Last week I had the distinct pleasure of attending a meeting of the Suncrest Village Book in North Carolina.
We had a fun and spirited discussion about CONFESSIONS OF A SLIGHTLY NEUROTIC HITWOMAN. (Thanks, ladies!)
I must admit that I was a bundle of nerves beforehand. (A confession that amused my hostess to no end.) This was my first in-person meeting. I was worried that there'd be someone there who'd hated the book and that I'd be stuck spending hours defending my work.
Everyone was absolutely lovely and I enjoyed hearing their perspectives. It never ceases to amaze me how many characters in the novel are readers' favorites.
I was also worried that they'd ask me questions I wouldn't know the answers to. (I re-read my own book on the plane just so that I'd be prepared.)
And they stumped me...at least twice, maybe three times.
I know that probably sounds crazy, but here's the thing: I only have so much storage space in my brain. I haven't worked on developing Maggie and her story for over six months. I haven't referenced the research I did for the book for even longer.
I wrote a completely new and unrelated book in that time, which required it's own research. That's what's occupying my storage space right now.
So when I told the women that I didn't know the answers to their questions, but that it's all in my notes, I wasn't playing coy...I simply didn't remember. (Which didn't help me feel like any less of an idiot, lol.)
Speaking to the book club was WAYYYY more fun than I'd anticipated and I hope I get to do it again, soon.
Tell me Killer Friends: If you're a reader, have you ever had a guest speaker at your book club meetings? Or have you ever gone to see a writer (WHO???) speak at a book signing, workshop, etc.? If you're a writer, what would you be afraid of happening when you speak to a book club?
4 comments:
Sounds like you had a blast. What kinds of questions were people asking you? I've never been to a book club meeting, met an author in person or any of that, so I'm stumped as to what people might want to know.
LOL, I think my only fear right now is that I'll never get the opportunity to speak at a book club meeting. Oh, and this thing I do when I talk where I substitute other words for the ones I want and forget words entirely. If I ever do get to speak publicly about my books, I'll just have to start with a disclaimer about my squonky brain. =o)
So awesome! I would have been a bundle of nerves too, but it sounds like you rocked it! (Not that I expected anything less.) Thanks for sharing.
B.E. -- Sometimes it's general ideas that people want to know, like: Where'd you get the idea for your book? I think they imagine the ideas show up fully formed and wrapped up with a bow. Unfortunately that's not my process.
They also asked what a term I used stood for and I drew a blank. It's in my notes, but not in my head, lol.
I substitue words when I write ALL THE TIME and I often draw a blank when I speak, so I can empathize with squonky brain. ;-)
Jennifer -- I'm always happy to share my neuroses. ;-)
I have quite a bit of theoretical quantum physics in my book, so, yeah, speaking to a book club pretty much would scare the crap out of me. (And my favorite Confessions character is God...kind of wondering how someone could have a different favorite. lol)
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