TBCN Birthday Bash - Come Celebrate

One of my favorite websites is The Book Club Network.  This is a place where people with like minds can meet and discuss their favorite things, books.  Today I am honored to have as my guest  Nora St. Lauren

TBCN INTERVIEW with Nora St.Laurent

Nora St.Laurent;s Bio: Nora is the CEO of The Book Club Network Incorporated. Nora and her husband run The Book Club Network www.bookfun.org She runs two book clubs near Atlanta, Ga., Former ACFW On-Line Book Club. Nora currently writes a Book Club column for the Christian Fiction OnLine Magazine and is a Book Club Talk Columnist for Novel Rocket. You can read author interviews on her Finding Hope Through Fiction blog, located at http://www.psalm516.blogspot.com, and reviews around the web at The Christian Pulse Mag, Title Trakk, Novel Reviews, and Suspense Zone.

What inspired you start TBCN?

The Book Club Network was born out of a desire to share Christian Fiction authors with other book clubs, share book club ideas with other leaders and to encourage the authors who are writing such amazing books. The economy has been really tough for a few years and people are not parting with money like they used to. Through TBCN they can take their time and find the right book or win it. We have give away opportunities each month. ALL of our contests are from the 19^th – 21^st of the month.

I run two face to face book clubs one at the Christian Book Store I work at and the other at the church I attend. It’s a position I never imagined I’d be in since I didn’t read for pleasure much before I started working in a Christian book store 11 years ago.

But since I love talking with people and the main thing to talk about in a book store is books I started reading Christian Fiction (publishers sent ARC copies to our store and I started checking them out) The first book that rocked my world and got me hooked in Christian Fiction was a book by Linda Nichols called Not a Sparrow Falls her next book did me in and I couldn’t stop talking about it, At the Scent of Water was her next book that prompted me to contact the author and let her know how much her book touched my spirit.

After reading these two books and telling customers about these reads I had a reason to read.  These books spoke to me because I wasn’t expecting it. It reminded me of the stories in the bible. Jesus is the greatest story teller and He knew a story could change a life or prick our spirit and move us in a direction we never thought we’d be in.

I tell you all that to say I’m dyslexic and I have not been a fan of reading. Movies were more my thing. I could watch a movie of a book and have a lot more fun. Reading Christian Fiction changed my life in more ways than one.  I wanted to tell everyone about the greatest book I read, and I’d do that at the book store.  It was possible to talk about the new book I read and loved for about a month or more but when At the Scent of Water and Not a Sparrow Falls were not on the shelf anymore, I had to find some other books to talk about at work.  I’m not a very fast reader so; discovering the next new book was a challenge. Would I get the book read before it disappeared from the shelf?  How long do books live on a book shelf? The shelf life of a book was a mystery to me and still is.

I was whining to my husband Fred about my problem. How can I get the word out about great books for a very long period of time??? Being a man who likes to face challenges head we began to talk about how we could do this and the fact that I can’t read books fast enough to keep up with it’s shelf life at the store.

I also told him as a book club leader I wanted to promote great books and share them with other groups. Not everyone has the advantage of working at a book store and see what new books hit the shelves each week. Another struggle I had was if I had an author speaking at my book club I wanted to share them with other book clubs in the area. How could I do that? Where are book clubs meeting?

Our answer to many of these questions and more was the birth of The Book Club Network - TBCN. Connecting authors to book clubs and readers to their books; it’s also a network of book clubs as they post what they’ve read and how the meeting turned out.

It’s a place to find where a book club is located. We have a member map where you can find a book club near you. Message them and see if they are accepting new members. I envision it to be similar to be similar to the Weight Watchers program (don’t laugh Grin) you can go to a meeting anywhere in the country right? All you have to do is look on line and get connected. This is my hope for the future of TBCN.

Have there been any surprises for you @TBCN? What benefits have you seen by bringing readers and authors together?

I’ve been encouraged and fascinated by our growth. I can see there were other people out there like me wanting to connect with other book club members.

I’ll tell you what has surprised me is the author/reader interaction each month. This is something I didn’t foresee as I’ve watch the authors are having a blast interacting with the readers and visa/versa. The beauty of this discussion is it’s there forever for all to read no matter when you join TBCN.

The authors have done a great job coming up with questions for reader to answer that give them a peek into their book – create interest and then the discussion helps book club leaders connect with the author. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the amount of authors that want to be featured @The Book Club Network. It’s been a great thing.

The interaction with the authors is almost like having a book club meeting on line. It’s a huge benefit for both the authors who’ve wanted to ask clubs questions and readers who want to get to know authors. The authors are catching on. Our sponsors have loved the interaction as well. Members have told me that they love the author interaction from the 19^th-21^st as much as having a chance to win all these books. It’s hard to know if a book will be a fit for your group so these interaction times are helpful for that and so much more. Another thing I love about TBCN members is the fact they are not afraid to share what they think in a good way. I’ve learned so much and laughed out loud in some discussion where the questions lead to sharing funny moments.

My hope is that book club leaders and/or members participate in the discussions and make that book connection with the author and their book. I want TBCN to be a tool for them in picking out their books. Maybe invite the author to speak to their book club on the phone. It’s my hope. The discussion will be there forever. No worries about a books shelf live here @TBCN. So, everyone has time to get to know each other!! It’s a beautiful thing!

How can readers join in the anniversary celebrations?

It’s easy to sign up to be a member of TBCN.  We ask a few questions for you to answer and for other information that helps us keep spammers and other information seekers out of the network. It’s also FREE. You have opportunities to win lots of books. For our BIRTHDAY BASH we are giving away 10 books a day and announcing winners once a week. You’ll have all week to enter the daily featured contests. 

Do you have any other comments for my readers?

 If you are avid reader this is the place for you to learn about the latest in Christian Fiction and interact with the author each month.

Are you a book club leader? Well this is the place for you to find your next book club pick. We’d also love for you to set up your Book club page at our site for others to see. It’s a place to share your latest featured book. Post pictures of your club and the field trips you’ve taken. The authors you’ve met and the book fun you’ve had. Learn from other book clubs that have already set up their pages.

Want to start a book club but felt it was too overwhelming? You can learn from other experienced book club leaders, and you can start right away making your book club list!

Do you like to win books? This is the place for you. You’ll have a chance to get to know the authors and their books and read genre’s you normally wouldn’t. We’ve been giving away about 100 books a month and for our birthday bash it’s going to be 10 books every day; starting August first. Winners are picked weekly and announced each weekly.

THANK YOU! You’ve been a grand host to have me here and let me talk about The Book Club Network and our Birthday Bash!! I hope to see you there @TBCN www.bookfun.org

You are a Blessing!!

Nora :o)

The Book Club Network CEO

The Color of Snow - Brenda Stanley

Publisher:  Tribute Books

Pages:  413

Source:  ebook from author for review

Genre:  Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Romance

Sophie is discovered after the man she knows as Papa, shoots and injures Damien, a young man who is trying to rescue her. Now, unsocialized and thrust into the world, and into a family she has never met, Sophie must decide whether she should accept her Papa’s claims that she is cursed and he was only trying to protect others, or trust the new people in her life who have their own agendas. Guided by a wise cousin, Sophie realizes that her most heartbreaking challenge is to decide if her love for Damien will destroy him like her Papa claims, or free her from past demons that haunt her mind.
Sophie is discovered after the man she knows as Papa, shoots and injures Damien, a young man who is trying to rescue her. Now, unsocialized and thrust into the world, and into a family she has never met, Sophie must decide whether she should accept her Papa’s claims that she is cursed and he was only trying to protect others, or trust the new people in her life who have their own agendas. Guided by a wise cousin, Sophie realizes that her most heartbreaking challenge is to decide if her love for Damien will destroy him like her Papa claims, or free her from past demons that haunt her mind.

From Goodreads:
When a beautiful 16-year-old girl named Sophie is found sequestered in a cage-like room in a rundown house in the desolate hills of Arbon Valley, Idaho, the entire community is shocked to learn she is the legendary Callidora--a baby girl who was kidnapped from her crib almost seventeen years ago and canonized in missing posters with portraits of what the fabled girl might resemble. Authorities soon learn that the cage was there to protect people from Sophie, because her biological father believes she is cursed.



My Thoughts:
I want more!  The tension begins on the first page.  From the very beginning the author has created a scene that leaves so many questions.  I would read and think I had answers to some of them only to find out that I didn't quite have it right.  In the beginning I wanted to really dislike the man she had always known as her father.  As I read  I realized that even he was not black and white.  As I was read his past I really disliked Sophie's grandfather.  The fact that he really thought that his family was better than Luke's family because they raised sheep and worked for him made me dislike him. There are so many things going on here.  There are family secrets, issues with social class, as well as a difference in religious beliefs.  Was there really a curse on Sophia's family as she believed?  I would suggest you read the book to find out.  I am looking forward to reading this author's previous book, I Am Nuchu, now that I have found this wonderful author.

Brenda Stanley's Bio: 

Brenda Stanley is the former news anchor at her NBC affiliate KPVI in Eastern Iadho. Her writing has been recognized by the Scripps Howard Foundation, the Hearst Journalism Awards, the Idaho Press Club and the Society for Professional Journalists. She is a graduate of Dixie College in St. George, Utah, and the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Brenda lived for two years in Ballard, Utah, within the Fort Duchesne reservation where the novel is set. She and her husband live on a small ranch near the Snake River with their horses and dogs.

Links:

The Color of Snow web site:

http://the-color-of-snow.blogspot.com/

The Color of Snow GoodReads page:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13456512-the-color-of-snow

Brenda Stanley's Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/brenda.baumgartnerstanley

Brenda Stanley's Twitter:

http://twitter.com/#!/myauthorlife

Brenda Stanley's Website:

http://www.brendastanleybooks.net/

Brenda Stanley's GoodReads:

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4086376.Brenda_Stanley

Open Minds Review and Interview

Publisher:  CreateSpace

Pages:  326

Source:  Review copy from author

Genre:  YA Paranormal

Author Bio and Interview:

Susan Kaye Quinn grew up in California, where she wrote snippets of stories and passed them to her friends during class. She pursued a bunch of engineering degrees and worked a lot of geeky jobs, including turns at GE Aircraft Engines, NASA, and NCAR. Now that she writes novels, her business card says "Author and Rocket Scientist" and she doesn't have to sneak her notes anymore. All that engineering comes in handy when dreaming up paranormal powers in future worlds or mixing science with fantasy to conjure slightly plausible inventions. Susan writes from the Chicago suburbs with her three boys, two cats, and one husband. Which, it turns out, is exactly as much as she can handle.

What inspired you to want to become a writer?

I’ve always written stories, starting when I was in sixth grade writing bizarre stream-of-consciousness poems about soldiers returning from the Vietnam War (yup, I was strange even then). But I never considered myself a “writer.” I grew up with plans to be an astronaut, and got a bunch of engineering degrees and worked for NASA, finally landing with a Ph.D. and doing research on global warming (which was an amazing job, BTW). I left science to be an at-home mom (another amazing job), and toyed with being a politician for a while (served for four years on Illinois’ third largest elementary school board). I rediscovered my love of writing almost by accident, sitting down at a keyboard one day to bang out a story for my niece. But the love of it gripped me like an addiction, and three years on, it still hasn’t let go. I figured I better try to make a career out of it.

Are you a morning person or night owl?

Definitely a morning person, although I still require lots of caffeine. Maybe I should try being a night owl. 

How did you choose the genre you write in?

I started out writing stories for my niece (young adult) and then tried my hand at middle grade (so I could read to my boys, who were 6, 8, and 10 at the time). I love the romance and drama of teen novels – they’re just like adult novels, only faster paced and involve a time of life that’s almost universal (everyone has experienced it). But I continue to be drawn to writing middle grade as well, for the pure, fun storytelling. You can play more in middle grade, and it has a sweetness and innocence that I love (as well as being even FASTER paced). I plan to keep writing both, although I’ve only published my young adult novels so far.

What genre do you like to read?  Do you limit yourself to only the genre that you write yourself?

I read a LOT of YA and MG. My adult reading tends to be more non-fiction – industry stuff, biographies, the news. The great thing about reading YA, though, is there is such a huge range – mysteries, literary, chick lit: it’s all there in YA. I think the fast pace of YA and MG stories may have ruined me for slower adult fiction. 

Please tell us in one sentence why we should read your book.

What would you do if you had to mind-control everyone you loved?

Do you see yourself in any of your characters?

There’s a small piece of me in every character that I write (which is a little disturbing, since some of my characters are downright awful)! J Being a writer means exploring the human mind – you have to be able to create a complete personality that exists outside your own and then breathe life into it on the page. You can’t do that unless you invest some of yourself in the character. That being said, I try not to create characters that are too much like me. If you’re too self-involved in your character, it’s hard to be objective when your character goes through heck on the page. 

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

Write, write, then write some more. Writing is a craft that you have to wrestle with on a daily basis. No writer is ever “done” learning how to write. So, be patient with yourself and your stories. And remember that you are unique – no one can tell the stories you have inside you. Learning how to let your uniqueness shine in your stories is an important part of your growth as a writer.

Book Blurb:

When everyone reads minds, a secret is a dangerous thing to keep.

Sixteen-year-old Kira Moore is a zero, someone who can’t read thoughts or be read by others. Zeros are outcasts who can’t be trusted, leaving her no chance with Raf, a regular mindreader and the best friend she secretly loves. When she accidentally controls Raf’s mind and nearly kills him, Kira tries to hide her frightening new ability from her family and an increasingly suspicious Raf. But lies tangle around her, and she’s dragged deep into a hidden world of mindjackers, where having to mind control everyone she loves is just the beginning of the deadly choices before her.

My Thoughts:

I absolutely loved this book.  I’ve had this book on my to read list for a long time.  The author contacted me about a review and I was thrilled to say yes.  Unfortunately my plans to post a review in February went south when my computer crashed and put me behind on all my reviews.    However,  this is a book I will definitely put on my shelves at school.  We are introduced to Kira who is not like the others around her.  Usually by the time a teen has reached her age they have changed and can read minds.  All classroom instruction is done through mindreading/mindspeaking.  Kira must try to copy the notes of her friend Raf until her mother purchases her a special hearing aide that comes with a mic for the teachers to whisper into. 

It is obvious from the beginning that Raf doesn’t just want to be her friend.  When he tries to kiss her something happens and he hits the desk and ends up with a head injury.  She thinks she has caused the injury but is unsure how.  She meets  another classmate Simon who has the answer to what she has done and how to control it.  The question she must ask is if the knowledge she has is worth the risks.  The book was so full of twists and turns and tension.  Lots and lots of tension.  The characters were well developed.  The writing was so tight that I was propelled along.  I finished the book in about three hours.  I am glad this is a trilogy because I want to find out what will happen next to Kira and her family.  Eventhough the story ended in a fashion that would make it seem complete  if it was the only book you read of the trilogy, you definitely want to read the rest.  I'm not sure I could give this book enough stars.  I look forward to reading the second book Closed Hearts which is already out.  Hopefully the third book in the trilogy will follow soon.

Connect with Susan:

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