How does one begin to explain the excitement of sitting with a wonderful group of people who love books and who want to talk about mine? On September 11th of all days, I was invited to speak about my counter-terrorism book to a bookclub known as 'The NODs'. They had read Dark Harvest and were well prepared to pepper me with questions and offer up wonderful suggestions on how to take my writing to the next level. I was asked to arrive at 2:30 p.m. and I expected to be out the door by 3:30. Hah! By the time the afternoon ended, it was almost 6:00! And the discussion could have gone on for much, much longer.
Following the meeting, each member of the NODs provided their written feedback and it couldn't have been more supportive. This has been so motivating! It's hard to explain just how much that kind of encouragement can mean...
Meeting wonderful people like the members of the NODs adds such an unexpected dimension to my writing journey. I love talking about the characters I have created and the situations I have made them deal with in their 'lives', so being able to engage with others who have invested their time and emotional energy in these characters is something that is a total blast! And, to top it all off, there were wonderful goodies to snack on! Yummmm!
I would like to thank Maggie, Pat, Lynne and Penny for their lively and engaging conversation and a special thanks to Lauren who, in addition to her thoughtful and insightful comments, wove her magic and made it all happen. It really was a great day!
