Book Clubs

I read a wonderful article today about book clubs that are popping up like daffadils all over the country. These seemingly small groups of six to twenty people get together out of love for the written word. It's a social club filled with wonderful people who appreciate quality writing and good stories. It made me think of the Des Moines Book Club which consisted of several women who graciously read the first draft of my manuscript.

Just like the article in The Oregonian, (I'm in Portland, OR), the women of the Des Moines Book Club were brutally honest in their reading, which not only gave me a better sense of my story but made me totally rewrite parts of the book so the reader might better understand what was rolling around in my head. Lesson well learned.

So to book clubs across America, thank you for your honesty. Writers need it. Thank you for the generosity of your time as you make us better writers.

Here's a short tribute to those of you in book clubs whose importance cannot be denied.

Surprise
by Beverly McLoughland

The biggest
Surprise
On the library shelf
is when you suddenly
Find yourself
Inside a book-
(the HIDDEN you)
You wonder how
The author knew.



What God says:
Psalm 139:4 "Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely."