My very first book club

A few weeks ago I was a guest at my mum's book club as my debut romance, Secrets & Speed Dating, was the topic of discussion. To say I was a little nervous would be a huge understatement.

Me with the book club ladies. My lovely mum is third from the left.

My mum has been a member of a book club for years, and the idea has always intrigued me. I love to read, after all, and an event that combines a love of books, wine, cheese and multiple desserts... well, what's not to like?

For me, it's all been about the type of books read. I'm an unashamed lover of genre fiction, mostly romance, and struggle to enjoy the literary novels which are the staple of most book clubs. What can I say - I love happy endings :)

My mum's book club has the typical literary slant, but my mum is just awesome (and a typical proud mum), so her book club ladies all got to read my book. I know some members were sceptical, but they all read the book, and turned up at my mum's place ready to talk all about it.

So, as mentioned, I was very nervous. I had prepared by printing out the fabulous 10 Myths of Romance by Anne Gracie, and readied myself to go into battle for romance.

As it turned out, I had nothing to worry about. The book club ladies and I chatted for over two hours about my book, and I can tell you - I've never experienced anything cooler than a group of people discussing my story and my characters with so much enthusiasm. It was amazing! There was a lot of interest in the romance genre as a whole, and also the publishing process, but mostly we talked about Sophie and Dan and their story.

Yes. Very cool!

I was even asked to sign everyone's books. I felt like a real author... albeit totally unprepared and lacking an appropriately fun and flirty signature or anything vaguely witty to write. But hey - it was still a thrill :)

So, are you a member of a book club? Does your club read romance?

Or - have you had a recent experience that's reaffirmed your belief in... something? My mum's book club couldn't have come at a better time - I was knee deep in second round revisions, convinced I was a terrible writer and wondering what was the point. But, the book club reminded me why I write - to share my character's stories with readers. Thank you, my mum's book club, for a fabulous evening and for giving me a memory to hang onto when writing feels impossible.

PS That book I was revising has since been accepted - A Girl Less Ordinary, June 2012. Hooray!