Book Club

We were guests at a book club in Virginia Beach yesterday. As we sat in a circle and listened to members discussing the characters in Becoming Finnigan and the choices they made, I realized that Joel Finnigan, Althea Burnside and Susanna Winslow had become real to people besides Tony and me.

Not only that, some book club members were reminded of their own experiences and of people they had known in their lives.

Writing a book is a solitary experience.  Even though we collaborated, it was solitary in the sense that it was ours exclusively.  Joel Finnigan, Althea Burnside and Susanna Winslow spoke only to us.  Now that Becoming Finnigan is published, their lives are there to be examined by anyone who takes an interest in them and in the history that helped shape them.

In writing Becoming Finnigan we explored the impact of historical events on people’s lives and choices and the impact people have on each other’s lives. Listening to a group of booklovers discuss these things makes all the effort of writing the book and finding a publisher worthwhile.

We hope this is the first of many book club visits.