The differing ways my characters relate to their bodies has created great fodder for discussion. While my debut, The Art of Falling, is essentially the story of a woman seeking a career in modern dance, we see the story through the lens of someone with a body image disorder. The very best book club fiction makes you a bigger, more empathetic person.Ī character set orchestrated around a timely or meaningful theme. Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay helped us experience the Nazi occupation of Paris anew, through the eyes of a Jewish child. Or The Girls by Lori Lansens, told in the alternating voices of conjoined twins.
Khaled Hosseini’s novels, set in the conflicted heart of Afghanistan, are great examples. One of the things fiction does so brilliantly is to allow you to walk for a while in someone else’s shoes. Here are some of the book qualities I’ve identified, through the years, that are bound to generate great book club discussion.Ī perspective you’ve never considered. Not every book makes a great book club pick, and when that happens-well, that’s why you have the snacks and the wine. Have you ever shown up to book club, had a five-minute discussion about whodunit, and then abandoned the discussion for neighborhood gossip? Yeah, me too. So it’s probably no shock that I was drawn to write this type of novel. Add in a glass of wine and snacks and I believe you’ve created the very type of social event that caused the Girl Scouts to invent a hospitality badge. Talking about books is in fact my favorite way to get to know people, and when visiting a house for the first time, I am always drawn first to its bookcase. I've had the pleasure of pursuing many of my passions in life, including reading, lake sports, horses (foxhunting and beginning dressage), dance (as dancer, choreographer, teacher, and dance critic), and now writing, which brings it all together.Long before I started writing fiction, I belonged to numerous book clubs. It beings me endless pleasure to help other people improve their writing game, and I love any event that brings writers together, which explains why I spend so much time supporting writing groups like the Women's Fiction Writer's Association, the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group, the Philadelphia Writers' Conference, and Pennwriters, as well as leading workshops and hosting writing retreats for women. It has been my privilege to raise two fine sons in the wake of their father's suicide, which taught us to grab the gusto and feed our spirits. I so appreciate its warm reception!ĭespite this trial I live a joy-filled life.
My second published novel, The Far End of Happy, is the culmination of a 17-year calling to write about my first husband's suicide and the impact it had on our family and community, an event that seared itself so indelibly into our lives that I constrained the story to its 12 hours.
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