Recently a local lady asked me if I could squeeze in a book club for this week. They had chosen Murder on Edisto and wondered last minute if I’d be available to discuss it. Of course I accepted.
I arrived to the smell of shrimp and grits, cheese tarts, cheese biscuits, salmon snacks, homemade chocolate chip cookies, and orange fluff (Southerners know that that is). The aromas were wonderful.
The book club consisted of five couples, average age 78-80. Once I got used to people not hearing, we were good. OMG, they talked the characters like they knew them! They loved Jeb, Sophie, and Seabrook. They hated Raysor. And when they go to Edisto again (they’d all been), would they recognize the house. We talked and ate for over two hours!
Book clubs and eager readers are what make writing crazy fun. I went home on a high, and since I turned in a Slade manuscript last night and had Edge of Edisto released today, well, you could say I was really on a high.
But I have to quote one gentleman. Toward the end, he thanked me for coming.
“I really enjoyed the book, Ms. Clark. But even better is that with there being so many books, you’ve sent me on an odyssey.”
Oh, yeah. You have to scrape me off the ceiling now. Life is good.
It’s fantastic to hear that the readers felt so transported by your book, even imagining recognizing the house in Edisto.These are the moments that remind writers why they do what they do. Sharing your work and seeing it come to life in the minds of others is a special kind of magic. Congratulations on turning in your manuscript and on the release of “Edge of Edisto” – it sounds like you’re riding a well-deserved wave of accomplishment and joy.
Keep savoring these high points, and may there be many more book clubs and eager readers in your future! 🙂