Book ‘Em Danno: Making New Friends Through Book Club Visits

The support I’ve received for “Beneath the Mimosa Tree” has been overwhelming. From former students writing and publishing articles about the novel in local newspapers, to friends emailing me about how much they enjoyed it, to people recommending the book on Facebook or Goodreads, to book clubs asking me to attend their meetings, it’s been heartwarming. Truly.

Then, add on top of it that “Beneath the Mimosa Tree” has been awarded a Finalist Award for Contemporary Fiction in Readers Favorite’s annual contest, and I’ve got a whole lot of warm and fuzziness going on right now.

Cover Girls of Ellicott City Book Club

The Annapolis Book Bag Ladies and Cover Girls meetings, along with my colleague Leeanne’s book club I attended in May, have been so much fun to visit. I’ve met some fantastic women who share a love of reading. They were genuinely interested in the writing process and the plot and character developments. They asked me when I write and what the creative process is like. They wanted to know how I market the novel and have offered to help in any way that they can. This kind of support is touching. It means the world to me. I have two upcoming visits scheduled, and I look forward to them immensely.

Also, for these book club visits, I come armed with a tin of homemade Italian cookies, a family recipe that perhaps Annabelle’s mother would have sold in La Pancia Affamata? If you’ve read the book, you know what I’m talking about here.

Have cookies, will travel.
Perhaps these are a variety of cookies Annabelle’s mother baked at La Pancia Affamata…

So, thank you ladies of the book clubs for making me feel welcome and for caring enough to have me attend your meetings. I’ve enjoyed every second, and look forward to continuing my relationships with these new friends, as well as meeting new ones along this journey.