I know the correct emotion is to feel happy for her instead of jealous. I know I’m supposed love hearing her stories about it, instead of wishing I had stories of my own to tell. And of course I know that if I really wanted one, I could and should form one of my own. Somehow, I can’t convince myself that if I did make one of my own, that it would ever be as cool as hers.
The “her” I’m talking about is my sister, and the thing she has, the thing I wish I had, is a book club.
Not just any book club. This is a group of smart, accomplished, worldly, successful black women who enjoy each other’s company so much, they not only talk about great books, they also go on trips inspired by the books they read. They’ve traveled to Soprlo Island, Charleston, the Gulf Coast of Florida, the mountains of North, Georgia, just to name a few. The Book Trekkers have been meeting and discussing books for over ten years. They read everything from memoir to mystery to, thank goodness, urban fantasy.
I was both excited and nervous when my sister told me she had selected my book, The Bonding Spell, for the club to read at their most recent meeting.
Excited, because I thought it was cool as hell that this group of women I had admired for so long was going to read my work. Nervous, of course, that they would enjoy it.
My sister called me the afternoon of their club meeting. There was lots of laughter and conversation, everyone talking over each other as I heard the names of my characters bouncing around the room. They asked fantastic questions and I could tell by what they asked, that they really understood what I had been trying to do with the book. They had laughed at the right places, had understood the conflicts, and had loved the characters I had drawn on the page.
The whole experience was inspiring.
If your book club is looking for something fun to read, let me know. Cookie’s club members all received autograph copies of the book and I was happy to answer all of their questions as well as provide some questions they could use to spark discussion.
Thanks for letting me participate in your group!
M. L. Doyle has served in the U.S. Army at home and abroad for more than two decades as both a soldier and civilian. Mary is the author of The Desert Goddess series, an urban fantasy romp consisting of The Bonding Spell and The Bonding Blade. She has also penned The Master Sergeant Harper mystery series which has earned numerous awards including an IPPY, a Lyra Award and the Carrie McCray Literary Award. Mary is the co-author of two memoirs; A Promise Fulfilled; the story of a Wife and Mother, Soldier and General Officer (Jan. 201) and the memoir, I’m Still Standing: From Captive U.S. Soldier to Free Citizen—My Journey Home (Touchstone, 2010), which was nominated for an NAACP Image award. Mary's work has been published by The Goodman Project, The War Horse, The WWrite Blog and The Wrath-Bearing Tree. Mary retired from her career as an Army Public Affairs officer in 2020, then packed up her two cats and moved back to her home state of Minnesota where she takes tap dancing lessons, serves on the board of several nonprofits and enjoys taking an afternoon nap when she can. You can read excerpts of all of her work on her website at mldoyleauthor.com. Facebook.com/mldoyleauthor, or Bluesky @mldoyle.bsky.social.
6 comments on “I Want One Too”
How wonderful! And, hi, Cookie!
She says, HI back at ya!
Good evening M L Doyle. I immensely enjoyed your blog post and will look for one of your books at Barnes and Noble. Have a restful evening.
Thanks Ruth! You can find them at Barnes and Noble online, but it sure would be cool if you could ask for them in the store. Let me know what you think!
What an amazing group! And so glad that they read your book and enjoyed it so much!
Achievements you never even think of early on in your writing career. Loved this, Mary.