Tuesday, May 20, 2008

I heart Book Clubs! - Part II

Last Sunday I had the pleasure of chatting with two book clubs. One was the ladies of "Books over dinner" in Charlotte, NC. They were kind enough to invite me to sit in over the phone and we had a great time. Thanks Jade for recommending my book and putting it together!



The other was the BBB book club here in Denver, hosted by my friend Tanya Fernandez (in the yellow shirt), who went all out!
She found orange mint to plant for a centerpiece!
The menu included meatballs in a honey bbq sauce, ribs (as Stephanie's dad served when Shay went to visit), an orange, mint & red onion salad, orange mint water, mojitos and last but certainly not least creme brules infused with mint and honey. Wow.


As good as the food (which was GREAT) was the discussion. I'm honored, tickled, amazed and humbled by the insights readers are bringing to my novel. Seriously, y'all are thinking of things I never thought of! And that's so cool. Hearing from readers about my work is better than any ranking or review, so thank you all so much!

10 comments:

Lynne Griffin and Amy MacKinnon said...

They must really like you and OM&H. What wonderful people, and clearly, having read the book, what a wonderful novel.

Amy MacKinnon

Larramie said...

Regarding those insights, don't you know we're reading in between the lines?

Lisa said...

Post Script: Scott finished OM&H the other night and pronounced two thumbs up. And today -- I heard HIM telling someone about it, how good it was and how it "rang true" and how his younger self really identified with Shay and her attitude. Who knew?

Reminder: Scott never reads any fiction except Dean Koontz, AND I have probably handed him 100 novels that he handed back the next day because he didn't like them. You have no idea how huge this is in my world!

Judy Merrill Larsen said...

Oh, aren't book clubs just the best? I'm thrilled for you that you're having such fun with them . . . but I'm not a bit surprised they're loving you and your book!

p.s. Mojitos? Therese will be jealous!

Carleen Brice said...

Thanks Amy!

Larramie, And what do you see between the lines?

Lisa, That's nice to know. Writer to writer I think the reason it feels universal to people is that it has many of the hero's journey elements. Some planned and some unplanned. Meaning I didn't learn about the hero's journey until after I had finished about 3 drafts, and when I did I was pleased to see how many universal symbols were already present.

Carleen Brice said...

Judy! Forgot to say thanks to you! I hope the Ballantine Babes can get together soon and have a few more mojitos. BTW, I didn't get into the Texas Book Fest. :(

Shauna Roberts said...

OM&H is a perfect book club book—short enough that everyone finishes it, universal themes, moral questions to argue about, and recipes to fix to snack on while talking.

Sherry said...

Discussing good books, in this case, your good book and good food -- with good friends...can anything be better? And this party had all the attention to detail! I love it.

Carleen Brice said...

Thanks Shauna! Looking forward to seeing you next week!

Sherry, You're back! Great to hear from you again!

Sustenance Scout said...

Can't wait for your August visit to my neighborhood book club, Carleen! Get ready to shop beforehand because we're booked at the California Cafe in Park Meadows. What a relief I don't have to try to match your friend's amazing home-made menu; she sounds like an amazing cook! K.