Book Clubs a virtue in the literary world

I am all pumped after being invited to the Cool Readings book club meeting yesterday. "Guilty!" was the book to be discussed and the members were glad to have the author ,yours truly, present to contribute. One of the things that struck me most was the passion the readers had for the story, the characters ,even the descriptions found in the novel. The passion was the same I saw in their North American counterparts at the Slam Jam conference in Little Rock Arkansas last month. They talked about their initial reservations in reading a novel by a local author. It is a common scepticism that a local author can produce a fiction novel with a reading experience as good as one offered by established North American or British authors. They did override their misgivings and read 'Guilty!" . They reported that they got a new experience, a thriller that read like an international book but with Bajan/Caribbean characters and set in Barbados .They loved it and they are ready for more. A sincere thanks to Michelle Hood who 'risked' choosing the book and recommending it to the club and to Celia who was one of the first fans and an active converter of her fellow readers.
It was a special experience have discussions about the characters and their inner thinking as their personalities extended beyond the book in the minds of the readers. There was much very animated debate about Phil and Amanda , Jimmy the one we all love to hate and Teddy with his quirky charm . They also wanted to get to know Jade more.  Interactions like this are priceless for me as a writer as I feel that all who have read the book have gotten a gift of hours of entertainment and distraction. It is very rewarding seeing people enjoy that gift.
I gave them a preview to"Revenge" the sequel to "Guilty!". It's an excerpt with Phil getting himself into more trials and tribulations. (See the next blog if you want to read it). They loved what they heard and are ready for it. There was also talk of "Guilty!" being a film. I would love to see that happen myself and you never know.
I'm inspired to push on with finishing the sequel ,as well as improving my writing- thanks to Cool Readings Book Club- Michelle , Celia ,Karen, Claire and everyone else. Forgive me for forgetting those whose names I have not yet retained. Much love to all of you.