Debbie Harpham
Do books really connect? A resounding yes!!! Here’s the story:
Prologue:
The Reading Renegades Book Club recently joined NovelNetwork and self-describe their group as follows: “We meet via Zoom, all live in Indiana. We are friends who live in different cities and we started our club at the beginning of Covid to stay in touch. Most of the time, we have authors join our group. We also use about half of each meeting doing something wacky or creative related to the book or the season. We are entrepreneurs, business leaders and philanthropists in our day jobs. We have six members currently, and meet once a month. We are currently reading The Alice Network by Kate Quinn, and enjoy reading all genres. “
This delightful group enjoyed a virtual visit with New York Times bestselling author Kate Quinn for discussion of THE ALICE NETWORK. That in itself is noteworthy, but what transpired after the visit speaks loudly to the impact of books in our lives.
Chapter one – Kathy:
After her group’s visit with Kate Quinn, book club manager Kathy shared this with us (NovelNetwork):
“Wow, Kate Quinn was a hit tonight. It was fun to hear about her experience with Reese Witherspoon and her New York Times bestseller fame. She answered so many of our questions about the characters, the process of writing the book. We were enamored!”
And with Kate Quinn:
“Kate, thank you for joining our book club tonight! I’ve lived in France and my father was a WWII veteran, so The Alice Network was especially meaningful to me. We’ve all pre-ordered The Diamond Eye and look forward to another Zoom session with you.
As a thank you for your time, I just made a (generous) donation to our local animal shelter, Humane Fort Wayne. I’ve copied Jessica on this note; she is the Executive Director. Jessica, this donation is to honor author Kate Quinn. Check out her wonderful spy novel, The Alice Network. Cheers to all of you. ” Signed, Kathy (aka Snapdragon)
Chapter two – Kate:
“Aw, thank you SO much! You did not need to make an honorarium in my name, but I am absolutely delighted that you did so, and so very glad to think of the animals it will help. And I will be delighted to Zoom with you again if you read another book of mine!”
Chapter three – Jessica:
“Hi, Kathy and Kate! What a lovely surprise to find in my email! On behalf of the thousands of people and pets your gift will impact, I am so grateful. As Fort Wayne’s only nonprofit animal shelter, we save and serve more than 20,000 animals per year through our adoption, spay/neuter, wellness, and social service programs. We could never achieve those numbers without support from our community. And – bonus – we’re avid readers around here, so this is a particularly lovely gift! Now I’m going to pick up a copy of THE ALICE NETWORK! Again, my gratitude to the book club, to Kathy, and to Kate!” Most sincerely, Jessica (Executive Director, Humane Fort Wayne)
Full circle!
Epilogue:
Kathy schedules her group’s next NovelNetwork author visit with New York Times bestselling author Heather Webb.
Not “the end” but rather “to be continued…”
Visit NovelNetwork.com to view the impressive list of member authors available for book club visits, including Kate Quinn and Heather Webb, and schedule a visit today. You never know who you might touch along the way.