Book Clubs, Whale Blubber and Bannock

Last night I had the pleasure of attending a book club meeting in Edmonton. The ladies had selected Whale Song to read. Karen, the host, didn't tell her friends that the author was going to be there until I got there. I thought that was kind of fun. All of the gals were so welcoming.
When they talked about Whale Song, I heard comments like "I couldn't put it down" and "I loved it". It's hard to describe how rewarding it feels to hear these things. But even more, I got the reaction that I always hope for. "It made me cry."

What a mean author I am...making people cry. But I have to say, I feel honored when someone sheds a tear over something I've written. It means I have written something well and affected them deeply. One gal told me she was reading Whale Song while walking on her treadmill. She said she got to a part at the end of the book and broke down. I don't know why but the imagery this creates is kind of funny to me, and also touching.

We talked about the characters in Whale Song--Sarah, Goldie and Annie, especially. We discussed the bullying theme. I found out that one of the gals was a teacher and when I asked what grade, she told me she taught underaged prostitutes. Wow! What an awesome thing to do! She could be responsible for changing a life...or saving lives. It sure made me think.

We talked a bit about my brother Jason, whom Whale Song is dedicated to. He led a tough life.
The conversation turned to future books and I told them about my chilling suspense thriller--Children of the Fog. I said that the premise of the book is this: You have 10 seconds to make a decision: Let a serial abductor take your child or watch your son get killed in front of you. What would you do? This spawned some great comments. And I believe I have a book club that is dying (no pun intended) to read it. :) Hopefully I will have some news soon on when it will be published.

We talked about a lot of things. And we feasted on salmon and shrimp, bread, crackers, cheese, fruit and much more. I was told the seafood was to keep with the ocean theme in Whale Song. My reply: "What, no whale?" This led to comments about whale blubber and bannock. :) The bannock I would have eaten.

This got me thinking...I need to plan my books a bit more, infuse them with all the food I really enjoy, so that when a book club selects my books and I visit them, they'll serve all my favorites. ;-)

Hmmm...steak, shrimp and lobster....chocolate and cheescake. Yes, that's what I'll do.

A special note for all book clubs: I now have a discussion guide for Whale Song. Feel free to print it or download the PDF. And for book clubs in Edmonton, I am sometimes available to join you if you select Whale Song to read. Just email me.