Book Clubs

This past Sunday, Vicki and I were able to visit with a book club that meets only a few miles from Brookwood Road in the southern end of Forsyth County, GA. There were about 15 ladies in attendance; most had read or they were reading Brookwood Road.

This was not my first visit to a book club. My Vicki has been in a monthly book club for more than 20 years, and they have been nice enough to invite me to visit on occasion, specifically when I published both Brookwood Road and Elm Street.

Visiting the book club, this past Sunday, in my hometown was especially fun. Vicki and I used the opportunity to go "home" to visit my mom, watch some football with family, attend church with family, and then attend the book club. It was also fun to be back "on location" in the exact area that inspired both books.

At Sunday's club meeting, after a great dinner of Greek food, I told the club members my story, growing up with a passion for reading and writing my own stories, and then how both Brookwood Road and Elm Street came to be realities. I also told them some of the things I've learned about independent publishing and finished up by reading the first draft of a chapter from my new book, Hickory Trail. Hickory Trail will be published in late 2018. It's the last in this three-book series of mine. The club members asked some very thoughtful questions about my writing process, some of the stories in Brookwood Road, and because we were near the setting for the book there were questions about how that area of north Georgia (it's now north Atlanta) has changed. (Indeed it has changed - population in 1970 was 16,000; today the population is about 250,000). For this independent writer and publisher, the club visit was very encouraging.

I'm impressed with book clubs. I've discovered there are book clubs comprised of students, academics, pastors, women, men, coed clubs, and those for couples. I'm impressed with how these clubs bring friends together, welcome new friends, care for one another and yeah, spend some time talking about a book that most of them might have read. There's no heavy accountability to read the book because the win is in the fellowship and the face-time with people you like and who like you. As one member said Sunday, "We love each other." Book Clubs are important, too, because they do promote reading in a culture where more and more people don't read books. Reading and talking about stories is an important part of the human experience, I believe.

I'm humbled when one of these clubs decides to read my book, and doubly blessed when I'm invited to travel and visit with them or just visit long-distance by simple video conference.

If you are in a book club and you want to read either Brookwood Road or Elm Street, please let me know. I will be happy to order the books for you at a discount, sign them for your members, and ship them out to you. Shoot me an email. When you get ready, I'll visit with you and if you aren't within a driving range we can use video conference. Video conferencing (it's free!) has never been easier and most computers are set up for it.

Interested in forming a book club among your friends? Here's a link on Starting a Book Club from an initiative of the American Library Association. I may start my own in 2018!

www.scottdvaughan.com

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