people who had received a copy of the book (paid for by a local patron) didn’t attend. Not sure if that was just schedule conflict, not valuing something they got for free, or not liking the book. Nah, couldn’t be that last one. Har!

Thanks for reading. Please check out my three books (so far) from Wordwooze Publishing:

• Wind Down the Chimney and Other Eerie Tales – my first book of eerie short stories (ebook, paperback, audio).

• The Stardust Alliance and More – my second book of eerie stories with a touch of Sci-Fi (ebook, paperback, audio).

• The Wiccan Tales – a novel and a real Halloween treat.

(All human written. I even designed the covers.)

See them all here:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books | Kobo | Thalia (German) ebook & print | Smashwords | Angus & Robertson: | Mondadori (Italian) | Vivlio (French/English) | Fable | Palace Marketplace

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