My book club meeting was genuinely delightful. Staying with our friends Mike and Carole was like every visit, filled with great company, delicious food, and lots of laughter. Is there anything better? Not in my book, no pun intended.
There is something about spending time with the people I grew up with that feels good down to my core. They’ve known me for… well, let’s move on. But suffice it to say long enough that they are a part of my foundation, have influenced who I have become, and can never be replaced.
The book club women and their husbands arrived at 4:00 on Saturday. We began with happy hour. I thought I might be nervous; I really wasn’t. I thankfully realized beforehand that even if these ladies hated the book, they are far too kind to ever let me know that. I’m glad that I was cognizant of that fact, as it allowed me to relax and take it all in.
I had one-on-one discussions with various members at different times, which left me beyond humbled. And before we all sat to discuss the book in greater detail, we took an updated EBC picture(above) in the same location as the original photo, fun stuff. (In addition to me being in the picture, you might notice one other slight difference.)
After our photo session, we began discussing the book in earnest. What a great discussion, lots of feedback, and thought-provoking questions about the actual experience of writing the book, how it affected me, and what my takeaway was. It was an honor to explore these topics with such incredible women.
Writing a book about your life feels, I would imagine, somewhat like being a race car driver. You develop and create your vehicle, and then you take it out to the track and race it around and around, hoping for the best. The turns all look somewhat alike, and until someone hands you some trophy, it’s nothing more than a labor of love.
And I’m an advocate of the labor of love, for sure. Achieving a dream is always worth the challenge, even if I’m the only one who understands! But this weekend felt as if I had been handed a trophy. So, thank you, ladies and gents, for coming together to share your support. I will be tucking your treasured comments away and pulling them out whenever I feel less than confident in my writing or just need a boost.
I’m sharing a bit of my feedback from the EBC.
“It was beautifully written and really did provide some lessons for all of us. I thought of it as a combination of memoir, diary, and self-help. One takeaway I had is how we speak to ourselves and that we should show that same kindness we afford others on ourselves.
“Sue didn’t shy away from sharing uncomfortable situations, which took a lot of courage. I think of it as an inspirational and positive playbook for approaching age and life. Love my favorite Yogini – wayward or otherwise.” -Carole D
“I’m impressed with Sue’s heartfelt approach to personal and sensitive topics and allowing herself to be a truth-sayer to people going through similar, devastating life experiences. She tells the readers that it’s ok to not be ok with life’s ups and downs even when the universe may expect us to always be resilient. She also reminds me of Gloria Steinem’s great statement (later used by the great philosopher Jim Carrey in Liar, Liar) ‘The truth will set you free!’
“I particularly liked the chapter ‘Manifesting’. It very much resonated with me. Having the author (Sue!), present added a depth to our conversation that we might have missed. She is genuine and open in her assessments of her life experiences and I look forward to her next book!” -Mary B
“The thing I liked most about the book was the thread of positivity that was woven throughout each chapter. The book resonated for me on many levels; growing older, caring for one’s parents, hanging out with one’s adult children.
I enjoyed the short chapters. The book was not wordy. I am not a fan of writers who fill up pages with a lot of words, maybe to make the book longer? Not sure. But Sue, your book did not do that. I found the book to be heartfelt and honest. You did a great job getting across the messages you were sending throughout your book. Maybe I should rephrase that by saying the messages you were manifesting throughout the book. Congratulations Sue!! Job very well done.” -Pat M
Feeling tremendously grateful. Until next week…
4 Comments
Welp, I had to LOL at the comment about the manuscript not filling the pages with a lot of words because we spent months stretching this thing to get past 200 pages. At one point a few months from the end of the editing process, I called Sue and said, “I have come to the conclusion you have nothing more to say.” And she agreed.
Signed,
The Editor
Funny story, and true!
I am not the last bit surprised at there reaction to the book. Everything they said is what makes your book so special.
Thank you, my friend!