"Face" time

I stopped in at Watermark Books for a few minutes on Saturday to check on a few things.

While I was there, I noticed they had moved shelves around a little. I went to see where my book FALLEN TREES happened to be and was pleasantly surprised by what I found.

Authors have told me getting "face out" space in a book store is a bonus in a bookstore because it allows readers to see the cover without digging the book out of the shelves. I was pretty happy to see that.

If your book club is looking for an engaging read and some lively discussion, consider FALLEN TREES. A number of local book clubs have already put it on their reading list and I'll be meeting with one of them on Nov. 21. I'm looking forward to that.

One summer weekend around a swimming pool

Not long after I finished the first draft of FALLEN TREES several years ago, an online friend in Maine asked if I'd be willing to share some chapters with her because she would have to stay home over the July 4 weekend for work -- which amounted to keeping an eye on the buildings of the school district where she was employed.

I sent Page the first six chapters, not sure how much time she'd have - or how quickly she read. Later that day, she asked for more chapters.

"Wow, she's a fast reader," I thought.

I sent her 10 more. The next morning she sent another e-mail, pleading for the rest of the book. She'd printed out the chapters and taken them to her condo complex swimming pool. Others at the pool were curious about what she was reading, so she began sharing the chapters as she finished them.

An impromptu book club sprouted at the pool, spirited conversations had broken out as they discussed the twists and turns in the story line ---- and they needed to know how it all turned out.

Needless to say, I sent her the rest of the book. The reactions were varied, which I found gratifying because I wondered if that would happen. My friend, Page, told me the readers were a wide cross-section of life experiences and professions, which pleased me because it suggested the book has broad appeal.

This episode is why I say FALLEN TREES is great for book clubs --- it spontaneously spawned one around a swimming pool over a summer holiday weekend.

Oh, this story has a nice footnote, too: Page, without my knowing until she told me later, put a rubber band around the printed manuscript, walked over to Stephen King's house and knocked on the door. Yes, she lived in Stephen King's home town.

King's wife answered the door, Page said, and she told her, "You need to read this. It's really good."

But King's wife declined, saying they already had more manuscripts to read than they knew what to do with. I didn't blame her. I was nevertheless touched by the unique endorsement by my friend.

If you belong to a book club and are looking for an engaging read and lively discussion, you might consider FALLEN TREES. You can get it through the beloved Wichita independent book seller Watermark Books or, if you prefer a nationally known option, Amazon.

A holiday weekend around a swimming pool

Some years back, after I had finished the first draft of FALLEN TREES, a friend of mine in Maine asked me to send her some chapters so she'd have something to read over the upcoming holiday weekend.

She had been assigned to keep an eye on the school buildings where she worked, so she couldn't go anywhere for the holiday. Not knowing how quickly Nancy read, I sent six chapters. A few hours later, she e-mailed again, asking for more chapters.

Wow, I thought. She must have really liked what she's read so far. I sent her another 10 chapters. The next morning, she emailed again, asking me to send the rest of the book.

She had a confession, she said: she had printed out the pages at the school and taken them to the swimming pool at her condo complex. As she was reading the chapters, other women sunbathing at the pool asked what she was reading. When she told them, they asked if they could read the chapters, too.

An impromptu book club had formed around the pool, she said, with the women all debating about what the main character should do ---- and now they were all eager to see how the book ended.

I e-mailed her the rest of the chapters. She later told me the book prompted several passionate discussions as the various women debated about "the right thing to do."

If you belong to a book club, I encourage you to read FALLEN TREES. It's managed to form book clubs spontaneously.

You can order copies here...and I hope you find it as engaging as that group of women around that swimming pool in Maine.