I went to my first book club meeting—mostly school administrators and teachers—in an area near Los Angeles most famous for a race track where Seabiscuit cleaned up and where the stars bet on horses.
Because of the attendees background they were very interested in the writing and editorial process. I told them stories of having my poetic license revoked by a demanding editor, and they related that experience to teachers being at their best when they challenged and had high expectations of their students.
We talked about the novel and the intersection between reality and fiction. We talked about illusion and delusion, about life-as-performance, about authenticity and artificiality. We talked about the twists in the narrative and the ending, which I won’t share with you because that’s cheating.
I had a wonderful time and I hope to do it again, actually, I will be soon—in the middle of November. I’ve been told this group really gets into it and to don my thickest skin. Which is no problem, because at my age it’s more of hide 😉 .
Happy reading everyone, and happy weekend!