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Great video teleconference with intriguing book club

As an author I love to visit book clubs.

Recently by video teleconference, I was the honored guest of the Yarn Spinners Book Club of Ackerman, Mississippi. Friend and member Frances Coleman tells me that the club grew from a group of women who like to knit and crochet. They soon found themselves talking about books and decided to devote one meeting each month to having a book club. The program is sponsored by the Mississippi State University Extension Service - Chocktaw County. 

Last year the Yarn Spinners read and discussed my newest novel, "Wiggle Room," but in 2015 my second novel, "Points of Origin," a national IPPY award-winner in Southern Fiction, was the focus of intention. Pictured separately via Skype and Facetime are the guest novelist and the Yarn Spinners group with guests.The club shared with me the 23 discussion questions it considered including such concepts as what was the central conflict of the novel’s plot, how does one "feel" when reading the book, and what motivates the characters. Since "Points of Origin" includes a scene involving an unfortunate airplane flight, they asked me if I was a licensed pilot. (Answer: No --- that's what research is for.) The members were curious regarding how I have time "to write books with so many well-defined and overlapping characters." (I consider that a compliment!)


Pictured left to right in the group above are the Yarn Spinners and their guests: Jan Ballard, Frances Coleman, Becky Williams, Sharon Kennedy, Ellen Turnipseed, Ginger Rose, Eva Turnipseed, and Alex Turnipseed. Not shown is Juli Hughes (member and event photographer).    

I sincerely appreciated the club's invitation and wish I could have visited in person, but I guess a live video discussion was the next best thing to being there. Many thanks to Juli Hughes for coordinating the video teleconference. The Yarn Spinners is a welcoming group of intelligent, progressive readers. I hope this wonderful book club reads my next book and asks me back!                                         

 -----Darden North  www.dardennorth.com


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Comments

Sandra de Helen said…
Yes, I too have had this enjoyable experience. The mystery bookclub at the Laredo Public Library invited me to visit them one day via Skype. I couldn't see them, so had no idea I was up on the big screen before them as we chatted away for over an hour. I was totally not self-conscious! ha. They had prepared several questions about the book itself, and also about the writing experience. It was flattering on the one hand, and it also was so fun to have the characters come to life in the room with the readers as we talked about them.
July 8, 2015 at 8:56 AM
Darden North said…
Thank you for sharing your experience, Sandra, and for adding to the discussion. I hope to have the opportunity to participate in more video conference book clubs as an author.



July 8, 2015 at 10:09 AM
Unknown said…
Thank you Dr. North for "coming" to our Yarn Spinners book club via Skype and Facetime. We enjoyed your book and look forward to reading the next one. Juli Hughes, MSU Extension Service-Choctaw County
July 16, 2015 at 7:40 AM
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