Another first this month! My own novel was up for discussion at my book group. Prepare for your grilling I’d been told, which really put the frighteners on me.
I needn’t have worried. They’d enjoyed reading Soldier Doll and the purpose of our evening together was to celebrate its being published, with me, the author. They weren’t there to review it, simply to learn more about the inspiration behind it. For the most part they were gentle with me but there were still some testing questions. It’s amazing the different angles people come from even though they’ve all read the same 338 pages.
All in all, it was a surreal experience and I learnt a lot. For example, try dialing down the rabbit in headlights expression. It was also cathartic. I’d been so caught up in getting the book out there that I’d had little time to properly reflect on what it meant to me. ‘How do you feel?’ was the final, most revealing question they put to me. I could have said very happy or proud of my achievement but I was momentarily stumped. Then it struck me: my overriding feeling was one of immense relief. Until someone added, ‘When’s the next one coming out?’